When the jar on my 15 year old BlendTec began to leak, I assumed I had to get a new blender, but one less pricey, and spent hours looking at online reviews. I finally settled on the KitchenAid K400 and have had it several weeks. 
I love it! I'm thrilled with its simplicity & smooth operation; blending a hot soup from the stove is easy and safe with the dial feature, and both soups and smoothies are perfectly blended. It really is nicely designed.
As it turned out, I was able to replace the BlendTec jar, so now I have 2 working blenders; but I choose to keep the KitchenAid on the counter, where (and this was a major consideration when purchasing) it fits perfectly in the 17" space between counter & upper cabinet.  There's even room for it to sit on a sliding kitchen caddy for easy roll-out. It's a beautiful machine.