Was so used to my old blender with its pre-prorgammed push button controls and limited functions, I hardly ever used it. So, I was curious in selecting this KitchenAid K400 5 Speed Blender in exchange for an honest review. After three weeks of almost daily use this blender is an outstanding upgrade from my old blender. I never knew just what I could actually do with a blender until I had the opportunity to use and enjoy this baby. It is amazing. WooHoo! As I removed this blender from its box I was immediately impressed by its build and design. First of all it has a 'commercial' look and feel to it. The whole unit weighs approximately twelve pounds. The majority of that weight (11.2 pounds) is the base unit. * Base Unit – My unit is in Contour Silver. What I liked about this color is that it doesn't show any fingerprints. The rich silver color looks classy on my countertop too. I keep it on my countertop on a rollout caddy. When not in use I roll it back underneath my cabinets. On the bottom of the base unit is a raised, ridge gasket, approximately ¼ inch high surrounding the entire bottom of the base. Let me tell you that when I first loaded this pitcher with ice cubes to make crushed ice – this unit did not move a smidgen, walk, or, rock 'n roll like my old blender used to do. YooHoo! This is a solidly-built base for any blending applications. This K400 1.5 HP blender motor is rated at 1200 watts at 120V AC, 10 amps, and, will plug into any standard kitchen, 3-prong, grounding receptacle. The attached cord is 36 inches in length. What I think is super-unique is the Soft Start® Feature, which starts the motor at a slower speed. This slower speed of the blades pulls the food down into the whirling blades, then, immediately increases the motor speed to what I selected for my blending task. This K400 is powerful, and, has accomplished all the blending tasks I put it through. My Grand Kids love Iceys and Smoothies, so believe me this blender gets a workout. * Blender Dial & Controls - To the RIGHT of the dial there is a Start/Stop Button illuminated by an LED ring when the unit is turned ON. After 10 minutes of no activity the illuminated LED ring will turn OFF. The blender goes into a 'Sleep-Mode'. Touching the Start/Stop Button again turns the unit back ON. There are 11 set points on the rotary dial. It is designed to move from Left to Right. The first setting is 'P' for pulse blending. The dial is spring-loaded for Pulse. I have to keep my hand on the dial at 'P' for whatever time duration I choose. This allows me to manually control the blenders vortex blades to visually see when I want to stop the blending process. As soon as I remove my hand the dial automatically returns to the next setting 'O'. The next settings go to the RIGHT from '1 to 5'. These variable speed blending cycles time out at three minutes. It takes practice using these various speeds to find the ones appropriate for the items being blended. I have yet to go over number '3' for my blending tasks. Of course, I can stop the blender at any time If I so choose. After variable speed '5' turning the dial further to the RIGHT are the three pre-programmed recipe Icons, Ice Crush, Icy Drink, and Smoothie. Ice Crush is a 30 second cycle; Icy Drink is also 30 seconds; and Smoothie times out at 45 seconds. The last (11th dial setting) is Self Clean. Self Clean has a 13 second cycle, and is does the job thoroughly (see pics). * Blender Jar or Pitcher - The blender pitcher is made of a poly carbonate, BPA Free, plastic. It is lightweight and shatter resistant compared to glass. It has a capacity of 56 oz. On either side of the pitcher handle there are graduated marks indicating ounces on one side and milliliters on the other. The plastic pitcher handle has a rubberized hand grip for more convenient handling. The rubberized grip is also removable for cleaning if needed. Directly opposite the pitcher handle is the pour spout, which is sealed when the pitcher lid is placed on top. The plastic pitcher lid is gasketed so it seals when firmly placed in the pitcher top. In the center of the gasketed lid is a round removable cap for adding ingredients, or tamping contents down through this opening (Tamper is not furnished). The cap can be opened by turning it to the Left to unlock it, and to the Right to lock it. The pitcher has a groove in the front, which matches the base for correct seating into the base. The pitcher also has four distinct ribs on either side, which allows the blades to create a powerful vortex blending any tough ingredients I place in the pitcher to be blended. At the bottom of the pitcher are the four stainless steel blades, which have four different angles to power through the harder ingredients. Although I have only used the Self-Clean function of this blender the pitcher and cap can go into the dishwasher – top rack only. * User-Friendly Blender – There is a simple learning curve operating this blender. It is very intuitive. I felt very comfortable using it after the first few times. I kept my included Instructional Manual close, but didn't need to look anything up after the first week. * Summary – The KitchenAid K400 5 Speed Blender can do so much more then my old blender. I keep it on my countertop because we use it so much. Besides Iceys and Smoothies this blender makes great, fresh, vegetable soups for my wife and I (see pics). We love fresh veggies and this blender helps us to eat more healthier foods. It makes sumptuous salsa blends, dips, and sauces. I highly recommend this K400. It makes a great upgrade from an older model blender, wedding gift, anniversary, birthday, or just to a special family member or friend. Buy one, you won't be disappointed. For me it is a 'Must-Have' kitchen countertop blender.

I bought this to use as a backup while my Vitamix was gone for repair - and I didn't want to miss my morning smoothie. I'd already returned a Ninja (that couldn't handle the greens that I put in my smoothie.. made it look like regurgitated food).. so I wasn't expecting much. Well.. this powerful, good looking, blender really surprised and impressed me. I use lettuces, kale, spinach, then add frozen fruits and almond milk.. and the greens need to not be chunky. I do run it through 1 and 1/2 smoothie cycles to get the consistency that I like.. first run is just a bit too lumpy, but so far, it handles the greens as well as my Vitamix. I think I'll be taking turns using the 2 blenders.

This is my review of the KitchenAid 5 Speed blender with the beautiful Contour Silver color (KSB4027CU). So my old $20 black Friday special no name blender is on its last leg with sticking buttons and leaking pitcher. It's about time to get that new blender but not any blender. I wanted to get us one that would not only be a great blender but also look good in the kitchen. So when this KitchenAid blender came available it was a no brainer. What I like: -Low settings are not loud at all -It blends fast and how you like it -The slow start up is an excellent feature -I really like the lighted start button (light around the button) -The pitcher is very light ( 1 lb 12.7 ounces with lid on) -handles everything I throw at it -Easy cleanup -base doesn't move around -the color is very beautiful and the finish looks like it will last What I could of liked better -the weight of the base might seem heavy to some -rubber pads on bottom of base -wish the pitcher was glass (but even Vitamix uses plastic) -a retractable cord -pitcher lid seal material could of been rubber rather than plastic (but haven't noticed any leaky seal) The motor on this thing is super strong. I try not to over fill with to many frozen fruit and ice but this motor had no problem blending everything I put into it even when I had very little liquid on start (sometimes you want a thick smoothie). I like starting at the lowest setting then increase the power to how smooth I want the drink I am making and you can adjust on the fly. I have the GE CAFE stainless steal kitchen and this blender fits in like it was made specifically for it. The instruction literature shows that this blender is part of a KitchenAid system. I will be looking to purchase some additional parts especially a second pitcher. This would make a great wedding or any gift.

I am an extreme blender user, especially when it comes to making smoothies. This KitchenAid blender is super easy to use, doesn’t take up much space, and is super powerful. I like that it comes with the silver chrome-like metallic color, which matches my other appliances. The three pre-programmed recipe settings (Ice Crusher, Ice Drink, and smoothie) make the process of using the blender easy and quick. The fourth pre-programmed setting is the self-cleaning cycle that uses rapid pulses of power and high speeds to clean the blender jar; I use this every time before I wash the container. To use this, I fill the jar halfway with warm water with 1-2 drops of regular dish soap. The manual variable speed setting provides more control of the blender, and I mostly use this setting when I am making more than two servings of smoothie or non-drink purposes (such as mixing some cooking ingredients). The blender motor noise level is normal, and I can have a conversation while it is on. For all my smoothie drinks, I usually place a couple of mint leaves, and the blender does a great job to blend the flavor into my drinks. The blender crushes ice really fast and there is no issue with frozen food items, like fruits. The size of the jar is just right with a broader base and it is not too tall. I like this blender so much that I will be looking at purchasing its other accessories to make it a more versatile appliance. This is a U.S.A. designed and assembled product. The motor base is heavy-duty with a sturdy design and high-quality materials. When using at max power, the base does not move at all, which is due to the unit’s weighs about 11.5 lbs and the rubber bottom. The power cord has a thick diameter and is 34 inches (0.86 m) long. The side of the unit has two concave gripping slots for convenience whenever the unit needs to be moved. What makes this a great blender is how powerful it is, it is made with high-quality materials, and it is versatile (with accessories that are sold separately). I am satisfied using my new KitchenAid blender.

That’s a great job at making smoothies and crushing ice.Very heavy base and looks and feels substantial .I got the white one and it looks great in my kitchen