"I had jaw surgery in 2007 and had to puree food. I discovered there are delicious pureed meals to make that are meant to be in puree form -- soups, smoothies, blender sherbet, blender ice cream, green smoothies. A year later, I decided to invest in a high quality blender so I could incorporate these meals into my days on a regular basis for their health benefits. I bought the Breville Die-Cast Hemisphere blender and I consider it one of the best purchases of my life ever. Two years later, a friend has decided to journey through the world of smoothies for health. After 3 hours of comparison shopping, we bought this very same blender. Why? Because the jar is plexi-glass, so it is durable and light. And it is square for ease of emptying the last bits of contents with a spatula. The connector between the jar and the base is metal for durability. All these are key features for a high end blender. My friend is as thrilled to own hers as I am to own mine. We both highly recommend this blender for calibrer of functioning and for durability."

"As a former bartender, designer, fitness enthusiast and pursuer of the finer things in life, I give this blender an enthusiastic two thumbs up. As a countertop icon it's sexy. A minamalist block of brushed metal with glowing buttons to mesh well with the rest of the high end kitchen components. As an ice-cube decimator, it's a cocktail crusher, and it makes quick, fun, frothy work of my nutritional supplements as well.
Long story short, I love the 800 Breville line, have already ordered the matching 4 slot toaster and now am waiting for the release of the table mixer. Well done, Breville. Now get to work on a super automatic espresso machine!"