I've owned an older model Ninja blender/food processor for years and have been quite happy with it but this Power Blender Ultimate System completely blows my old one out of the water. In addition to the blending and smoothie functions I'm accustomed to, I particularly appreciate it's chop and shred functions. It really cuts down on food prep time. The unit is well built, sturdy and has great torque due to the much larger drive gear (as opposed to the smaller one on my old Ninja). The only issue I had (one time) is the thermal circuit breaker kicked off while I was mixing bread dough. It's a good failsafe to have to protect the motor from overload (and your investment) and it reset itself within a minute. An excellent machine and a welcome addition to my kitchen!