6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gets the job done, November 28, 2007
This review is from: Factory-Reconditioned Cuisinart FPB-5PCFR SmartPower 5-Speed Duet Blender and Food Processor, White (Kitchen)
I bought this as a single guy living in a small apartment with scant kitchen storage space. What appealed to me was that owning one is like having two appliances that take up the space of one-and-a-half, and that the brand name is synonymous with a quality product.
The machine works well, but it is noisy and a the food processor bowl is a little undersized. It is good for a single person or maybe a couple, but a larger family needs a larger machine. I now have a full-sized cuisinart food processor but I still use this as my blender and nearly ten years later I'm still happy with it. All in all it is a good product, but not a great product. Buy it if you're tight on storage space and will not be cooking/preparing food for a large family on a regular basis. If noise is a concern keep shopping. Peace.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still a trusty kitchen appliance after 5 years, May 19, 2008
This review is from: Factory-Reconditioned Cuisinart FPB-5PCFR SmartPower 5-Speed Duet Blender and Food Processor, White (Kitchen)
I bought my Cuisinart 5-speed Duet blender/processor back in 2003 and still enjoy it as a trusted kitchen appliance. I picked it from the shelf of a retail store (where it cost $[...]) specifically for its small size - a 3-cup food processor jar was all I needed for a two-person household.
This machine has helped me create a lot of pleasant food memories shared with friends in the last 5 years: French liver pates and terrines, Provencal olive tapenades, "peasant caviar" from the canonical Silver Palate Cookbook, and a wonderful hummus adapted from the one of the very many helpful recipes included in this product's instruction manual. All of the things listed above are basically appetizer dips and spreads done best in small batches, but if you need a food processor to do things that take up a lot of volume, like shredding coleslaw for more than a couple of people, you should consider a bigger unit to fit your needs.
The very powerful blender unit of this product with a razor-sharp blade and a heayv glass jar is great for crushing ice or whipping up a batch of frozen margaritas. At the current "refurb" price, the 5-speed Duet is a great deal as a high quality and full sized blender, even if you never use the food processor attachments.
Why don't I give this favorite kitchen gadget of mine five stars? After 5 years, I have already worn out two brittle plastic food processor jars, which are very easy to damage if you ever try to lock or unlock the feeder lid by accidentally turning it in the wrong direction.
Why does Cuisinart provide a nice heavy duty, thick glass blender jar for the Duet, while offering only a cheap, thin plastic container for the processor? I also thought the food processor chopper blade that originally came with the unit got dull awfully quick, but the replacement blade I ordered two years ago still works very well.
Until very recently, I could always easily order replacement attachments for the Cuisinart 5-speed Duet blender/processor from [...], but I can't find the URL for Duet replacement parts anymore. Maybe Cuisinart offers extra guidance about part replacements with the refurb unit.
What am I doing with this trusty kitchen appliance after 5 years of hard service? I certainly don't want to retire or get rid of it. I am keeping the Cuisinart Duet as my favorite blender but upgrading to a German Bosch Kitchen Machine as food processor. BTW, Bosch products don't go out of style quite as quickly as Cuisinart models, and I know I'll be able to get replacement parts and manufacturer support from Bosch for many years to come.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cuisinart Blender/Food Processor/Reconditioned, July 22, 2008
This review is from: Factory-Reconditioned Cuisinart FPB-5PCFR SmartPower 5-Speed Duet Blender and Food Processor, White (Kitchen)
Cuisinart Blender/Food Processor/Reconditioned.
I am very happy with this product.I makes crushed ice and that is important as my other brands of blenders did not do this very well. It is compacted and the cord goes into the back of the blender. I looks and works as if brand new. This will make me look at other Cuisinart produces to purchase..
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