I have had this cuisinart for about 2 years now, and it is still going strong.  I have been impressed by its ability to chew through large volumes of basil when making pesto, and small things like sesame seeds for making tahini.  It is also perfect for grinding cookies for pie crusts.  And the size means you don't have to be using a large volume to get great results.  I don't think this mini prep eliminates the usefulness of a full-size cuisinart, but it sure is much easier to clean up when you only need to process 1-2 cups of something.