I just replaced my Hobart planetary mixer with an Empire spiral mixer. So far I like the dough, not sure if it’s better, but certainly no worse. My guess is the Empire mixer will need less maintenance and will last as long if not longer than a Hobart. I would strongly suggest looking into the spiral mixers as they can be purchased new for similar cost as a refurbished Hobart and are made to withstand the day to day stress that pizza dough will put a mixer through. The drawback for some of you is that you can’t add a shredder attachment like you can with many Hobarts.