not only do the blades break easily, but the spindle they sit on looks like ...
595586
Buyer Beware , not only do the blades break easily , but the spindle they sit on looks like it's stainless steel, it's not , it's plated and after a short period of time it flakes, and more than likely enters the food. When I contacted Cuisinart about this they told me since my 18 month warranty was passed it was not their concern. In my humble opinion anything that contaminates the food should always be a concern , regardless of time . I tossed this and will never buy another from Cuisinart
3208267
This is the third Vidalia Chop WIzard that I purchased  and the blade broke after the second time that i used it.
2147502
There are two design flaws with this item: 1) The blade attachment screw/nut and keeper for this nut; and 2) The blade lock.  I used these trimmers to trim my 20 crepe myrtles this winter.  I noticed about half way through that they stopped cutting cleanly.  Upon further inspection, I saw that the tightening nut had started to come loose (despite having the keeper tooth in place upon receipt).  I tightened them up, tightened the keeper and started back at it.  In another 10 minutes, the same thing happened and I had to re-tighten them.  This happened two more times during trimming.  The problem with the blade lock is that it rotates too far, interfering with the handles when trimming.  This item is poorly designed and I cannot recommended it, especially at this price point.
3853071
After owning for just under 3 months the blades no longer rotate. Before when it was working you should know that the stability is not good. It shakes violently even with the support feet. The power dial is located in the middle of the fan in the back which is not easy to turn off when it is shaking. Also, ordered it in white and it came in gray. This is not a good buy.
518863
I was excited to receive this blender after much research.  I enjoy making smoothies and this unit had favorable reviews.  As I first put it together I noticed that three of the six plastic gears on the bottom of the blade assembly seemed particularly thinly spoked.  I recalled the one review in which the owner mentioned that two of his six spokes had broken off.  I pushed forward hoping that the Braun engineers knew what they were doing.
Unfortunately, after maybe 10 smoothies and nothing else, I went to reassemble the blade assembly and notice one of the larger three spokes had broken off!  I looked at the base unit and sure enough the small plastic piece was sitting next to the drive gear. How long will it be before one of the small ones breaks off?
Otherwise, the blender is perfectly nice.  Unfortunately, this design flaw is critical and I wouldn't expect any of these blenders to last more than a year or two.  They need to beef up their blade assembly.  Mine is going back.  Save yourself the hassel, keep looking...
3556655
The actual metal that makes up the blade cutters broke in half when we used it the first time to trim. The bottom blade broke completely in half clipping a 3/4 inch diameter branch.
1880193
The blades shake around in the holder. Plus, easily comes off the little nob trying to keep it attached to the holder. Makes it difficult to cut with any precision or control. Also, Not high quality blades.  Ok at best. I guess you get what you pay for?!
256557
I'm very upset with my purchase. I purchased this blade 2 separate times because both times, they broke within 2 weeks of using. I'm very upset as they are not cheap and being a busy groomer, I don't have time and money  to keep wasting on cheap products. I will be looking for a new brand to work with because clearly these blades arnt worth what I've spent on them. I'm highly disappointed.
4404992
The first one broke immediately upon installation. I had to order another brand and wait an additional 2 days before I could continue the repair. They seem to be made of cheap plastic.

I am not a mechanic. There is always a chance I did something wrong. I've seen other reviewers who said not to remove & reinstall the cotter pin, which I did, but I still can't see any excuse for this cracking under so little force.

If you do use these, try snapping them onto the spindle without removing the cotter pin, and be very gentle with them!
4453912
This is my first time to write a review, but the salad spinner was so bad I can't not write a review.  Almost as soon as we bought it, it started getting unwieldy to spin, as if the pieces didn't fit together correctly.  Then a screw fell out.  Then the handle part (where you're pushing down) broke in half.  And even when it WAS "working," the lettuce came out relatively soggy.  It's a piece of junk - Sharper Image should be ashamed!
636536
Parts are not readily available and from the other reviews it
looks like the black PLASTIC gear that engages the blades is
indeed a design flaw, mine also disintegrated and the doesnt
seem to be a replacement part available - bummer!
223042
These are shoddily made and have a poor appearance. One of the airfoils isn't even attached to the main body of the blade.
1399361
This machine works great, but the part that screws on and holds the blades broke after one use. I haven't been able to replace the part because you have to take it to a service center, and there isn't one in my town. But, they still won't replace it over the phone. I haven't been able to find anywhere to even BUY that part. So right now, it's useless.
520528
The blade guard is fine, the replacement blades were very poor quality and cause significant wobble and rotation issues assuming you can get them on.
559804
It seems that aftermarket spindles are manufactured with only 3 blade locking tabs vs the 6 that come with the original equipment. You have to make sure that the tabs are fully engaged before tightening the nut. So far, the unit has performed well after mowing lawn 3 times.

UPDATE: Today is June 10, 2017. I purchased this item on March 17, 2017. I was cutting the lawn today and this spindle failed just like the original equipment spindle which was 5 years old. Less than 3 months service is totally unsat - So much for Stens aftermarket quality.
1400503
Good product, but it is made of die cast metal, which breaks to easy if you miss a branch in your yard.  I have replaced left spindle once already in less than 6 months.  We will see how the second order goes.  If it breaks again in less than 6 months, I will not order from these again.
815843
I got a similar spinner as a gift with a bottle of water, and my son really loved playing with it, but it didn't last very long. So I was glad to discover this item on amazon, as I could but a bag full of new spinners for just a few bucks. Unfortunately the spinners do not even come close to the quality of the freebie I got before.

The three pieces of plastic making up the actual spinning part are not properly glued together, so they have to be re-glued before they can be used. In addition, on the edge of the spinners there are some sharp protrusions which could cause minor injuries.

Some of the wind-up units were broken out of the bag, but even on the the best of them the "fingers" holding the spinner in place are extremely flimsy. It takes a lot of practice and more dexterity than a child is capable of to wind them without the spinner jumping off at random times.

Even with all of these issues my son enjoys playing with these toys, but daddy has to be there to wind and supervise.