Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

So, after 30 years, we needed a new blender. Hmmm. My wife and I hadn't a clue where to start nor what was out there. On my first two internet searches all I found were the two extremes: small fractional Hp motors or the ridiculously priced $400 to $500 unit. And yes, of course we want to crush ice - who doesn't? I have enough engineering background to know that a 0.2 to 0.5 Hp motor is NOT going to crush ice. Finally, we found the KitchenAid models! Some were 0.9 Hp, which is more like it. The pitcher (I call it) was a larger diameter and a little squat - perfect design for better blending, not to mention storage. We decided that two speeds just wasn't enough, 3 speeds would be borderline and we certainly didn't want anything ridiculous like 10 or 15 speeds. (That's what they do when the motor is underpowered to do the job.) We settled on the KitchenAid KSB465Wh 4-speed with 48 ounce jar and 0.9 Hp motor. The weight wasn't given but the appearance gave you the idea that the base was good and heavy - a prerequisite. We've used it several times starting about a month ago - it's perfect. It's even better than the one that lasted 30 yrs. The pitcher is dishwasher safe, it has something they call "intelli-speed" which adjusts the horsepower as needed to deliver constant speed. This is something where most blenders fall short, you put something heavy in it and the motors just slows down. The base is good and heavy - hurray, no more tipping over. The ad doesn't mention this but you do NOT dissasemble the pitcher for cleaning! Another big plus. By the way those $40 to $60 blenders don't work and don't last. This one is priced around $72 and you get what you pay for. A very solid unit with a decent motor and good features. And yes, it does a marvelous job grinding ice - a whole tray at a time. And, if you let it go for about 10 seconds you have ice "powder" - it's better than our ice shaver for snow cones. Blending is far superior to our old blender. It digests even the tough stuff easily. We haven't yet really needed to use it but it has pulsed speeds for those really tough materials. I'd recommend THIS blender to anyone who doesn't need to grind nails.