KitchenAid KSB1575BY 5-Speed Diamond Blender with 60-Ounce BPA-Free Pitcher - Boysenberry

I purchased this blender in the Aqua Sky Blue (turquoise) color a few weeks ago. I had immediate buyers remorse - why did I just spend $150 on a blender, when I haven't used the one at my house for a year and a half? BUT it was totally worth the money. We have probably used it 20 times since we received it.As far as how it works - I am very picky when it comes to blending ice - I do not like any ice chunks, which is the main reason I had stopped using our old blender (an Oster). I read a lot of reviews of this product (both on Amazon and on the web) the general consensus was it blends ice very well. And it does - smoothies, daiquiris, margaritas, all come out super smooth....Smoothie King smooth. I also used it to crush graham crackers to a flour-like consistency for a recipe, and used it to puree a butter-egg mixture for baking. I know that some people have complained about the plastic pitcher but I don't mind it at all. Its a lot lighter and don't have to worry as much if you slam it in to the sink or something.Cleaning is easy, you can throw it in the dishwasher. I would caution washing it by hand because you can't remove the blades at the bottom, so there is risk of getting cut. But usually a good rinse does the trick.The aestheics probably shouldn't be important, but I think if you going to buy something, it might as well be cute. I loved all the color choices - it was a hard decision to make, but I love the color I picked, and it matches what was shown on the website.While I've never used a fancier blender such as a Vitamix, for the price and the excellent reviews this blender has received, I would definitely recommend it. Its the best I've used!

I decided to start making veggie-heavy smoothies every day, and needed a blender capable of turning all those fruits, veggies, and seeds into a suitable chilly goo.I first ordered a Ninja Professional blender, but sent it back -- while the Ninja was an excellent macerator, it never really blended. Each smoothie felt like a collection of tiny pieces of the ingredients. Also, the Ninja didn't pull the ingredients down toward the blades, but rather splashed them up onto the sides, making it so that I could never really see how much finished product I had in there.The KicthenAid 5-speed does the job very well. It pulls all the ingredients down in a vortex, doesn't aerate them too much, and really breaks them apart so that the resulting smoothie is smooth and creamy. It doesn't quite manage to break down all the tiny raspberry and blackberry seeds, but it does greatly reduce the number of these seeds that remain whole and crunchy compared to my old Cuisinart model. I regularly throw in whole apples, citrus, carrots, brussels sprouts, cabbage, kiwis -- all that stuff is broken down into a nice uniform smoothie stuff.Cleanup is also very easy, I love that the blade assembly is all in one piece with the jar so you never have to worry about dissembling it and washing the gasket. I'm also a big fan of the way this blender slowly builds up to speed; my only minor gripe is that it seems to begin by going full speed for a half second when you first hit the button. This has resulted in some unnecessary splashing, but again it's a minor gripe. Overall this is a great blender, looks and works great, powerful motor, and I expect to be using it for a number of years.

Bought this after I blew the motor on my previous blender in a Nutella experiment gone wrong. I really wanted to get a glass blender, but I went ahead and got this one because it had good reviews. Love the bright green color - it matched the color on the website perfectly. It came in the original KitchenAid box and just had to be rinsed out before use. So far I've made smoothies with frozen and fresh fruit and it is puréed everything like a dream. I thought my old black and decker was good, but I'm very impressed with this one!It's not too loud (for being a blender). The controls are very easy to use and you can run each setting continuously or on pulse. The blades are built into the base of the blender jar, which I thought would be an issue when it comes to cleaning, but it hasn't. So far I've been able to just swish warm soapy water in it and it cleans like a dream. Also the plastic blender jar hasn't been an issue. It's a very thick clear acrylic type material and it's so much lighter than glass, which is nice when lifting it off the base and the blender is full of heavy smoothie. It's a slightly squared jar shape, but I haven't had any issues with things not blending well or collecting in the corners.I did a lot research endure picking out my new blender and I'm so glad I picked this one. If you're looking for a general purpose blender that won't break the bank I highly recommend this one - plus you can pick from awesome colors! Happy blending!