I have purchased three of these.... the first one well over 7 years ago..and still functioning well.... the others were gifts that have have well-received and positive feedback from the recipients. Very flexible tool given the attachments that are includedOver all, the KHB2561CU 5-Speed hand blender is a pretty good product! First, what I really like about this product is its versatility. Need a frother? You can easily swap out the blade attachment to one which froths milk and does a nice job at it, too. Need a blender? Yep, it has a blending attachment and a cutting attachment for all your in-bowl kitchen work. The five speed settings make the work easier and cleaner (As opposed to a single speed device I used to use which could spin product right out of a bowl if not careful!). As a side note, the blender attachment blade is really nice for emulsions such as salad dressings.The power of this hand held device is just amazing. For example, I had to make sure to pulse milk in the pitcher that comes with the blender; otherwise, I would have spun milk all over the place even at the lowest setting! This brings me to another feature I like and that is having the speed control knob sitting on top of the blender: it makes it easier to switch speeds while blending.The grip and feel of the KHB2561CU 5-Speed hand blender is remarkable to me. It fits perfectly in my hands (which are probably average sized for a male) and is very comfortable.Now for some of the reasons this blender didn't earn five stars for me. While the grip is really comfortable, this blender is a monster in size compared to other brands. Not only is it large, but it is heavy. I didn't realize how big it would be until it arrived. The case it rests in, with all the attachments, is the size of a brief case. I would have preferred something I could store in my kitchen drawers.I also found it hard to remove the various attachments from the case. They have a very tight fit in their molded resting places which makes it difficult to remove without fear of breaking something. A simple cloth bag for the attachments would be better, I think.I don't like the blade attachment guards and don't use them. The guards are meant to protect bowls and other cookware you might be working in. However, if I am breaking down cooked tomatoes, for example, I want the blade to engage the tomatoes. The supplied guards prevent the blades from doing something like that; save for one guard which will allow the blades to engage the food, but then why use the other guards? Sorry KitchenAid, but four guard attachments make no sense to me. The one that will allow solid foods and the blades to touch would have been enough, but then again I am not worried about scratch my bowls with a hand blender. So why the fuss?Finally, the whisk attachment is permanently fixed to its own base which is then secured to the hand blender. I don't like this at all, since it is hard enough to hand wash whisks let alone one with a mechanical base attached to it. KitchenAid could have designed a whisk that was much more dishwasher friendly and one which could be removed from its base for that purpose.Over all, though, I am quite pleased with my purchase and hope to get allot of use out of the KHB2561CU 5-Speed hand blender. KitchenAid products typically serve me quite well. The KHB2561CU 5-Speed shouldn't be an exception.I have a Kitchenaid immersion blender that is about 6 years old and it's still going strong. However - I'm getting into some heavy duty cooking taking meals to older folks and doing a weekly Iron Chef challenge with my brother. I needed something I could get into deep pots without burning myself. The multiple heads and 2 different lengths were selling points for me - as is the Kitchenaid name. I read the negative reviews but there were more good reviews, so I trusted my instincts and bought it anyway. Glad I did!.I don't quite understand what the one poster meant about it sucking food up into the inner parts - never had a problem with my current Kitchenaid and this one is no different. Cleaning it is a breeze - I simply run it for several bursts in hot water to clean and it's ready for the next job. When totally done with it for that cooking session, I run it in hot soapy water, then hot water to rinse, put it in the dish rack and let it dry. I've had several immersion blenders and all of them had some "plastic" parts, including a previous Braun (given to my son and still working) and my older Kitchenaid. Never had a problem with any of them cracking in hot liquids, with the exception of my first one, a cheapie from Walmart.On to the good stuff. First, this blender screams "serious cook" It's ruggedly good looking, hefty and well made. The stainless look is a big plus for me - all my appliances are stainless, so this fits right in. The choice of wands and heads makes it very versatile, as does the chopper/food processor attachment and measured pitcher attachment. Both of these came in very handy today - I was making a peach vinaigrette with fresh peaches and candied ginger. I used the chopper to break up the ginger and and then used the whisk and the pitcher to make the vinaigrette. PERFECT blending! .I used the longer wand a few days ago to make an insanely good pumpkin soup and having the longer wand was wonderful - no splatter burns. Not to mention it turned the roasted pumpkin into an extraordinarily velvety puree.The blender is powerful but runs surprisingly quiet - more so than my older, smaller Kitchenaid (which will now be relegated to use by husband - hands off my rock star!)The carrying case is a very nice feature - but I prefer to keep my kitchen tools in drawers for ready access. The inner part of the case, which is molded to fit the blender, wands and heads, lifts out and fit perfectly into a drawer, leaving the case for other uses.Another really nice plus is the pan guard and the protective storage guards for the blades - great idea.This blender is hefty, but it is very easy to operate and hold - and I have some arthritis in my hands and wrists.I am extraordinarily pleased with this blender - well worth the money. Well done, Kitchenaid!!Como siempre: sin queja alguna. En cuanto al envío del pedido, éste llego en el tiempo pactado y perfectas condiciones. Respecto a la licuadora de inmersión: Está increíble. Es de mayores dimensiones a lo esperado, tiene muy buen motor (soporta uso "rudo" en casa sin calentarse, tiene las 5 velocidades y todos los accesorios. Un super-plus es el estuche!The food processor attachment was ruined by our first use (chopping up cloves). The plastic got gouged and stained and we were never able to get it clean, despite repeated soaks in strong chemicals. It ended up making the few other things we tried to chop with it clove-y (and a bit chemically at the end). They probably need to use a different type of plastic for that part.Otherwise, this is a really good set. It has lasted a long time and is easy to clean. I really appreciate the case it comes in - it has kept all the smaller attachments together over several moves and makes pulling it out to use it simple.Me ha funcionado perfectamente, puedo hacer infinidad de cosas, los accesorios súper completos, la calidad a la altura de la marca y excelente su estuche!! El que tenga cable, no incomoda ya que es largo y no me preocupo por la recarga del electrodoméstico.Este excelente producto llegó como su marca lo respalda... excelente, sólo que la batidora por inmersión te salpica, ésta es una área de oportunidad para KitchenAid. En mi caso el 90 % de mi trabajo es con la batidora por inmersión... por lo tanto no cubre mi necesidad más importante.Muy agradecida por sus atenciones y su respuesta comprensiva y responsable.Mil gracias.Saludos.Luego de un usuo muy frequente por mas de 4 meses, el producto nos parece muy funcional, fácil de usar, y relativamente silencioso. Desde que lo tenemos la licuadora casi no se usa, éste es mucho mas sencillo de usar y de lavar, además que hace muchas mas cosas.