The kitchen-aid 5 speed blender is amazing. I was a little hesitant spending over 100 dollars on a blender, when I see them for 30 bucks all the time, but this purchase really showed me that you do get what you pay for. with past cheaper blenders, it would take 20 minutes to make a smoothie because all the ingredients would get caught, but not with this very impressive product. Ice is crushed to a smooth consistency within seconds...no fiddling with the machine. Absolutely the best!