Hamilton Beach - HBB250R HBB250 Commercial Rio Bar Blender with 44-Ounce Polycarbonate Container, Black

This thing kicks butt! The first time I tried it I accidentally used my old blender's lid and liquid and ice were coming out the spout!!! It is that powerful. I use ice and frozen fruit and it always seemed like I had chunks. I've only had it a couple of days, but no more chunks in my smoothies!! After I've had it for a while I'll add more feedback, but so far it is awesome!!! The only "negative" thing I can think of is that the blender picture is extremely tall. I like to put all my ingredients together (except ice and frozen items) in the container the night before which makes it really fast the next morning. I had to move some things around in the fridge door and readjust the shelf so it would fit. For me, this is minor but for others it might be a big deal. I don't know about making a bunch of items at once as I only make one or two smoothies at a time.

We make a lot of smoothies and icees and this blender blends ice better than any blender I have seen. It is even better than the smoothies in our mall. The ice has an almost silky texture that is fantastic. I think it is the specialized way the container and blade is shape cause all of the ice is pulled down. We are saving a lot of money making our own drinks with just ice and fruit than paying $5 and $8 a drink elsewhere. This is especially good since my wife and I are grad students and we don't have the extra money anyways but we do like iced drinks during our studies. We don't make sauces or anything else with this blender and it isn't a household multi purpose blender but it is great at making drinks.

Bought this to make frozen cocktails so ice blending was a must. It is sturdy and it really blends ice well. No frills but exactly what you need. Only thing is there is a black coating on the basd of the steel canister that wears off onto your hands the first few times you use it. But this is by far the best blender we’ve had for getting frozen drinks perfect.

I've used it twice since purchasing it. I bought it because my old HB commercial bar blender from the 1990s is finally nearing it's end after probably thousands of uses. This one blends like crazy - I'd put it up against those $400 blenders. Makes very smooth smoothies. But... It's like its too powerful for its plastic base. Yes, that black isn't metal, it's plastic. Looks real heavy but isn't. And the jar doesn't fit tightly. So it starts to lift off the base and also the base occasionally moves across the counter! I literally have to hold it down to keep it from jumping off the base or attacking our other appliances. It also makes growing noise like it's not a happy camper. Our toaster looks real nervous. I hate to send it back because it really really does blend great and don't know what else I'd buy that is comparable without spending way beyond my budget. If they had just made the jar so it actually fit without being loose and if the base was made out of metal like my last one, I don't think it would be a problem. When the jar starts lifting up, it growls something nasty as the teeth no longer make solid contact. As it is, it's a bit scary and I may need to arm myself prior to attempting my next protein shake. Then again, I may keep it just for little added excitement in life. So in the end, if you want a monster blender for a reasonable price and don't scare easily, this is it. But beware, this is not a tame or domesticated blender and may require training to keep it from escaping or attacking you or your other appliances.

Makes great smoothies. Very powerful. Chops ice with no problem. Just make sure you cut your frozen fruit to small bite size chunks before you freeze it if you use fresh banana, pineapple etc. Update July 2017: The pulse toggle switch broke so the blender became inoperable. I found a replacement toggle switch for ~$30. For that price I was almost ready to just purchase a new blender. Looking through reviews this seems to be a problem area in that it fails quite a lot. If you are just a little handy you can replace it yourself in about 20 minutes. Based on the quality of the switch I ordered form Hamilton Beach I do not think it will last either. The switch has a "flimsy" feel to it and I believe I will be replacing it again in the future. I knocked it down one star due to the poor durability of the pulse toggle switch. We like this blender and it makes great smoothies and other frozen drinks with no issues. The poly-carbonate mixing chamber has held up well and is still clear after 4 years of moderate use.

I went through two blenders in 2 months that couldn't handle blending hot drinks. The NutriBullet didn't work because it required a complete seal in order to blend. The expanding air caused by blending a hot liquid in the sealed jar blew out the seal. A traditional Oster blender worked well but the plastic cap on the base of the jar cracked twice within a month of use. I decided on the HBB250SR because of the stainless steel container and metal base. So far it works well but you do need to follow the instructions when blending a hot drink. You need to loosen the plastic plug in the lid to allow the expanding air to escape. I hold a towel over the lid to protect myself from hot air but it's not like steaming hot. More a precaution than anything. But still, if I could find a traditional blender with a cap that could withstand the heat, that would be a better choice. I never realized blending a hot drink was such an extreme task for a blender.

Yes its true I had this blender for a year. BUT. The cutter assembly froze up in blender bowl. Motor is fine. Contacted seller and they said they would help. Kind of getting the run around. Just wanted a cutter assembly. Now I want a refund. We will see what happens. They should stand by what they sell. If they take care of business I will be back for a good review for seller. Not sure about product. Hamilton beach is hard to beat except this time. If I had got this at a store instead of on amazon you can bet they would have replaced it for sure

I actually received the drinjs blender, which I guess is the same motor, but with a (much) smaller stainless steel container. It did what I needed it to do this time, but the smaller container isn't good for much other than drinks and maybe a small puree.

Excellent product, Happy with the quality...... Though buyers should be careful about the voltage required for it.