A blender is one of the best small appliances you can have in your kitchen, and today’s blenders aren’t just smoothie machines: they’re full-powered ice crushers that can make soup, cookie dough, and juices. They can even whip up a drink right in a to-go cup that you can pop in your car’s cup holder. Given everything a blender can do now, how do you choose the best blender for you?
It’s actually pretty simple, especially when you decide on your wish list of features before hand.
Choose from different types of blender
There are a few different types of blenders, and although the features vary, they are usually categorized according to power.
1500 watt blenders
High performance blenders like the Vitamix or Ninja usually run at approximately 1200 to 1500 watts. These types of blenders are great if you’re a power user and you make smoothies, juices, or dips with it every day. The 1500 watt blenders are also amazing ice crushers, so if you like an ice cold smoothie every day, you may want to choose a high-end blender.
550 watts to 1000 watts
Mid-level blenders like the KitchenAid and Oster will run from around 550 watts and up. This level of blender is a great choice if you only use your blender occasionally, but you want to ensure it has the power to crush ice, nuts, and frozen fruit.
250 watts and up
Smaller blenders like the Vitamix Personal blender or a Hamilton Beach will run at 250 watts and up. They still have powerful motors to blend up your drinks, and when you can blend right in the cup you can take it with you on the go.
Although power has a lot to do with how you’ll choose the best blender for you, there’s also different features on each that you’ll want to take a look at before you buy.
Blender features
I’ve tested out a lot of different blenders for Best Buy. I’m always surprised at how they can all be essentially the same small appliance, but they’re totally different in how they work, sound, and the features they have. I’ve discovered something new every time I’ve tried one.
After all of those reviews my best advice is take a good look at all of the components, controls, and features on the blender you’re interested in and compare a few. Take these blenders for example.
Comparing high performance blenders
Over the past year I’ve reviewed two high performance blenders: the Ninja Intell-Sense Duo and the KitchenAid Professional Blender. Both of my reviews walked through each of the features and speeds on the blenders, and I found great reasons to choose both.
The Ninja Intelil-Sense Duo
The Ninja Intelli-Sense Duo is a 1200 watt blender that has something called Auto-iQ technology. That tech means you can just touch the control screen and your blender will use a combination of timed pulsing, blending, and pausing to create a perfect beverage, crush ice, or make a dip. The Ninja also has Smart Vessel recognition, so the menus that pop up for the blender bucket are different than the menus that pop up for the single serve cup.
The Ninja Intelli-Sense can blend up to 72 oz in the bucket and 24 oz in the blender cup. It has a large blade that wraps its way up the center of the bucket, and that blade is easy to remove when you want to clean the bucket. That means you never have to worry about sticking your hand inside and cutting yourself on the ultra-sharp blade.
The KitchenAid Professional Blender
Like the Ninja, the KitchenAid Professional Blender is also a powerful, high-performance blender with 1100 watts of power. The Ninja can make snow cones, frozen drinks, and smoothies, but the KitchenAid Professional can do that and a few others too. Because it has a Thermal Control Jar, the KitchenAid Professional blender can make soup in just five minutes.
I tried it, and it really does blend and heat soup, and it’s warm and ready to eat. In addition to the soup setting there are 11 variable speeds as well as pulse and boost.
Do you only blend occasionally?
If you only blend occasionally but you still want a blender with the speed and power to blast through ice, nuts, and frozen fruit, you may want to take a look at a few of the great options available on Best Buy in the 750 watt to 1000 watt blender category.
The Hamilton Beach Digital Smoothie blender will blend your drinks quickly and easily. It has 750 watts of power so it’s more than able to handle chunks of ice and frozen fruit, and there are stainless steel blades and a die cast metal base for durability.
The Hamilton Beach Digital Smoothie blender has three speeds on a push button pad. Although there are no pre-set programs, these three speeds plus a pulse button are more than enough to whip up your favourite smoothie every day.
Is a personal blender the best blender for you?
Personal blenders fall in the 250 watt category. A personal blender gives you the option of putting your favourite fruit, veggies, ice, and whatever else you’d like to add into a blender cup. You can push a button and whip up your drink, then pop on a lid and take it with you.
Some high-performance blenders like the Ninja include a blending cup, or you can choose a blender like the Oster MyBlend Blender. It has a 250-watt motor and comes with a 20 oz. BPA-free plastic bottle that will fit into your car’s cup holder. It’s also dishwasher safe, so clean up is a breeze.
I’ve taken a look at several different types of blenders and highlighted some of the different features. If you’re in the market for a blender right now, I hope this has helped you choose the best blender for you, and that you have as much fun using your new blender as I’ve had testing them out over the past year.
You can find all of the best blenders at Best Buy.
very helpful information. thank you.
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