I love-love-love my Cuisinart Smart Stick. It's by far the most used appliance in the kitchen, and in five years I've never had any problems at all with it.

Bamix...pricey but worth it, IMHO. I would avoid any model that has the 'on' button on the top end as it becomes very tiring to keep it pressed down with your thumb.

It's funny you should ask. I just bought a new stick blender and felt so "wow" about it tonight I'm glad I got the chance to share the experience.

We got a KitchenAid one with electric cord. I was going to get Cuisinart since, like artemis78, my sister loves hers, but I got the better deal on the KitchenAid ($45 including shipping) and reviews seemed very comparable between the 2 brands.

I replaced a Breville cordless--it's the only thing I have to compare the KitchenAid to. I thought the Breville was fine but unfortunately it died quickly--the battery just won't hold a charge.

The Kitchenaide is much much more powerful (than the Breville cordless.) I made Butternut soup the other day. It pureed the butternut so easily that I made dh come watch. Then tonight I made cream of broccoli soup which was a little tougher on it since the broccoli stems were still quite hard. I didn't realize that I only had the blender on "low" for the butternut soup---I was able to turn it up for the broccoli so that I felt like I had an outboard motor in my hand. It was very satisfying and I made dh come see it in action at the higher power.

It seemed much lighter and easier to use than the Breville. I imagine this is because it doesn't have a heavy battery.

Btw, I really like our other Breville appliances---the Ikon blender, panini press and smart oven. They have all been fantastic.

Good luck, I can't imagine you could go wrong with KitchenAid, Cuisinart or Bamix (another brand I considered). I think I'll stick with the corded versions from now on.

Thanks, everyone!

warmfridge, which bamix do you have?

I have the KA also. Works great.

I have the gastro model. Like Zelmar, I would also avoid the rechargeable ones...I had a 5 y.o. Cuisinart that would no longer holder a charge so replaced it with the Bamix.

The very best one is the one that comes without the big dummy attached to the handle, who thinks the best way to get rid of globs in the top of the pot is to raise the works end--while it's on.

I just have the Costco cheapie special--Braun or something--and it does everything I've asked except losing the dummy whose idea of redecorating the kitchen is with shades of leek and red kale.

I have the Cuisinart also. Just got it... so far it works great. It's blended everything with ease. Don't know why I didn't get one years ago.

I have a Cuisinart Quick-Prep (mine is at least 15 years old). Works great. Mostly use it to blend hot soups and gravies but sometimes use it for whipping cream or egg whites. It has been hanging in every one of my kitchens for the past 15 years. My mom recently gave one to my SIL and they use it constantly.

LOL, Pillog. I must confess something like that did occur to me. :)

Thanks, everyone!

(trending towards the KA right now, mostly because she has a tiny kitchen and it comes with that nice little bag to keep everything in, as opposed to a countertop/wall mount setup.)

I have a monster Kitchen Aid one that I got because of reviews and because it seemed longer than all the others; I wanted it to be able to work in tall stock pots cause I initially bought if for making homemade cold-processed soap. It did an AMAZING job for that but for all cooking purposes too. Gets things done very quickly cause it's so powerful (has cord too) but it's pretty quiet too.

A couple of weeks ago I made mashed potatoes with it cause my electric hand mixer broke. I couldn't believe I've been using a typical mixer all these years when I could have been using the stick blender! What's funny is that I have a potato ricer to get mashed potatoes extra smooth and creamy, and it's kind of a hassle but a nice effect/texture. With the stick blender, in way less time, I had that same creamy smooth texture.

All the big brands will be good I'm sure but I recommend you get one that's tall enough in case the gift-recipient uses tall pots!

Plllog, the dummy attached to my Cuisinart stick blender ran it into a rogue piece of ham bone when blending split pea soup...So I'm in the market for a new one, too. I'd never thought of mashing potatoes with one. I always used my hand mixer which now only works when it wants to...and turns off unexpectedly, so I've actually resorted to mashing them by hand. Yikes! ;-)

I have the Viking stick blender. Fantastic motor on it and it makes mincemeat - strike that: pureed mincemeat - of everything it comes in contact with. Has a pretty hefty horsepower motor so it really does liquefy well. I like it. It takes longer to pull it out of the drawer, snap the blade unit into the motor, and plug the cord into the plug than it does to blend or liquefy what I need blended and liquefied. Almost anti-climactic operationally. Very powerful.

I was specifically looking for something that had a decent motor AND that was all metal in the blending section - many have a plastic or nylon at the tip. I was quite amazed to find that there were very few options for that spec - I think only Bamix and Viking do so. WS didn't carry the bamix when I was looking so I got the Viking. If I were to purchase today, I might just get the Bamix. That said, I'm very happy with my Viking unit.

Question for y'all: my friend is gluten free and she likes whirring up frozen banana chunks into an ice cream substitute. It looks like the KA and maybe the Cuisinart won't do that unless she thaws them part way first. Is that right?

Hmm, maybe then the Bamix, or does anyone know anything about how the Miallegro MiTutto is in the US? I know my Italian friends like theirs, but US versions of European appliances aren't always the same quality.

No idea on the Miallegro, but after I broke two cheaper immersion blenders in less than two years, I sprung for the Bamix. Both broke where the motor connected to the blade attachment, so that had to be metal. The el cheapo Oster plastic housing for the blade cracked (I did not pay $20 for it), and the more expensive Costco (can't remember whether it was KA or Cuisinart) didn't snap on to the motor properly and I didn't notice until I had stripped the gear.

The Bamix will make a 2 cup container of ice into snow in less than a minute.

The thing with the frozen banana chunks is probably that they jam between the blades and the cover, and if really solid wouldn't moosh out of the way.

It sounds like the Bamaix which does ice cubes would certainly do frozen banana chunks!

Another vote for the Smart Stick Cuisinart...love the attachments, love the way it fits easily into the slide-out shelf. Great invention!

Thanks, everyone!

Just a follow-up. I was planning on the bamix, but right now amazon has the kitchenaid with all the attachments on special, so I decided to get that one, since I don't think they have any kind of food processor, either, and not really any space for one.

I told her if they don't like it, to give it to me and I'll get them the bamix instead.

Here is a link that might be useful: this one

I'm not one who usually uses attachments, I tend to forget about them. But this is one case where I wish I had gotten them. I had no idea how powerful this little machine was before getting it. I'm sure the gift receiver will love it!