I used reward points to "buy" a blender because I never would have considered spending so much on a blender. But when they tell you that this blender will replace a number of other kitchen appliances, believe it. I thought I would only use it for smoothies, but have made so much more (including the best smoothies ever). My favourite is the pumpkin spice latte! 
This replaces a blender I considered to be a workhorse, but one we eventually burned out. And I have inadvertently tried to burn this one out but it automatically stops if overheated. Dummy proof!
And the absolute best part is how easy it is to clean. Again, I thought I enjoyed my last blender but I always hated having to take it apart to wash all the components. Not a problem with the Blendtec: blades and jar are a single piece with an automatic clean cycle. Because it is so easy to clean, I use it three times as often. 
Best reward dollars I ever spent!