KitchenAid Torrent Magnetic Drive Blender

I have to admit to feeling a bit guilty for buying this because I had an old Kitchen Aid blender that still worked just fine. However, figuring that it probably wouldn't last much longer, I went ahead and bought the Torrent after the price fell about as low as it's probably going to get for quite sometime. I'm definitely not sorry I bought this, because this thing is wonderful. So far, I've used this to make smoothies and shakes, and it has been fantastic. This thing crushes ice beautifully, and you would never know an ice cube had been put in it. Was there ever a whole banana in the blender? You can't tell after one has been pulverized in this thing. One of the features that made me want to get this even when I had a blender already, was the set-and-forget feature. I love dialing up what I want and then being able to leave the blender to do its job. It turns off automatically, and even has a pleasant chime to let you know it's finished. However, you'll know that already when there isn't any more noise. Speaking of noise, of course it's noisy--it's a blender. However, it isn't as noisy as my old blender, and definitely nowhere near as noisy as a VitaMix, which I had many years ago. Depending on what setting you use, it starts out fairly quiet, actually, and then gets a bit louder as it revs up. There are two downsides to this blender, but I chose not to dock it a star because not everyone will have this problem. I've lost quite a bit of strength in my hands, and have a bit harder time holding the blender because it's heavier than my old one. I guess it's the magnet on the bottom that makes it heavier. Anyway, I have to hold it with two hands, and that becomes a problem when I have to take it out. Getting the blender seated properly and then taking it out, required a bit of a learning curve for me. It didn't take long, though, and now I can do it without struggling. However, as I said before, it's much easier for those who can take it out with one hand, as the release lever tends to snap back in place if you can't get it out quickly. Another word of warning is, pay close attention to the dimensions of this thing, especially if you don't have a lot of counter space, because it's bigger than your normal blender. It's very heavy, too, so you'll probably want to find a place for it to sit on a permanent basis One reason I was willing to spend this much on a blender is the seven-year warranty. It makes me feel more confident in owning this machine, and I didn't have to spend the extra money for an extended warranty. While another reviewer said that if it has to be replaced, the new one would have only a one-year warranty, that's not what the booklet that came with the blender said. It indicates that any replacement will also have a seven-year warranty. All in all, I'm very happy with this blender, and plan on using it quite a bit.