Cuisinart Smart Stick CSB-175A

This is a replacement for Cuisinart's original stick blender, which had a well-enclosed blade and an on button, worked brilliantly and was simple and convenient to use. When that died with a worn-out shaft bearing, the new version happened to be 'on special' at $55. This new, 2-speed version has a less well enclosed blade, but a 2-button safety interlock, which prevents the user from pulsing the blender, and a quite separate speed switch. Since this device has to be used one-handed (the other hand steadying the container), the Cuisinart engineers have converted a very handy, functional device into something much more clumsy. However they do not seem to have rectified the design problem which caused the demise of our first blender - the inadequate bearing on the shaft on which the blade is mounted. The end which fits into the motor unit has quite a bit of side-to-side slop even new, implying that there is still only a bearing at the bottom end. That said, it certainly gives just as quick and good results as its predecessor, even though it is so much more fiddly to use.