Took a deep breath and splurged on a Vitamix as we'd been wanting to incorporate more healthy smoothies into our morning, plus grind our own nut butters. In the first three days we used it 6 times... absolutely love it. I especially love that this model fits under the upper cabinets. I didn't think that would be a big deal, but since we use it constantly, it lives on our counter so I'm glad it fits. I confess I was dismayed when I read the container shouldn't be put in the dishwasher, but the 'high-speed soapy water' clean-up is quick and effective, so even that wasn't an issue. Thank you for a high-quality, high-performance product made in the USA. I'm a committed fan now!