Bella Cucina 17-Pc Rocket Blending System 10029

I have been looking for a blender/food processor/blending system that could hold up to the ingredients I put in my smoothies, and this one works like a charm, even when my ingredients include big chunks of nectarines or walnut halves. All of my smoothies have come out smooth, not chunky, and this is even replacing my Cuisinart mini-prep as go-to kitchen appliance of choice.

Other things I love about this blender:

There's a locking mechanism that allows you to set it to blend and walk away.

With the multiple blending cups, I never have to worry about having a clean one handy. I wash the blades by hand, but put the cups and lids in the top rack of the dishwasher.

A screw-on cap is included, so I can take my smoothies with me if I don't have time to drink it at home.

Finally, my smoothie recipe (which I now consume every morning):

1 peach or nectarine, in big chunks

handful of fresh blueberries, if available (otherwise, frozen)

handful of fresh raspberries

1/3 c. lowfat cottage cheese

1/3 c. plain lowfat yogurt

5-10 walnut halves

Blend.

When you get this item for less than half the price of a Magic Bullet, I was tempted to buy this Overall it is a good blender and does pretty much most of the things which a Magic bullet can do, but my only disappointment is that it is not built well, here are some details:

Plus:

* Does the job well, but not as good as the Magic bullet. something which would take 1 minute on the Magic bullet would probably take about 1.5 minutes

* Poorly platic quality on the mixer jars The jars have lost their shape to a slight degree after a few times in the dishwasher can't these guys put some decent plastic in their jars ?

* Poor quality gaskets and sealing There is a small rubber gasket (sealant) which seals the blender jar and the blade the gasket is so poorly designed and build that it sometimes leaks and spills liquids into the blender, sometimes drops off into the contents of the blender

Overall, my suggestion is that if you are planning to use this to make some quick smoothies & shakes go ahead and buy this at $17 it is worth every dollar, no need to pay $60 for a Magic bullet.

But if you are planning some heavy kitchen work stay away from this blender you will have to trash this in a 2-3 months.

~ Update: 12/30/2007 ~

If you are planning to buy this blender: I just saw that the price on this item was $59.99 (offered by Macys) it is a ripoff by macys. Try looking elsewhere on the net for prices around $20-$25, or hopefully amazon will offer this directly as better prices.

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This item's motor broke after just a few uses. Cheap design, not intended for use.

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We received this as a Christmas present 10 months ago and we've used it almost daily since. In that time, the only problem has been a gasket on one of the blending heads coming off. This thing cleans itself very easily: just put in some water and a bit of soap and let it run for a minute. It's fast, it can make small batches, and it cleans easy.

I like it.

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The first time I used it I was thrilled with it's performance. The second time I tried to use it the coupler wouldn't fit in. Apparantly I didn't keep the cup in the perfect position the first time I used it and it is no longer usable. I would say that it's quality isn't very good if you can't get more than one use out of it.