Mini food processor (3-4 cup) recommendations please

Our old small Black & Decker, which we had for years and was wonderful, finally died. It's old enough that they don't make the same model any longer or anything close to it. So I've been poking around various websites to get ideas and the same three models, all in the 3-4 cup range, seem to be mentioned: Cuisinart, KitchenAid, and Hamilton Beach Stack & Press. Reviews seems to be equally positive for all three. Since we have a full-size machine, we don't want anything larger than 4 cups (or smaller than 3, I think).
So I turn to you for your own recs: need not be any of those three, but I mention them since they pop up repeatedly everywhere I look. Any and all thoughts welcome. Thanks.

I have a cuisinart mini and i like it very well. It cleans quickly and does a good job with sauces and marinades. This is my second one - I think it is 5 or so years old - and I had an earlier generation before for at least a decade (that I think it had been my grandmothers). My only complaint is the noise is kinda high pitched.

I have an old, OLD, OLD Cuisinart "Mini Prep Plus." It's the one with the sealed buttons, stainless in color. I think I've had it for 15 years - minimum.

I use it mostly for salsa batches. I make a LOT of salsa.

Not sure what your plan is for the new one. I also use it once in a while to puree sauces if needed. It's too powerful to trust things like getting a uniform dice, one pulse too many, and you'll liquefy, or mushify. For a mostly diced salsa, however, it works for me, and I'm way too lazy to dice all the stuff by hand - mostly because the mini prep does it just fine.

Anyway, seriously, this thing has been no trouble since day one except for a month ago, the little tab on the cover/lid that engages / disengages the motor lock snapped off somehow.

I've decided to ONLY buy another older one, if I see one pop up, OR a new lid. In the world of gadgets and doohickies that I've bought over the years, this stupid little thing has been rock freekin solid so much, that it's just one of those things I almost never even thought about dying when I grabbed it. And that's a good thing. Totally solid, never skipped a beat. And the motor is still rock solid, blade is still sharp as hell. One thing about it, and maybe same thing with all - cilantro stems, and probably parsley, too - you can't throw them in if they are too long, or a few will just wind up wrapped around the blade pole. Not a big deal. More than likely you'll have a chopping board and knife already because you gotta cut other things up to get them to fit in it anyway. So, I ALMOST threw mine out when the lid broke, but I figured out how to attach the lid and slide a thin object into the slot with the motor engage/disengage lever, Buys me some time to find a new lid or whole new unit on the cheap somewhere. Plus, it makes me feel all McGuyvery and cool as I watch my wife roll her eyes at me for not wanting to spend 40 bucks on a new one, but I'll easily buy 9 jars of strawberry habanero jam at 9 bucks a pop, just to have in the pantry in case the company stops making it.

I like but don't love my mini cuisinart. I have an older model on which the workbowl has straight sides. It's good for emulsifying and blending (and other small, liquid applications) but when I use it to chop, food gets sprayed to the side of the bowl way too quickly, resulting in the need for constant scrape-downs. It has its uses but they're limited. Maybe the newer models with sloped sides are more efficient.

I'd love to know if there were a better option out there. Anyone know about Magic Bullets?

=R=

I've tried a few different mini processors over the years. Currently my pick is an Ambiano from Aldi. It's an interesting design with a reversible motor to mix or bash with the back side of the blade. Runs at a fairly high speed and is very effective at pureeing and reasonably good at chopping dry materials like breadcrumbs.

Previously I used the mini food processor attachment for a Waring metal body blender. That also worked well but had a complicated and fragile transmission and clutch system. It was smaller, about 2 cups max.

I also have 2 different mini processors that came in a vast set of accessories for a Braun immersion blender. One is simply a jar and blade while the other has a geared speed reducer and a larger jar with an ice crushing insert. They're both a little disappointing because thick foods tend to rise up and stick to the sides rather than self-stirring, much as they would in a blender.

And I have a tiny Cuisinart 2 speed motor-on-top style that uses the bash/cut idea by turning the blade upside down. That's more like a glorified coffee grinder. Good for spices. I like that one well enough for special purposes that I bought a NIB one at a thrift store to keep as a spare. I'd consider doing the same if I saw another Ambiano, especially at the $10 price I paid.