I've been a professional trainer now for about 15 and have went through my fair share of blenders. From my experience you need to keep a few things in mind when shopping for one. The obvious first thing is motor power, get one with at least 600 watts of power. The more powerful it is the easier time it will have getting through ice for making smoothies. You also want to get one with a sturdy base, if you don't the thing will be moving around your kitchen counter, so dont get one with a plastic base. Also make sure you get one with mutliple speeds and they all should have a pulse setting, you don't need more than a couple speeds.
Don't waste your money on a Vitamix or a Blentec, you're trying to make smoothies here not disintegrate iphones. I've have a KitchenAid 5-speed for about 5 years now and I paid about $100 at the time. It still works like new after many drinks and shakes. I also heard good things about Oster, Ninja and some Hamilton Beach items. Just like in my workouts I like to be efficient and not overspend for stuff I don't need.
