Commercial Mixer Buying Guide
Commercial Mixer Buying Guide
Planetary or spiral? How to choose a commercial mixer, sized to your batch, from 7L to 200L.
Not sure which suits you? Call us on 03 9783 6325.
A commercial mixer is a serious investment, and the most expensive mistake is buying the wrong make — a planetary when you needed a spiral, or the reverse. This guide sorts that out first, then sizes it to your batch.
It's not only for bakeries and pizzerias. Serious home bakers and pizza-makers buy these too — a proper spiral kneads a dough a domestic stand mixer can't, and a countertop planetary handles home baking with room to spare. The decisions are the same at any scale.
Every figure here is from our own range.
Planetary or spiral? This is the whole decision
They look similar and do fundamentally different jobs. Get this right and the rest is just sizing.
Planetary mixer — the all-rounder. The tool spins on its own axis while orbiting the bowl (like a planet, hence the name), and you swap attachments: a whisk for cream and egg whites, a flat beater for batters and mash, a dough hook for lighter doughs. If you make cakes, batters, icing, mashed potato, meringue and the occasional dough, this is your machine. A bakery, café or restaurant kitchen usually wants one.
Spiral mixer — the dough specialist. A fixed spiral hook works the dough against a rotating bowl, kneading intensively without overheating it. It does one thing supremely well: bread and pizza dough, in volume. A spiral will knead far more dough, far better, than a planetary of the same bowl size — but it only does dough. If you're a pizzeria or bakery pushing serious dough every day, this is the one.
The quick test: whisking, beating and mixing a variety of things → planetary. Kneading a lot of bread or pizza dough → spiral. Many busy kitchens end up with both.
Planetary mixers — sizes
Bowl volume is the headline; dough capacity is the realistic limit if you knead in it. Tap a model for live pricing.
| Model | Bowl | Dough capacity | Speeds | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B7-PREM | 7 L | 2 kg | 5 | Home baker, small café, light duty |
| BKM-10 | 10 L | 5 kg | 3 | Café, small kitchen |
| BKM-20 | 20 L | 7.5 kg | 3 | Restaurant, busy café |
| BKM-30 | 30 L | 12 kg | 3 | Bakery, high output |
| BKM-40 | 40 L | 13.5 kg | 3 | Large bakery / production |
| BKM-80 | 80 L | 30 kg | 3 | High-volume production |
Buy for your biggest regular batch, not your average — a mixer run at its limit every day wears faster. If dough is most of what you do, compare these dough figures against the spiral range below; a spiral will out-knead a planetary of the same bowl size.
Spiral dough mixers — sizes
Rated by dough (kneading) capacity, which is what matters for a dough machine.
| Model | Bowl | Dough capacity | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| SM20 | 20 L | 18 kg | Small pizzeria, home pizza enthusiast |
| SM25-RB | 25 L | 16 kg | Removable bowl, tilting head |
| SM30 | 30 L | 25 kg | Café / small bakery |
| SM40 | 40 L | 38 kg | Busy pizzeria |
| SM60-RB | 60 L | 35 kg | Bakery, removable bowl |
| SM66 | 66 L | 48 kg | High output |
| SM130 | 130 L | 86 kg | Production bakery |
| SM200 | 200 L | 120 kg | Large-scale production |
Two fixed speeds (typically 22/12 rpm) let you start slow to bring the dough together, then work it. The removable-bowl models (SM25-RB, SM60-RB) make emptying and cleaning quicker on a busy line.
Rolling dough as well? Consider a dough roller
If your job is sheeting dough — pizza bases, pastry — rather than kneading it, that's a dough roller, not a mixer. We stock a 12″ angled and 15″/18″ horizontal rollers. A pizzeria often runs a spiral mixer to make the dough and a roller to sheet it.
Features worth checking
- Number of speeds — more speeds (the countertop planetary has 5) give finer control for delicate work like meringue; 3 speeds is plenty for general kitchen use.
- Bowl guard / safety cut-off — a wire guard that stops the machine if lifted. Expected on commercial gear and a real safety point around staff.
- Attachments included — planetary machines should come with whisk, beater and hook; check what's in the box.
- Build and motor — kneading dough is hard on a motor; commercial-grade beats a domestic stand mixer for anything more than occasional use.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a planetary and a spiral mixer?
Which mixer do I need for pizza dough?
What size should I buy?
Can I use these at home?
Do I need a dough roller too?
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