To me Blender stand up very well to other 3D software. People say that the interface is difficult to work with but compared to others like 3D studio that is menu based it is actually much faster to work in.
One thing to remember is that Blenders strong point is the fact that it is shortcut based.
I don't Know blender. I work in 3DS Max. Can it give results like 3DS Max? Do blender have features like reactors, character studio and modifier based other facilities? Do it give flexibility in animation like Max?
You will be suprized what Blender can do. Blender features List. Basically it actually can do some things 3D Studio max can't do. Like Nodes where you will need a program like after effects for. Blender even got a games engin. But see for your self.