The KitchenAid Artisan was rated as a best buy by a leading consumer testing group, relative to the other KitchenAid stand mixers. IMO it's a bit pricey, but apparently meant to last a lifetime. I'very wanted one for a long time, but finally decided to buy it, solely based on Overstock's excellent price (compared to every other etailer/retailer I could find. The also had a free attachment offer, which is ultimately why I decided to purchase when I did.
Upon receipt of the shipment, it was double boxed by KitchenAid. Excellent protection for the contents. I inspected the contents thoroughly and found now noticeable defects. It's also not refurbished, as those mixers have a different part number. I've only used it twice, but it's worked perfectly so far.
Note that the whip attachment is not dishwasher safe, and must be hand washed (or you'll get that ugly, white oxidation on it). All the other painted/powder coaxed attachments and the bowl are dishwasher safe.
The only design "flaw" that I've encountered has been the attachment plate for the mixing bowl. From its appearance, it looks like you should be able to mount the bowl at different positions on the plate; however, it's clear that the bowl is really supposed to be attached in only one position. If it's attached in a different position on the radial plate, the bowl will not seat firmly. You can easily jiggle it to find out it's not mounted correctly. They should have made it so the bowl could only be attached one way, if it is actually important that it be done that one way (aside from the handle being in a bad location in one of the three possible attachment points, the remaining two configurations don't appear to be a problem with respect to the handle.... unless it might get in the way of some other attachment.