Customer Reviews

Cuisinart SPB-7BCH SmartPower 40-Ounce 7-Speed Electronic Blender, Black Chrome

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(102)

 

 

We have been using this blender for about seven months. We make daily smoothies with crushed ice (crushed from our ice maker) and frozen fruit (bananas, strawberries, etc.) and milk or juice. We have always noticed a slight electrical smell from the unit whenever we were mixing our drinks. The quality of the blend was generally OK; occasionally it was unable to break up some of the ice chunks.

A plastic part on the base of the unit ended up shattering. This is a cheap plastic piece that turns the blade. I e-mailed Cuisinart's customer service group. It was a couple of weeks before they returned my e-mail. I had also left messages with their customer service number. After a few attempts I was finally able to speak with someone. I was told that I would have to send the blender back to them, at my cost, and include a ten-dollar check for them to repair the unit. After I told them that their policy was against the law in the State of California they agreed to issue a pickup tag with UPS and waived the ten-dollar fee.

I finally received a new blender back about a month and a half later. I will never purchase another Cuisinart product. We have since replaced the blender with a Kitchen Aid KSB5. So far this blender is incredible. It makes easy work of blending ice. I cannot recommend the Cuisinart because of its lack of reliability and Cuisinart's non-existent customer service.

*** Update ***
This review was first placed in 2001. It is now April 2009 and the Kitchen Aid KSB5 is still running strong!

I've had this blender for about a year now, and use it regularly to make smoothies or soups. The 'digital' control panel seemed a little gimicky at first, but I've learned to appreciate the easy cleanup that it allows with a sponge. The wide openings of the heavy glass jar (which is much sturdier than most) allow for easy cleaning and pouring, and the motor has more than enough power for everything I've thrown at it.

My only complaint is that the rubber lid stained when I blended some hot tomato soup in it. The instruction manual warns against blending hot liquids however, and the stain is purely cosmetic and on the inside of the lid where it isn't visible. The plastic base of the jar also seems like it would be prone to snapping over time, but in my frequent use of the blender I haven't had any troubles with it.

Overall I would highly recommend this blender over the cheaper alternatives, the heavy glass jar, sharp blade and powerful motor make it a joy to use.

I received my blender for Christmas 2000. I only used it infrequently for milkshakes. 2 days ago the black plastic gear at the base of the blender broke into 4 pieces! I called the customer support center and they told me to mail it to them ( at my expense) but they could not give me an estimate on how much it would end up costing me to have it fixed! I have since learned that this is a very common problem ( they acted as if they had never heard of the problem) It seems to me a [dollar amount] blender should not have plastic gears... I am very dissatisfied with the product and the customer support!!!

I just got this yesterday from Amazon. I was so excited opening it...then my hopes were dashed. This thing is 100% plastic! I have not decided whether I'm going to return it or not, but be aware...that cool chrome look is exactly that, a look...and you can tell without touching it--just a little too shiny. The pitcher bottom is black plastic along with a plastic top...it's so full of plastic it hardly weighs anything...in other words, it feels cheap. For $100 bucks I'm very disapointed. The contols will be easy to clean if I keep it though.

we used this blender a few times a week for smoothies until it died. in total, we probably used it for about four months.

basically, like all the other reviewers here, the black plastic drive unit (the gear that mates with the detachable part of the blender) on the base sheared off.
this is the toothed thing that engages the blades on the glass jug ("blender proper," whatever you want to call it). same function as the clutch disk in a car. in fact, cuisinart may even call it a clutch.

so, the thing is out of warranty, because we bought it and didn't use it for a year. and, knowing it's a bum design, do i want to pay to get it repaired? no. is there another blender on the market that is better? i hope so.

as far as all the good reviews for this product go-just wait and check back in a few months. a two year old could look at the design (with the blender taken apart) and realize that it was bound to fail.

This item is well made easy to clean and looks great but, I do have some problems with the way it performs. They bill this unit as a bar blender,ice crusher. Does that not imply heavy duty? Well....it's NOT.Trying to make a milkshake even with soft ice cream this thing bogs down time and time again.In my opinion this blender needs to be re-thought from the inside out.It's dashing good looks just aren't enough.You cant exactly look under the hood while shopping for a blender so, I based my purchase on cuisinart's reputation.I have other products made by them and have been very pleased.Maybe this item is just a fluke and it's being re-designed as we speak or, maybe not. I'm fairly sure that this item is an exception to the rule.After all cuisinart has a solid reputation built on quality products. Now get in there and blend something.

Great blender, but I warn you against using it for ice crushing. I had to replace three blade assemblies withing a six month period. I bought a Kitchen Aid, which has heavy duty blades and works well for ice crusing, but doesn't blend nearly as well as the Cuisinart. Also, the blade assembly in the K A has now given out, but its been doing yeoman service for a year. I've just bought a Waring SPB2 and so far, it crushes ice and a good job of blending, if you do both at the same time. Its container is a bit narrow for straight ice crusing. In that reagard, the K A is superior. Bottom line: using the Waring, holding the other two in reserve, just in case.

An underperformer. The base is not real chrome, but chrome-painted plastic. This blender is NOT for heavy duty use because its mechanism is not strong enough. After blending a few thick liquids and ice, it broke and I had to send it for service. If you are blending different things together you need to add the lighter items first (like juices or water) and the heavier later (like ice); but it takes practice to find this out! On the positive side, it is very easy to use and to clean (the glass is dishwasher safe).

This blender has features to recommend it IF did not have a documented history of breaking. The clutch unit that engages the blade is plastic and breaks . . . frequently.

The digital control pad is easy to clean, no more using a cotton swab to clean between buttons. Except for the previously mentioned clutch unit, the blender is very well made. It seemed to labor when blending milkshakes or smoothies.

Overall, the blender worked in an acceptable manner before it broke. It was only used about 15 times before the clutch disintergrated.

I am replacing the Cuisinart with an Oster Beehive, which has an all metal drive unit.

... but i must say, I'm never buying a 30 dollar blender ever again. This thing is incredible. It does everything, and it cleans pretty easily too. I haven't had a problem with crushing ice as some others seem to have, but I don't do it that often.

My only complaint is that the chrome model really isn't that chrome at all. You'd think for the extra dough you'd get something that's really chrome... but this blender is just PAINTED chrome. Yessirree. It's plastic.