Puts the traditional cup-blenders to shame!

Author's Rating:

Pros: Versatile, easy to clean, powerful, great accessories

Cons: Wire whisk splashes some, I wouldn't crush ice with it

The Bottom Line: 
Unless you're looking for a machine to crush ice all the time, this is a must-have for anyone who loves to prepare food.

Author's Review
I just tossed away a smoothie blender. You name a way it could stink, and it did: poorly made, impossible to clean, just a nightmare. It was so tough to scrub the inside of the dispenser valve-- where the springs and such are housed-- that I swear I smelled fungus in there when I threw it in the trash. I was so disgusted by my experience that I decided to get as far away from my original model that I could. Hence a handheld.

And let me say, wow, this Braun really is amazing. Unlike with my older blender, this thing is super-easy to clean: just quickly wash the pieces under the sink and put them in the dishwasher. Also, it's useful for WAY more than smoothies (I'll mention some things I have made with it throughout this rating). It comes with tons of settings, and lots of helpful attachments:
-Settings: range from speeds 1-5, plus a Turbo button for really high-powered blending. The Turbo button is awesome, by far the best setting for most tasks.
-Wire whisk: In my experience, this is best for things which are already semi-liquid but just need a little more whipping, like a lumpy gravy or pudding. Otherwise, it tends to splash a lot, so I'd use the next choice on my list instead:
-Handheld rotating blade thingy (I don't know how to describe it efficiently) with splash guard: I use this for most tasks. It cuts through stuff efficiently, and it doesn't splash, thanks to the plastic cup-shaped thing surrounding the blade. It's what I use for blending smoothies, which is what I originally bought this machine for, as well as whipping up fast mashed potatoes. By the way-- smoothies are especially convenient with this blender since the set includes a 24-ounce glass cup with plastic lid. If I'm in a hurry, I just blend my smoothie in the glass cup, put the top on, and drink the smoothie while in class or at work.
-Food processor cup: You snap the base unit onto this cup, which has a rotating blade on it, and it essentially operates as a small food processor. I've used this to cut up onions, mince garlic, make an amazing crab/spinach dip, and I'm planning to use this cup to make some homemade hummus and salsa soon.

The set also comes with a small recipe booklet to get you thinking about what you can do with your new blender. It was a good read to get me thinking about just how much my new blender could do. It also includes a wall mount.

This machine's truly powerful and built well. I love it :) The only major thing that disappointed me was that it doesn't feel strong enough to crush ice (I haven't tried it, because the instruction book seems to suggest it's a bad idea, so I'm not certain).