A seemingly unreplaceable part went out on my Kitchen Aide. Anybody have a favorite?
yep! this summer was dedicated to finding the perfect blender. yes, the ideal summer for a 21-year old:-).
anyways, i purchased about 5 different ones, they all sucked ass.
then i stumbled upon this cheap-ass hamilton beach blender at bed, bath and beyond…fuckin awesome. handles cottage cheese/protein powder/ice like a pro…i highly recommend it.
Although I am a huge fan of KitchenAid for nearly all other appliances, I wouldn’t reccomend their blender.
Look for an Oster or Hamilton Beach in the 40 dollar range, and skip the higher priced, fancier featured ones.
Just my 2 cents.
Vitamix.
It’s the God of blenders.
K-Tec Champ HP3
It has 3 horsepower, while most blenders you buy at the store have about a half a horsepower.
I agree with Poohbaya the vitamixer is a vicious killing machine. The thing is made out of solid metal and has lasted for like 9 years without leaking.
I’ve broken 3 blenders this year so far while bartending but the Vita-Mixer holds up superbly at home. Only problem is that its best to crush the ice before you do the liquid/powder stuff. Of course, if they’ve revised it and given a taper to the bottom, that might not be an issue anymore.
-Adam
I love my Braun, hand held “wand” mixer. perfect for protein shakes(has no problem with cottage cheese and peanut butter), and I even use it for pureeing soups and sauces. I have not tried it with ice however.
It is also a cinch to clean. No cup, base, lid or blade to wash. just dunk it into some soapy water, and give a few pulses.
Patricia has Kitchen aide blender that does pretty good, but they are not cheap. I rarely use it because it is pain to clean.
Mine is a hybrid built by a buddy of mine who’s a power freak, as in “the more, the better”.
It’s got a turbocharged 5 liter V8 engine with three-valve technology and dual ignition. It’s got a versatile 28 speed automatic gearbox for a wide range of blending speeds and I incorporated my spare ski boat propeller into it for maximum blending efficiency.
Just last week I blended my old lawn mower, just to see if it would do it.
Thing is awesome…
On a more serious note, I totally agree with ko that for light to moderate blending needs, the hand held Braun is awesome.
It’s small, lightweight, convenient, and the things last forever.
It’s only weakness is that it’s not that practical for blending ice cubes into a drink.
I was lucky enough to pick up a cheap $20 Proctor & Silex blender from Ames last summer and its lasted me ever since.
If your blender can’t mix cottage cheese or peanut butter then you need to call it a pussy and throw it in the garbage.
If, however, I had blender troubles and was going through blenders nonstop, I’d invest in a Vitamix or Vitapro, whatever its called, blender.
And that Kitchen Aid blender has been around in my kitchen since 1994. Not too shabby.
Ko’s right, though. It is a pain to clean.
One of the things I didn’t like about the KitchenAid was that it was so hard to clean. The thing I really hate about it now is that there is no replacement part available for this one stupid part – the blade assembly. You have replace the whole jar ($40), and good luck finding one in the same color.
On the hand, it’s the same blender Will Smith had in Enemy of the State. (I had it before that, tho.)
If I find a less expensive one that I like, I may pick up a handheld, too.
chrismcl - “If your blender can’t mix cottage cheese or peanut butter then you need to call it a pussy and throw it in the garbage.”
Sweet! 
Postscript:
I ended up with a new KitchenAid AND a handheld Braun. KitchenAid made theirs a lot easier to clean than the old ones – and there’s a decent rebate – so I bit again. The handheld totally rules if you don’t need to crush ice. Thanks for the recommedations.
Can’t believe I missed this thread. I would have also told you that I agree w/ KO. The Braun Hand Held is the bomb! I use it for everything. You will sooo love it. I recommend it everychance I get, I should be in a comercial for the damn thing.
I use it daily for my shakes. I use a lot of fozen fruits and it works brilliantly.
One of my favorites:
Low carb Chocolate Grow
Almond or cashew butter
Frozen Strawberries
Frozen Blueberries
YUM YUM!!! You can even add cottage cheese if you want. Blends great in a protein shaker and just add a little pressure for the berries, it won’t hurt it at all. I’ve had the same one for at least 4 years and it hasn’t broken yet (and I’ve used it w/ ice)
I also use it for purees, baby food, salsa, all sorta stuff… so easy to clean. Stays on my counter. My all time favorite apliance!
Enjoy yours!
Holy crap, you’re right! The Braun does crush ice! Thanks for mentioning it. I would never have tried it otherwise.
There are blenders and then there are Vitamix blenders. I’ve gone through 5 blenders over the last 7 or 8 years, ranging from Hamilton Beach to Osterizer to KitchenAid. All wound up either wearing out at the base (Osterizer) or the cylinder started to leak (Kitchen Aid).
Then I sucked it up and dropped 600 bucks CDN on the VitaMix. That was a pretty penny for me to spend on a blender, but it has a 7 year warranty, and when I add up the cost of those other 5 blenders…
Vitamix is worth every single penny and should be in every serious athlete’s kitchen.
600 bucks?! Damn, the thing must be good!
Still, it reminds me of dropping 5-6-7 hundy for a Kirby when a Hoover will do just fine…
the new cuisinart blender is money… I think its a little more expensive than most but its rips up ice and makes money shakes so.