I love the fact that you can walk away from it while it's doing what you need it to while you go on with other tasks. The way I see it, if you think you need a mixer, then you probably do.

I got my KA for my 30th and love it. My mum has had her Kenwood for 36 years and only now is it showing signs of dying. I didn't have a preference over the two brands but went with the KA because DH bought it for me. We have the mincer and ice cream attachments and it's awesome. Since getting it three years ago, I think I've used the handheld beaters twice.