Quality blending, improved features

I am a person who loves reviews, who reads lots of them prior to buying. I read reviews on the KSB5 blenders on this site and finally settled that this slightly newer model overcame the weaknesses of some of the other models and met all of my needs. Read on for the whole story:

The Facts:
Model Reviewed: KSB560OB
-5 Speeds
-Pulse at All Speeds
-Polycarbonate Pitcher designed to maximize mixing
-Lid with Ingredient Cap (2oz)
-Easy to clean base
-Electronic Mixing Sensor maintains power to motor to prevent slow down when thick mixes are desired

My Experience:

Take this thing out of the box and feel the weight, 11.6 pounds, and you will realize that this is a well built motor. The casing is solid and seems to be rather scratch resistant, the controls and very nice with no gaps for food or slush to get caught in.
The pitcher also feels well built but not quite like a glass pitcher. The shape of it has been changed from the glass version though, it is contoured so that as it blends the liquid will mix thoroughly, eliminating any extra chunks from missing the blades. The top fits well, however I would have desired for it to be a little more snug, I am worried that it might pop off sometimes, it has not happened yet however.

Now came the fun, I plugged the blender in, and whipped up a smoothie. I wanted to give the machine a little bit to chew on so I put in several ice cubes, frozen strawberries, frozen bananas, some orange juice and this smoothie mix we had lying around. I went straight to the Liquefy setting, the blender roared to life, and within seconds everything in the jar was pulp, I didn’t even have to run it for more the 20-30 seconds. I poured the smoothies into 2 glasses and not a single chunk came out, everything was smooth as can be.

And so the clean up began, and ended just as quickly, a wipe off of the base cleaned it right off, and the jar is completely dishwasher safe as is, just put the entire thing in and it cleans just like everything else.

Conclusion:

Time after and time this blender produces the same results, chunks are a thing of the past, consistent blending over and over is what you can come to expect from this blender. It feels rugged and seems to hold up well to wear and tear, it also is easy to clean. On the downside it is loud (it’s a blender) and it’s a little bit expensive. It also seems that KitchenAid have listened to the customers and improved this design over the previous models. I will update this if anything changes.

1 1/2 Year Update:

After 1 1/2 years this blender is still going strong. I have absolutely no complaints or issues. The pitcher has not broken, the base still works like new, and there are no leaks or funny noises. This blender is performing like brand new and powering through anything that I put in it! Additionally I wanted to add that it sits just under 16 inches from counter top to top of the blender.