OT - Blender Recommendation

This is really a question for Banders who've had the band for awhile.  I have a blender,but it's old, doesn't crush ice very well, but it does the trick for my protein shakes.  How much am I going to need the blender for protein shakes in the future?  I'd love to go buy a new one, but I've been out of work for awhile and don't want to make the purchase if it's unnecessary.
So...   How much do you use your blender?  Every day?  Does it remain on your counter? (I put mine away at night - top shelf - I'm short, LOL)

Thanks for any input!

My husband and I use our blender a lot. I've been banded for 3-1/2 yrs and still use it for protein shakes when my band is too tight for me to eat real food in the morning (which is a lot of the time). I also use the blender to make pureed soups (when I'm doing purees after a fill, or just because we like the soup), and my husband uses it to make his famous garlic cream (about 5 pounds of garlic cloves cooked with a few cups of heavy cream, then pureed).

So our blender sits out on the counter all the time (otherwise it gets stored in a base cabinet - because I'm short too). Our original Waring blender had a cheap plastic pitcher part that finally broke, and since the blender motor was also sickly, I got a sturdier Black & Decker with a glass pitcher part. Only problem with that one is that it's tricky to get the cover on securely and my husband has decorated the entire kitchen (cabinets, counters, ceilings, walls, floor) with garlic cream more than once.

But that still doesn't top the time my ex-husband left a batch of chili in the pressure cooker while drinking beer with a buddy in another room. The cooker exploded, and Joe and his buddy were still mopping up chili when I came home from work an hour later.

Jean

 I like Oster, you can get it at Walmart. Has a button to crush ice and does a great job.  

I cannot  live with out my Wolfgang Puck immersion blender.  I use it almost everyday.  It whips up fat free milk into a milkshake and is wonderful for soups and gravies.  They sell it on either www.hsn.com or www.qvc.com    I forget which one, I think HSN.  It is real easy to clean. Not too many parts. I have given several away as gifts and everyone said they loved it.  It has a holder that sits on the counter.  Also it comes with different attachment blades for whipping, chopping etc. 

Myself I can't remember the last time I used mine, I never was into the protein shakes even right after surgery. I couldn't stand them so I used Isopure protein drinks when I had to do liquids but after that I got my protein thru food. It kinda depends on how much you use protein drinks.

I just bought a Ninja Master Prep & it is speedy and makes awesome smoothies. I also have a Magic Bullet. Love & use both! I just got my Ninja at Wal-mart for $40.

My Bullet stays on my counter and I use it often.  But the  Ninja is starting to take over! I used my bullet to puree food when I was in the mushy stage and for making smoothie/protein shakes.

As for will you be drinking protein shakes for awhile, that is up to you. Some people never have them again after their initial liquids stage.

Magic bullet! I love mine so much I bought one for work.  It sits on the counter and is so small It is not obnoxios.

 

Thanks, everyone....looks like I'll be going shopping!