Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The good news: After I ordered this blender[ASIN:B0017XHSC2 Hamilton Beach 51101R Single-Serve Blender with Travel Lid, Red], I made myself read all the reviews while I waited for it. I noticed the reviews on this specific model (the red one) were all great. The reviews for the black one and the white one were either "I loved it" or "I really hated it" with not much between. I worried for no reason. As soon as it arrived, I made a protein shake with ice. Wow! This is one powerful blender. With just several pulses, my shake was thicker than a milkshake. (Note to self: use less ice. It's not necessary with this gem!) I love being able to mix the shake, take the container off and drink from it. After wrestling with a big blender, the use and clean up were easy. I was afraid hand washing it would be a pain, but it's not. I rinse it well, fill it halfway with soapy water and pulse a few times. I use my sink sprayer to clean the blades. As far as I can tell, this is not to go in the dishwasher. The instructions only show washing by hand. There's one small negative. If you are purchasing through Amazon as I did, and having a red one isn't a must, order the white one with 2 containers. It costs a little less. (My kitchen is done in red appliances so red was important to me). I'll weigh in with updates if I have any. And the bad news: After less than a month my little red blender is broken. I continued to make the exact same shakes twice a day. A week ago a piece of ice got stuck and bent the blade. The blender briefly made a funny noise, then continued like nothing happened. When I washed the cup, I noticed the blade was bent. Two days later, I found that I have a leaky cup. So, sadly, my once-perfect blender is going back. I'm replacing it with my second (and more expensive) choice. I didn't want to try this one again because I'm just not prone to do that. My originally five star review is now a two because a blender of this sort should be made to last. Depending on your personal usage, it may be great for you. For me, as it turns out, not so much.