CuisinartCPB-300 350 Watt BPA-Free Blender, Black, 32 Ounce

I was considering buying another magic bullet and left a long and detailed review of my use of that product over a nearly 5 year span, thankfully I chose this instead! I have now been using this a little over a month 1-2 times every day and love this thing. I am going to compare it directly to the MB as it is something I am very familiar with.Pros:-Actually chops frozen items and ice (mixed with liquids/solids anyway) I would not use this on ice alone but it might be able to handle it -- notgoing to risk it. Magic Bullet always left little chunks of ice/frozen food.-Works in a hurry, a couple pulses and then run 5 seconds or so and a THICK smoothie is to be had.-Quieter than the Magic Bullet (significantly so, especially with ice)-Easier to clean (but not by much), the threads and support ridges are easier to clean on the cups.-Seal works better on attachments - no leaks! And the O-ring is protected by deep ridges keeping that from getting torn up.-Comes with the blender cup without spending extra.-Portable cups with lids you can drink through like travel cups.-Looks nice and fairly classy sitting on the counter.There are no cons compared to the MB, but there are some "ties" and things that aren't perfect, this will address many of the negative comments I read while I was researching this product.-Hard to clean chopping/blending base: This is esentially the same problem with all the mini-blenders (MB) sorry folks, but the beauty of the design is also the achilles heal of the design, and you are going to have to pull the O-ring out and wash underneath it periodically. If you want to leave dirty stuff in the cup with the attachment sealed to it you will get some stank fromunda-cheese brewing in and around this thing. My recommendation is to try to rinse out the cup and shake or blend it with the base as soon as possible after using it, you will still have to pull the O-ring (use a dull knife to work it out of the slot) out every couple of weeks and rinse/wash both the O-ring and the base underneath. Bleach may help and may lengthen the amount of time you can go inbetween, but once you see the gunk that builds up it will be hard to enjoy your frozen latte afterwards.-Noise: Like I said, quieter than the MB and about the same or slightly less than a regular blender, but you are chopping frozen stuff -- it isn't going to be quiet.-Smell of electronics burning: I did experience this slightly with the first couple of uses, but it went away after that. Just gotta burn that new wire smell out of there. I think the manual mentions something about only running it for 6-8 seconds at a time which is probably a good idea with this much power in this small of a motor.It is possible that time will tell a truer tale and that many of the 1-star reviews were being 100% honest and I just have gotten lucky so far, but I have been extremely happy with this product and the quality of shakes/smoothies/frozen drinks it creates.

I love this system! But I can understand why others have had trouble with it. I like it because it is fast, cuts ice like butter, and cleans up as fast as anything you will find. I too wish the cups were a little wider for easier cleaning, but found that a bottle brush made to clean sigg water bottles works perfectly as does a baby bottle brush. Also, it is very important to put the liquid first and the ice last, so that the ice rests on the blades with the liquid all around before you start grinding. Also, it is very important to pulse first to make sure that no ice cubes are wedged between your blades in the beginning. If they are it jams and hums and you need to stop it and shake it or even unscrew the lid to get the ice out before continuing. But when it starts with liquid and ice, it cuts the ice like butter, no kidding. You turn it upside down, screw off the blade top, rinse it off and go. It's that quick. There is no better, faster smoothie system out there. And although it's not included in this kit, you can get a lid from the cuisinart website that will fit the chopper cup that does not have a hole in it, so it seals it completely. Also, when you first use it please note that the cup should slide into the blender slot. I smashed it down, it jammed and I had a terrible mess. I learned to twist it gently back and forth a little till it dropped down on it's own. Don't force it. I have had this system for about 2 years, and nothing compares to its quickness and ease of use and cleaning. But you have to baby it a little with the tips mentioned below.1. Make sure there is liquid in the cup around the ice and that the ice is put into the cup last so that when you put the blade on and turn it upside down the ice is closest to the blades.2. Don't force the cup down into the blender. Twist back and forth until it falls down naturally with gravity.3. When crushing ice, pulse first and make sure there is liquid around the ice cubes. If the blade doesn't start right away, stop, shake or clear ice out of top before pulsing again.4. It helps to steady the machine when blending with your hand on top of the cup. It is so powerful, the vibrations are crazy.5. Use a sigg water bottle or baby bottle brush to clean the cups if necessary.6. Remember you can order a chopper cup lid with no holes in it from the cuisinart website for about $6.Good luck with your decision. I love mine.