What a powerful blender. When I first opened the package I was a bit alarmed at the size and weight of the base of the blender. I also do not love that the cord is not retractable, you have to shove it back into the base of the blender. The power of this blender makes up for the other faults. I was able to make tons of recipes from smoothies to soup purées. The wand is great for moving larger hunks of food or ice around for a better blend. My old blender did not have a wand and this is definitely a nice addition to this blender. Cleaning the blender was super easy. I usually just add some dish soap and hot water to the blender for easy clean up. Overall it is a great blender with so many timing and blend features. I am still figuring them all out.