Customer Review
- Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2014I purchased this CSB-75 to replace a CSB-76 that died after about 4 years of daily use, since they apparently do not make that model anymore. They are very similar except that this model has two speeds, whereas the old one only had one (which seems equivalent to this model's "high" speed). They are so similar, in fact, that I tried the shaft from my old CSB-75 on this blender, and it fit! I assume the two-speed capability is the only major change between the two. Having two speeds is much nicer than having one; on my old one-speed, when blending liquids, the high speed would sometimes push the liquid up over the top of the container. Using the low speed, which I find adequate now for most tasks, helps reduce this problem.
In addition to the blender itself, the package comes with a 2-cup dishwasher- and microwave-safe plastic measuring cup that is perfectly sized for the blender shaft (the whole shaft fits the width of the bottom of the container). I usually use this cup to make smoothies. It can also double as a liquid measuring cup because they include markings on the side. Another notable feature is that the shaft (the bottom part with the blade) detaches from the actual blender/motor unit (the top), which makes it easy to clean without needing to worry about avoiding getting the top part wet. Some cheap stick blenders can't do this; I couldn't imagine trying to wash one of those.
Unfortunately, there are a few negatives. First--a minor issue some may care about--if you're ordering the "brushed chrome" color, the picture online makes it appear metallic. It is not; it is simply gray/silver-colored plastic (as is every other similarly colored Cuisinart product I own). Second--another minor issue--the blade/shaft portion tends to hold water in the inside portion when you wash it (I think water gets in through the part where it attaches at the top). To fix this, I usually dry it upside down so it drains. A third--much more significant--is that both this unit and the CSB-76 use the same gear design, which has failed me in the past. As I said before, with the CSB-76 it took about four years of daily use for the problem to appear. On this unit, it took less than one year. I can't see inside to know what the issue is for sure, but I'm guessing the gears are getting stripped and thus not turning the blade much, if at all (which is the problem I have: it won't actually blend anything). This is actually my second CSB-75. My previous one broke when (as a few other posters here mentioned) the blades broke off. Figuring that might be my fault for letting them soak too long and possibly rusting, I was very careful with my second blender to not do that.
The final negative aspect is their warranty. They have a three-year warranty, which sounds great. I actually forgot about this when my first motor broke, so I bought a replacement online (not a whole new unit; I purchased the replacement part from Cuisinart for less). By the time the whole thing broke on me, I remembered this and decided to try it. I contacted them via e-mail, and they explained my only option: they can ship me a new unit at my expense, and I must send them back my old unit, also at my expense. Their shipping charge is $10, and the total cost will be that plus however much it costs me (probably something pretty similar) to return mine, which is about 1/2 to 2/3 the price of just buying a new unit. Good retailers will cover the cost of shipping both ways, or at least one way; Cuisinart does neither. They are also slow to process these requests. While customer service themselves were quick and always responded with a business day, I had to wait an entire week between the time that they told me a new unit would ship and the time it actually shipped to me, plus transit time (almost two weeks total). Don't count on the warranty to help you out in a hurry or without notable expense on your end; on the bright side, three years is fairly long and might be enough time for the "gear problem" to pop up if it's as widespread as it seems to be based on my experience.
I do use my blender a lot--every day--which may be more than most people. I'm still giving it two stars because it does work well for as long as it does work. Additionally, it's easy to wash, nice to have two speeds, reasonably priced, and comes with a long warranty even though it is not as consumer-friendly as it could be. If you only use your blender from time to time, I'm sure it will last a long time. I'm on the lookout for a more durable blender (just bought a KitchenAid KHB2351CU, which seems nice and has a slightly different, possibly more durable mechanism to attach the motor unit--and they make a few cheaper units that look similar and may also function similarly), but there's a reason I kept purchasing these despite having a few problems.
