A more accurate rating for this food processor, in my opinion, would be 4 and a half stars. It is truly a great machine. Sadly, this is my third food processor in 4 years, as I had two horrible experiences with other brands, before I finally bit the bullet and spent the cash on this one. I wish I had done that in the first place! I have used this processor for several applications and so far I am VERY pleased. It shreds cheese like a pro, chops veggies with ease, pulverizes nuts, is adept at making batters and doughs etc. It is a very powerful machine and can handle just about any task you throw at it. The smaller mixing bowl and blade attachment is very handy, too, and a welcome addition for those smaller jobs. Nobody likes having to wash a big bulky bowl for a little task like chopping a couple tablespoons of parsley. And I love the accessories case it comes with! Everything is neatly stored in one (somewhat) compact case for easy retrieval. The only downfalls to this machine (and why I felt I had to give it one less star) are the following:
1)It's gigantic size. This may be a non-issue for some people, but I have an older kitchen with lower cabinets. The machine is way too tall to fit under my cabinets. And even if it could fit, it's sheer bulk would probably prevent me from keeping it on the counter because it takes up very valuable counter space, another thing at a premium in my smaller, older kitchen. I am therefore forced to store mine in a cabinet, which takes away some of its convenience. Having to lug it out is not always a welcome chore.
2)As far as performance, my only complaint so far is that there is a significant delay when you stop the machine and when the actual blade stops rotating. This is an issue when making delicate pie doughs for example, because it makes it much easier to overprocess the dough, thus compromising its quality. I am trying to learn to compensate for this when processing pie dough, pulsing it fewer times than I normally would. But,the performance of this machine would be perfect if only the blade stopped rotating the second you turned it off.
Other than that, I whole-heartedly recommend this product to anyone in the market for a food processor. It's extra roomy size (though a pain physically) is a wonderful feature when preparing larger batches of things. And at a lower price than before, this machine is a steal.
Editted to add (7/24/11): I have had this machine for several years now. I use it all the time and I love it. I have since moved to a different house and the size is no longer an issue for me. However, one other issue has creeped up and that's the cleanability. There are parts of the lid that are very difficult to clean with crevices and cracks that are virtually impossible to reach. So I have some build up in areas and I can't seem to get them clean. So a 4 star rating is still appropriate IMO.
