I was very impressed with this blender. At first, I was confused as to why there was a wider base and why it was such a big deal. But when I went to use the blender, I was extremely impressed with how easily I was able to get the things out of the blender. The smoothie jar was also remarkable. It made it easy to blend up my smoothies in the am, and get out the door faster. They made them to right consistency for me, and thankfully not to thick! Was way faster than my current way of making smoothies. Bonus for a gas jar, which is so rare now! Overall, its a wonderful blender, and I was very happy with it. I did receive this as a sample, but my opinion is not biased by that! Really was impressive!