Cuisinart HB-155PC Smart Stick Stainless Steel Hand Blender with Whisk, Silver/Black

I'm still relatively new to cooking. I have maybe less than two years under my belt, (if I wore a belt.) I subscribe to several YouTube channels dedicated to cooking, and saw that this device is becoming more and more common. And now I know why. It's just too damn practical to NOT have. There are a plethora of models out there, not only by Cuisinart, but other manufacturers, but I chose this one for the variable speed. It just seemed more appealing than one that had either a high or low setting. Even at the low speed, this baby is very efficient. If you are new to wand, or stick, or immersion blenders, let me tell you, you need to keep it immersed in what your blending, or your gonna have a mess. Other than that, it's a no brainer. It works great, and it looks great if I leave it out on the counter with the rest of my stainless steel appliances. Who can ask for more? It shines when making a puree soup. Rather then transferring your soup to the blender, then having to clean out the blender, just stick this in your soup pot, and let it do all the work. This method is not only convenient when cooking, but you have one less thing to clean afterwards. The whisk attachment is something I'll probably use once every few months, and the cup, to me, is somewhat unnecessary. There is nothing wrong with the cup. I see it is great for making a variety of things, especially single serve smoothies, but I have a blender for those, and prefer the larger capacity of my blender. If this was available without those extras I'd give this 6 stars, if I could, since I feel I'm paying for something I don't need or want.When it comes to cleaning, the easiest way is to submerge this in some soapy water and turn it on for a few seconds, turn it off, then submerge it in clean water, and turn on again for a few seconds, and you're done. Unless you are working with an oily substance, this is typically all you need to do to clean it. Thinking back to the included plastic mixing cup, that is ideal for this. WARNING: When you're done cleaning it, make sure to unplug it when you dry it. You may seriously injure yourself trying to dry the underside while it's plugged in if the on button is activated.Pros: It's very efficient. I read dozens of reviews on other models, decided on this one, and don't regret my decision.Cons: None so far.3-3-14 Update: I don't know why I didn't think of this before, but I make my own salad dressings, and this is the perfect appliance for making these as well if you're going beyond simple vinegar and oil.MY BOTTOM LINE IS, don't THINK about getting one of these, just GET one of these. Then you too can ask yourself, "Oh baby, where've you been all my life?"

Review is based on making shakes only.My drink consists of the following:A couple, broken up, hard frozen bananas, covered with coconut milk and some chia, flax, & hemp seeds.I have been doing this in my blender which tends to require more liquid than what I would prefer, just to get it all to blend up smoothly. But that wasn't the reason I bought this. I bought it for the convenience of not having to clean up the much larger blender every time I wanted just ONE drink.To my surprise, not only did I get an appliance that is MUCH easier to clean, but it makes MUCH BETTER shakes - thicker and smoother. With the blender, I was never able to get the shakes as thick as I prefer them. With this appliance, they are PERFECT. Even the seeds get ground up pretty good - something I believe is essential for getting the full nutritional value from them.And it is so EASY to clean! I may never need my blender again.If you are wanting to make shakes, look no further. As a skeptic, this thing is far better than I expected - great ergonomics (fits perfectly in the hand), blends perfectly, and is super easy to clean. Hopefully, it can stand the test of time. Meanwhile, I'm going to make a shake.

This is my first hand mixer, so maybe my standards are a bit off from other people's, but I love this thing. I bought it because (most of) the parts that do the mixing are steel rather than plastic. It looked sturdy in the pictures, and it certainly seems to be living up to that assumption.The adjustable speed varies a lot more than I expected, and it's really easy to use. It's much taller than I expected (yes, I realize the measurements are listed in the description), so if you're short and have high counters it may be slightly annoying to use. It isn't particularly heavy despite its size, though. I've only used it for blending DIY cosmetics, and even though things can cake onto the blades and shaft, because the mixer is primarily made out of steel, you can just stick the shaft into a pan of hot, soapy water to melt any oils that may have solidified on it. "Blend" the water for a minute or so, and most of the oils will have melted away and gone into the water.My one possible complaint is that you have to hold the button down the entire time you're blending, but I'm assuming most people don't really need to continuously blend for more than a minute or two at a time.

Good price and it arrived quite quickly.

I was expecting a smaller smart stick.