Appliance Reviews

I've been using this blender for a few weeks now, and it's a pleasure to use! I make a daily smoothie using frozen fruit, which it handles with ease. I don't usually crush ice, but I did a test batch just to see if it worked well, which it did. I especially like that the base which screws onto the container is broad and shaped to match the lower part of the blender, so it is very stable in use. The one piece glass jar is easy to clean & looks better than the plastic ones some other inexpensive blenders have. The speed control is just a knob which you turn up or down as you are blending, which I find to be intuitive & easy.
It seems to be on the noisy side at top speed. I rest a hand on the top to calm it down if I'm using "high". I find that it blends everything just great at low to middle speed, so I usually just stay in that range.
--I'm adding this comment after 5 months of daily use. The blender keeps on doing what it is supposed to, day after day...

I saw a similar Cuisinart blender in the store that was [more money]. The motor was only 350W; this one is 500W. This has a dial (which I prefer); the other had a touch pad. Everything else is the same. I called Cuisinart and she confirmed that both blenders are basically the same but this one is [less expensive] even though it has a larger motor.
I bought it specifically to make smoothies and it's great. I don't pre-crush the ice--just add it with the other ingredients. It is extremely easy to assemble and disassemble. On the Waring this replaced, it was almost impossible to screw the bottom on straight. It is noisy, but aren't they all! I love it.

The first Cuisinart SmartPower blender I received leaked from the first time I used it. I contacted Amazon and I received a replacement immediately. I have not had any problems with the replacement and am very pleased with it. Your reviews were very instrumental in my choosing this product, and have no regrets.

Previously owned [money] Osterizer blender for 10 years which worked just as well as this Cuisinart blender. Shortly after the warranty expired but only after 15 uses, the clutch -- which is plastic -- broke. Without the clutch, the machine is inoperable. When I called Cuisinart to inquire into repairing this product, they told me I would have to mail the blender base (motor is heavy!) and then, only after receipt they would estimate the cost of fixing the machine. When I asked for the average cost of repair, the answer was at least [money]. In other words, for the cost of buying a new Osterizer, I could pay for another plastic clutch to be installed. No thank you. A friend of mine who owned a Cuisinart blender had the same thing happen. She now owns a KitchenAid blender and is very happy with it.

I have Cuisinart products I like, but this was a disappointment. The plastic bottom of the container holds the blade in place, and sits on the rubber rotor on the top of the chrome base. However, both the bottom of the blade and the top of the base (where the motor is) have teeth which must mesh when you insert the top on the baase of the machine. It takes a few tries to make this work every time you replace the top on the base. What a pain.
I make banana shakes, and this machine leaves chunks of banana! It takes several tries, and even then does not always complete the job.
When I try to chop things llike nuts or bread crumbs, they tend to collect in the narrow bottom around the blade and get gummy instead of chopping. I never had this problem with my old Waring.
Plastic parts have a cheap feel. Next time - and I'm sure there will have to a next time with this machine - I'll get a good American made Waring. I don't find a use for the multiple speeds. at all.

just received this item as a gift from my folks and i got to tell you it's by far the most efficient gift i've gotten in a long while. it's very durable, extremely easy to work and handle (just read the directions, folks) , simple to clean and best of all, makes your drinks, smoothies, soups, etc. come out perfect.

i recommend this one to anybody that loves smoothies and the such but don't like spending the $3+ for one every time they go out. trust me, you'll like your own better anyway.

Bought this to replace an aging blender. Unfortunately we only got to use the blender twice. The third time, the blade stopped rotating. The plastic part that is on the outer side for interfacing to the base started rotating by itself.
Buying this was a complete waste, and this will be the last time we buy a cuisinart product.
Would have given ZERO stars - but the scale goes only to 1 star.

I bought this machine to replace a $15 Hamilton Beach blender that was ready for the Salvation Army. Now I'm going to give this piece of junk away instead. First, it isn't "18-speed" - it's just a continuous adjustment from slow to faster. They could just as well call it 6 or 12 or 24 or 32 speed. Second, it can't even completely blend a ripe banana into a milk shake without leaving 2 or 3 little balls of banana in the bottom. And third, it's EXTREMELY noisy - screams and vibrates like it's trying to destroy itself. I bought a Cuisinart food processor about 20 years ago, and it is still an excellent machine that I use frequently. It's hard to believe this ... blender bears the same name.

It's a blender that does its job with ease and speed. I also tried the Braun PowerMax 2000 and this is a definite winner.

When I ordered this, I thought I was getting such a deal! I now know why it was so cheap - it's faulty and they were trying to unload them!! I used this one day and it worked great - I was very impressed - the next day I went to use it again and the plastic piece that turns the blades shattered! After doing some research on the net, I found that this is a very common problem with this model. I can get it fixed if I send it at my expense or pay ... for the part and replace it myself. Customer service at Cuisinart was not very helpful.

This piece of junk has been sitting on my counter for months - I use it to store tea bags. Don't waste your money on this - it's not what they claim it to be.

I have owned a 7-speed Cuisinart blender for a year. The performace is inferior. Banana smoothies still have lumps after minutes of blending. It has been a long time since I have been so disgusted by a product. Also, the disk with the teeth in the center of the base unit (that meshes with the one on the bottom of the container to turn the blade) is prone to shatter if you lift the container while it is running. Cuisinart will send a replacement part for free, but it is a pain to install. There is no reason why this part should not be made of shatterproof material. I recommend avoiding this product.

Excellent product. One of the best blenders I have used. It has all the great features in one blender like: Glass Jar, pouring spout, easy clean touch plate, and best of all cosumer reports also tops it in the blender category.

I simply love the easy of use of this product.

I use the blender often and it has performed ok, but the plastic wheel in the base where the jug sits just split in two after less than a year. A poor design decision -- to use plastic for this most critical part! I'll look for a new one with steel parts.

I just got this blender and it works much better than the Osterizer that I replaced. I mostly use it for smoothies and it works great, no need to stir by hand or push the ice down, just put in the ingredients and let it rip. Consumer Reports rates this blender highly (the highest of any with touch pad controls). I just found the other reviews about reliability, I'm hoping for better luck. (Oops, it quit working after 2 months)

I had this item purchased for me from my wish list, so I can't look this gift horse in the mouth. I too thought that it was chrome and was visually disappointed to find that it was just a high quality chrome over plastic finish. However this machine has failed to disappoint me in any other way!

I blend whole carrots, sliced apples, and sliced ginger without adding any liquid! I can also quickly pulse onions and mushrooms into a soup base without using a food processor. It is a bar blender so lets not overlook its blended Margarita making prowess, yum. It really has a lot of power and I like it, but that may be the daquiris talking!

Got our Cuisinart blender from Macy's; with normal usage, after about a year, clutch assembly (round black plastic part at base) broke into two pieces.

I thought I should be able to fix this rather easily. Wrong. Called their customer service, had to mail a disclaimer form first, then they shipped me the replacement part. After opening the blender, realized that since the part that broke still has metal attachment bonded, it won't be easy to fix it. Sigh.. giving up on this one. I thought my case was unusual, but after looking at reviews, this looks like a badly designed/manufactured product. Will not buy or recommend another Cuisinart product again.

I thought this blender was a good deal when I bought it, but I was mistaken. When I first used it, it gave off an odd smell, like burning plastic. I thought that simply might be a factor of the newness and expected it to go away with time. Months later, it still smelled every time I used it. Not only that, it was LOUD. With every use, I had to tolerate the loud whining sound of the motor. One day, it simply stopped rotating the blade. It turned out that the black plastic wheel on the base (the one that couples with the wheel on the bottom of the blender pitcher to spin the blade) just broke in two, thus rendering the base useless. I was very disappointed. After reading the trouble people have had with customer service at Cuisinart, I decided it was too much trouble to seek a repair/replacement from them. I simply bought another brand that I hope will provide better, more reliable service.

I have read some of the other reviews and am sad to relate that I too had the clutch/coupling fail on my blender as well. After a lot of searching on the Internet I found a place that actually carries the part (in Canada). For those of you who would rather spend another few dollars to fix your blender rather than buy a new one, I thought I'd share the link. So here it is: http://www.shaverspot.com/CuisinartParts.html
I just ordered the new clutch/coupling today and will hopefully have a working blender again soon.

We had this blender for about 1 year and maybe used it a dozen times, before it stopped working. No know reason. Very unhappy with the product as our previous blender, which was another brand, worked well for a much longer period of time.

This blender worked pretty well for four months, although it had a tough time making a really smooth "smoothie." At four months, the black gear mechanism that connects the blade setup to the motor spun right off the base. Cuisinart sent me another blender, but only after they received the defective one back, a process which took almost a month. Most companies will send you the replacement, then ask you to box up the defective one for them to pick up. The replacment blender base had plastic that was so badly warped it could not sit on the counter. We had to repeat the tedious month-long process. The third blender broke as the first after just two weeks. The customer service process did not improve this time. I did not want another of these blenders, so asked for a credit to obtain a Cuisinart non-appliance. At least this was granted. I won't be purchasing another Cuisinart appliance based on their poor service alone.

This is a really lame blender. I got it to make smoothies... that's it! You'd think it'd be able to do that job with no problem. But it doesn't.

The two chopping options don't really do the ice-crushing and smoothie-blending properly. You have to stop the thing and stir the ingredients around a couple times then restart it to get things blended. Even then it doesn't work as well as my old blender. Then, when you go to pour the contents into a glass, you get lots of messy spills, etc. because the spout is not designed very well.

Overall: not great. Spend the $$ and get one that does the job.