I received this blue colored Back To Basics Smoothie Elite Blender last year for my birthday and I know from reading the reviews that some Amazon customers have written that they have had problems with leaks and gears and blades breaking off and I'm sorry to hear that they had problems but as for myself I have had no problems with leaks and I haven't had anything break down and I have enjoyed making smoothies and the only problem that I have found is that this blender is very large and bulky and we have a very tiny kitchen and this takes up alot of room when it's up on the counter and it also takes up a lot of room when it's in the cabinet but anyway I still think it's a good blender and I recommend it to anyone who likes smoothies and has a huge kitchen with lots counter space and plenty of areas for storage.

I LOVED this unit, if you are getting a smoothie maker, getting one with a spout is important. No blender is perfect so there will always be little chunks of ice, but the spout does not let them fall in the glass. The stir stick is also really useful for getting the ice to actually get chopped up. I also found the markings on the side of the blender to be useful, they tell you how much ice to liquid you should add.

Then it broke. I had it for about 3 months, I maybe used it once a week when the plastic gears that make the blade spin snapped right off and now it is useless.

The first time I used the blender, I noticed pieces of plastic worn off the gear that turns the blade. This happened every time I used it, and now that I've had it for a month, the plastic gear is so worn that it only turns the blade if I press down hard on the top while blending. By next month, it will no longer work at all, but it won't matter since I am throwing it out today! And by the way, this item is not eligible for return. DON'T BUY THIS BLENDER!!!