It works great for what I bought it for

I love my Magic Bullet. I use it almost every morning to make some sort of shake or smoothie.

Chopping:
I do agree that it does NOT chop. I tried putting leftover chicken and some mayo to make chicken salad like on the infomercial. Well even pulsing it and shaking the cup every few pulses, the bottom still was complete mush and the top was not done at all. It makes veggies mush which is good for if you are trying to make baby food but bad if you were trying to make salsa. The only thing that it really chops would be nuts as long as you do a small amount at a time and make sure you are pulsing not having it on.

Smoothies/shakes:
It is AWESOME for smoothies. The one I make most often for breakfast is a small banana, a cup of yogurt (or sometimes skim milk), and some unsweetened frozen fruit (either mixed tropical or just strawberries that I buy in bulk from Costco). It is wonderful. The frozen fruit gives it a nice chill and these are so healthy. I have made lots of different variations and the only problem that I have ever had is if I make something that is too cold and thick at the same time. That usually makes it leak through the blade. I can avoid this by using more liquid (they still come out thick enough). But things I have used (not at once) in smoothies and shakes that worked fine... frozen fruit, bananas, milk, juice, yogurt, powders (like Secure), cereal, etc. The only thing that I have tried that I didn't like would be blackberries and rasberries because the seeds are really noticeable (even though they aren't when you eat it fresh) and they collect around the rim when drinking.

My favorite thing about the Magic Bullet is the cleanup. Although it's not any easier to make the smoothies than in a full sized blender, it's definitely easier to clean it up. I hardly used my regular blender to make smoothies because it was a pain to have to stick your hand in the jar to clean the blade then clean the top part with a bunch of grooves. Cleaning the cup on this is pretty much like cleaning a regular cup and the blade is right there to run under the water. It's so much quicker. Also the size is perfect. I'm usually just making them for myself so the individual cups are great. The footprint on the counter is very small also.