I've now used this blender for a couple of weeks, and am really impressed with the ease of usability, power, and ease of cleanup.

I've had issues with past blenders at lower price points not being able to handle frozen fruit or ice -- with this blender, I've found that it handles the "harder" items  with ease and much more quietly than my previous blender. I've used this to make sauces, soups, and smoothies thus far -- all have come out velvety smooth!

The one con that I'll mention is this is definitely not a space saver -- this blender is large and heavy (probably 15-20 pounds). However, what you lose in space you definitely make up for in power, as it works so well for so many different foods/uses. If you are someone who uses a blender every day or several times a week, this one is probably worth the investment and counter space.