I purchased this blender in the retro green color and it looks beautiful in my kitchen. If looking good on the counter is important to you, the Waring gets five stars. The sleek glass jar and simple toggle switch make it prettier than many other blenders. On noise, the blender also deserves five stars as it is much quieter than other blenders I've used (though of course, any blender is somewhat noisy). I've made fruit smoothies, pancake batter, and even nut butter with it and it's done the job, though it needs a little help with pushing the ingredients down. It works. My main issue with this blender (and why it isn't rated higher) is that the blade is set into the jar and is very difficult to clean. Any remnants of food that you didn't get out work their way between the washers and seal at the bottom, causing them to get gunked up and possibly to leak. To fix the problem, you have to do some fancy work with a wrench, take it all apart and put it back together - not easy! However, I must say, that I appreciate the fact that you *can* take it all apart, clean the simple nuts/bolts/washers and put it back together again and it works as good as ever. No weird plastic parts that might break. However, if I had to buy again, I'd get the old-fashioned jar-lid bottom blender. Blending Power Makes almond butter (if the almonds are warm). That says something! Ease of Cleaning Can't take out the blade to clean without an assembly of tools! Durability Sturdily built. Does get a little hot when doing tough jobs.

Prov31Aspiration

USA

Perhaps I expect too much from a blender but I do expect a reasonable amount of actual blending power. I had to put my fruit and food through my mini chopper first in order to get a tjhoroughly smooth and blended end result. The first time I used this blender the blades stopped turning until I could remove some of the fruit. I had to do thois 3 times to get any real blending power. That was when I decided to first chop everything in my mini chopper before adding it to the blender. That worked fine but then what is my vblender good for? I am thinking that since this is my 3rd blender they are just not made to do what they used to. On to a full sized food proicessor I guess.

marjoh13

Bulverde, TX

I have had more blenders than I think I can possibly count! This will be my last blender. It looks so good on the countertop which is where it stays because we use it every day. The simplicity of operation scared me at first, but don't let it fool you! I can trust that the product will last for years and years to come. The design is very simple and easy to use. The heavy duty and weighted base and motor allows for no-worry loading. The all glass pitcher is easy to clean and is extremely durable. I wanted a blender that was specifically to be used for preparing mixed and frozen drinks. Most of them usually do not crush the ice well enough. Most of my other blenders have "died" from the motor burning up in them (when trying to crush ice). This Waring Pro one has had no issues and is still going strong!

JuliePatterson

USA

I've had the Waring Professional Bar Blender in the fabulous Chili Red (PBB204) since 2005, and I absolutely love it. I use it to make fruit smoothies and milkshakes exclusively, though I imagine it would do great with making soups and the like. It handles a mix of whole frozen strawberries, fresh mango and juice with no problem, so I'm sure people who prefer to use ice rather than freezing their fruit will have an equally easy time of it. I'm not a fan of plastic, so the glass carafe is a major plus in my book, and I appreciate the one-piece approach rather than having to separate the blades from the base like you'd have to with the less expensive models (though those are equally adept at making the smoothies -- I've inherited a WPB04 Kitchen Blender).

hrdoran

Waterford, MI

The blender is one of the best I've ever had, surpasses other plastic blenders.  I previously had a plastic blender which cracked when I tried to blend a soup-- the blender cracked under the heat and exploded all over my kitchen.  The container is made of glass, which means you can use it to blend soups/hot foods without the worry of cracking. The blender design itself is very nice, and it's available in many colors/finishes.   The blender is great for smoothies and crushes ice very well. No need to buy separate margarita blenders, etc. It's easy to use.. the blade is within the glass, so you can stick it in the dishwasher without taking off the blades, which is also good from a safety standpoint. This is a very good brand, even if you dont get the PBB series, Waring is a trusted brand for blenders and recommended by many. I also have their meat slicer and we've had no problems with it.

cn1017

Indianapolis, IN