I love this blender! It is the perfect addition to my kitchen appliances. I have only used the hand mixers for anything that needed to be mixed. I also have a regular blender which does not compare to this one. If I needed to blend a soup to make it smooth i would have to add it to the blender then add it back again to my stock pot, which makes a mess and is not very handy. With the Bruan blender i can do that directly in the pan with no mess and less dishes. One of the best features with this it has 21 speeds so you can get the perfect consistency in your smoothies soups even cocktails!