Product Description

Cuisinart Smooth Operator is the perfect party blender, with a dispenser tap on the front to serve up to 56 ounces of exotic frozen drinks to delighted guests. With 1500 watts of pulse power, the Smooth Operator blends faster and smoother.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #72816 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Color: Brushed Chrome
• Brand: Cuisinart
• Model: SMO-56
• Dimensions: 10.38 pounds

Features

• Sleek-looking blender with dispenser tap for continuous mixing and serving
• Push-button controls offer on, off, high, and low options, plus pulse at any speed
• 56-ounce glass blender jar includes pour spout and generous handle
• Blending stick breaks up air pockets; 4 feet provide stability; easy-to-clean design
• Measures 8-1/4 by 11 by 16-1/2 inches; 3-year limited warranty

Amazon.com Product Description
With 1500 watts of pulse power, this easy-to-use blender works great for liquefying frozen fruit, whipping up creamy smoothies, or making pureed soups. Push-button controls with LED indicators include on, off, high, low, and pulse at any speed. Perfect for entertaining or everyday use, the blender's 56-ounce glass blender jar comes equipped with a quick-mixing stir stick to keep thicker ingredients moving and break up air pockets. The jar's drip-free pour spout and generous handle allows for graceful pouring, while a convenient dispenser tap on the front of the blender makes it easy to continuously mix and serve. Other handy extras include a 2-ounce measured pour lid, push-in cord storage, four feet for stability, and removable dishwasher-safe parts. The blender measures 8-1/4 by 11 by 16-1/2 inches and carries a three-year limited warranty.

Customer Reviews

FOOD SERVICE GRADE BLENDER AT HOME PRICE
This blender is amazing! I had a KitchenAid blender before which I thought was pretty good! Well was I ever wrong, this blender is powerful enough to:

1. Crush Ice with out being helped
2. Turn Skim milk into a thick drink, but not a shake
3. Make a perfect smoothie every time!

Some of the features I really like are:

1. The pour spout
2. The locking addition lid
3. The option to make it a regular blender or a smoothie blender
4. The stir stick - never had to use yet though!
5. POWER - and this baby is packing it!

This is not just an ordinary smoothie blender, this is a does it all blender- I have finally found a blender I am happy with! I only have one complaint - the base of the smoothie pitcher does not come off for cleaning without a screw driver! Other than taht cleanup is easy!

DEDUCT TWO STARS FROM ABOVE!
Second Update: Now less than a year after purchasing this d*&# blender has another problem! The seal is worthless and as I blend my smoothies the blueberry juice comes seeping out of the blender housing onto the motor auger. Update: I've now owned this blender about one month and as I feared (see below) due to the cheap plastic of the pouring spout tap it has broken ALREADY! Thankfully, I can still use the blender with the spout cap but no longer can I conveniently pour from the tap! Also the plastic housing around the blades is cheap looking and already has a stain on it from the dishwasher (yes I put it on the top rack as the manual says is fine to do)
The other thing is right now I cannot unscrew the glass pitcher from the housing. I stil think it is a value, because the motor is big and heavy and powerful.

Pros:

The Price, The Price, The Price (That's why it's 4 Stars!)

Powerful Motor, I only need to pulse on High for a few seconds then I switch it to low

The stir stick is nice, I used cubed frozen food and this just allows the blender to have everything pushed toward the blades. But make sure you keep the top of the stir stick flush to the lid when pulsing on high or you will get splatter.

The pour spout. Easy pouring--would be great for families to all help themselves to smoothies, etc. I leave a spare glass under when it is down to the dregs and open the spout up and let it slowly drain the pitcher so I don't miss a bit before I wash it out. (see my caveat under cons)

You can place the parts (except for the valve ring) in the dishwasher.

Cons:

The first thing I noticed was when assembled with the glass pitcher with the lid on, it won't fit under my kitchen cabinets. I can just barely fit it without the lid (which I do) and I pull it out to use it and place the lid back on. This is strange. I would think most cabinets are set at a universal height. Our house is newer so I don't think we have some unusual set up.

The spout pourer is only good for things that are very blended. I was excited to try it for serving Margaritas at a dinner party and it just didn't work with the consistency of frozen margs. This may have been "workable" by putting in less ice.

Cleaning is a problem, now this may be common for higher end blenders (this is my first pricier blender) but I don't like having to unscrew the glass pitcher from the blade housing each time to clean in dishwasher. Sometimes the rubber valve gets squashed up inside if you don't screw it back on just right. This would be difficult to do if you had arthritis. It takes strength to put the glass pitcher in place and if you don't have it on properly, it will leak! I'm afraid each time I unscrew it from the blade housing it will slip out of my grip and break the glass. You can rinse out the pitcher add soap and water and run in on low then let it drain, but I think I still need to put it in the dishwasher every other time.

All in all, price considered, the pros outweigh the cons IF this blender has good longevity. (I've broken two cheap blenders in a year)

It has a very heavy motor housing, (not surprising considering the power) but it also is aesthetically lacking as it is very square in shape.

600 WATTs, NOT 1500W (only pulse)
This is kinda deceptive. It's really rated at 600W. The 1500W only apply to "pulses." Therefore, only quick bursts is it's rated at 1500W, while the usual running is still 600W like any other blender. I don't like how the spout stick out, which I KNOW will eventually be knocked off and broken when I try to hand wash it. The blade is noisy, and not smooth, but overall it's okay.

However, I don't think it's worth the eighty dollars I just spent!!!!