OK - I don't usually write reviews, but I do read a ton of them and yes, some of them sound like they are written by manufacturers of the product while others sound like they may be from the competition. If you weed through enough of them though, you can basically get the down and dirty of what the product can and can't do.I am here to tell you what I found out.I read a lot of reviews on numerous websites about this little product after seeing the infomercial on it. I never did the MagicBullet, but heard good things about it from some friends who owned one. After hitting the juice craze recently, I became quickly frustrated with the tossing out of all that good pulp which I was sure was being wasted and could be good nutrients for the body, just being tossed out. Prep time on top of that and the clean up was becoming quickly a chore. I am convinced on the benefits of fruits and veggies and to date have lost more than 50lbs since Jan incorporating juicing into my Weight Watchers routine.OK - so I read a lot of reviews - when it came right down to it - the only real gripe I saw that people were having was this "leak" issue. For those that say this is just a blender - I would beg to differ - my fancy Cuisinart blender doesn't pulverize FLAX seeds and coffee beans the way this thing does. Just try putting some small flax seeds in your blender with some fruit and tell me you get the smooth consistency that this little work horse puts out. OK - so it is more than a blender - now the overall:Power: no problem - scared me a bit the first time I pushed down on it with it's force, but was nice to know it does sound powerful. I have put carrots, ice, apples and FLAX seeds all at once in here and it comes out smooth as silk - no problem. Remember - this is not a "JUICER" this makes JUICE SMOOTHIES with PULP -Clean Up: A snap....a breeze - sooooooo much easier than my juicer. Love it. I can go into the kitchen, make a smoothie, clean up and be out in about 5 minutes. Juicing took 10-15 minutes of prep time alone, then another 5 minutes or so of cleanup. Took half my lunch hour to make a juice....Recipes: There are lots of good recipes and ideas in the book that came with it - don't think I got the extras they talk about on the TV which is sad - but I am sure I can dig those up on line somewhere.Leak Issue: OK - Here is the deal....for all you people who cannot read the instructions in the manual that comes with the unit. DO NOT OVERFILL - SCREW BASE ON SECURELY. If you didn't understand that, then here let me state it this way - HEY! SCREW THE BASE ON TIGHT AND DON'T PUT TOO MUCH STUFF IN IT. Still don't understand - how about this - DO NOT FILL ABOVE THE LINE MARKED ON THE CONTAINER WHICH STATES - MAX FILL LINEI don't know how much clearer I can be without demoralizing someone at this point. It's simple folks - you need to leave enough room (airspace) in the container to allow blending to occur. If there is not airspace - liquid will push out at any seam it finds - consequently - it will leak. Follow the instructions, do not overfill and screw the base on securely and it will work beautifully. Here is another tip - because I have gone a little over on the fill once or twice. If while blending you keep an eye on the base where it meets the clear plastic container - you can see the leak working its way up through the threads of the base. If you see this happening, stop the unit and take some out and re-blend. Simple. Best practice is though to NOT OVERFILL - DO NOT FILL ABOUT MAX FILL LINE - TIGHTEN BASE SECURELY. Got it????Price: I purchased mine at Target for $99 as most customers were complaining about the leak issue and if I had to return it, better to do it at the store where I bought it. Most times, I would go through Amazon, but this one had me thinking with all the banter about the darn leak issue, so I played it safe. I hear they sell them at some Bed Bath and Beyond's too if you are looking locally. And yes, far better than dropping hundreds on a Vitamix or Blendtec.Comparisons to other: I did look at the Ninja Pulse unit as well. I was on the fence right up till I went to the store on which one I was going to get. I looked at both of the displays and found the Nutribullet was far beefier than the Ninja. The Ninja was light and "plasticky" and took up a little more space than the Bullet. And then here was the kicker for me. I looked down and there were no Nutribullet's on the shelf and 4 or 5 Ninjas. So - I was off to the next Target across town only to find they were sold out there as well. I asked the lady in the department when they expected more and she said - "We cannot keep them in stock, they sell out very quickly". OK - so that cinched the deal with me with the decision on which one to get. I then went to Target's online website, looked it up there and did a "Stock Check" for stores in my area - All were sold out except one which was about 30 miles away - so I made the trek up and go there to find ONE last unit on the shelf - MINE!!! I spoke to my sister in Denver and she was looking for one out there and found the same problem - sold out all over Denver, but found hers at BB&Beyond. When checking out the lady at the register said she was amazed at how many of these were selling recently. So ...this is a hot item folks....you may have to look around to find it in your town. Check the Target site for "Locate Locally"...it will save you some time - or just buy it on line from Amazon. You shouldn't need to return it because it doesn't leak if your remember to NOT FILL ABOVE MAX FILL LINE and TIGHTEN BASE SECURELY.Overall Opinion: Have had this unit about a week and have done several dozen drinks with it so far and have absolutely no complaints - works great, is powerful and does not leak if your remember to NOT OVERFILL and NOT FILL ABOVE MAX FILL LINE.....lol. I love having my pulp back - - - Happy Smoothing Everyone!!!P.S. My apologies to those who may be offended by my over stating the "common sense" aspect of the proper usage of this product. I realize "common sense" has lost its way in many areas of our society these days and when people cannot read the instruction manual which clearly says "Read First Before Using" then I start to wonder if maybe "literacy" is more the issue than "common sense". Either way - if you are reading this and feel offended by my comments about you not being able to understand what it means to NOT FILL ABOVE MAX FILL LINE or TIGHTEN BASE SECURELY, then I am sorry.....for you.[Update:]Nov 3, 2012 - Just checking in after seeing the last reply to my post and thought I would post an update here. First let me say I am very surprised at all the replies to my post, glad to see I am not the only one who thinks out things sensibly still. So, with the help of the NB and Weight Watchers, I am down 102 lbs since last January 1 in my quest to lose 165 by mid summer 2013. Since purchasing the NB in June, I have dropped about 40 additional lbs. (Averaging about 10lbs per month). I contribute much of the success to the NB and all the good things I can put in there and the benefits of having all of the stuff back in my drink rather than tossing it from using my old Juiceman Juicer. The NB itself is still working quite well, I have had no problems, 1 or 2 minor leaks (teaspoon or less), but it was due to my own errors of packing in a little too much or on a sleepy morning not tightening it quite tight enough. All in all, so very happy with the unit still and still highly recommend. Good luck everyone and I hope you can enjoy this little gem of an appliance as much as I have. - DH[Update:}Nov 21, 2013 - OK folks, time for me to chime in on this "rust and blade issue". I have been meaning to do this for awhile, but it seems people are really freakin on this rust and which blades to be looking for etc. I see some have posted some pictures of the newer style base. I am going to add mine with comments in red showing you difference between old and new styles.I find it very hard to believe this is rust in these other pictures - are you all not drying your unit after you wash it and then just leaving it in the cabinet for 3 or 4 months before taking it to use again and then NOT washing it before you use it? I mean really....I take glasses out of the cabinet which we use each year at Christmas time and I ALWAYS wash them cause I don't like the taste of dust. If I looked and saw rust on blades I think I would either wash the heck out of it or not use it at all. I somehow think this might be fruit sedament which has not been cleaned off or washed and then let to sit. There could not possibly be grease inside this thing, maybe some light oil on the bearings...if it even uses bearings. I don't know what to tell you....I wash mine because I like clean utensils before I used them, sorry....personal preference.OK, so yes as I mentioned in a reply to someone - I did have a loud sound like grinding almost, start about a year after I had it and I called customer service and for the price of shipping and handling ($6 I think) they sent me a new base. Immediately I saw the differences in blade configuration and in construction. Then when I tried it - wow - much much quieter....but I think mine was really getting louder over time. SO yes, the new blade extractor base is far "beefier" in construction and seems to be much quieter than the original ever was and also just seems "tighter".Yes!! This is the same original unit I bought and it is still working fabulously and I use it ....8-10 times a week and my wife also uses it. I have been traveling a lot for work the last couple months so my regiment has been slightly adjusted on my weight loss program.So bottom line on this update - I still love it, new base is best, make sure you get one with new base.And for all the nice commenting folks congratulating me on my weight loss - here's an update. I am down it total 140 pounds. I did not make my goal of 220 by my 50th, but I have not put back on any...well a few here and there, but then lost them again...up and down a bit, but not focusing on my WW meetings as much and etc etc.... but I still feel great and much more active, swimming and working out. I contribute the success to WW and the NB....and of course "discipline".Hope this helps - Check out the new pics I am adding now. - DH