Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I, as many here, did a lot of research. There isn't much out there on this blender. What I ended up doing was comparing the parts of each blender from the viatmix to Ninja to blendtec etc. that made them work better than others. The Ninja (I bought one [not from amazon] but realized as I opened the package it had been hastily washed, repackaged and returned. Obviously the first purchaser was not fond of it. I chose to return it promptly because 1. it had these blades that looked cheap and so much molded plastic everywhere. 2. the spindles were too loose. Which made me think it wouldn't last long and if the lids didn't lock they'd come flying out at me. 3. 90% of all the parts are cheap plastic; research shows ALL plastics are estrogenic not just BPA. I have a 3-year-old daughter who loves smoothies, I am not even going to attempt using a machine like it. 4. The jars crack frequently, and the blades need replaced way to soon. $$$. The Ninja belongs in a class of it's own... Infomercial hype and should never be used to compare a blender's ability to do its job. I digress... After comparing many reviews and weeding through the hype and learning how the commercial blenders work I decided to search for something that shared those qualities, all Metal Drive, Reverse action, lots of power for home use and a glass or stainless steel blending pitcher to reduce exposure to estrogenic plastics and reduce the cost of replacement parts. on Ebay I learned that the old trusty Vitamix's of the 90s had stainless steel pitchers and an average wattage of 850. If 850 watts was all a commercial business needed then that's all I need at home. I won't be making 100 smoothies a day like the Vitamix would be expected to do. The Oster 1200 pro is an average of 900 which is more than the older Viatmix 3600s. Logic would say this blender is all I would need. So far I have made 4 smoothies and some frozen banana strawberry ice cream. I've read complaints of people not being able to use it without added liquid... why would you not add liquid to your smoothie? It is important to lubricate the blades and not push any machine with too many frozen solids or tough stems. I used the commercial Vitamix blenders for 5 years at Starbucks. Even those machines had to have a thawing period for frozen fruit, had to have a liquid in them along with the ice and other ingredients to make smoothies and Frappacinos. They are indeed workhorses, but i don't need a workhorse like that at home. This blender is enough for me. It performs like a Vitamix. It creates a vortex, is programmed, has a glass pitcher, doesn't runaway on the counter (no serious vibration) yes it's loud (get a sound a dampener like smoothie shops have if thats a problem for you) Someone mentioned rust on their blades... don't rinse it and let it sit. I run soap and water through the blender then take it all apart and rinse each piece then air dry. I had to do the same for the vitamix's. Both the pitcher and the to-go cup work great on the blender. The only Con i have experienced is the lid on the to-go cup. It slides forward when you take a drink, a minor annoyance. Maybe add a locking mechanism on the lid? I have no serious complaints about this blender. If I encounter anything I will update my review. All in all this is a great machine.