Finding the Right Blend

Totally Gross (go figure) makes the TailGator, one of the most popular gas-powered blenders, weighing in at 10 pounds and using a 24cc, 2.25 horsepower, two-stroke engine -- it's no surprise that the TailGator made its breakthrough cameo appearance on Home Improvement. The company claims the variable-speed blender can grind a 60-ounce pitcher of ice into snow in 11 seconds. The pitcher, however, is made from plastic, which is less durable than glass and doesn't keep drinks as cold as steel. Also, the blenders are a bit loud.

"We were in the police blotter in Martha's Vineyard last fall," said Annika Hayes, the company's owner. "Someone called in about 10:20 on a Saturday night and said, 'You need to come, someone's chopping up bodies!" So a police car was dispatched and they saw some happy people walking along a roadside and as they came closer, they saw more revelers and pulled up to a big party. There were no bodies. People were just running their TailGators."

Power Play Totally Gross' Tailgator is an ice-crushing marvel and costs $300.

Ultimately, with a price tag of $300, the TailGator's real claim to fame is the novelty of owning one -- the company only sold between 1,500 and 2,000 units in 2003, mostly through select specialty outlets and the company's Web site, www.tailgatorzone.com. If the hefty price tag doesn't scare you off, for another $70 the company will throw in a carrying case -- which is probably worth the money, if only to avoid losing a key part on a camping trip.

The Race Car Blender

Outside of the occasional NASCAR-themed beer mug, sports cars do not provide much inspiration for kitchen products. But L'Equip's Model 228 R.P.M. power blender is a little different, able to make a mean milkshake as well as grind coffee beans, thanks to its extra-powerful 900-watt motor.

Indeed, the Model 228 is a variable-speed blender, able to reach between 500 and 20,000 rotations per minute, slow and strong enough to crush ice cubes and speedy enough to whip egg whites into foam. In fact, the Model 228 is so fast, the company has put a tachometer -- the kind that shows R.P.M.'s in race cars -- right into the base so smoothie fans can see exactly how fast "liquefy" really is.