Cuisinart CBT-500 SmartPower 600-Watt Premier Power Blender, Brushed Stainless
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Cuisinart CBT-500 SmartPower 600-Watt Premier Power Blender, Brushed Stainless
Customer Review: A Glorious Smoothie Machine, But...
Summary: 2 Stars
I had this unit for two weeks and used it once, or sometimes twice a day. It makes glorious smoothies! Unfortunately, it's so noisy that you can't speak to someone standing next to you without shouting (96db at the operating position, if you care). It's impractical: there are lots of little nooks & crannies for food to be trapped in. It can't pour for @#%*... who designed that jar?! But it makes glorious smoothies!One morning I was admiring the glorious smoothie process when I thought I heard a change in the motor's pitch. My nostrils began to detect a delicious toasted aroma. Little-by-little the smell grew more-and-more acrid, until I realized that a delicate haze was permeating the kitchen. I switched off the blender and lifted the jar, only to see a cloud of black smoke waft into the room. Had I burned out the motor? No! The little high-speed spindle that rotates the blades inside the jar had over-heated and melted the plastic surround! When the plastic was gooey, it slowed the motor down -- once it had cooled, it fused solid, hopelessly locking the motor.
It's going back to the store, where I'll ask for a replacement. Why am I bothering to replace an impractical, noisy, poorly designed fire-starter? Well, it might be a one-off... and did I mention the glorious smoothies?
Customer Review: Perfect drinks made quietly in your kitchen!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am recently married and, because of this, we have been able to try out a few blenders. We have tried a $100 Oster, an $80 Waring, and this ...Cuisinart. The Oster worked fine, but it was very loud. The Waring worked ok, but it was very loud and broke after the second pitcher of drinks. Now, this Cuisinart is awesome. The 50 oz. jar is big enough for a pitcher of frozen drinks without overflowing and it is at least half as quiet as the Oster and Waring. With the Waring, I felt guilty about running the blender for more than 30 seconds in my apartment. But with this Cuisinart, the noise isn't a problem at all. This Cuisinart has the most power of the blenders I tested, and the ice came out the smoothest. I usually buy bags of ice to make drinks because the ice is smaller and "softer", but when I wanted to test this Cuisinart I had no bags of ice. So, I used the icecubes from my freezer which are bigger and harder. The drinks came out perfectly smooth anyway, without one piece of unblended ice. PERFECT!The one thing I cannot comment on is the endurance of this blender. I've only owned it a short time, so I'm not sure about it's lifespan. But if a perfectly smooth drink made quietly is what you want, this is the blender to do it!
Customer Review: Awful design, very disappointing
Summary: 1 Stars
I had the same experience as another reviewer in that the gear that attaches to the carafe sheared off - mine wasn't melting, however, it just wasn't up to the torque of the blender, which does have a nice big motor that makes all the lights in the house dim when it's turned on...the thing is, though, it doesn't do that great a job. My old blender did just as well overall and better with small quantities (it was the Braun with the triangular carafe); this one does an awful job with anything less than about 2 cups. I replaced the gear piece but it still has other issues, the most annoying being that unless everything is seated absolutely perfectly when the carafe is assembled it leaks like a sieve, and it is nearly impossible to assemble precisely because of the stupid plastic collar, which is purely "decorative". The same design flaw makes it huge pain to disassemble for cleaning - the grip is inside the silly collar thing and it's hard to get good leverage, and the collar doesn't have anything to hold onto. It also has "decorative" metal bands on the carafe which rust between the metal and the carafe, and are not removeable. I would highly recommend checking out other products.Customer Review: Solid and reliable
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had this blender for 9 months now. Having replaced the Hamilton Beach Michael Graves blender twice under warranty, and having the motor give out on all three, I wanted something with a better motor. This blender has delivered so far. The jar does not mix as easily as the HB, but works well enough, and the motor controls are great.
The controls are minimal, giving 3 speeds with pulse - this is all I need for smoothies. The buttons are widely spaced and easy to clean so far. The keyboard-like electronic action is much easier to use than typical mechanical buttons. The Hi and Lo buttons either toggle on/off, or are push on release off when the pulse mode is set. There is a count up timer, but I always just look at the way the contents swirl to tell when it is done.
A reviewer complained that too many buttons are needed to blend. Nonsense, after turning it on, just press one button - and press again to stop. There are only 3 speeds, but I only use two speeds for my daily smoothies anyway. The tech specs say there is no pulse, but this is not true either. Just press the Pulse toggle, and the speed buttons become pulse buttons.
Customer Review: Burning smell
Summary: 2 Stars
I am looking for a new blender. I've had this Cuisenart for about three years, and just broke the jar. Usually I opt for the least expensive, most environmental solution, but in this case--I really don't like this blender. Reading other reviews, I now acknowledge that it IS loud. And even worse, it emits a burning smell when working hard. I make a lot of hummus, and have burned through several blenders. And while this one has lasted longer than most, I constantly worry and have to unplug the thing and watch for smoke, because it does emit the smell of burning rubber after it's been on for even a short while. Today I was blending the ingredients for a cheesecake--not nearly a thick a mixture as hummus--and it still emitted the burning smell. Even though the blender does still have some life in it, it is not worth investing $25-$45 for a new jar.
Oh yeah--it also has that "air pocket" problem where pockets form around the blade and you have to shake and stir and battled the mixture to beat the ingredients back down to the blades. And it unscrews from the base even after short blends.