[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I received this about a year ago for my wedding shower. As others have said, it is very loud. Also, the plastic pitcher is impossible to keep looking nice - it gets scuffed and cloudy right away and doesn't look clean after washing. The most frustrating thing though is that it broke after about a year of use. My husband turned it on as usual but this time it made an awful grinding noise. We pulled off the pitcher to find that the fitting for it in the base had stripped completely, leaving black rubber everywhere. I'm really disappointed at how easily it broke. It was fine while it lasted, but it didn't last long.