I've had other Braun stick blenders before, and this one seems to maintain the heritage of a quality product. One thing so noticeably better than the cheaper brand that I just disposed of is that the Braun doesn't create the suction that drives it to the bottom of the vessel. And I didn't dispose of the other blender for only this flaw, but for the fact that the spindly connection between the motor and shaft failed. Even though the Braun's connection is also plastic, it is much more secure with more locking points.
IMHO, this Braun stick aka immersion blender has all the other advantages over countertop blenders - that being exactly one of them - it can reside in the side of a drawer not taking up countertop space. You can blend soups while on the stove and cleanup is a quick rinse under the faucet.
The reason I've docked this product a star was for the package - or rather the lack thereof. I hope this was just an oversight and not an acceptable shipping procedure for this item. Not only was it shipped only in its retail box - the box wasn't even taped shut! Picking it up on the porch, the lid popped open displaying the contents! Thankfully, the Styrofoam placeholders in the ends of the box had taken the brunt of travel wear-and-tear, but I feel sure that was due to luck not design.
There are many reasons why retail packaging is a poor choice for a shipping container besides the fact it wasn't made to protect as such container, including the fact that seeing the retail container might give away a gift or add incentive for porch pirates. Again, I hope this was an error and doesn't indicate policy.

This was a gift to myself which I had been eyeing for awhile. It will come in handy and will work well with the splash when blending soups and the.

I love my immersible blender but unlike the one I bought years ago, there was no holder to place the actual blender in. I had to find space in a drawer for it.

This was a gift for my Bestie and she always wanted one and can't wait to use .

Wonderful to immerse directly in a saucepan full of soup where you want to blend some soft veggies in as it cooks to increase heartiness. No splash back! Easy to rinse off. Not good for mashing potatoes which I tried, unless you want lumpy potatoes which my spouse does like, so that's an option. I prefer the handmixer for that. Quality made. With mashed potatoes, soak the blades in detergent and water for a few hours to clean.