Vitamix 001372 5200 Blender

I would give this 0 stars if I could. I had high hopes for this blender, after all it is a Vitamix regularly priced at $499 or more. Luckily, I did get it on sale, but I still spent nearly $400 for it. Unfortunately, it has several glaring flaws. 1. The blender does not lock into the base; it simply rests on the base. This causes a whole host of problems, as it will wobble if you try to use the tamper or even touch the handle. 2. As others have mentioned, the lid is a tough inflexible rubbery plastic that does not click in place and which takes some muscle to secure, and yet, it still pops off. 3. The tiny blade at the bottom means that it will not blend about an inch above the blade without vigorous use of the tamper. I bought it to make two things - the Medical Medium heavy metal detox smoothie and the liver rescue smoothie using frozen fruit with only a small amount of liquid so that I would have something akin to soft serve. I was assured by Vitamix before purchasing that this blender could indeed handle frozen fruit with little liquid. But no, it simply wants to blend about an inch above the blade. It then takes numerous plunges and mixes of the tamper to try to get the smoothie to thoroughly blend. It is a bicep and tricep workout, and often the whole thing still does not blend. 4. The tall container, which Vitamix advised was the best for single servings, is impossible to get all of the food out of the sides, bottom, and around the blades. I end up with berry-stained arms up to my elbows attempting to spoon out all of the food for my meal. I sincerely regret this purchase.