LOVE our BlendTec Home blender. Much like a Vitamix, which I was interested in at first. The BlendTec has a shorter and wider jar for easier clean out and easier fit under upper cabs, doesn't need 2 different blades for wet and dry, and I got 2 jars with it for a total about $100 less than a Vitamix. I checked with my niece who has managed stores in major coffee chains, and she said they used to use VitaMix, then switched to BlendTec, so she had lots of experience with both. She said they exhibited the same excellent performance and durability. I have been amazed at how quickly and smoothly ice smoothies, salad dressings, etc turn out with this blender. It took me over a year to decide to spend the money, but it was worth it.

We have two, the Cuisinart with attachments and the Bamix. (We had to use up a credit at Williams-Sonoma by a deadline and couldn't figure out what else to get, so I decided to give the Bamix a spin.) I like both, but for different reasons---and much to my husband's dismay, decided they weren't really replacements for one another. I've had the Cuisinart for a decade, and I love-love-love it. I don't use the mini-food processor attachment, but use both the immersion blender and the whisk attachment regularly. We have a stand mixer but no other hand mixer. My husband's big pet peeve about the Cuisinart is that it splatters things everywhere, and one thing I don't like about it is that things get stuck in the blade, so the Bamix looked like it might solve those. Some differences - Bamix has teeny tiny little blades so they are very easy to clean, but also easy to lose - Bamix does not seem to splatter as much as the Cuisinart, especially with soup and such things. - Not much gets caught in the Bamix blades, whereas with the Cuisinart, for some foods I have to keep stopping it and freeing the blade. - I have not successfully gotten the Bamix to whip egg whites, though it says it will do this (tried all the attachments!) The Cuisinart does this in a heartbeat (but there will often be bits of egg white on the wall...) - Bamix is a pain to clean overall because you must unplug the entire mixer and bring it to the sink to wash---it's all one piece. The Cuisinart, in contrast, lets you pop off both the whisk and the blending attachments and wash them individually. I almost never take the actual motor/plug piece anywhere near the sink. - I find the Cuisinart more comfortable to hold, but I suspect that's a personal thing. - Bamix is slightly easier to store because it has less bulky attachments, but I've never had a problem storing either. - Cuisinart whisk does a better job with small quantities than Bamix whipping attachment---Bamix seems to need a critical mass of liquid to get into its stride. So I think either could work...Cuisinart is half the price so I might pick that, but there are things I like better with the Bamix, too. (I'd intended to re-home the Cuisinart but changed my mind since it's still the better tool for some things.) I think the Cuisinart is quite similar to the KA and the Braun, too. For me, these replace both a blender (we have one but haven't used it in years---only rarely makes an appearance for frozen drinks) and a hand mixer, which I really don't miss. My favorite thing about our new kitchen is that we had the wiring on our 1950s stove fixed, so it now has an electrical outlet right in between the burners---perfectly positioned for the immersion blender!

I don't trust bad reviews that much. Given that fact that users with good experience don't write good reviews as often as users with bad experience writing bad reviews. If blender X sells at $30 each, they can sell 100,000 units there will be many bad ones proportional to 100,000 units. If the same blender X is sold at $ 150 each, they can only sell 1000 units, there will be many fewer bad ones sold and fewer bad reviews. Same identical blender. Whoever sells blender X at $150 each will be very happy to send you free replacements and get good reviews for good customer service. I bought a hand blender for $35. 300 Watts of power with 23,000 RPM speed. I refuse to pay $200 for a Bamix at 150 Watts of power with 14,000 RPM speed. dcarch

I know you all love your blendtecs and vita-mixes, but I'm not prepared to spend $500 to make a occasional daiquiri. Can anyone recommend a decent blender that will crush ice for under $200? Thanks.