I made an error and had this blender sent to my sister-in-law, who lives two hours away. My wife had to fight with her sister (in a fun way) to get this smoothie blender from her.This machine is not a multi-function blender; it's specialized for making smoothies. The base is sturdy with suction cup feet to keep it in place. The glass pitcher is quite heavy. There is a line showing the maximum fill level. The lid has a rubber gasket that makes it fit securely. A removable 2-ounce measuring cup is built into the lid. The blending blade is removable for cleaning. The set also includes a cleaning brush and covered drinking cup. Overall, the blender is more substantial than a typical multi-purpose blender.There are two speeds that can be set, plus a "Pulse" option that runs the blender only while the switch is held. It's loud when it runs, like all blenders. The manual says it shouldn't be run for more than two minutes at a time.This is an expensive machine so I expected good results. In operation, as expected, this blender reduces fruits and vegetables into smoothies rapidly and thoroughly. I've used soft and hard produce, choosing the higher speed when carrots, apples or broccoli are in the mix. I've noticed no clumps from powdered ingredients. Our smoothies are smooth regardless of what we include.My only negative observation about the design is that the mark on the dial that shows the current setting is not prominent. In day-to-day use that isn't important because there are only two speeds so I'll always know the speed I set. But when first plugging it in to an electrical outlet, it takes more than a quick glance to make sure the dial is set to off.My wife is happy we got this blender back from her sister. It's great at making smoothies and gets high marks from us.(In my photos you'll notice the box was damaged upon receipt. Packaging is good enough that there was no harm to the blender.)