Customer Reviews

Cuisinart CBT-500FP SmartPower Premier Duet Blender and Food Processor, Stainless Steel

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I returned this blender twice!

First, the metal bands that secure the plastic handles to the glass pitcher catch the liquid when it is poured so gunk gets stuck between the band and the glass and stays there growing bacteria "forever"-it is NOT possible to clean this at all. No health inspector would allow this in a restaurant (by the way, I'm not a health freak-we don't even wipe the stove top monthly)! I thought it was a unique fault and I returned it only to find it still happens on the new one. Major design flaw.

Second, the blade is in a plastic housing and this cracked twice on us. My husband ONLY makes smoothies in this blender, not with ice but with mostly thawed frozen fruit, and he makes them very thin. We can't figure out what makes it break! Because this broke and we didn't know it, the blade didn't spin freely and the spinning device below it broke off as well.

Cuisenart is wonderful with customer service. The first time this happened they sent a blade with no questions asked. The second time they offered a $75 product credit if we return the blender and said they'd send the parts as well.

The third problem is the spout, if you can call it a spout. There's no way to pour the contents cleanly into a glass without making a mess unless you're some kind of a whiz at it. Just terrible spout design.

It's too bad: this is a very attractive blender. I won't get a new one with the credit, that's for sure. But do I go up to a $269 Kitchen Aid or down to a $29 Osterizer?!? Wish the Cuisenart had been worth it and I didn't have to decide.

The dual functions of the CBT-500FP make it very versatile and can replace two kitchen appliances with one, also saving counter-space. I say "can" because it's only useful if you need to process or blend small amounts of food. This is a great product for the single person or two to three people at most. If you're cooking for a larger family, this isn't the blender\processor for you. The brushed steel and glass are very stylish and fit well in most decors. Easy cleanup, and works as described.

I got this as a present, so I'm not complaining but it's not a perfect machine for my needs. If you don't care about the negatives listed below, then it's probably a good machine for you. If you do care, then avoid.

+ I like the high/low/crush speed buttons. The multitude that others have is just silly. The one speed that some have is just not enough.
+ The blender is great. It works, it's big enough and doesn't leak.
+ It takes less space, being two-in-one.

- The two in one does mean that at all times there is a load of bits and pieces in the cupboard for the other function. I think I'd prefer having two devices assembled at all times. But then I cook most days - wifey can't cook.
- The food processor is two small for my modest needs. It's way to small for dough making and is generally to small for slicing vegetables for a family of 4.
- It has only a slicing/grating disc and cutting blade.
- The double base/gear thing makes it very tall. It only just fits under my cupboards. Check before you buy.

I will probably be leaving this one configured as a blender and getting a big enough food processor.

I was really excited about this product and opted to buy the "premier" model over the "duet due to the extra wattage. Unfortuately the work bowl for the food processor is not the high quality plastic of my 20+ year old full size Cuisinart food processor, and the cover latch broke on the first use! I decided to give it a try anyway, and order a replacement part at my own expense directly from Cuisinart (it was back-ordered which should have told me something right there and then). Six weeks later, I still have not received the replacement part so am thinking I should return the whole thing. Very frustrating experience.

I needed something that would crush ice for smoothies but I didn't want to buy 2 appliances since I also wanted a food processor. I found this and while not the cheapest, it's powerful and does a great job. Handles the ice very well and does a great job of mixing stuff up. Also the cup is 50 ounces which is larger than than average. Cuisinart is not as popular as other brands but I find that's usually a sign it works better.

After only one standard use, my blender just quit blending. No smoke, no sparks, no strange ingredients. So I called the Cuisinart help line to see what I may have done. The woman I spoke with said that they had received numerous calls from Amazon customers about products that didn't work properly.

I sent it back and received a replacement. Same thing occurred. So I have since received a refund for the blender. Which is a shame. I was looking forward to having a powerful blender with the convenience of a small food processor. I'm glad to hear that some folks have had no problems, but this is just a warning so you won't be surprised when this happens to you.

I am extremely happy with this blender/processor combo. It is a stylish and very solid kitchen appliance. It blends frozen fruit easily, and makes great smoothies. The food processor works just as well as independent units. It has a 600W motor and when you turn it on, it purrs, rather than clunks.
The only thing I find funny are the buttons - you have to press "on" before you can press "lo speed" or "hi speed". And when I use the food processor, I have to press "ice crush" instead of "pulse" in order to get the processor to pulse. But in the relative scheme of things, the button problems are really not an issue.
It's a great machine, you won't be disappointed.

I don't cook a lot (maybe once a week) but when I do I use a food processor for prep. I had a small Cuisinart processor that lasted me for years. It regretably died. When it did I knew that I wanted another Cuisinart. My old blender was a store bought, mid grade, blender. My husband and I do use a blender daily for shakes and smoothies. This combo is just what we were looking for. Ice cube crushing setting works great. The processor is also quick and easy to use. A must for your kitchen. Fantastic!!!!!

I loved this combination food processor-blender. It did all the work I needed, it was easy to switch out the different parts of the unit, and easy to wash and clean.

I bought the unit in late 2004, and used it until late 2008, so it lasted for 4 years.

Unfortunately, the warranty is only for 3 years and the motor burned appears to have burnt out. I would expect a blender that costs this much to last much longer especially given that I did not use it all that frequently.

For the first couple years, it performed very well, then it started to have trouble crushing frozen fruit, let alone ice. Then one day it stopped working altogether.

I may try to take it to a local repair shop, but I'm hesitant to spend the time and money to ship it off to the cuisinart repair when they are unable to give me a quote for the cost of the repair.

*
Update May 2010: The repair shop was unable to fix it, as the electics had gone out; it costs more to replace them than to buy an entirely new unit. The repairman said that the prices on these items had gone down significantly because they are using cheaper parts. He thought I was lucky and unusual to have had mine last for so long. At any rate, when I looked at new blenders, I thought I was buying the same unit, but I accidentally got the cheaper: Cuisinart BFP-703CH SmartPower Duet Blender / Food Processor,
$78.49 ; I couldn't recommend that one LESS--very cheap and poorly made.

At any rate, I recently used my friend's top of the line cuisinart that is expressly for food processing. It slightly bigger and heavier than this model. It is far quieter and it is done processing in a couple of seconds vice a minute or so. I strongly recommend going that route.

As a single serving chef this is a great deal-the blender is powerful enough and the food processor works great; however, if you're wanting to make large quantities in the food processor, this is not the product for you. But other than the size limitations this is a great product.