KitchenAid 5-Speed Ultra Power Blender

I have both a KA stand mixer and KA dishwasher and love both of them. I didn't mind paying a premium for the KA name on a blender, but what a disappointment!

The good:
The profile is esthetically pleasing. While the glass (that's very good) container seems a little small, it's just fine for most blending tasks. You won't want to make margaritas for a crowd (or ANY margaritas for that matter), but for one or two servings, it's generous. The squatty wide-mouth shape is very nice for cleaning and scooping.

The bad:
It's not very satisfactory for chopping hard items--it just rounds the edges of Parmesan cheese and ice chunks.

The ugly:
The little round things that secure the blender to the base come off REALLY easily--I've only used this blender four times, and three of the little round things have come off.

The only up sides are the shape, size and the glass container, but it's very expensive for a piece of kitchen sculpture. The KitchenAid name is very misleading on this particular appliance. Not recommended

I bought this item because of other Kitchen Aid products I've used in the past and liked. It did not live up to my expectations. It runs very well but if you don't hold the bottom of the blender when you remove the jar, you end up with your food all over the floor. I wash it immediately after every use with warm soapy water, yet the base is now stuck and I can no longer remove it. Imagine having to tip over the entire blender, motor and all, to pour out the contents.

Years ago I had an inexpensive Sears blender that was wonderful. I used it all the time until it wore out. In comparison, I rarely use this one which has many more settings because it is such a chore to use. I'm one to return items that don't work. Unfortunately, it took me awhile to use this the first time and because it was Kitchen Aid, I thought I was doing something wrong. I wish I would have returned it. Now I'm thinking about throwing it out, which will be hard to do as it works, and buying one that I will actually use like my old cheap but easy to use blender.

I've made one smoothie per day for two years and mine is still working fine. The key is in what ingredients you use and how much stress they put on the machine. In my case it's eight ounces of yogurt, one half fresh banana, 3oz of frozen blueberries, one scoop of protein powder, and a couple of ice cubes. The ice cubes are added last and have never created a problem. Perfect smoothie every time without any stirring. I like it enough to have ordered a spare cutter blade assembly and coupler, but have not needed them yet.
For those with more demanding tasks, such as making their own peanut butter, grinding grains, heating soup, etc, I would suggest you spend the extra three hundred dollars to get the Vita-Mix. It will do all these things while drawing enough power to dim your lights and making enough noise to frighten your pets.

I bought this blender because I love my KichenAid Mixer. The KitchenAid Blender is middle of the road. I'm afraid I won't ever know what the best blender for smoothies would be, since I already bought this one.

If you have ever had a cheep blender, you will know that they have weak motors, a plastic jar that will crack and leaky gaskets. The KitchenAid has a much more powerful motor, and a glass jar, but it strains to chop ice. I think it was designed for ice, since one of the pictures for this model shows the jar full of ice.

When we want to chop ice, we found that if you first pour in at least two cups of liquid, then add the ice it works fine. Then add your fruit and other items and you have your smoothie. It often gets jammed up and I have to stir or add more liquid to get it moving again.

Jill Ammon Vanderwood
Author: Through the Rug and Through the Rug 2: Follow that Dog
KitchenAid KSM90WH Ultra Power 300-Watt 4-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer, White

A great blender for a while with weekly use...but it wasn't long before a tooth broke off the black coupler that drives the blade. Soon after, another tooth broke off and now it doesn't spin the blade properly. A weak link in a blender that is otherwise very good. I do not recommend as this part should have been made stronger.