User Rating:
Good: The KitchenAid 5-Speed Diamond Blender, the second least expensive in this test group, was a consistent, reliable performer in all of our tests.
Bad: Because it doesn't have the high level of power of other blenders, it may take longer to process certain foods, depending on their consistency.
Bottom Line: If you're looking for a blender that can multitask and do more than just make smoothies, but don't want to shell out a lot of money, the KitchenAid 5-Speed Diamond Blender is a great option. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The Blendtec Designer Series WildSide Blender can juice, grind, mix, and blend with the best of 'em. It is, in fact, among the best of 'em.
Bad: The thing costs $454 and it really works best with larger serving sizes. In other words, you better be prepared to make a ton of food to justify this purchase.
Bottom Line: Do you really need a 9-in-1 kitchen appliance? If you aren't planning to make massive quantities of nut butter (or other relatively obscure things) regularly, you might actually prefer something less intense. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The Roku 1 offers nearly the full Roku experience for $60. More than 1,000 channels are supported, including Netflix, Amazon Instant, HBO Go, Hulu Plus, Pandora, MLB.TV, Amazon Cloud Player, and Vudu. It also has cross-platform search that scours several major TV and movie services to find content. The Roku 1 adds 1080p video output over the budget Roku LT.
Bad: There's still no official YouTube channel. Some services, including Netflix, have an outdated interface compared with what's on other streamers. The Apple TV still works better within Apple ecosystem. And the benefit of 1080p output can be difficult to discern, especially on smaller TVs.
Bottom Line: The Roku 1 has a budget price and adds 1080p video output over the similar Roku LT, but its appeal isn't as obvious as Roku's other streamers. [Read more]