I bought this blender because it got good reviews on Consumer Reports. It was quite a disappointment. First and foremost the machine is mostly plastic and very cheap looking. The only reason I bought this was for crushing ice in smoothies and bar drinks. I am out of luck unless I have 15 minutes to start and stop the machine, shake up the contents, swoosh it around, try again, and again, and again. I have found that the machine can not handle more than 3 ice cubes at a time (I've tried all combinations) and frozen fruit is out of the question. The fruit must be defrosted slightly in the microwave first. Wow - after writing this I realize how much I've become a slave to this piece of junk! If you're really interested in buying this one, come to my house and you can have mine. I'll be happy to have you take it off my hands.