Although the Cuisinart name is usually associated with quality kitchen appliances, its hand blender fails to hit a home run. This is definitely one kitchen tool that it pays to research before purchasing.

At first glance, everything seems all right. It has a standard 200-watt motor and is housed in brushed stainless steel. It comes with a chopper attachment and a whisk attachment, as well as a 2-cup mixing beaker and 2-cup mixing container. It is quite lightweight and has simple controls and an easy-grip handle. It also comes with a 3-year limited warranty, which you, likely as not, are going to find yourself using.

Its best area is its ergonomic design and ease of use, as well as its blender function. And while some users report perfectly adequate performance, the fact is that the retail price on this Cuisinart hand blender (just under $100), is far too high to permit so many defects and other issues. In the first place, you can’t run it for longer than 50 seconds at a time. Now, while 50 seconds is usually enough time for more tasks, it just seems silly to have to turn your appliance on and off. And, it only has one speed, which increases the probability you’ll need to run it for a longer time to get the results you need.

And, once you start switching in the different attachments – or trying to wash the parts – you’re in trouble. The parts are not all dishwasher safe, and the plastic of the food processor attachment, in particular, is not at all durable - many users report scratching and cracking after relatively few washes. Plus, the blender attachment is so sharp it can scratch your pots and pans. And its 200-watt motor is simply inadequate for many jobs; again, for a slightly higher price you can get a 400-watt motor that will demolish anything you throw at it.

And if you can’t afford a more expensive model, instead of purchasing this overpriced Cuisinart hand blender you can get a much cheaper 200-watt version that you won’t be so upset about if it breaks down.