This is a very powerful blender! My last few blenders struggled with homemade ice cubes. They are larger and harder than store bought bags of ice. So when I wanted to make smoothies, I would have to buy a bag of ice ahead of time. Sometimes I ran out and would have to make a trip to the store. This blender handles the homemade ones with no problem!! On the plus side, it is not as loud as previously owned blenders either!! There are so many different things I can make in this! I love it!!! [This review was collected as part of a promotion.]