I have had mine for years and LOVE it. It's true that it will get bogged down if you want a thick shake, but the regular shakes I make mix the powder in BEAUTIFULLY with NO lumps. If your mixer starts leaKing, do what I did: 1)remove/twist off the base from the plastic cylinder; 2) gently pry up the black gasket and flip it 180 degrees. The plastic is an angled compression fitting and over time the gasket gets compressed. If you flip it, the non-compressed part of the gasket is now doing the work and the leaks should be non-existent for a good long time. It's worked for me.