Hamilton Beach 56406 BlendSmart 18-Speed Blender

Comment: I purchased this blender recently and have not yet had the chance to use all the features, however for the period of time I have been using it, I am very please with the results.

I also love the large capacity of the jar which allows me to blend more items at a time. The easy locking feature lets you know that the jar is secure.

I have not yet used the smartblend feature but once I do, I am sure I will be giving this product 5 stars.

Comment: JUNE 2005 - We make smoothies almost every day. We use frozen fruit and juice - no ice cubes. I've had my Kitchen Aid mixer for 20 years - nothing better! So, naturally I went for the Kitchen Aid professional blender. First of all- when making smoothies, I would have to stop it several times to stir the fruit because it would struggle with the contents. Then, even when it looked smooth, someone would always end up with a fruit chunk in their glass. After a year or so, the motor burned out. Got a replacement blender (same model). And within a year, while making a smoothie, the glass jar was not set on properly (I suspect) and the little rubber feet that turn the blades broke off the base. And of course, you can't just buy that part - you have to send the whole machine in for repair. At the original price of that baby - forget it! So, I decided to try the Hamilton Beach after seeing the positive reviews. The glass jar is large, sturdy, and solid. It has a powerful 450 watt motor. There is a lock on the base, so the jar cannot be put on unevenly. The smart blend feature is great. Press the button and walk away. No stopping and stirring. Smooth smoothies every time. No chunks! I am so impressed by this blender!!!
UPDATE NOVEMBER 2006 -
I am so sad to say, that we finally burned up the motor on this puppy too! It hung in there for a long time and worked like a charm, until it died. It was still a great bargain for the year+ that we owned it. I guess we will look at a commercial WARING blender for our next adventure... they're VERY expensive, but supposedly last for years...

Comment: I can not believe these 5 star reviews. I fell for it and bought the blender.
Save your money and don't buy this. I followed the manual recipe for
chocolate mousse to the letter.
The first try, the entire amount of milk spilled through the base despite
the "lock" in the safety base... So I tightened it and this time it didn't spill.
However - after the mousse was done, the safety base would NOT open for cleaning regardless of what we tried.
For an entire week - myself and my girlfriend labored to open this, we used
warm water, vinegar, soaking overnight, twisting in all different directions
in 3 diemsnions, brute force, pliers, sharp knife to clean in between the
cracks (just in case there was something there) - you name it and we tried it
but to no avail. The darn thing was permanently cemented.
Despaired, I then broke the safety base lock with a hammer (smashed it) and
inspected the internal ring to see what was cementing it - and guess what ?
NOTHING, absolutely no dirt or food stuck. It was white clean.
This is the worst blender I ever owned, gone after the very first usage and its
absolutely the last Hamilton Beach product I will ever buy.
Save your money and RUN away from this product.

Comment: A great blender, and I hoped to order from Amazon. But it isn't shipped from Amazon. It is from some wholesale club that Amazon fronts for. Shipping was quoted at over $17.00! More than 55% of the price of the item! So much for the lovely discount. So, I bought it at a mall.

Comment: Got this blender a month ago - almost paid full price for it before Xmas. Now it is a bargain at <$30. The "BlendSmart" feature is pretty nifty - just dump in your fruit, yogurt, ice, etc., hit one button, and it goes thru an automatic pre-programmed cycle of pulsing and blending that makes a perfect smoothie everytime. Also makes good frozen drinks too. Seems pretty powerful and the heavy glass pitcher has ridges in it that must help create the desired turbulence to assure an even mixing and chopping.