For stand mixers, pick the 5‑quart for everyday baking; choose the 7‑quart for big batches, bread dough, and heavier mixes.
KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt‑Head (KSM150PS)
KitchenAid 7 Quart Bowl‑Lift Stand Mixer (KSM70 Series)
Best Value For Home Bakers
- Compact footprint fits under most cabinets.
- Quick head tilt for beater swaps and bowl scraping.
- Handles cakes, cookies, and weekly dough.
Artisan 5‑Qt (KSM150PS)
Heavy Dough & Batch Days
- Stays steady with bread and bagel dough.
- 11 speeds with 1/2 speed for folding delicate add‑ins.
- Larger bowl means fewer back‑to‑back runs.
7‑Qt Bowl‑Lift (KSM70 Series)
Stand mixers decide how often you bake and how easy it feels. The 5‑quart tilt‑head is the classic, sized for weeknight cookies and weekend cakes. The 7‑quart bowl‑lift is the workhorse for bread, pizza, and big batches. Here’s the fast verdict and the trade‑offs that push most buyers one way or the other.
In A Nutshell
The 5‑quart tilt‑head suits kitchens where space and simplicity matter. It’s easier to load ingredients, lighter to move, and nails the everyday bakes most households make. The 7‑quart bowl‑lift favors power users and aspiring bread bakers. It stays steadier with heavy dough, runs an extra half‑speed for folding, and cuts down on back‑to‑back batches.
Side‑By‑Side Specs
*Cookie yield based on 28 g dough per cookie. **Capacity claim from KitchenAid’s 7‑quart product page. Use speed 2 for kneading.
KitchenAid Artisan Series 5‑Quart — What We Like / What We Don’t Like
✅ What We Like
- Tilt‑head makes ingredient loading and scraping easy; no bowl‑lift lever steps.
- 10 speeds cover creaming, whipping, and light doughs with predictable control.
- Good small‑batch performance; the narrower bowl catches low volumes better than larger tubs.
- Comes with a pouring shield to cut flour puffs during starts.
- Hub accepts 10+ attachments, so it moonlights as a grinder, roller, or spiralizer.
⚠️ What We Don’t Like
- Less steady with dense dough; the head can bob under strain.
- 5‑quart bowl caps batch size; you’ll run multiple rounds for big cookie days.
- Wire whip is hand‑wash only.
KitchenAid 7‑Quart Bowl‑Lift — What We Like / What We Don’t Like
✅ What We Like
- Bowl‑lift frame with a 3‑point lock keeps heavy dough steady.
- 11 speeds including a 1/2 setting for folding delicate ingredients.
- Large capacity cuts total time on cookie and bread days.
- Comes loaded: double flex edge beater, spiral dough hook, 11‑wire whip, pastry beater, and more.
- Soft Start reduces splatter on floury starts.
⚠️ What We Don’t Like
- Larger footprint and weight; you’ll want a parking spot on the counter.
- Bowl‑lift adds one extra step when swapping accessories or scraping down.
- Costs more; best value arrives if you bake bread or big batches often.
KitchenAid 5‑Quart Or 7‑Quart: Which Fits You Better
Power & Throughput
The 7‑quart lineup is built for volume. It adds an extra speed, including a gentle 1/2 setting, and it’s rated for big tasks like kneading over 8.5 pounds of bread dough and turning out about 13 dozen cookies per batch. That’s the “batch‑day” machine. The 5‑quart runs 10 steady speeds and covers cakes, buttercreams, muffins, brownies, and light‑to‑medium dough without turning the kitchen into a workout.
If you’re mostly mixing one or two loaves at a time, the 5‑quart is fine. If the plan includes bagels, multi‑loaf sandwich bread, or double pizza nights, the 7‑quart’s bowl‑lift chassis and larger capacity pay off. KitchenAid’s own page calls out the 11‑speed range and those large‑batch claims for the 7‑quart, which lines up with the use cases bakers feel day to day.
Noise & Comfort
Both are solid metal builds with planetary mixing. The bowl‑lift design feels steadier when the hook digs into stiff dough; the frame doesn’t bounce as easily. The tilt‑head wins for feel and speed: flip the head up, scrape or swap, flip it back down—done. If you keep your mixer under cabinets, the tilt‑head’s lower height makes life easier.
Cleaning & Parts
Stainless bowls go straight in the dishwasher. The flat beaters and coated dough hooks typically do as well; the wire whips are hand‑wash pieces. If you ever find batter clinging at the bottom or a beater barely nicking the bowl, a quick clearance adjustment brings everything back into line. The process is simple once you know where the screw sits.
ℹ️ Good To Know: If the beater misses ingredients or taps the bowl, use KitchenAid’s beater‑to‑bowl adjustment (the dime test) to reset the height. Adjust your beater height.
Safety & Standards
Both ships include non‑locking starts that ramp slowly to reduce flour plumes. The 7‑quart adds Soft Start plus the 1/2 speed, which helps when folding berries or egg whites. For dough work, stay at speed 2. That keeps torque where it should be and protects the gearbox.
Warranty & Service
KitchenAid covers new stand mixers with a one‑year limited replacement warranty in the U.S. You contact the brand if anything fails in normal use during that period, and they handle replacement logistics. If you want the official wording and how to check coverage, see KitchenAid’s guide. How to confirm your warranty.
Pricing & Packages
The 5‑quart lands in the mid tier ($$). It ships with the basics: stainless bowl, coated flat beater, coated dough hook, 6‑wire whip, and a pouring shield. The 7‑quart sits one tier higher ($$$) and layers on more tools in the box, including the double flex edge beater, a spiral dough hook, an 11‑wire whip, a pastry beater, and a pouring shield. Both let you expand with hub attachments across pasta, grinding, spiralizing, and more.
The 7‑quart’s 11 speeds, 1/2 folding speed, and large‑batch claims come from KitchenAid’s KSM70 series product page; the 5‑quart’s accessory list comes from the KSM150PS page and listings. Specs can vary by color bundle.
Price, Value & Ownership
Interpretation: the 5‑quart wins on counter fit and entry cost. The 7‑quart wins on time saved when you’re baking for a crowd or working stiff dough often.
Where Each One Wins
🏆 Bread & Bagels — 7‑Qt Bowl‑Lift
🏆 Small‑Batch Whipping — 5‑Qt Tilt‑Head
🏆 Quick Swaps & Scrapes — 5‑Qt Tilt‑Head
🏆 Stability Under Load — 7‑Qt Bowl‑Lift
Decision Guide
✅ Choose Artisan 5‑Qt If…
- You bake cookies, cakes, frostings, and weekly pizza or sandwich loaves in modest quantities.
- You want an easier loading experience and a lower profile under cabinets.
- You’ll add attachments over time and prefer the mid‑tier entry point.
✅ Choose 7‑Qt Bowl‑Lift If…
- Heavy doughs are routine and you want the mixer to stay planted without head bob.
- You bake for events, neighbors, or side orders where larger batches save time.
- You’ll use the extra tools in the box and the added 1/2 folding speed.
Best Fit For Most Kitchens
Most households should start with the Artisan 5‑quart. It’s easier to live with, takes less space, and covers the full range of daily tasks with a tool set you’ll use right away. Batch bakers, bread fans, and anyone who wants fewer back‑to‑back runs will feel the 7‑quart’s payoff every week. If your baking calendar includes bagels, pretzels, or large cookie orders, the bowl‑lift is the smarter first buy. If your goal is a flexible, friendly mixer that slips into your routine, the 5‑quart is the smoother pick.
Source notes: Specs and capacity claims reference KitchenAid’s U.S. product pages and documents for the KSM150PS Artisan 5‑quart and the KSM70 series 7‑quart bowl‑lift models, plus the brand’s stand‑mixer manuals and help pages. Cleaning guidance aligns with the accessory care notes in those documents.