Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

All the people complaining about this blender breaking, overheating, or not being for everyday use are using it wrong. I bought one of these in 2013, use it 5 times a week, and it still works great. Here's the thing that most people don't realize: It has a small engine. While it's fairly loud, it is quieter (and weaker) then most full size blenders. It blends ice and fresh/frozen fruit and veggies very well, but needs enough liquid to do it correctly. And by correctly, I mean in 30 seconds or so. If you're holding the thing down for more than a minute or two, it is at risk for overheating (although mine never has). Here's what I do: Fill the bottle up 50-60% with milk/water/juice, fill the rest with fruit/powder/peanut butter, blend for 10-15 seconds, take the bottle off and shake to mix (not necessary, but it makes the process quicker and helps you decide if you need to add more liquid), then blend for another 10 seconds. It will not make super thick smoothies that you have to eat with a spoon. If it doesn't seem like it's blending, add more liquid! I only have 2 small problems with this blender. One is the terribly designed lid, which I've solved by using a straw. The other is that the bottle won't clean properly in the dishwasher (water doesn't reach all the way up), so I bought a bottle brush and clean it manually. **2016 Edit: I've had this thing for 3 years now, still use it 5 times a week, and it still works great!