Customer Reviews

KitchenAid KSB465ER 4-Speed Countertop Blender with 48-Ounce Polycarbonate Jar, Empire Red

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

So, after 30 years, we needed a new blender. Hmmm. My wife and I hadn't a clue where to start nor what was out there. On my first two internet searches all I found were the two extremes: small fractional Hp motors or the ridiculously priced $400 to $500 unit.

And yes, of course we want to crush ice - who doesn't? I have enough engineering background to know that a 0.2 to 0.5 Hp motor is NOT going to crush ice. Finally, we found the KitchenAid models! Some were 0.9 Hp, which is more like it. The pitcher (I call it) was a larger diameter and a little squat - perfect design for better blending, not to mention storage.

We decided that two speeds just wasn't enough, 3 speeds would be borderline and we certainly didn't want anything ridiculous like 10 or 15 speeds. (That's what they do when the motor is underpowered to do the job.) We settled on the KitchenAid KSB465Wh 4-speed with 48 ounce jar and 0.9 Hp motor. The weight wasn't given but the appearance gave you the idea that the base was good and heavy - a prerequisite.

We've used it several times starting about a month ago - it's perfect. It's even better than the one that lasted 30 yrs. The pitcher is dishwasher safe, it has something they call "intelli-speed" which adjusts the horsepower as needed to deliver constant speed. This is something where most blenders fall short, you put something heavy in it and the motors just slows down. The base is good and heavy - hurray, no more tipping over. The ad doesn't mention this but you do NOT dissasemble the pitcher for cleaning! Another big plus.

By the way those $40 to $60 blenders don't work and don't last. This one is priced around $72 and you get what you pay for. A very solid unit with a decent motor and good features. And yes, it does a marvelous job grinding ice - a whole tray at a time. And, if you let it go for about 10 seconds you have ice "powder" - it's better than our ice shaver for snow cones.

Blending is far superior to our old blender. It digests even the tough stuff easily. We haven't yet really needed to use it but it has pulsed speeds for those really tough materials. I'd recommend THIS blender to anyone who doesn't need to grind nails.

After doing more blender research than I care to admit to myself, I narrowed my search to three blenders. I selected this model after speaking to a most informed and helpful Kitchenaid customer service rep who answered my remainding questions one Saturday afternoon. Since, they staffed their customer serviced department on the weekends, I was already impressed. This blender replaced a just out-of-warranty Cuisinart blender which I loved, until it died a premature death, I can say without hestiattion this model is far better. Since I use our blender daily to make breakfast smoothies, some with ice, I thought my blender needs were simple. Quite to the contrary, I discovered. There is no middle ground when it comes to chopping ice and this blender does a superb and lighin' quick job. I add very frozen berries to the morning mix and this blender handles them beautifully. The performance, design, ease of operation and cleaning each have exceeded my expectations.

This review is for the KitchenAid KSB465RT 4-speed countertop blender with the 48-ounce polycarbonate jar in empire red. I really love this blender! Most of my experience has been with Oster blenders, and my last one was a beehive Oster. It didn't last long, maybe a year and a half. I have had this KitchenAid blender for about 3 months so I can't speak to it's longevity but I hope it lasts a long time.

THE LID: The lid design is much better than the Oster beehive. The Oster used to toss food on the wall and down the sides of the jar sometimes, making a mess that was hard to reach to clean on the base. This lid has a deep flange so food doesn't escape the blender.

THE JAR: The KitchenAid jar is plastic. That means it's lightweight, and it won't break if you drop it, but I suspect over time it will scratch and dull somewhat. The plastic jar has a deep flange at the base that I really like. Occasionally I would get the Oster not seated quite correctly and it would make a bad noise as it stripped gears. Oops! This jar always settles down correctly into place. If the jar ever did spill, this flange would keep the goo from going onto the twirling part of the base the way it did with the Oster.
Cleaning the jar: Once in a while I put the jar in the dishwasher. I like that the blade is part of the jar and there is no rubber ring to wash separately. It's just the jar and the lid. Most of the time I clean it by adding soapy water and turning the blender on for a minute, then rinsing it. It cleans easily.

THE BASE: While not completely flush, the buttons are almost flush with the base. This makes them very easy to clean. They're better designed than any other blender I've had. The whole base is easy to clean with just a swish of a damp sponge and towel. It is easy to operate the buttons.

NOISE: It's about as noisy as any blender I suppose. The noisiest I ever had was a Waring that made me leave the kitchen when it was on. This one may be a hair quieter than the Oster. They could all use mufflers, if you ask me.

COLOR: I love the red. It's the perfect red, not garish but warm and cheery. It did surprise me that this is *not* an exact match to KitchenAid's red food processor. That was disappointing. They look fine sitting close to one another, though.

THE FUNCTION: It blends as well as any blender I've had. I chop up huge frozen strawberries with it easily. When I put raspberries in my smoothies there is the occasional bit of seed to spit out of my mouth but I think all in all it grinds the raspberry seeds finer than my Oster did.

Recommended? YES! It's pretty to look at, and very easy to use and to clean. It's thoughtfully designed.

I have only used about four blenders in my life but this is by far the best I have come across. I picked it up by chance on the clearance end cap at Target but if I knew how well it worked I would have gladly paid full price. I have never seen a blender crush ice so well, in fact my fiancee and myself are eating snow cones we just made with it as I type. It makes the smoothest smoothies ever, I can't wait to find more uses for it!

The carafe on this blender leaked very slightly from the bottom since day one. As the weeks passed the leak got worse, until this morning when it finally quit trying and bled my whole drink on the counter. The blender did a remarkable job powering through ice, frozen bananas, carrots, whatever I threw at it. Its powerful motor was suuuuuper loud, though, and if you were not careful it could walk itself right off a counter. I'm going to try to return it as it is defective. Looking at other reviews of KitchenAid blenders it seems this is a common problem. I will not buy it again and would not recommend it to anyone.

The concept was very good but the engineering was lacking. This a real power house and would be great except for several major deficiencies.

There is no way you can get a soft start. Unless you are mixing something extremely thick, whenever you start the unit it is going to splash the ingredients clear to the cover. The cover fits very tightly but the measuring cap in the center does not and sometimes ingredients will come out around the measuring cap.

The cleaning procedure recommended by the manufacturer is not effective. If you are working with anything oily or sticky you are going to have to get down in the jar with your hand. The blade assembly does not detach as with most units; it is a one piece affair. This can prove dangerous. I use a wash cloth doubled around my hand. I've had the unit about 2 months and the blades are already getting dull so maybe it won't be a problem soon.

The unit that was sent me by Amazon had a very loud grinding noise and the entire unit vibrated so badly it would "walk" across the counter. I called the factory and they had a replacement to me in 3 days. The replacement unit also has a vibration but it is only at lower speeds and is tolerable. The blade assembly is asymmetrical and not balanced well.

Being plastic, the jar scratches easily so use a plastic spoon inside. If you use anything like nuts in your mixture that will also scratch the jar.

On the positive side, the unit is very heavy and sturdy. There are cutouts on the bottom sides for easy lifting and if your hands are dry you can lift it one handed. Four speeds works great and is plenty. There seems to be a speed for every purpose and no more speeds are needed. I use the unit 3 times a day and it has held up well so far. I make a very thick mixture for breakfast with many raisin and pecans and it liquefies it well and has plenty of power for the task.

ADDENDUM No.1: The original replacement was made by KitchenAid in mid April 2010. It is now September 2010 and the shaft seal has started throwing black material and white grease and it won't be long before the entire seal is gone. I again called that factory and they offered to ship an entire new unit but since the jar is the only problem I asked them to just ship the jar. They are very easy people to deal with. That is one positive.

ADDENDUM No.2: The new jar mentioned in Addendum No. 1 lasted two days before it started throwing grease and black bits of plastic. After talking with the factory twice, they have refused any further action. They claim the problem is because of my wrong use. My prior blender lasted 10 years with this same usage so I guess KitchenAid products are not meant to last.

ADDENDUM No.3: Mid October the plastic covers over the switches started cracking on the base which would allow materials to enter the switch area. I called the factory again to see if they would also disallow this claim. The are sending me an upgrade to the KSB 560 model free of charge since I have had so many problems with this model. We will have to see how this model performs but I notice it has the same plastic covers over the switches.

ADDENDUM No. 4 The new larger, heavier model KSB 560 started a strange vibration about 2 weeks after receiving it. There was also a faint smell of a hot electrical motor. I decided to keep using it anyway and hope that it made it since I had called so many times already. But in January 2011 the unit totally gave up and threw big chunks of black material, some 3/4 of an inch across. I called the factory again and after about 20 minutes of telling them in minute detail how I used the unit they agreed to send me a new unit. How long will this one last? Stay tuned -- I'll let you know. Again, there is one positive: they are very nice people to deal with.

I WOULD RECOMMEND ANYONE CONSIDERING A KITCHENAID PRODUCT TO LOOK AT OTHER BRANDS.

I did my research and this blender was rated the highest in several reviews - it has lived up to its reputation. In addition, the size of the jar makes it very easy to clean, easy to store in refrigerator, and easy to place in my half-drawer dishwasher. I love it.

The blender is justs what we wanted. I chops my husbands ice great for his smoothies and when I do my green smoothies it breaks up the green very well. Am very happy with this product, like that it is one piece for easy clean

I LOVE THIS BLENDER. I MAKE A SMOOTHIE EVERY MORNING, AND THIS HANDLES THE BIG FROZEN STRAWBERRIES LICKITY SPLIT. I HAD BEEN USING A OLD, HALF-BROKEN BLENDER THAT SMELLED FUNNY AND LEFT LUMPS. THE CHANGE IS WONDERFUL. THIS ONE IS VERY WELL DESIGNED, EASY TO CLEAN, THE TOP COMES OFF WITHOUT A STRUGGLE, AND IT'S GOOD LOOKING. VERY VERY HAPPY.

Before this blender, I had a cheap $25 blender that I picked up at a local store. I make myself a smoothie every morning and it just wasn't cutting it. I purchased this one and have been pretty happy with it so far. It blends my smoothie REALLY well. Gone are the days of smashing the ingredients with a spoon trying to get it to blend. This blender works very quickly and doesn't leave any chunks of ice or food behind.

My first complaint is that it was a plastic jar. Every blender I looked at in this price range was glass and assumed this one would be as well, even though it clearly states it's plastic. My fault.

My other complaint is that it doesn't come apart. I put flax seed into my smoothie every morning, so you cannot just throw soap and hot water into the blender for easy cleaning since the seeds stick to everything. And even when I don't use seeds, I find this cleaning method still a hassle as the plastic piece in the lid doesn't seal and the soapy water splashes out the second you turn the blender on. With that being the recommended way of cleaning it, you'd think they would have done a better job of sealing it.