Right after making my green smoothie tonight, I noticed that the base of the Cuisinart had some "black dust" and oil on it. It looks like the base is grinding the black pastic teeth a bit. I think I'm pushing it beyond its capacity. And like my hip muscle, it's gonna blow. So I'm researching online to find a more powerful blender than the poor Cuisinart that can whack those raw beets and collards into a tasty drink. It should have a big enough motor that it could just mow the lawn too. That's not a bad idea, maybe it could come with a special attachment that would juice that lawn grass right into a shot glass for my daily regimen.... hmmmm