If you use a blender with any regularity and are looking for something that is powerful and actually nice to look at, this 2 horsepower Breville Boss Superblender might be the one for you. We reviewed it earlier this year:
The Breville Boss Superblender can make hot, ready-to-serve soups from cold ingredients. The Breville Boss has a built-in cleaning cycle. The Breville Boss can start to sound like a Chuck Norris joke as you read about everything it can do.
$300 is a lot of money, but if you were already considering a Vitamix or Blendtec, than this one could be a steal today.