We bought this blender to make smoothies for my kids and were initially pretty happy with it. The ice crushing capabilities are excellent - but only if you follow the manufacturer's instructions and don't fill it more than ½ way with ice. Because our primary use for this blender was making smoothies, the ability to completely crush ice was a huge selling point for us. The only downside to the ice crushing of this blender is that you have to keep your hand on the lid. I learned the hard way that it is not very secure and if you don't keep your hand on it, it will be blown right off the top and you'll have a mess on your hands.

There were a few other things I liked about this blender. First, the glass jar portion doesn't retain stains or odors. I've had blenders before that become easily stained by strawberries and other dark, staining fruits I use. I think this difference is due in large part to the jar being made of glass and not plastic like many other models. It's also not as loud as other blenders I've used.

However, after using this blender for only 6 months, it broke. The portion of the base that holds the blades is not metal, as it is in many of the blenders I've used, but is instead plastic. I was washing it one day and the plastic completely came apart and 2 of the blades came off with it. After emailing the manufacturer, we were able to get a replacement base. This wasn't the end of the problems though, because the motor then started going out. I suppose this blender is not made to crush ice on a daily basis, because the longer we used it the more the motor seemed to work and the less the ice seemed to crush.