1 comments about Hamilton Beach 54615 Wavestation Express Dispensing Blender with 48-Ounce Jar, Black.

1. I purchased this blender about a year ago from Wal-Mart. I've had a number of blenders over the past 30+ years but always ended up giving them away because I seldom if ever used them -- too much bother -- and have this thing about getting rid of unused stuff but finding yet another excuse why I "need" to buy another blender. I got it strictly for smoothies. My sister convinced me they were good for me, but I wasn't about to pay $3-4 a pop for one smoothie. I was going to do all the research but saw this blender in Wal-Mart and just liked how it looked and really liked the price, around $18 at the time. I thought the spout thingee was neat, but I was really blown away by the 500 watts on this thing. I figured how bad could it be with 500 watts. If it blew out after recouping the price of 4-5 smoothies, it would be a fair tradeoff in my view. I'm not a technical person but after comparing the wattage of this one with the others on display, I thought what have I got to lose?
   
   It's plastic, very lightweight and easy to move around. That works for me. Soooo easy to clean and disassemble when doing a thorough clean. Immediately after use I rinse it, fill it less than half full with hot water and a drop of liquid detergent, hold the lid down and give it a couple of whirls on pulse. Take it off and shake it around to get the top clean, then rinse again and make sure I open the spout to let it drain. If you don't clean it right away, you'll have to scrub it clean. You can disengage the spout and attach it to the bottom of the base, replacing it with the screw cap (also at the bottom of base) if you don't want to use the spout. My smoothies are so thick now I just pour it out.
   
   The first few times I used it, I smelled burning rubber but I do push this thing as far as filling it with ice and whatever else I want and doing it as quickly as I can, using the setting that gives me the quickest results, be that pulse or smoothie or whatever. Again, I like this blender so much I figure I'll replace it with the same if I blow it and it's not under warranty. So far, so good. I don't know what the warranty is -- it's probably expired.
   
   No more burning rubber even though I still fill it with ice and a mixture of everything. I'm reading "Green for Life" so I've added greens, celery, carrots and other vegetables, chia seed gel, flax seed, a little honey, etc., to my juice and fruit mixtures, both frozen banana and other fresh and frozen fruit, all of these things at the same time. DELICIOUS! My husband didn't like the vegetables added at first but now he really looks forward to them, which is just about every day or every other day now. The blender works like a charm. It doesn't pulverize the greens (spinach or romaine lettuce)100%. There's a small amount of greens that doesn't get chopped up - but very minute bits that aren't that noticeable and not worth the price for a higher-priced, "better" blender, as none of them get 5-star reviews anyway and mine works well enough to suit my needs. No problem whatsoever with ice. It has only bogged down on me once, but I just turned it off and nudged it around with wooden spoon and it's been good to go. Now, if I can remember, I put the ice cubes in after the juice, which is first. Sometimes I put them in last.
   
   I'm not that easy to please, but I'm very satisfied with this blender. It's still a pleasure to use. I'm sending one to my son for his bday.

5 comments about Cuisinart SPB-7BCH SmartPower 7-Speed Electronic Blender, Black Chrome.

1. Fortunately I won't have to live with the cheap looks of this pitiful appliance any longer! I thought I was taking care not to overheat the motor, always processing small amounts for short periods of time, but in less than 2 years of very light use (at a house I only visit on summer weekends) the SmartPower Blender quit working right in the middle of a job. No smoke, no smell, no grinding noises, no signs of trouble... I let it rest as usual between pulses and it simply never started again. I've repaired numerous gadgets in my life, but this one goes directly into the trash. Meanwhile my old Waring works like a horse!
   
   Probably fine for stirring Kool-Aid, otherwise not recommended.



2. Inexpensive blender and it shows. Had it for about 2 years and then one day it just would not turn on. In the trash.



3. I was looking for a replacement part for a similar older Cuisinart bleender and found that on Amazon I could get a brand new unit for the same cost as the replacement part I was searching for. Thanks Amazon for the great item and pricing.



4. I love this blender. Does every mixing job well. However, I made the mistake of putting some of the plastic parts in the dishwasher and warped them. Had to purchase replacement parts. Don't repeat my mistake.



5. I received this as a wedding gift from a good friend, who purchased this off our wedding registry. I admit, I should have done more research on this particular blender before adding it to our registry, but we were in need of a blender, and since I have grown up with CuisinArt food processors, and own one of their food processors myself (which has worked great for almost 2 years), I had very high hopes for the blender...and yes, I was perhaps caught up a little in the misnomer that more expensive is automatically better, and my poor friend unfortunately purchased it at the full $110 retail price! Wow, did I make a mistake here! From day one, the blender gave us problems. Where to start? The buttons vibrate. Liquid on top just dosen't even move to the bottom. Crushing ice? Hah! I've seen ice crushed more coming out of the icemaker in our freezer when it lands in the ice bucket! The motor overheats very easily (like when I make one smoothie with lots of ice.) I had a Sunbeam blender with a plastic jar that I purchased for $20 from the Dollar Store when I was in college that had more horsepower than this. Stay away from this Cuisinart Blender at all costs...don't be fooled by the shiny package or the well-known name.

4 comments about Oster BRLY07-Z00 600-Watt Fusion Blender.

1. I wanted a blender to make protein smoothie shakes and it does the job. As a novice smoothie maker, I didn't realize how much trouble it is to blend frozen strawberries. I found defrosting the strawberries a little before putting into the blender helpful. Otherwise, my husband and I love it.



2. I used this to blend smoothies about 4-5 times per week. I bought it thinking the automatic smoothie feature was going to make it easier to blend -- it didn't. The smoothie "program" runs on low speed forward, then reverse, then faster forward, then reverse, then high speed for a while. It frequently created an airspace beneath the smoothie ingredients so it could blend at high speed like crazy without really mixing anything. That meant I always had to monitor it to see if I needed to stop it and push the ingredients down, so it didn't really make it any easier.
   
   After six months, it stopped working. It wouldn't come on. It felt like it was the keypad that stopped working because the ON key didn't "click" right when I pushed it, like the other keys did. The keypad is a smooth membrane and food can't get into it, so that wasn't the problem.
   
   I tossed it out. It was probably under warranty but I didn't have a desire to pay for shipping it to Oster for repair. I replaced it with this: Villaware Pro Infinity Blender V001-43100. Have only used it a few weeks but I like it MUCH better.



3. I didn't know my old blender was so lame until I got this one. We make protein smoothies every day, and this blends all the ingredients and crushes the ice on 1/4 of the time of my old blender.



4. I called Oster (866-588-1141) on 5/4/2008. They have informed me that they do NOT sell any 1000 Watt Oster Fusion Blender. Not sure where this 1000 W is coming from, Oster declines that they have one!! All fusion blenders are 600 W, which is approximately 0.8 HP.

1 comments about KitchenAid blender blade assembly..

1. The old blender blade assembly got fried and I bought this one to replace it. This is a perfect replacement. You probably don't realize it, but those blades on your old one used to be sharp before making 300 batches of margaritas. Go figure! A new sharp set will make your world a better place.

No comments about Crystal Clear Ice Crusher.

5 comments about Bella Cucina Rocket Blender - 10029.

1. So far so good (great?). Having a hard time trying to figure out why I shouldn't give this product the full 5 stars....blends everything quickly (mostly smoothies in my case) and is a breeze to clean up. I have been able to add a lot more fruit to my diet since I bought this blender because it is so easy to use....with the 4 large dishwasher-safe cups you get with it, clean cups are always ready to go.
   
   Good performance and good value!



2. Conceptually this is a great product, technically it is not. Had the blender for about 3 months and the motor burned out. If you only use it once in awhile to make an occasional smoothie its probably ok. I use it once or twice daily for a morning protein shake and it clearly isn't designed for frequent use.



3. This works great for about a month, maybe two. I'm on my second one, and there won't be a third. The plastic pieces keep warping or breaking. The rubber fins on the mixer and on the mixer attatchment start wearing down with each use until they no longer engage then totally grind and burn those fins off, rendering both pieces worthless. Spend a little extra money and get a better quality one.



4. I received the Rocket as a gift and it has performed decently, for the most part. The majority of its use is for making morning protein shakes, which it does just fine. However, after about two months of use, both blades developed hairline cracks that allow liquid from the cup to make a mess in the top of the base. An email to customer support in February (which was answered the same day) indicated that there were no spare parts available for order. I have not checked back with them.
   
   The design flaws center around cleaning the cups and blades in a dishwasher. The cups were inexplicably designed with a base that catches water when placed upside-down in a dishwasher. Not only does water collect there, but also other debris. The blades also collect water when placed upside-down in a dishwasher. The blade housing design is not quite as inexplicable as the cup design, but still annoying.
   
   The price is great and it does the job, but the annoyances have me looking elsewhere.



5. I bought this from Kohl's less than 2 weeks ago since it was $20 cheaper than the Majic Bullet. The first time it worked great, but I smelled burning rubber/plastic. From then on it got worse and hasn't worked well since second use. Apparantly the rubber "spinner" in the base that makes the blades move won't connect to the blade portion. I plan to return and spend the extra money for the Bullet.

No comments about El Paso 10059 Frozen-Drink Station with Ice Crusher, Blender, and 2 Dispensers.

5 comments about Breville 800BLXL Die-Cast Hemisphere 2-Speed Blender with 67-Ounce Polycarbonate Jar.

1. I love this blender. I don't have to shake it, hit it, or any of the things I've had to do with previous blenders in order to get a large amount of ice and/or frozen fruit blended properly. I personally know someone who had this blender's motor stop running after a few uses- but mine works great. I make daquiris, smoothies, milk shakes, slushes, or just shaved ice with ease.



2. Like others, I was skeptical after reading reviews here but decided to give it a try. I have used this blender for 5 months now at my Ice Cream store to make smoothies and have been happy with it since day one. The plastic container is perfect for commercial use as it is very durable and is actually the reason I went for the 1000w over the highly rated 750w model with the glass container. I add all ingredients to the blender and press the smoothie button. This blender has torque sensors on the motor and will adjust the speed and time based on consistency to provide a perfect smoothie every time. It just shuts off when done, about 1 minute. YES, it will start and stop on it's own to chop, mix, and blend as stated in the manual. If you are using ice instead of frozen yogurt just start with the ice button and it will chop your ice into a fine powder. This blender is heavy duty and I highly recommend it.



3. HI. I just got the Breville Hemisphere. First thing I noticed was that it stops and starts while I make a smoothie. It's not in 'pulse' mode. I tried crushing ice and it did this stop/start thing. I was hoping that the ice would turn into snow cone ice, but it was still chunky. I got the Breville because it was not as expensive as the VitaMix. Maybe I should spend the extra money. Also, I got it at Macy's who sold it for $299 and claimed that it was on sale (original price $399). Everywhere I checked online the price was $299. Is Macy's just trying to pull the wool over my eyes by making me believe that I'm saving $100. Not happy.



4. After reading the previous reviews, I was a bit leery of buying this blender. I wanted the best, period. First, this is in my opinion the best looking and I leave it on my counter top, replacing a Kitchen Aid which I gave to my sister.
   
   The first thing I did was to fill the jug with ice to the top. I pushed the ice button and within a few minutes, I had finely grated snow with no large chunks at all. It would have been a perfect snow cone. I went on to put in Strawberries, soft tofu, Yogurt, Soy vanilla ice cream, honey and a little non fat milk on top of the shaved ice. It made one of the best smoothies I have ever had. I have had numerous complements from my wife and neighbors on the smoothies this produces.
   
   I also put in a whole large sweet onion quartered and three cups of large skinned tomatoes, some mushrooms, corn and whole garlic cloves, along with some essential seasoning and made a perfect tomato soup. The consistency was creamy and consistently smooth throughout. No chunks of any of the ingredients, including the corn kernels or garlic cloves. It was wonderful.
   
   I have not had this very long. About two weeks now, but it has gotten a lot of use in that time. I can not speak to the long term reliability of the product, but I have had other Breville products and they are consistently top drawer. The one thing I do think that Breville might have misjudged is that the jar is polycarbonate, a fancy word for plastic. It does seem to be a very sturdy jar and perhaps, there is a certain logic to it. When I transport a full jug of soup from the blender to a bowl or what ever, the weight is quite manageable. Not really an issue for me, but I could see it for others, especially elderly or those with physical limitations. The fit of the blade to the base and jar is clean and the design seems to be very well thought out. There is a plastic wrench supplied in the event the blade base is stuck on the jar, but I have not needed it yet for cleaning and there have been no leaks even after storing liquids in the jar for a period with just hand tightening.
   
   It is only a two speed but in doing some research it seems that most multi button blenders have a low speed and 12 high speeds which are the same. This is done for the button loving public who think more is better. The 1000 watts is not really a dependable measure of the power of the motor since it really only tells you the power consumption of the motor and not the output. It seems to have more than enough power for the toughest jobs however and is heavy enough not to move if I do walk away from it to get an ingredient to place in the top opening while it is running.
   
   Breville seems to have come up with a nice design of the blades and bottom of the container since it moves the material from the top to the bottom and vice versa for even cutting quite well on it's own and the hole in the top makes it easy to insert new ingredients with the motor running. I will say that this blender does everything I ask of it and better than my high end Kitchen Aid Blender which left small chunks of things like ice and garlic or corn kernels, etc.
   
   If I have a problem with the motor breaking down as the others had, ( which based on my other Breville appliances, I doubt will be a problem), I will come back and comment on it, but for now, this is the nicest blender I have ever owned and I highly recommend it. In my opinion well worth the extra money.



5. I had the exact same problem as other reviewer. After only a few times of blending, the motor completely stopped. Resetting according to the manual did not restore functionality. I called Breville Custoemr Service and they said this had never happened with this unit. I returned and purchased a replacement and experienced the exact same problem. The motor failed after a few uses. I did not try to blend anything unusual, nor did I put the blender through any heavy tasks. I tried to reach Breville through their customer service email contact and never got the courtesy of an automated or manual reply. Very disappointing.

No comments about Jar lid and center cap for Hamilton Beach.