Awesome power....but maybe too much?

I ordered this along with the KitchenAid 12-cup Chrome Food Processor, thinking both pieces would match my stainless steel-themed kitchen. This blender is actually brushed aluminum or nickel, and does not look chrome or stainless like the FP. It looks very dull sitting next to the FP on the counter. I give this machine 4 stars based on its performance alone. It wouldn't be fair to rate it based on how it blends into my decor. I am dissapointed in the color difference, but I now have a blender that is second to none in sheer power. Crushing ice? Crushing isn't the correct term. Pulverizing is more accurate. You can make snow cones with this machine. I made the most perfect milkshakes for my kids this week....the straw stood straight up in the glass. I poured a boiling mixture of bell peppers, garlic, onions, brown sugar, honey, diced tomatoes, olive oil, etc. into the blender. 10 seconds later I had the perfect grilling glaze for grilled chicken. Frozen drinks are no problem, either. The one-piece design of the pitcher/blades is ingengious. It is SO EASY to clean. And reduces the injury risk to zero. Kudos to the design team on that one! The exterior is extremely easy to clean also, and I love KitchenAid's signature button covers that prevent dirt and grime from getting down in the buttons. Just wipe with a damp cloth and it looks new. I bought the model with the 56-oz. pitcher, and this machine is tall, but fits underneath my counters perfectly. It is very heavy, but has solid rubber feet that prevent sliding and excessive vibration during use. I do, however have 2 issues with this blender (hence the 4 star rating). 1. This blender is LOUD. Very loud. I read in many reviews where customers reported a quiet blender. I have a blender with an attitude! Since you only run a blender for seconds at a time, this is not a performance altering problem, and not one that would cause me to forsake KitchenAid. 2. On startup, in ANY mode (from mix to liquify), this blender starts with an initial jump that throws whatever you are blending straight up. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE LID ON ALWAYS!!! The description and manual state that the blender always starts slow and automatically increases to the set speed. Well, that's not quite accurate. It goes WHAM! for about 1/2 second, then blends at the set speed. I think the motor might be too powerful for the blades. As big as the pitcher is, I think a slight increase in blade or drive shaft size would eliminate the initial surge of power. Once again, it does not affect the performance, and the end results of everything I have blended have been perfect or beyond. This does, however, increase the risk of personal injury without the lid. Especially if you are blending hot liquids. Final conclusion: Awesome power for the money. Built-to-last. Solid, heavyweight construction. Ingenious design. Easy to operate. Easy to clean. Loud. Jumpy startup. Overall, I would say this blender is worth the money, and would buy again. It IS a well designed machine with much thought put into ease of operation and cleaning. I think the motor is a bit too powerful for the blades (or maybe the blades are a bit too small?) I would still recommend this blender, mainly for the price range.

easy to use

I purchased this blender to replace a 19 year old Osterizer that I received as a wedding gift. I had been making smoothies for my boys and it took forever to chop the ice, fruit, and blend. This blender is great as long as you put in enough liquid. It can get that burning rubber smell if you let it run to the point of impending explosion.HA....and it is AS noisy or noisier than my old blender, but it blends so much quicker, that the noise doesn't last that long. I was going to throw away my old blender but I will keep for making salad dressings, etc. My brother advised me to get a blender with at least 600 watts, so that was one of the criteria for the purchase. My kids do like the smoothies better with this machine. I like the fact that it is all one piece and the blade doesn't come out. The pitcher part is lightweight and cleans up wonderfully. The base also wipes up quickly and is very easy to clean, as there are no nooks and crannies for sticky liquids to adhere to.

I love this blender!!!!

I have waited many years for this new blender. I have been waiting watching to try to find just what I wanted before purchasing. I saw blenders reviewed on America's Test Kitchen, and this one won. I have been pleased with their recommendations so far, so I went ahead with this one. It is AMAZING! I spent the first 20 years of marriage using the old Oster I got for the wedding. It was fine, but compared to this, a real pain in the behind to clean and not nearly as powerful and effective in blending. Then I used a blender attached to a mixer I had. Also a pain. This is a stand-alone and I have loved it from the moment I saw it's beautiful red base coming out of the box. The pitcher is light and plastic, very roomy inside, and still durable. Cleaning it is much easier than any other I've used. I am using it both as a food processor and a blender. I make a lot of pesto. I blend sauces. I make salad dressings. The kids and I make smoothies. It has been fantastic every time! I smile whenever I look at it. I love, love, LOVE it!!

This blender is amazing. The motor is extremely powerful and really gets the job done. Not much will slow this machine down!

The BEST we've ever had!

Having worn the teeth off our old Kitchenaid blender, we knew we needed one that could stand-up to 4 teenagers who love to make their own smoothies, shakes, and other drinks. We loved our old Kitchenaid but it was a hassle to clean. It always had to be taken apart and then my teenagers usually didn't put the gasket in the correct spot. So we thought we would look around.

Having priced a variety of blenders, some costing over $500.00, I was happy to find the Kitchenaid on sale. That made me take a second look at the latest model. The re-designed Kitchenaid blender appeared to be well thought out. The pitcher was better designed, to allow for better, smoother, pouring. The pitcher was changed to be a single unit. The blades do not have to be removed! The whole pitcher is placed in the dishwasher, still in one piece. The teeth are gone on the bottom of the pitcher. The base and pitcher now have a much better fit.

Because of the disign changes, I chose the Kitchenaid blender. The cost was FAR less than $500.00. And with the newly designed base and pitcher, I believe this one will last longer than my last one which I'm happy to say was 7 years.

And Kitchenaid added a new feature for crushing ice better. My daughters LOVE this feature. The new Kitchenaid simply makes better smoothies than any other blender we've ever had.

great blender

I love that I can put it in my dishwasher. It's very convenient to blend my pancake mix in as this has a pourable spout. Base is heavy, but has a solid feeling because of this. It's very powerful. Somewhat loud, but so are more powerful blenders.

OUR CHROME BLENDER IS THE BEST EVER!!!

WE USE OUR BLENDER FOR EVERYTHING! FORGET A SNOW CONE MACHINE, THE OPTION BUTTON THAT SAYS CRUSH ICE, MEANS WHAT IT SAYS!! WE RECOMEND THIS BLENDER TO ANYONE. THANKS FOOD NETWORK!!

Powerful!

We love this blender. It was a definite upgrade for our kitchen and we even called the company to ensure we knew what we were getting. KitchenAid is a great brand that my family has used for years! This blender packs a powerful punch. Want crushed ice? It crushes it to bits with a couple taps of a button.

Powerful blender and not too noisy

Great product! Blends my smoothies in no time. Plastic pitcher seems not to fit perfectly on the base but it still works well. Ice crusher is fabulous!

A great product

I was a little hesitant to buy this after reading some of the reviews of people having difficulties blending ice or other simple items that blenders should be able to handle with ease. Well, this product does a fine job of blending anything I throw at it. It blends everything from smoothies to soups to infused oils with ease and precision.

It's also much safer to use and easier to clean than KitchenAid's earlier model blender which used a gasket based design for the blender pitcher. If you didn't take the pitcher off just right with the old model, you would find yourself with a huge mess if the gasket attachment fell off.

All in all, I'm really happy with this blender.

Very Good Blender

Felt a little guilty buying this when my old off-brand blender still works. But parked it right next to my red Kitchenaid mixer and don't think husband noticed it yet. Love the fact that the blades are not removable. The piece is very heavy, love the touch controls=no more dirty buttons. Much more powerful and easy to clean than other brands I've had in the past. Not sure how it compares to some other current blenders in this price range, but you can't go wrong with this brand, in my opinion.

great blender!

Leak-free, simple to use and easy to clean. No sharp blades floating around my sink or lurking exposed in my dishwasher. No rubber gaskets to remember how to replace ('is this the one where it goes under or over the blades...?') It even has little holes to drain the water from the bottom when you invert it to load in the diswasher. Makes me angry at the designers of every other blender I've owned.

Very happy with this blender. It performs well and is easy to clean.

This blender is awesome. It makes the best margaritas...just like you would get in a restaurant...no lumps of ice. This is a great product!

KitchenAid Blender

After having 3 Cuisinart blenders in a row die within a year of purchase, I finally decided it was time to try the KitchenAid. Absolutely love it. It seems much more powerful and blows right through ice and other heavy-duty ingredients like nothing. Happy I made the switch. My only small gripe would be that it wasn't the color I expected... it said the color was 'cinnamon' & in the photo it looked a rich brown, but in reality it is a deep wine color.

Kitchenaid blender

Powerful, easy to clean. Finally, a blender that does everything I want! Smoothies, blended drinks, pureeing. And the base is metal. A good value.

Good blender for the price.

I was a bit disappointed by this blender. In reading the other reviews, I thought it would be extremely powerful in doing things such as crushing ice. While it is good, it isn't spectacular.

I bought this for my daughter for her birthday and she just loves it.

What a bargain!

This blender is fantastic! It shreds ice for smoothies and drinks with ease.. Also used it to make hummus, gives it a great consistency. Does everything I thought it would and more!

56 oz bar blender

This is a great blender. I do, however, not like the way that it does not come apart to clean the blade manually. Also, when I put it in the dishwasher, the bottom fills up with water because of the way that it is made. It works really good, however, but to tell the truth, all that I have made in it so far are smoothies.