Braun MX2050 PowerMax 525-Watt 58-Ounce Jug Blender

I ignored the reviews that warned of early mortality because I figured that my intended use would be relatively easy -- just the occasional smoothie, not grinding ice cubes, for example. The motor burned out the second time I used it.

I give it two stars because I had about three years where I liked it very well. I used it solely for grinding nuts into nut butters. All of a sudden, I put in some cashew nuts, and I noticed a funny smell. It wasn't working well either. I saw the nuts were burning! Fortunetely, there was no smoke or fire. It was no longer usable, so I just threw the unit in the trash.

I'm still looking for something that is glass and made somewhere besides China. I may give a different Oster model a try.

I bought this blender because it got good reviews on Consumer Reports. It was quite a disappointment. First and foremost the machine is mostly plastic and very cheap looking. The only reason I bought this was for crushing ice in smoothies and bar drinks. I am out of luck unless I have 15 minutes to start and stop the machine, shake up the contents, swoosh it around, try again, and again, and again. I have found that the machine can not handle more than 3 ice cubes at a time (I've tried all combinations) and frozen fruit is out of the question. The fruit must be defrosted slightly in the microwave first. Wow - after writing this I realize how much I've become a slave to this piece of junk! If you're really interested in buying this one, come to my house and you can have mine. I'll be happy to have you take it off my hands.

I am impressed with this blender. It does everything you could want, its well built and sold, easy to use and does a great job. Well worth the money.

Works well. Bought purely from Consumer Reports review. A little louder than expected but we'll see if it lasts as long as the Warings we've had over the years.