DO NOT BUY! We got this as a wedding present last July. Six months ago after using it just a couple of times, I picked up the glass jar and suddenly, it's shattering on the floor. Glass and blood everywhere. Up until today, I had always assumed I hit it against something. I spent over $75 on new parts. This morning, I went to make my usual smoothie and it wouldn't start. The motor was making horrible noises and then there was smoke and my kitchen smelled like smoke for hours. I called Cuisinart who said to bring it in the store where it was purchased. The store was kind enough to replace it but not before being dumbfounded the Cuisinart sent me into the store because it had been purchased well over a year ago (the 3-year warranty is the manufacturer's). The manager of the store told me this model has been discontinued for various reasons including the plastic handle tends to break off the glass jar and shatter. Good to know that it wasn't my fault. I bought the new 600 model WITH A GLASS HANDLE.

I spent the bread to buy the best blender Cuisinart makes, the most powerful motor, etc and etc. It appears scientifically designed to be unable to pour anything without spilling it everywhere, running all down the side of the glass -- I can't imagine what they were thinking when they designed this. And: it leaks when you pour it, and it leaks down into the housing, so that when you pour again, there is no way to not dump stuff on your counter top. Smooth move, Cuisinart! Way to design! I'm going to dump it and get something else, and I can promise you that it isn't going to be made by Cuisinart. I make smoothies every day, and the one good thing about the blender is that it does have the power and speed to finely grind anything you throw in it; probably you could toss in a handful of bolts and get metal shavings. So it does do that well. But that's all it does well. Don't buy this or anything else from these people, this company had a good name but it doesn't any longer. Junk.

We've been using this product for about a year now and we love it. Very powerful and a little noisy but we are very happy we upgraded from an Ultimate Chopper blender. We recommend this product.

Bought this one to replace another Cuisnart blender that broke previously (after replacing the blade which became loose from the notches). This one was broken even before we put food in it. Much like the previous one we had, the notches on the other side of the blade that line up with the notches on the base, do not fit together.

Our last model finally ground out the notches out of the base which left metal and plastic dust around the blender -less than a year old. THis current one we plugged in and turned on and it didn't even last one try. Blade attachment was already separated from plastic notches, even before trying with food. On to a new brand now.

After having 2 Hamilton Beach blenders die after 300 smoothies, I tried the Cuisinart Smart Power. Having had it for 3 days, and 5 smoothies, I can't comment on the durability. But I have a few things to say about usability. First, the squat 50 oz jar does not mix as well as the taller Hamilton Beach jars. Second, the plastic handle is strapped to the glass jar, so drips from pouring the contents get under the straps where they can't be cleaned. Fortunately, these do not touch the contents inside. Third, the cap on the lid is annoying. It is loose and does not fit snugly. In fact today, as I lifted the lid to add more ice, the cap fell into the wide jar where I didn't realize what the strange sound was until too late. The blender had no problem chopping the plastic cap into tiny bits - sort of a mini "Will it Blend" episode. (I was able to replace the cap with a better, more snug fitting cap from one of the dead Hamilton Beach blenders.)

The controls are minimal, giving 2 speeds with pulse - this is all I need for smoothies. The buttons are widely spaced and easy to clean so far. The keyboard-like electronic action is much easier to use than typical mechanical buttons. The Hi and Lo buttons either toggle on/off, or are push on release off when the pulse mode is set. There is a count up timer, but I always just look at the way the contents swirl to tell when it is done.