Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this mixer/chopper/whisk. I was ALMOST put off by some of the negative reviews. However, I decided to purchase anyway; the price point (under $20) was too tempting. The negatives that I read were: 1) the blender doesn't stay attached; 2) it is too low power to blend anything but soup; 3) it gets overly warm; 4) it doesn't last; and 5) over time the chopper attachment leaves little bits of black plastic behind in the food. I cannot address 4 and 5, as I have only had this chopper for a little over a week, so if it doesn't last I will come back and amend my review. As for the rest... I bought this chopper/mixer because we were taking a trip to New Orleans, couldn't change the date, and my husband broke his jaw. Although our accommodations had a kitchenette, I called and found out there was not a blender available. Since we would be flying, bringing our clunky countertop blender was not really an option but I needed to be able to prepare food that could be sucked through a straw. This blender performed admirably. Our hotel stay included a breakfast buffet, but I didn't think my husband would be able to eat anything. Wrong! With the help of this little mixer I was able to puree fruits (melons, pineapple, blueberries) then add two yogurts, some milk, and a banana. I poured it in a deep cup and blended it a little more with the blender attachment, and POOF: instant breakfast smoothie. (One reviewer commented that the blender splattered everywhere and made a mess in the kitchen; most immersion blenders work best if you use them in a deeper container.) I also pureed a muffuletta (a traditional New Orleans poor boy type sandwich), blackened chicken with pasta, and before we left on our trip the first thing I tried was pureeing some corned beef and cabbage. This little mixer has plenty of power. It won't, of course, replace a traditional blender, and I'm not sure if it would crush ice for a blended drink, but for a portable, compact, lighter weight alternative to several appliances, it does all that I'd hoped for and more. As to the blender head not staying attached, I had that problem at first, until I discovered that when you are putting it on correctly you can feel when it snaps and locks into place. Once I figured that out, I didn't have any problems with it coming off. I would say that, for myself at least, when the blender attachment came off it was ¨operator error,¨ since I probably did not have it firmly locked on. The last negative that I will address is those people who say it gets really warm or too hot. These sorts of blenders are not really designed to run for long periods of time. That said, I was probably running the blender attachment for two minutes at a time and it did not get noticeably warm. I also only pulsed the food chopper for about 10-15 seconds at a time, mostly because this usually chops the food more efficiently.