Hamilton Beach 56221 Smoothie Smart Blender

I purchased this simply because of the decent reviews and the three year warranty because it seems impossible to find a decent blender unless you pay 500 dollars or more for one. I have a kitchenaid blender which I really like except for one thing, it leaks! I was praying when I bought this and tried it out that it wouldn't leak!This doesn't feel as upscale as the kitchenaid but it is decent. If you look at the picture of this blender you'll nitice the jar and the base. It's actually four parts.......The glass jar, the blade itself, the plastic piece that fits on the base and the base (oh, and the lid of course.) Basically, the blade sits right down into the plastic piece and then the jar sits down into the plastic piece securing the blade and it screws onto the plastic. Now you have a total of two pieces, the jar/lid and the base. It's really super easy but I'm not sure how well that plastic piece that fits on the base will hold up over time!The blending is really well! It is noisy but it's a smooth type of noise. No grinding or vibrating motor noises, but more of a smooth flowing LOUD sound. I used LOW speed and let it run for a bit to make my smoothie and it blended as well as the Kitchenaid! No problems there. There wasn't any jumping around; the blender stayed still. I took the pitcher off the base and not a drop of liquid underneath! However, when I went to POUR what I blended into my glass, as you tilt the jar to pour, I noticed some liquid that actually ran out from the bottom blade onto the counter. Not sure what that's about! It wasn't much and certainly didn't leak all over the base like the kitchenaid did. I DO NOT like the lid! The reviewer who said it was very hard to remove was right. You have to be very careful when removing the lid because it fits on so tightly. Hopefully this is one of those things that once you've done it a few times you figure out how to do it easily, but you have to try to remove it with such force that once it comes off, it comes off too hard.It seems to be a simple basic design. I hope it lasts for a while. I've had terrible luck with blenders the past few years!I will update if I have anything else that I can think of to add.Update - the leaking is not a problem. That was my fault. I've used this a couple of more days and really like it.No burning smells or funny smells from the motorThe blending really does draw items DOWN - no blasting items to the top like the Kitchenaid did.The only thing that I would change about this blender after having used it a few times is the LID. The lid is AWFUL! I don't pour through the lid. I take it off carefully (which is NOT easy) and then pour.

Pros: Solid, sturdy easy to clean base.Cons:1. The top lid is just dumb! I filled it 3/4 full, hit the smoothie button, and turned for a second, and it started to leak from the "trap door" thingy on the lid; it doesn't seal at all. Also, there's no real way to add liquid while blending if need be compared to a standard round lid with a removable cap in the center. The "spill proof" pouring tube is too marrow to poor a thick smoothie. I'd rather have the old round lid with a removable center cap.2. Limited to 3 speeds & low speed is too fast! Yes, I know I didn't buy a variable speed expensive blender, but the lowest speed is just too fast for my use as it it'll aerate your drink way before it gets smooth, You end up with twice the volume, much of which is air way before its smooth.3. Loud? Its a blender, so I wasn't deterred by the loud comments here, but this baby sounds like a high speed commercial power drill. Makes my old blender quiet by comparison. No that big a deal, but expect !VERY LOUD! when in use.4. Didn't make a smooth smoothie! Here's my recipe I've been making with the old blender for the past year: 1/2 cup plain oat meal, 1 scoop unflavored protein powder, 1 frozen banana, 1/4 cup frozen blueberries, 20 oz. water. I first blend the oatmeal to a powder & add the protein powder the night before. In the AM, just add the rest & blend. When I did the same with this blender, firstly, it didn't grind the oatmeal very well; it just blew most of it to the top leaving large pieces behind (as I said, the lowest speed is too fast). Next, tried the "smoothie button, didn't complete the job at all, just kept adding air and not blending the ingredients and began to over spill the lid. This was probably due to the super fast speed on low, and the wide button, whereas my old blender was slower and had a narrow button of the glass jar which would move the ingredients from top to bottom no problem.5. Made a strange oscillating motor noise on low. Don't confuse power (torque) with speed. This blender is very fast, but not very powerful. Power allows you to blend easily on low speed; this blender can't do that.Ways to fix this design: 1. Go back to a standard round lid with a removal center for adding liquids during blending. 2. Add a lower speed setting, fast is not always better. 3. A more narrow bottom would allow better blending.Comparing this to my 20 year old Hamilton Beach 14 speed blender, this is huge disappointment. I love shopping @ Amazon, but this baby's going back. Can't speak to longevity or durability, because it didn't do the job first on first use.

Nice product, only my concern about it, if you change the bottle to another material (it is glass now) will be better.It is very sensitive now specially in cleaning.

GOOD:This blender works great for smoothies. I haven’t tried crushing ice yet. The smoothie button makes it easy for kids to use. There is also an ice crushing button (I have not used yet). It’s fun to see the Wave Technology. Blends everything I’ve put in it so far.NOT SO GOOD:Biggest downer is the lid is difficult to put on and take off. The blender is louder than I thought it should be and it slides on the counter when turned on.

I really like how it operates, but the plastic screw on base for the jar is confusing

Awesome blender! Crushes ice, strong motor, makes great smoothies, but is very loud. You'll wake everyone up in your house, but they'll have a great smoothie or salsa. Don't cheap out on your blender, this one is worth it's price, it'll last you long.

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