I really like this shelf. A few things to know, if you are considering its purchase... It takes up a significant (all) of the cabinet. I installed the shelf in a narrow (12 inch) cabinet. This made my shelf almost exactly the width of my kitchen aid mixer (9 inche shelf, compared to the 8.5 inch mixer). The mixer is a little unstable during the up/down trip, so I added a 'lip' to it, to keep it centered (this may be because of how narrow my cabinet and shelf are). There are no issues when the shelf is locked up or down, but I would recommend using both hands to stabilize the 'transit'. About the size- Now, I knew this was going to be tight, but under-estimated how tight a fit it would be, and can't use my Kitchenaid mixer cover because it makes the mixer too wide to fit between the shelf lift mechanism arms. Also, when the shelf (with the mixer) is in the cabinet, the metal hinge 'elbows' extend 4.25-4.5 inches below the shelf. Because of the narrowness of my shelf, in particular, it makes the base of the cabinet, essentially useless (the shelf is 6.5 inches above the bottom, and the usable space, between the hinges is approx 6 in wide x 5 in tall x depth of cabinet). All of that, and it was a pain to install- making sure that the shelf was squarely in place, and didn't hit the hinges during the raising/lowering process was tedious, to say the least. I'm not sure why others said that they were unable to install the shelf below a drawer, I had no problems doing just that- but the shelf doesn't extent to reach the countertop at its level... It's level with the bottom of the drawer. Fyi- if you do this, you can't open the drawer, with the shelf in the upright position; but, lowering the shelf, and then opening the drawer is no significant hardship.
About the product itself- it is exceptionally sturdy! I holds my heavy mixer with no issues, and appears to be made of good quality materials. It gave me back lots of valuable counter space, which is at a premium, in my tiny kitchen. It makes my kitchen look clean, and less cluttered, and even encourages my using the mixer (because it's so easy to access, and I don't have to lift it by hand off the shelf it was previously stored on). Also, I plan to install an outlet in the back of the cabinet shortly, so I don't have to bend over to plug/unplug it.
I would recommend this purchase, if you are willing to accept the hassle of installing it. Once installed, I had no issues with the product itself. I'm planning on buying another one, to use for my Kitchenaid food processor.
Ahhh-MAZING.
I bought this to incorporate into a custom cabinet/prep station I built. It's fantastic. It fits my lift-up mixer just fine, with plenty of storage underneath for attachments. (Note: when I built the cabinet, I did not include the customary 5-inch gap between the floor and the base of the cabinet; mine only has 2.5 inches, so I gained an additional 2.5 inches of storage space.) We installed this with the top of the cabinet removed, and it was fairly easy. Measure, mark the holes, and screw it in. Since we had the top off, we could hold and drill from the top, which you won't be able to do in an existing cabinet, but with a flashlight and some clamps, any reasonably handy person could install this.
I added a handle to the bottom of my shelf, which allows me to pull it out one-handed.
I made a dense bread dough on this yesterday, and though there was a little wobbling, it did not feel un-sturdy (is that a word?).
Absolutely worth the money to get my mixer off the counter without having to lift it every time I want to use it. Plus, in our small kitchen, it turns our prep area in to an "L" shape, which frees up counter space for pasta dough or cake ingredients or whatever we're making.
I absolutely recommend this.
Let's face it, if you have to dig an appliance out of a cabinet, especially if it is a heavy appliance, you are probably not going to bother. Such has been the case with our Kitchen-Aid unit since it was stored on a back lower shelf. Wanting to do something about that, we started looking for a way to hide the unit in a cabinet, but make it easy to bring out to use. We found this Rev-A-Shelf unit and decided to give it a try.
Unfortunately, I have not found a way to upload user pictures of their device, so I will just have to describe what we did. We had a narrow cabinet under the counter that this unit would just fit inside. Actually, we had to notch the sides just a small bit for the shelf to enter and exit the cabinet easily. The unit was fairly straight forward to install, but turned out to be a bit of a pain because we were putting it into a very tight cabinet. That did not leave much room to move around in. Still, it installed easily enough and it works GREAT!!
The shelf lifts the mixer out easily and locks into place. The shelf is very stable and the mixer is very steady. When you are done, the unit easily releases and goes back down into the cabinet. Easy enough now that we no longer find excuses NOT to use it!!!!
If you have the space to devote to this, I would highly recommend it!
This was the second Rev A Shelf spring loaded shelf that Hubby installed. The first one was in the kitchen for the mix master, this one was on his workbench for his miter saw. Yes, you read correctly, he built this into his workbench and now uses it to pull his miter saw up to bench level when he needs it. Hubby read all the specks, weighed the saw and put the spring on the tightest setting. It works like a charm. Pulls the saw up and down without hurting his back and stores it without taking up any prime real estate in his work area. The unit is holding up to a great deal of use, right now and has proven to be sturdy. He thought he might need to put some extra support underneath the shelf when he was using it, but hasn't had to yet.
I think others have shared that the instructions are not the greatest. It took me a few times reading through it, then poking around online, before I attempted to install. I'm a semi retired professional carpenter, btw. Installation, after I felt confident with the instructions, took about 60 minutes, not counting the time to find and cut the side supports our cabinet required.
Rev-a-shelf products have always impressed me with their quality and design. This is a neat product and finally allows me to use an appliance more easily that I have sometimes avoided because it was stuck in all its heavy glory at the back of a cabinet.
This provides a little space underneath the lift to store accessories, which I hadn't thought about but it's a really nice bonus. The cabinet we installed this in was just a hair too narrow to allow the bowl to be attached to the mixer, but it sits perfectly underneath.
Once installed and adjusted, it functions well. The right arm seems a little wobbly so I plan to remove the base and make sure I installed that arm correctly and attached the base squarely. I don't think it's the product.
The only thing I'm not so keen on are the release arms. They sit back a little further than I can comfortably grab without moving my hands completely below the base. To release it, that's fine, but it's difficult to reach when lowered. I'm not sure why they sit so far back. This seems like something that would be simple to change.
This is a neat product and if you like the idea you probably won't be disappointed. Make sure you understand the directions before starting installation of course. It should save you a couple knuckle scrapes.
Feature Product
- Package Contents:(1) Heavy Duty Lift (Assist) System and mounting hardware
- Should not be used in cabinets above 21"
- Can be used with many different widths with a minimum base cabinet frame opening of 12.5"
- Full height cabinet required, simply supply your own custom shelf
- Spring loaded system gently assists the movement of small appliances to counter height
- W:12 to 24, D:22-1/2", H:20-5/8", Weight:14.96 lbs.
Description
Rev-A-Shelf has kept design and flexibility in mind, the heavy duty chrome lift can be attached to any custom made shelf and therefore will fit all full height cabinet sizes allowing a perfect match to your counter top or interior cabinet. Revered as the "best in the industry", the RAS-ML-HDCR features built-in shock dampeners, adjustable spring tension and holds appliances up to 60 lbs.
The product is rugged well made. Does not fit just any style cabinet. Cabinets with a top draw will lower the mixer . cabinets with no frame are another fasten problem especially if you are an end . Hardware will be weak if additional lumber is not applied for screwing off . Not a problem if you like bolt head out side to look at. Frame less cabinets . most are particle board,and will not support weight and system with short screw in 3/8 thick wall .
This is not something one can see before you purchase. beware it will need a rock solid mounting structure. You will need to build this up for many store bought cabinets.
This product is a very heavy duty mixer shelf. My husband actually installed it in a cabinet that had a drawer over the door. If you are going to do this, make sure you measure carefully as the mixer shelf will take up the entire lower cabinet--from top to bottom. You need to allow room for the height of the mixer and for the fact that the mechanism swings all the way to the bottom of the cabinet. If you install in a cabinet with a drawer over it, please consider that the shelf for the mixer will not come up to the height of the counter top, but it will be approximately 4-5 inches below the counter top. I have a large 6-quart Kitchen Aid mixer which is quite tall and I am only 5'1" tall, so it works perfectly for me. It is actually at a more workable level for me than when it was sitting on the counter top. We found that installing it with this set up meant that the mixer would have to sit parallel to the counter due to the height restriction of having a drawer over the cabinet. The instructions were excellent and my husband said they were easy to follow. It does take a long time to install because you'll need to do a lot of precise measuring. My cabinets are white and we used a 3/4" thick x 15 3/4" deep piece of white prefinished shelving from Home Depot and my husband cut it approximately 20 1/2" long and left the 15 3/4" side uncut. The shelving works great because it is the recommended 3/4" thick and is finished on three sides. He placed a 2" high piece on the 15 3/4" backside as a 'backsplash' so that I can store attachments there and they won't slip off the shelf and end up in the back of the cabinet. The delivery was so quick we couldn't believe it. This device will be a God-send for me and I look forward to never again having to lift that heavy mixer from my cabinet.
The instructions that come with the product are not very useful. I watched a YouTube video that made it more clear and easier to install. If you are installing in a non new construction or kitchen remodel it is definitely a two person install. You cannot install it if you cabinet has a drawer, there is not enough clearance to lock into place when in use. If doing a kitchen remodel, then ensure you install this product before putting on the counter top. I put mine in an existing cabinet with a drawer and removed that and modified the area to accommodate this product. I then mounted my old cupboard door and drawer from onto a thin piece of plywood and stained it to match my current color and unless you look close you cannot tell it's not a false front.
Love this!. Very sturdy and wiggle free while mixing. The unit lifts up very easily and locks into place. My carpenter was able to install this under my cabinet drawer with some modifications. He had to cut slots in the bottom of the cabinet floor to lower the "lift arms" to fit inside properly. This was well worth it to keep the upper drawer. I'm 5'4" so the lower mixing shelf height isn't a problem. I love having the mixer off my countertop and out of sight! Wonderful!
I found the instructions clear and well laid out and the device well made. My installation was not standard but went very well. I didn't use their screws as I try to use only star drive screws. Putting a phillips driver through my thumb once was enough. I am well pleased with how it installed and how it operates.
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