I wanted to set the review record straight on this blender, to the degree that I can. I bought it for one reason: to make smoothies. A mixed fruit and almond milk smoothie is lunch almost everyday. This blender's job is to convert the mixture into a smooth shake, no lumps, and do it fast. In short, it does exactly that. This blender replaces another Cuisinart, a blender/food processor I had. That also worked pretty well, but not as well as this one. For one thing, the older device didn't always puree the banana. It left small chunks. This blender turns a banana into mush in a hurry. One reviewer complained about the mismatching materials that make up the drive mechanism. A brass or metal fitting spinning a plastic gear connected to the blade. My blender uses only hard plastic for both parts, same as the older blender/food processor. They should hold up fairly well, but I can't speak to longevity having only just bought this machine. That's why I only give it four stars. It was the drive mechanism that failed on the older machine. It froze up, wouldn't spin. I'm hoping that won't happen to this new model. Another reviewer wrote that it's hard to take apart to clean. I don't find it so, but I have a decent grip. A person with small hands and a weak grip might find it a challenge, like opening a stubborn jar of peanut butter or something. But I don't see how that can be helped. The cutting blade assembly has to be screwed tightly to the jar or it would leak. I don't feel that Cuisinart can be faulted here. Maybe when you screw on the blade assembly, don't screw it as tightly as you can; it will be easier to unscrew for cleaning. Personally, I don't disassemble it everyday. I rinse it out under the tap, wipe it with a sponge. I only take it apart for a more thorough cleaning every few days. Same as the other blender/food processor, which incidentally screws together the same way. In summary, I'm very happy with this machine. It looks nice, solid build quality which one comes to expect from Cuisinart, and does what it's designed to do. For the great Amazon price I don't think you can beat it. If I have to replace it in a couple of years, that's all right. The price per smoothie would be about a dime.