****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
This is a great little machine. I use mine often during the warm weather months. It has power to spare and the measuring lines for either 2 or 4 servings make for perfect drinks. One slight flaw that is rather annoying-it's very easy to get the spout cap screwed on crooked and then it leaks all over the place. Always make sure first that it's not leaking. I would definitely recommend this product.This blender really does blend well, it crushes ice and frozen fruits well and makes nice thick smoothies. It has a nice stir stick to help mix the ingredients as it blends. When I purchased the blender I liked the thought of the dispenser. However, it is a big pain to clean and put back together! The dispenser alone has 5 parts that have to align exactly to reassemble. If not put together perfectly then the dispenser doesn't work and you get a big mess. It's okay for a cheap smoothie maker, but next time I would upgrade.I bought this for the kids, who love making smoothies. I was really impressed with the power, and it does a wonderful job. And, with the pouring spout, each child can serve him or herself with no mess at all. I love it. It does a great job with ice, and I like it that it turns on when it is serving, so no large chunks of anything get through, or are left in the bowl. I like the safety light, which tells me when it is put together right, The lid is part of that system, so a child can't take the lid off and start it. At the end of a smoothie session, the kitchen is much cleaner than it is with any other system I have used.I have started using it for adult drinks as well, because it is so easy. I didn't find the spigot difficult to clean or assemble at all. I would have given it more stars, but I am waiting to see how it works over the long term.We purchased 10 of these for our school's Smoothie Sales. We only used two of them at a time, making about four batches of smoothies from each blender once a week, and have already gone through all of them in 8 months! The motor kept burning out on us and the BLADES RUST on the bottom. You really have to look at it when you clean them, it rusts on the back side where the two blades connect. I called BackToBasics and I was told it happened because I submerged it in water. Ah, I just cleaned it and let it air dry. And besides, shouldn't something that is supposed to blend drinks while submerged in liquid be rustproof especially with just a few weeks of usage???? This blender is definitely NOT WORTH IT! I can't use it to make smoothies for kids let alone blend anything liquid!I bought this blender a year ago this month. I use it only on the weekends to make iced drinks in hot weather. It worked great for the first couple of months, then it started smelling electrical after about 30 seconds of ice crushing. I would crush ice for about 30 seconds then let it rest, and return to ice crushing. Last weekend is started smoking. It is still running (barely) but it is on its last leg. I would not recommend this product for ice crushing drinks. It is a great mixer, but can't handle the ice over the long run.I returned if after using it twice. For single serving protein drinks, I couldn't even get it to blend the powder well or crush the ice cubes. Maybe it works better for larger quantities. The "dispenser" was a joke; it took forever. On top of it all, it was a pain to clean. I returned it and picked up the Bella Cucina Rocket blender which is designed for one serving. Works MUCH better and is a breeze to clean.Not happy with this purchase. It seemed to work ok the first time or two, but now it sounds like a whole construction crew is in the kitchen. It's so loud it scares the cat half to death!! The dispenser will work for water, but forget about anything much thicker. I did research this before I made the purchase (about a year ago?)and at that time, I swear there were more positive reviews of the product on Amazon...things that make you go "hmmm".I'm really impressed with this machine. I made a fruit smoothie (about 2 adult servings) first, and what I noticed first is how powerful the motor is! It ground up ice very nicely and mixed my fruitful drink into a frothy treat. The dispenser works very well, until you get to the very bottom of the batch. Then it flows slowly and you have to pour the rest out (which was probably about a half cup or so.) I'm glad I purchased this smoothie maker and would recommend it!
