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Blenders don’t make a ton of news, but when they do it’s usually a pricey, high-performance model that nabs the headline. “Will the Vitamix Change the Way We Think About Food?” asked Vogue magazine earlier this year. And from Bloomberg News: “Hillary Clinton’s E-mails: Will They Blend?” referencing a popular YouTube series featuring Blendtec founder Tom Dickson. Consumer Reports also talks a lot about high-end blenders, mainly because they tend to perform best in our tests. But what if you can't shell out hundreds of dollars on this small appliance? Our Ratings of nearly 60 blenders includes several models that do the job for $100 or less. Here are three to consider:
The Ninja Professional NJ600, $100. The Ninja might have made our recommended list, alongside the $650 Vitamix Professional Series 750 and the $650 Blendtec Designer 725, but for the fact that its pureeing was a shade less uniform (though it's still very good, so you won't have to settle for lumpy leek and potato soup). And when it comes to the more common blender tasks of smoothies and icy drinks, the Ninja was superb, plus it stood up to our tough durability test. Convenience features include easy-to-clean touchpad controls and a removable blade.
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Black + Decker Fusion Blade Digital BL1820SG-P, $50. This blender is the best bargain in our Ratings—though only if you plan to use it for low-intensity tasks, like blending fresh-fruit smoothies or mixing up milkshakes. The Black + Decker was less effective in our ice crush test and it couldn’t pass our durability test, which involves crushing ice 45 times. Like the Ninja, it features easy-clean touchpad controls and a removable blade. It also has a glass jar, which some consumers prefer because the material is less susceptible to staining than plastic.
Waring Pro PBB225, $100. Waring, which introduced the first blender in America back in 1937, is known for its heavy-duty commercial-grade appliances. For example, there's the $350 Waring Xtreme MX1000R blender, a top pick in our Ratings, and at 14 pounds, also the heaviest. Waring's Pro line is aimed at more cost-conscious consumers. Of the handful of blenders from the line that we tested, the Waring Pro PBB225 fared best, producing a very good pina colada and a superb soup puree. Its old-fashioned styling might appeal, though we would have liked to have seen more modern conveniences, including a pulse setting, and easier-to-read measurement markings.
Spending less doesn't impress. While this trio of budget blenders delivers solid performance, spending less can also yield seriously subpar results. For example, the $40 Hamilton Beach Power Elite Multi-function 58148 was poor at pureeing and crushing ice and only so-so at making smoothies. We were also unimpressed by the Rival 6-speed RV-928, even with its headline-worthy price of $20.
Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.
