OSTER Personal Blender, 250-Watt, Blue

I go through phases (mostly weather dependent) in terms of daily use of my hand mixer, but I do use it daily during the warmer months. I had to replace my old one that worked well for a few years - I was probably a bit too hard on it (I like really thick smoothies). This one seems to be exactly the same and takes a beating from me. Tough little machine that makes great, well mixed smoothies. Easy to clean.

This blender is stupid easy to use. It works wonders with ice and frozen fruit and veggies. The cap itself seals well -- both the blade cap and the drinking cap -- and everything is super simple to wash. Zero mess. I use it to make my protein shakes in the morning/post-workout -- powder, liquids, veggies, frozen fruit -- and have had zero problems with it. Pretty strong motor for the portable, practical little smoothie destroying machine it is. The only drawback is if you were hoping to use it for anything other than blending the crap out of a drink -- there is no on/off button on this machine. You press bottle with the blade cap into the base, and the second you apply pressure to lock it in, the blender goes full speed ahead. Personally, I have zero objections due to the ease-of-use, singular nature of my intended use, and the price tag, but it's a good thing to know.

This blender did an OK job of actually blending all the food that was in it (including greens), while it lasted, so my smoothies came out fairly smooth. It worked better then my big full size blender, but that isn't saying much. I usually had to put things into the cup in increments in order for it to actually blend however, so that was slightly time consuming, but for 30 bucks I think it worked well from this aspect. I also really like the cup it came with. It didn't leak for me, and it was very convenient for jumping in the car and drinking my smoothie on the way to work. The reason I am giving this only two stars is because it broke after only a month of everyday use. The piece that screws onto the cup and into the blender with the blade on it got stuck in the base of the machine, so in order to get my smoothie out I had to flip the whole thing upside down. The concept of this blender is great. It was so easy and fast to make a smoothie every morning, no mess or clean up and its small enough to stick in a cupboard. I guess you get what you pay for, but I was hoping this would last me at least 6 months.

I've only used the My Blend for smoothies, but it is so perfect if just making one at a time. For years, I've not wanted to fool with smoothies because of the hassle of cleaning up a blender, but with this simple My Blend, it takes me 11 minutes from walking into the kitchen to having the My Blend completely clean and ready for another day. I noticed the complaints about the drinking attachment, but I have never used mine because I'd rather pour it into another glass and have the My Blend all cleaned up and out of my mind. When you do it right away, all it needs is a good strong rinse.

Love the size and the ability that this blender allows. Perfect for a quick fix and go power shake anytime. Outshines my bullet and so much easier to clean.