Hand Blender

I've looked at several immersion blenders before making this purchase, including models from KitchenAid, Cuisinart, and Breville. My requirements: detachable blending arm for easy washing, enough power to make smoothies, and rugged enough to stand up to daily use. To my extreme disappointment, I've been unable to find a worthy blender. Based on reviews I've read, all of the aforementioned brands seem to have moved away from providing durable, reliable products in favor of coasting on their reputations by offering cheaply made products at premium prices. I came across the Nutrichef blender and the product information led me to believe it was made by Nutrichef USA, a company that makes kitchen accessories and cookware in the US. This blender is NOT made by NutriChef USA. I confirmed that by contacting NutriChef USA directly to ask about the warranty and was informed that this isn't their product. It is made by a company called Pyle Audio (yes, they make speakers, amps, and car stereo equipment...huh??) in China. I received the delivery from Amazon today and immediately pulled out the blender motor and metal blending arm, which are conveniently packaged together. The first thing I noticed is that the front of the blender indicates a power rating of 800W, but a sticker on the opposite side says 330W. Which is it? Who knows. The metal of the blending arm looked like cheap sheet metal, and had some kind of black oily substance on it. I can only assume the blender was used to blend up a batch of motor oil before it was shipped out. I also did not expect to see a plastic insert in the upper portion of the blender bell (don't know what else to call the thing), since I've not seen this on any other brand of blender I've looked at in stores, and I've looked at more than I care to admit to while searching for a quality blender. Why does the plastic insert need to be there? Is it BPA free? Will it hold up to being put in the dishwasher? No idea. Speaking of the blender bell, it is HUGE! I was hoping to be able to use this immersion blender in a standard coffee cup to make bulletproof coffee, but it was much too big to fit. In all fairness, I did plug the blender in and tried the various speeds, and for what it's worth the motor and blending arm seem to function as expected. Rotation is smooth, and the device responds with a satisfying speed up when you press the turbo button. Regardless, the speed doesn't seem to live up to the 330W (or is it 800W?) claim, but given that I didn't actually try to blend something I can't really say for sure. Frankly, I'd be afraid to consume something I blended with this device for fear of industrial poisoning. Did I mention the black ooze on the blender arm? So why did I buy this thing? Well, I was desperate after a couple of weeks of researching and coming up short, and the strength of the product reviews (9 five star reviews at the time I ordered) led me to believe this was a quality product. Silly me! I should have known better, since practically every one of them includes a disclaimer stating they received the blender "at a promotional price in exchange for an honest unbiased opinion". Honest? Unbiased? Really?? I think not. Unlike them, I did NOT purchase this blender at a promotional price, so this is *truly* an honest unbiased opinion. My verdict? This blender sucks! I didn't even unpack the rest of the items, I put the motor and blender arm back in the box and immediately registered for a return.