Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

My 10-year old Bravia food processor gave up the ghost when I over-challenged it with a huge hunk of hard cheese, and I could totally kick myself for ruining it. Especially since I replaced it with a pricey Cuisinart 9-cup brushed stainless model that was 5-star rated -- that has turned out to be a major disappointment. I have a dog who is allergic to most everything in the dogfood world, so I must make his food myself. One of the components is a "salad" comprised of spinach, baby carrots, and apple, with a little olive oil. My old Bravia took about 8 seconds to mulch this into a lovely slaw, with all pieces evenly chopped. The Cuisinart practically liquifies the spinach, while the apple and carrot are still in large pieces. I have tried processing the carrots and apples first, then adding the spinach, which works for the apples and carrots, but the spinach just sits there without moving. The only way I have been able to make this work is to do the spinach separately from the apples and carrots, then mix them together by hand in a bowl. This makes what should be a 2 minute job into a 10 minute one. Another surprise was when I discovered that the Cuisinart 9 cup processor bowl only holds 2 cups of liquid. My Bravia could be filled 2/3 full... Unfortunately, the Bravia is no longer made. And buyers beware... when I checked with the Amazon website, their refund policy says I can only expect "up to a 50 percent refund" on the Cuisinart because it has been used, even though it is under 3 weeks old. I can't remember ever having to return anything to Amazon before, so the return policy came as a surprise. I have only owned one Cuisinart appliance in the past -- a toaster -- and it was great. Wasn't Cuisinart the creator of food processors eons ago?? You would think they would have this thing perfected by now.... I am very, very disappointed with this product. July, 2009. I've had this food processor for not quite 6 months. I use it every three days to make my dog's "salads." Last evening, the black trim on the handle of the 9-cup container broke off in my hand when I was removing the container from the unit. You would think that the manufacturer would realize that a handle that receives a great deal of torque (twisting the container on and off the motor unit) should be a one-piece component and not two pieces. My handy hubby has epoxied the handle back together, but he's not optimistic about how long the fix will last. I'm told that Cuisinart is no longer a French company, but is now American. This is totally a design flaw, and the American parent company, not the Chinese manufacturer, is to blame. It seems that many products become trash when they become American. How unfortunate. I am going to contact Cuisinart to see if they will replace the container, and will update this posting with the results. Later... Yes, actually the Customer Service was quite good. They replaced the bowl with the broken handle. But, now, the pusher, which has a "pin" which apparently enables the motor when the components are properly assembled, has separated from the pusher. I can still use it, but must be very careful to make sure the pin is manually inserted and at the proper depth to enable the motor. Bother!! I have purchased a new pusher ($14.00), and a new bowl ($30.00) just to make the cost of shipping worthwhile. And I am now getting a decent result with my dog's "salad" by putting chopped apples in first, followed by the spinach, then weighing everything down with the carrots. But honestly, I can't wait until the motor dies on this food processor so I can buy something else.