First off, let me just say that the Oster blender is gorgeous. Very stunning in appearance. From the looks of it, you would anticipate this blender giving you an excellent performance. And it does. Very easy to use. The buttons on it give you many options (you could make a smoothie or milk shake, or even salsa). I made frappucinos and frozen hot chocolate with this, they both came out well. The blender blended all the ingredients well, and the ice was blended just the way i like it (icy but not icy and chunky). For me, the biggest plus of the item was the blender cup having measuring cups listed on it. That was convenient because i did not have to worry much about using additional measuring cups, thus less dishes i would have to clean. Overall, this is an excellent blender that i would recommend to anyone. I received this blender as a sample to test.