I purchased one of these offline, when looking for a new blender, and it wasn't until I got it home that I realized I had bought a smoothie-maker/food processor, as well! I was completely absorbed in comparing the blender capabilities against industry leaders like Osterman & Vita-Mix (which, coincidentally, did not rank at the top in Best Buy's magazine ratings - apparently the round bowl shape reduces its blending abilities).
Anyway, what a bargain! OMG, it was everything I wanted in a blender. My girlfriend at the time had a Vita-Mix, and after I chewed up its *hollow* pusher stick, I noticed an advantage to mine: B2B uses a solid-plastic pusher stick, so even if you do something dumb like using it with the lid off & the motor on (Hey, I said it was dumb! Don't look at me like that!), you won't totally ruin the stick - just make it ugly.
Downside - I grew so enamored of my blender's abilities, I decided it was invincible, and that's when I discovered a Vita-Mix advantage: VM has an overload sensor, that shuts down the motor when it overheats. I burned my darling little B2B blender motor up, trying to blend the overly-thick ingredients in a smoothie (before I added the liquids).
Again, if you don't do something STUPID with your blender, this one is well-made, and should really deliver a lot of bang for your buck.
Let's hope I am smarter with my next one!
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