I've been incredibly skeptical of nut milk makers because to me, they seem just like stylized blenders. If you already have a blender, what more does this machine have to offer? A lot, it turns out.The greatest benefit is that it has timed blending cycles, so you can load it up with your nuts and/or grains of of choice plus water, turn it on, and walk away. 15 - 20 minutes later you'll have fresh non-dairy milk, no muss, no fuss! I do love that convenience and ease; you can't mess it up. They even include a measuring scoop and handy cookbook with guidelines to get started.As for noise, it's about as loud as you'd expect any other machine grinding up hard pieces of food, which is to say, not too bad. The milk is very well blended, smooth and not gritty, although you'll probably still want to strain it for a perfectly silky beverage. I happen to like the extra fiber so I'll usually keep it in, just make sure to shake it well before serving. The milk does come out of the machine hot, which is nice for winter I'm sure, just keep that in mind if you want to factor in time to chill it properly.I've only just gotten started using it and can't wait to explore more. The cookbook includes ideas for making smoothies too, which I'm excited to try. I go through lots of dairy-free milk so I'm hoping this will save me money (and bulk storage space) in the long run. I do wish it was bigger to make more generous batches, but at least they process quickly, and you can make them consecutively without burning out the motor. I'm glad I finally gave it a shot!