After looking at Ninja products and the popular stuff on the market, I realized those personal blenders don't have much room, and not as much power as I was looking for. Trying to go all organic and blend daily, this KitchenAid blender has proven to be the winner! It is powerful and simple to use, its 5-page mini instruction guide can even tell you what combination of settings to use in order to create various types of blends (nut butters vs smoothies, soups vs baby food, raw foods and lettuce, etc). I can blend frozen fruits, raw spinach and ripe bananas all together and the result is a (very smooth) smoothie!
It's easy to clean, too, and I clean by hand. While it sometimes takes a little strength to unlock the blender from its base when you're ready to pour, it proves to be safe and sturdy due to this locking feature. I have been using this blender 5x/week for about two months without issue. And for those with a noise concerns - all blenders are relatively loud. I'm not sure why 'noise level' is a consideration when looking into blenders, at all (don't bother). Also great - the blender comes in a variety of colors, and this orange or 'tangerine' blender is true to the color displayed online! A great product I would buy again if ever the need should arise.