KitchenAid 5-Speed Blender w/Polycarbonate Pitcher in Red - KSB560ER

I am completely satisfied with this blender. It works better than any blender I have ever used. It crushes ice quickly. One reveiw said it was loud, but I did not find that to be the case. The color matches my kitchenaid stand mixer and looks great sitting on my counter top. I am also very happy with how quickly it arrived once my order was placed.

Great blender. We have already used it to make drinks, soups, and dips. Everything came out wonderfully! Its a bit loud.. But that just tells me that is powerful!

Simple to use, just select a function and speed is great. I like the rich red colour.

pros: It's heavy duty and works well. I make smoothies as my primary use for the blender and add a handful of spinach. The blender really blends the green leaves into nothing, there are no little green pieces left. Easy clean. One piece container is easy to squirt some liquid soap in and water and blend on stir to clean the blades. I also use a dish scrub brush to clean the insides of the container and lid. Blenders really only need a low and high speed. Kitchen aid one has a couple more options for speed, but way less than many other blenders that confuse you with thinking the buttons really do something. cons: It is loud. I can stand it but my kids complain. The base is heavy. So it's nice to be able to have counter space to keep it. But the heaviness is a nice comfort knowing it's heavy duty and works. I wanted a blender that I didn't have to stop every time to mix up with a spoon. I still have to do that with this one. I think that I just need to add more liquid. But somethings I don't want more liquid added so it's a pain to have to keep using a spoon. Kind of smells. I hoped that it would go away and just be a new product kind of smell. But I've had it for almost 6 months and it still smells...

I purchased this unit after some research revealed that the container was a one piece unit; translated, it is far easier to clean than most blender units which require dissembling the blades and rubber pieces. It's a little more expensive than other units, but it's very solidly built. My only (minor) criticism is that the accompanying instructions don't really explain what the various settings can and cannot do, and when a specific setting (mix, puree etc) should be used. Experienced types probably don't care about this.