I'm part of the large pan and stick blender brigade.

But then I only have a galley kitchen, so not much space to keep gadgets. Ergo gadgets have to be chosen carefully.
Made a lovely turkey noodle soup today; onion, two cloves of garlic, four carrots, a parsnip, a large leek, four sticks of celery and three nests of vermicelli. Plus a large tub of Tesco's Finest turkey gravy that I got on yellow sticker last week. Had a big bowl this evening for supper.
Prior to that, it was a potato, cheese and onion soup (out of the Tesco magazine), which was truly lush. It says to use leftover cheese. But pray, what is this leftover cheese of which they speak?
Other favourites are roasted mediterranean vegetable (tomato, onion, peppers, courgette, garlic), scotch broth, curried parsnip, leek and potato, minestrone...