I have a Cuisinart custom 11 that i have to hold to work, the lid is cracked alittle so I bought a new Cusinart 14 cup but didnt open it. Does anyone think the newer one is superior to older one....thinking I should have just gotten replacement part.

Hi, April. I also got the KA FP 770 in the brushed nickel. The 760 is the same, but not in a nickel finish (does come in black and white and maybe other finishes). The 760 can definitely be found for under $200 - probably $160-$180 range if you check amazon, or use coupons for LNT or BBB. I thought I'd mention that I got my 770 for a very good price of $224 (with free shipping). I know that's over your $200 limit, but I thought I'd mention it in case you liked the nickel finish. Usually I see this for over $250. One day I pulled up a special price at ABT electronics (I did a search on froogle) - when I went to their sight the price was listed as $224 (lower than what froogle said). While that price was no longer in print when I ordered, I called them up and they said they would give me that price. So for you or others who want that brushed nickel, this was the best price I found. I've only just started using my FP (and can't compare it to a Cuisinart), but i do really like it. Very heavy, but incredibly quiet, and nice, sharp cutting - doesn't pulverize the food.

I've been reading all your excellent comments to my DH, and I think you've convinced us! He especially agreed with Nancy's comment "Get a good one and you'll even be happier." A *good* hand grater might be all I really need, but then the price differential is smaller. And an FP is so much more versatile; I didn't realize it could be used for so many different tasks. Also, I've been thinking for a while about baking bread again. I haven't done it since before the kids were born (and the older one is turning 35 next week!). I used to enjoy kneading the dough by hand ... but I'm not such an Earth Mother wannabe nowadays, and I have different goals now (i.e., the food, not the image). I have a small electric food chopper, but it can't handle large volumes, and, of course, it can't do anything but chop and puree. My biggest hesitation, aside from the cost, is that I do cook in fairly small quantities. Would I really use the FP to chop one onion or mince one clove of garlic? But Linda makes a good point about convenience, and the dishwasher would make cleanup very easy. Also, an FP would have a permanent home on the kitchen counter and would be right there when I needed it. The biggest draw for me is that it would overcome the frequent frustration of finding a promising recipe and then giving up on it because I couldn't handle all the food prep manually. There are so many dishes I'd like to try! Thanks, everybody, for all the good "selling points." p.s. Thanks, Linda, for the link, too. That Cuisinart sounds like a good choice, but I'll have to check out the competition, too. Sue

Me too. For reference, I'm the one who very quickly received a replacement a couple of weeks after registering in December. They just sent the wrong blade. There was a flurry of correspondence in the first week of January with a written promise to send the correct blade when it became available. Today, (six months later) I was e-mailed the following update: "Valued Customer, "Thank you for your inquiry. According to our records, your blade won'"t [SIC] ship out until after June sometime. Now this is just an estimate and you could be receiving it a lot sooner than that. If you have any further questions please reply, with all previous correspondences attached, to this email. We invite you to call our Customer Service Department at 1-800-726-0190. Please keep in mind the Customer Service Agent will not have access to your e-mail information. The hours of operation are 7 AM -11 PM EST Monday through Friday and 9 AM - 5:30 PM on Saturdays and Sundays, excluding major holidays." FWIW, my original blade is still fine apart from seeming to be starting to dull a bit after 15 years use. Otherwise, I might be more annoyed about the length of time it is taking to get the replacement.