Proctor Silex 59738 Proctor-Silex 59738 Hand Blend

I bought this initially nearly a year ago while I was getting ready for holiday cooking and my last immersion blender burned up. I used it to puree veggies on occasion, but primarily to make mashed potatoes (which at the time was at least a weekly occurance), so I clearly wasn't using it as an ice-crushing work horse or anything. However about a week ago I started making smoothies using some frozen fruits and I was SO impressed with how well it handled the frozen stuff that I really thought I should review and comment at how well it worked for that! Now granted, it's NOT going to pulverize the strawberry seeds, and it MAY be slightly chunky (however to be fair I'm slightly impatient) but it still works fantastically for the price I paid for it. Pros: - Very easy storage. Being that it is all one piece, there is nothing to get lost. (We have a busy household... ain't nobody got time for that) - blends well and completely. The motor is powerful enough where in a highly liquid mixture, everything will get sucked through the blades. - Decently quiet. Now, it is still slightly noisy. However, I can be in the kitchen at 11pm with my 3 year old in the next room and she will not wake up. (Keeping in mind that my 3 year old is one of those that STILL wakes up in the middle of the night. Yup... I'm one of those lucky ones.) - Seems to last. Like I've said, I've been using it probably once every few weeks for the last 9 or 10 months. Sometimes more often. Still going strong! Cons: - While it IS all one piece, that does make it difficult to clean. The well is pretty deep and thicker mixtures (such as mashed potatoes) will often get stuck underneath the blades. With my previous immersion blender I could remove the blades and thoroughly wash them without worrying about the motor or power cord getting wet. Overall, I most definitely purchase again in the event that my current one gives out. It's cheap enough and reliable enough and makes an excellent addition to any kitchen.