Breville ikon Hemisphere BBL600XL

The Breville ikon Hemisphere BBL600XL earns praise in professional reviews for its powerful motor with excellent ice-crushing ability. It has a large, 54-ounce jar and special "Ice Crush" and "Smoothie" modes. In professional testing, the Breville ikon blender ranks just below top-of-the-line blenders such as the Vita-Mix 5200 (*est. $450), which cost more than twice as much. On the downside, the Breville ikon is much more expensive than mainstream home blenders. We read some reports that it's hard to clean, and some owners report leaks. If you need a blender mainly for pulverizing ice, the Breville ikon is a top-rated option. However, if you need a more basic all-around blender, the Oster Classic Beehive blender (*est. $60) costs a third as much.

We found the most thorough testing of the Breville BBL600XL at Consumer Reports, where editors test over 30 blender models for their ability to crush ice, make smoothies and puree soups. We also found an interesting test at Popular Mechanics, where the Breville ikon blender is pitted against two other blenders in three punishing tasks. Owner reviews at Amazon.com and Buzzillions.com round out the review picture, showing feedback on durability after long-term use.