Looks pretty good! I don't know if I would use the extra attachments, but maybe you would?

You want a metal shaft on a stick blender - not plastic - so you can puree soups right in the pot while they are still hot. Which is the main reason I got my (imported) stick blender years ago when they first came out.

Go for it!
Teresa

The L.A. Times food section often includes an article in which a group of kitchen experts rate different brands of a specified gadget or appliance. A while ago they examined stick blenders and concluded that the Kitchenaid was superior in design and performance. If I recall correctly, the reviewers touted KitchenAid's larger size to be a plus for an immersion hand blender. We purchased one based on their comments and have been very happy with it. We've used it for soups, sauces, even milkshakes. The other night we even used it to make fresh bread crumbs, which came out a bit finer than we had wanted but still perfectly okay.

Here is a link that might be useful: KitchenAid immersion hand blender

Does anyone know how many watts the kitchenaid has? I know the braun has 400. That seems like a lot. The Cuisinart I saw today was 200 watts. Does that matter?

What are some things you use your stick blenders for? Thanks, April

I have the Kitchenaid stick blender and love it. I have no idea how many watts. It does everything I want it to do. I make a lot of smoothies with frozen fruit--the blender has no problem with them.

I have the KitchenAid and love using it. I also bought it based on a Consumer Reports-type of article in the paper. They tested and compared things like noise, power, length of cord, price, etc.

I couldn't find out how many watts it has, but it is very powerful and the job is done in seconds.

I've used mine for salad dressings, soups, smoothies and, thanks to Arley's suggestion, combining butter and EVOO which I keep in a tub in the frig. With the whisk attachment, you can whip cream, beat egg whites, mix puddings, etc. On KA's website, if you click on the Use and Care Guide, there is a sampling of recipes.

Whoops! I thought I had posted the artcle in this thread. Here's a link to the review of the blenders in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Here is a link that might be useful: AJC review of stick blenders