Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

On a Thursday, I knocked my 1983 Braun immersion blender with a thick, sturdy plastic housing that still worked flawlessly off the counter, vertically and a bit tilted, so the shock cracked the top edge and down the side of its housing. I picked it up and admired how thick the plastic was, how the screws held it together despite the violence of it's landing, and then said goodbye to my well-used workhorse of 39 years. I didn't think twice, I went to Amazon and ordered a Braun, (the MQ7035X) to replace it. I thought, "Cool, now they make the blending shaft out of stainless, it'll have less suction, and it's got a pumping action so I don't have to lift it out of the bottom of the pan at all!" It arrived quickly, within 48 hours. Upon unboxing, I thought "Whaaat the.....?" The bottom of the stainless steel blending shaft has really sharp, pointy edges, like a dull knife. It's sharper and certainly pointier than all the stainless steel cooking implements I own other than my knives. I'd never let it hit the bottom of my enamel and stainless pots. I showed it to me husband, the better chef of the two of us, and he said, "I wonder what it's intended use is? Maybe for a plastic bowl, or to make smoothies or daquiris or something in it's plastic cup? You can't put that in the bottom of an enamel or stainless pot. That's dumb design." I agree. And I read the instructions: there's a warning not to scratch it against the bottom of pots. What's the point of the suction-free pumping attachment if you can't use it, because you have to keep the blending shaft off the bottom of your pots? So much for blind loyalty. I boxed it right back up and arranged the return immediately. Such a shame. So now I've done my due dilligence, and read cumulative reviews of all the immersion blenders available on Amazon with no less that 4.5 stars. Breville appears to have the best cumulative Amazon reviews that don't have the inexplicably sharp, unprotected blending shaft . (Why is that is a thing?) Postive reviewers coo about the Breville's power, some like the attachments, but I don't care about those. I need it for pureeing hot soup and sauces on the stove. Googled reviews on other sites, including on NYT Wirecutter, and it's typically a top pick. So I ordered the Breville BSB510XL Control Grip Immersion Blender. Fingers crossed. Check my review on that product later. I'll tell you how it worked out.