This this is a beast. It has a substantial amount of power. I rarely need to turn it up past 4/11, but I suppose it is nice to have it if we need it. this thing rips through deep-frozen fruit for smoothies no problem. Zero issues with any type of salsa I've asked it to make. Fresh basil pesto was also no problem, nor were the margaritas with frozen strawberries. Even when I wanted something turned into a puree and left it running for a while, the base didn't even warm up. The wife jumps every time she turns it on. And yet, it is surprisingly quiet. You'll hear the food bouncing around before you hear the motor. The lid is very secure and fairly dense rubber. I haven't really noticed any lingering smells or flavors on it, and I almost always just use the manufacture's cleaning directions (hot water and soap, blend). The only exception is the pesto, which had about 3/4 cup of olive oil. After one or two cleanings, it did still have an oily film from that. The pitcher made me nervous at first, as it only sits lightly on top of the base and didn't feel very secure. After few trials though, I found the rubber base holds the pitcher very well, and I've never had any issues with it falling over if I walk away. I have found the removable cup in the lid that allows addition of ingredients mid-blending is a little loose. It has vibrated loose and bounced around in its slot before, but I don't think it could fall in. I also get soap suds leaking slowly out during the cleaning cycle. Still very good, but I would call that the weak point. Like most high-end Kitchenaid products, this isn't light. Mine lives on the counter. I can slide it into and out of a corner easily enough. We use it often enough to justify the counter space. For an occasional user, it may or may not be worth it. We are glad we got it, though! Read more
I have only used this a handful of times so far and will update my review of this if my opinion of the product changes, but initial impressions have me doubting that will happen. The first thing you notice when you open this is that it is BIG it was easily 2x the size of our previous blender, just gigantic, but it has all metal constriction and is built fantastically, all the gears I can see are solid metal, just really good build quality. The downside of this is: we can't fit it under any cabinets on our counter with the container on the pedestal since it is so tall. No big deal, we just keep them side by side on the counter, but worth noting for people who are particular: check the hight. The second thing I noticed using this was how QUIET it is. It is less than half as loud as my previous blender, really pleasant to use and doesn't make me want to put on earplugs to use it, it is more 'somewhat loud white noise' then 'horrible blender sounds'. The power is a given at this price point, the thing makes short work of anything you put in with no effort. The tamper is a really nice addition that I think should be included with all blenders after using it. I also appreciate how simple the controls are, it is a blender not a MacBook, it doesn't need 50 settings, just power level, on, off and pulse. I also really appreciate that they sell the containers separately so if your old one gets dropped and cracks, etc you can buy that without having to get the whole blender again. I would highly recommend this and it is definitely worth the premium over the bad $50-100 blenders that last 5 uses we used to get. I don't doubt this beast will be my blender for the next 10 years. Read more
Awesome Blender! It weighs about 25 pounds. Pretty sure you could blend a piece of wood if you wanted to. Read more
This KitchenAid blender is a beast! It absolutely crushes ice and purees veggies like a dream. I've made everything from smoothies to soups in this thing, and it handles it all with ease. The powerful motor and sharp blades are definitely top-notch. It's a bit of an investment, but if you're serious about blending, it's worth every penny. Read more
I use it couple times and I love the power of the blender. Easy to use and clean. Definitely worth the money. Read more
Beautiful blender, strong and smooth running. Great for making soup. Cleans up easily. Only reason I've bought another one is because my wife last the base during our move! I expect it will last a lifetime. Read more
When this blender arrived, I couldn't believe how enormous it was. Immediately I wondered if I would keep it, was it overkill, did it look ridiculous on my counter? I mainly bought it to make daily smoothies. After some trial and error, I am now 100% thrilled with my purchase, even though it doesn't quite fit on my counter. If you have overhead cabinets, it likely will not fit fully assembled under your cabinets. I still leave it out because I use it every day. Here what you need to know if you want to ensure a quick and easy cleanup, and a smoothie that is not "airy." Put the liquid in first (milk, almond milk, etc), then the fruit (I mainly use fresh bananas and strawberries), then the greens (a handful of spinach and kale), then the ice. I turn on setting 2 or 3 and leave for about a minute, until the greens are well chopped and blended and I don't hear the ice anymore. Here's the key.... Now turn it on the lowest setting and take the clear cap off the top to add your protein powder and leave running for another minute. This gets the air out. Don't put your protein powder in first with the other ingredients unless you want a smoothie full of air. When it's done I pour it in my glass and just rinse out the jar. I add chia seeds directly to my glass instead of the blender because it makes for easier cleanup. I have not put the jar in the dishwasher because I don't want to risk it getting cloudy. It's so easy to just run rinse out with water or a little soap and water and it stays beautiful. Also, if you add the greens on top you don't get the splatter all up in the jar. I never even have to rinse out the lid because all the smoothie stays in the lower half of the jar. There you have it. Now buy this thing! Read more
