Cuisinart CPB-380 Hurricane Compact Juicing Blender, Gunmetal

So much better than my 2-year-old Ninja! I have been making green (ie kale, spinach, flax, nuts) protein shakes almost daily for 2 years. When I started I got the Ninja Pro because it was highly rated. Bad move. I stopped using kale because the Ninja could not get it pulverized enough that gross bits of it wouldn't get stuck in my teeth, on my tongue - yuck! Spinach was better but still not great. And forget about berry seeds (raspberries or flax). Plus cleaning the full-sized Ninja canister, and lid and blade had become a total pain in the a$$. SO impractical! Some friends who also do the shake routine told me I HAD to get the Vitamix - it will change my life! I could not swallow the high price tag, especially after being laid off from work. So I continued to suffer through my "chunkies" (NOT "smoothies").I was reading BHG the other day and they rated the top 4 blenders of this year, and the Cuisinart CPB-380 Hurricane Compact was on the list. I researched this and the others which had higher price tags. Sadly, there were NO Amazon reviews of this product, which I typically depend upon 100% to make my purchasing choices. So I had to look at a couple of other sights for my intel. I finally decided on the Cuisinart over the others because:(A) It looked like a great value at <$100, and free 2-day shipping with Amazon prime (I love instant gratification!)(B) I knew with Amazon Prime I would be able to return it with no questions asked for a full refund if I didn't like it.(C) I watched a YouTube video (which ironically had been posted the day before I started my research) that showed me how to use the product and its attachments. And it looked like exactly what I needed: a powerful motor and blade to pulverize my smoothie ingredients, containers which also double as drinking vessels (one of which is insulated for hot drinks), a medium sized main canister for "real" blender jobs (which I rarely need), and sturdy, reusable straws.I am on day 3 of using my new toy and am THRILLED! I am kicking myself for not switching to something like this sooner (the Bullet?). So far I've only used the non-insulated container, lid and straw. But holy cow! Prep time and clean up have decrease significantly and my smoothies are actually SMOOTH!! Kale is completely undetectable! Admittedly, I have not tried raspberries, only frozen blue berries. And I've not tried nuts yet. But I am cautiously optimistic.I have no idea what a Vitamix does to a smoothie. But I can say I would never spend the $$$ to find out because this Cuisinart does exactly what I need it to do.NOTE: I have seen people complain that the lids & blade attachments screw on the containers the opposite way we are used to (lefty loosy, righty tighty) But this is not a big deal. I will caution people NOT to tighten the lids because there seems to be a suction affect. They can be hard to get off.

Firstly, I NEVER write reviews. I hardly feel passionate about my purchases though I make many. When our NutriBullet blender died, I was sad that I had to figure out what would replace it. I loved the ease of the NutriBullet but I liked the idea of getting something that would accommodate a small blender. We have a Vitamix that I used for years and years but now I keep it in my cabinet to keep clutter on the countertop to a minimum. Infrequently, I get it out for big blender jobs. Otherwise, I try to use the bullet blender for smoothies, shakes, and baby food. I came across the Cuisinart and after reading the reviews, I thought I would give it a try. The worst case scenario was that it did a bad job, I'd return it, and buy another NutriBullet. I'm so glad I did try!PROS:*Lots of flexibility on how to blend something - larger smoothies in the pitcher; single smoothies in the cup; baby food in the little chopping cup*Quieter than my NutriBullet*$$ - the price on Amazon right now is less than many competitors prices by a significant amount*Quality of our smoothie - I think the smoothies get airier and subsequently last longer (takes longer to drink) which is a great thing when you are feeding lots of clamoring kids!*Two blades mean I can make smoothies followed by chopping / mixing baby food and not have to immediately wash between uses.*I like the looks of the blender base when I leave it out on my counter vs. the NutriBullet. We make so many smoothies, shakes, and baby food throughout the day that it usually stays on the countertop, even though I have a space for it in my cabinet. (One of the reasons I decided against trying the Ninja was the look- which I don't care for- and the cost)CONS:*The opposite twisting action of the blade or lid is a pain to remember. I hope we get used to it and don't have to think about it every time! But it isn't a big deal. (I think it is funny though that on the Cuisinart website they have a video to showcase the blender and the woman that does the demo repeatedly tries to screw it on in the conventional direction and has to verbalize to do it the other way (as if to remind herself!).*The only other con would be if I was using it to replace the Vitamix - which it just isn't meant to replicate.For the $$, I added on the 4 year warranty for $7. I hope that it lasts and that the warranty keeps it working in our family for years. I will update if it burns out sooner than one would expect. Fingers crossed!