I was fed up with buying other blender brands at at a cheaper price point that either didn’t blend well, broke easily, or both. We went through two “quality name brand” blenders over the past few years that ended up breaking and did not blend well even when they did work. I have a good friend that works for Kitchenaid and recommended this blender as he has one he uses daily in his own home. I have not been disappointed - finally! This thing blends smoothies so smooth and helps me blend soaked cashews super smooth for vegan/vegetarian recipes. Finally a blender that actually blends, and you can tell from the weight of this appliance it has good craftsmanship and power behind it and I know I have a longer warranty and customer support behind this product should an issue arrive. At this price point, I highly recommend this blender.