Ooops, I have a 3 digit blender - the Vitamix. Just got it this summer at a Costco roadshow as our old $40 blender just couldn't do what we needed it to. It couldn't crush ice, couldn't pulverise vegetables, smoothies were lumpy not smooth yada yada. I've used the Vitamix daily since I got it. Today I made a strawberry/pineapple/spinach/ice smoothie, ground rice into flour and mixed a sald dressing. I usually make at least one smoothie a day - sometimes 2 or three. Obviously I am biased so I looked as Cooks Illustrated's reviews of blenders last reviewed in July 2006. Products They tested: (listed alphabetically) * Braun PowerMax Jug Blender * Cuisinart Smartpower Premiere * Emerilware * Jenn-Air Attrezzi * KitchenAid Pro Line ChefÂs Blender * L'Equip R.P.M. * Vita-Mix 5000 * Waring 2-Speed MegaMix Specialty * Waring Pro PBB For copyright reasons I can't reprint the report here (you have to be a subscriber) but here's the short version: Their Conclusion? Until a markedly better blender comes along, they'll stick with their Best Buy model for the usual blender tasksÂand rely on a food processor for everything else. The winner was the L'Equip R.P.M. with a MSRP of $134.99 but I don't think it's available any more. Also CI is biased AGAINST high priced items. It did rate the Vitamix as best smoothie maker though and that was the older model.

Personally I have both a KA mixer and Cuisinart FP. Both are ancient but have performed flawlessly in the 25+ years I have owned them. The FP will not mix batters or doughs AFAIK because it has no way to aerate like the mixer does. And the KA won't chop like the FP does. You can buy KA attachments which give it a lot more flexibility, but they are expensive, and then you have a cupboard full of extra pieces. I use the FP at least a couple of times a week, sometimes for long periods when I'm doing a lot of prep. I use the KA around once a week when I'm baking. I have the KA meat grinder and food strainer which I use less often. I like the meat grinder but the FP can also chop meat, just not as evenly. If you don't bake a lot, I would suggest getting the FP. Hope that helps, Cheryl

I have a Cuisinart blender with an "ice crush" feature. I bought it at Sam's Club about 2 years ago for under $60. it works great and we use it to make smoothies every single day in the warm weather. I don't know where you're located but places like Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl's, Macy's and Sears carry the Cuisinart. Mine has a kind of square base and has a glass container, which I like. The only complaint I have is that sometimes when you're pouring, the spout drips a bit. It's stainless steel and black and it's a pretty basic one. It has "on", "off", "high", "low", "pulse" and "ice crush".

Leaking from the base? Is the base or the jar cracked? If not, you might only need a new gasket ring for the base. Last time I checked, those were a lot less expensive than a new blender, assuming you like your Waring. (You just unscrew the base, peel off the old round, ring gasket from the blade base, put the new one on, replace the blade set, and screw the base back onto the bottom of the jar.) For "not so expensive" replacement blenders, do you have access to Cook's Illustrated Magazine? The top recommendation from the testing reported in January for "inexpensive blenders" was the Nutribullet Full Size (seems to sell for around $100) and, for a lesser price, the Black & Decker Quiet Blender with Cyclone Glass Jar (around $60). CI/ATK summarized the Nutribullet as: "Tall and lightweight, with a generous 8-cup capacity, a comfortable handle, and very basic controls (Low, Medium, High, and Pulse), this powerful blender aced every challenge except for mayonnaise, where its low speed was simply too fast. It was a bit noisy, but it got the job done." They summarized the B&D as: "Solidly built, with a glass jar, this blender performed acceptably across the board, but it took time and effort because we had to stop and scrape to get results—it wasn’t hands-off. Its lowest speed was almost too fast to make mayonnaise, but it did manage. It was powerful enough to grind nut butter with a bit of effort on our part. The controls were slightly complicated but manageable."