[We've had the Waring WPB05BC Kitchen Classic Blender for about 3 weeks now. We had heard a few reviews in which the motor burned out; ours has had no problems, and if it does, I will post updates.]

So, we were looking for a blender. Our Cuisinart 2-in-1 blender/processor was ok, but would get bogged down on our daily breakfasttime smoothies.

First off, the Waring name was what caught our attention. We knew that they had stood for quality appliances (especially blenders) for the better part of the 20th century, and were looking for something that would last. Secondly, the sleek and simple design fit our kitchen very nicely. And third, we liked the idea of one simple switch with 3 simple speeds: hi, lo, off.

Those factors, along with the 360-watt motor, made us buy this product. Here's our post-purchase review:

-Aesthetic Design: we bought the brushed stainless steel version. It also comes in retro green and hunter green. Brushed stainless / black matched our other Kitchen appliances, so this fit very well. Certainly, the retro green would go well in a retro kitchen. The actual design seems to not have changed much over the years; this thing could have come out of 1957 if we didn't know any better. That's why we love it. It's very simple, minimalistic, and unobtrusive, yet compliments the kitchen decor instead of just taking up space. Many of the other blenders we saw were adorned with all kinds of buttons and knobs, etc., that take away from the visual quality of the machine.

-Performance: with a 360-watt motor, it easily cuts through any and all frozen fruit and ice that we throw at it. This is interesting, given that our 340-watt Cuisinart seemed to have alot more trouble, even though the wattage was similar. The main problem with the Cuisinart, however, was that it would spin all the mix on the bottom half of the container, while the unmixed mush on top would just sit there, which meant that I'd have to constantly stir it. The Waring seems to have much less trouble with this, even though it does happen once in awhile. With the higher speed and tall, thin cylinder, it tends to create more of a "whirlpool" effect, which brings the top stuff down to the bottom to be blended. The finished product is fantastic; it's creamy-smooth, and the blender leaves no ice uncrushed.

-Features: The 40-oz glass carafe is perfect for a couple of smoothies for breakfast. If you're making larger dishes, though, this may be a bit small. However, after doing research on blenders, this seems to be the average carafe size. The rubber top fits snugly on top of the carafe, and will not spill. It also has a removable plastic "porthole", which allows you to add things while mixing, without taking the whole top off and risking spillage. The insert is also marked for measuring. The carafe and its top are both easy to clean. Everything except for the rubber top and its plastic insert are dishwasher safe. The plastic base is rugged and durable, and is easily dissassembled for deep-cleaning-time. The carafe also has metric and english graduations.

The 2 speeds, hi and lo, are operated by a simple chrome switch. There's no pulse button, which some people might desire; however, with the ease of turning the Waring on and off, a pulse switch would be superfluous. The switch IS for pulsing!

The power cord is about 2 feet long, and is big and rugged, like a table saw.

The base is 7" across and the entire machine comes in at 15.5" tall. The base is heavy enough and is on rubber feet so as to prevent tipping or slipping.

It is a little noisy, but no more so than any other blender I've had in the past.

-Overall: we're very happy with the Waring WPB05BC. We don't need 30 buttons and a slough of features. We love to simplicity of the Waring line; a blender is a blender, not a spaceship! It's powerful enough to handle most any task, and it looks good doing it. A 48-oz carafe would be nice, but that's only a concern if you make bigger dishes with a blender.

Some people, however, crave the "spaceship" approach, and want a large number of speeds to handle their blending. If so, then this is not the machine for you. But if you enjoy simplicity and minimalism, along with slick visual appeal and enough power to handle most jobs, then I highly recommend this blender.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 79.00