For those folks who’ve been looking to get a KitchenAid Blender and can’t afford the high price tag, if you are willing to live with slightly used accessories then you might want to look into a “reconditioned” KitchenAid Blender on Amazon.com.

The price cut will generally be about 50% off, since new models go for around $100 and the reconditioned ones can be found for $50. That is, when you can find them. Most of the reconditioned stock varies in color and availablility is actually sold by third party vendors… the best advice is to keep checking to see when the color you want becomes available.

As for the quality of the reconditioned blenders, Amazon states that the blenders have been returned to the manufacturer (KitchenAid) who then returns the appliance to a “like-new” state. Indeed, some of the ones that are shipped out come in the original packaging. As with all reconditioned items, it’s a bit of a gamble - your mileage will definitely vary depending on what was originally wrong with the blender. Some are shipped back just for minor cosmetic flaws, while others actually have something physically wrong with the mechanism that is fixed. If you’re in the former group, you’ve gotten lucky. Still, with the quality of KitchenAid behind these blenders, it’s probably worth a shot if you can find the color of your choice.