Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I just picked this up at the store the other day, and thought I'd write a review because it has some big pros and cons. As for the pros, this thing does actually work...really well. I used to have a Kitchenaid blender for about triple what I paid for this Oster, and it left chunks in my fruit smoothies no matter how much I blended. It also leaked a bit. The Oster blends frozen fruit and berries to a smooth consistency without ANY chunks whatsoever. I was kinda amazed because I figured if my expensive blender left chunks, then that was the norm for all blenders. So I'm very happy that it does the job very well. However, it does have a couple downfalls. There is only one speed, a pulse, and the off setting. This doesn't bother me too much though, because as long as it blends my smoothies smooth, then I'm happy no matter what the speed is. This blender's big downfall is its noise: this thing is louder than hell. It's about as loud as a gas powered leaf blower. It actually hurts my ears, and I'm seriously considering wearing earplugs to make morning smoothies. The loudness isn't the whole issue either. It has this high-pitched whine that just really irritates my ears. I guess that's why they called it the Beehive Blender... In conclusion, it's a good blender because it actually does what it's supposed to do. However, BE WARNED: it is VERY LOUD!!! It will wake your entire house up! UPDATE: 04/24/2013...2.5 years later! I still love this blender. I know I probably sound like I work for this company, but seriously, I haven't had a single problem with it yet. Five days a week, I make a morning smoothie with frozen berries and fruits. So it gets quite a bit of use. It still blends everything down to a smooth consistency, however, I noticed it takes a tiny bit longer...probably because the blades are dulled a bit (which I'm sure I can just sharpen them back up). Plus, it has never leaked even once. So overall, I HIGHLY recommend it. Who would think that a $60 blender would last 2.5 years? I guess when things work as they should you kinda take them for granted.