Flaws But Not Dealbreakers
We know that for many people, the biggest issue with the Vitamix 5200 is its steep price. At around $400 or so, its at least twice the price of our runner-up, the Oster Versa Pro Series Blender. In the past, weve even made the Oster our top pick because of its comparatively affordable price. But after years of testing the Vitamix and using it in our test kitchen, we think its truly worth the investment. Its more durable and all-around more effective than any other blender weve found, and if you plan on using a blender regularly, it will make your life a lot easier. Plus, consider the cost of buying a smoothie rather than making it at home: A morning smoothie can run from about $5 to $13, so in two to four months you will have paid the same amount as for a 5200. A Vitamix, by contrast, will last you at least seven years .
At more than 20 inches tall, the Vitamix 5200 is a big appliancetoo big to fit under some kitchen cabinets. But none of the other high-powered blenders we tested were much smaller. Though the Oster is a couple of inches shorter, it also has a beefier base. If size is an issue for you, Vitamix makes other lines of blenders that have a shorter profile. But weve found that the tall, narrow shape of the 5200s blending jar is one of the components that help this machine create such an effective vortex.
What’s The Difference Between An Immersion Blender And A Blender
Regular countertop blenders have a container with a blade at the bottom, while immersion blenders work the other way around: theyre like a blending stick that can be used in a plastic deli container, tall measuring cup, Dutch oven, stock pot…you get the idea. An immersion blender is especially useful when blending hot items, like soup, right in their cooking pot and without having to blend in batches as you likely would with a standard blender. Theyre also much lower in profile and can often be stored in a drawer.
Ninja Bl610 Professional 72 Oz Countertop Blender For Smoothies Ice Cubes And Frozen Fruit 1000 Watt Base With Total Crushing Technology
This Ninja blender offers more storage and power so that you can quickly make more than one serving at once. If you are making smoothies or shakes for a large number of smoothies, this full-size blender is for you.
Key Technical Details and Dimensions
Summary
Overall, this cheap blender for smoothies manufactured by Ninja is a high-end model that is especially beneficial for making large quantities at once.
Its powerful motor and blades ensure that anything is crushed/blended properly, including ice, frozen strawberries, almonds, kale, crisp apples, etc. It also has 4 preset speed settings so that you can blend exactly the way you want to.
Furthermore, although it is made from plastic, this affordable blender is very durable, ensuring that it will last for a long time.
The only downside to this high-end blender is that its blending jar does not function as a bottle. However, this is because it can make many servings at once, for it includes a 72oz blending jar.
To buy one of the best budget blenders for just $99 on Amazon, click here.
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Some Essential Things To Pay Attention To When Making Green Smoothies
Here are some important things that you might not pay attention to when making green smoothies. Lets take a look at them.
- With a smoothie made from cucumber, spinach, kale, etc., you will benefit from chlorophyll, in particular, its detoxifying effect on the body and also avoid bloating.
- Forget the sugar. There are many ways to sweeten a smoothie, such as using almond milk, coconut milk, a banana, or honey.
- Dont use too much fruit in your smoothie. They contain a lot of sugar. Always mix with vegetables, preferably green. Put it like that, its not very appetizing, but taste before you judge you will be surprised!
- For even more benefits, add a superfood like spirulina, goji berries, chia seeds.
- Drink your smoothie within 10 minutes to get most of the vitamins and benefits of fruits and vegetables.
Oster 1200 Budget Blender Best Overall
The Oster Blender Pro 1200 has seven speeds, with three settings for salsa, smoothies, and milkshakes. It has an extra-wide blade with forward and reverse motion and offers 1,200 power watts and 900 watts for crushing ice. The glass jar ensures no stains and is dishwasher safe. It also comes with a 24-ounce plastic to-go cup when you want a smoothie on the road.
A few users have complained about the jar leaking at the base. However, if you dismantle the blender jar to clean it thoroughly, it has to be put back together precisely or it will leak, making the process awkward at best. Additionally, the base is plastic, and replacement parts are nonexistent, making this a point of contention with certain users. However, unlike most cheap blenders, this one has an all-metal connection between the base and the jar.
The price, the wattage, and the options on this blender make it our top choice, and we believe its one of the best cheap blenders for smoothies this year.
Our runner-up is the Hamilton Beach Power Elite Blender. It has 12 blending functions and easy buttons that include milkshakes, smoothies, salsa, and ice. The top has a pouring spout, and the glass jar, blades, and lid are dishwasher safe, making it easy to clean. Although this is a simple, straightforward machine without extra bells and whistles, the 700 watts of power keep it out of the number-one spot.
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What Are You Going To Blend
You should pay attention to what the manufacturer states you can put in the blender. Not every portable blender is designed to be used for crushing ice, mashing and fruit some cant handle any of those ingredients. And if you put them in your smoothies frequently, then you definitely need a sturdy blender that can handle even those tougher ingredients!
One of the key things to look for in personal blenders is the knife blades. Personal blenders that have a knife with only two blades will usually include a mini ice cube tray because the knife isnt powerful enough to cut through standard-sized ice cubes.
These blenders might be able to whip up protein shakes and crush nuts, but theyre not designed for store-bought frozen fruit. The pieces of fruit in those mass-produced packages are too big for knives with two blades, and it is recommended that you cut up your own fruit and freeze it.
But when it comes to knives with four or six blades, it really depends on the type of blender. Look at the manufacturer instructions before you put nuts or anything frozen in the cup using the blender for ingredients youre not supposed will void your warranty, so try to avoid that.
Before Choosing A Blender
A couple things to consider before choosing a blender just based on price.
I considered all of the criteria listed above when selecting the blenders below.
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Cleanblend Commercial Blender For Green Smoothies
The item from Cleanblend Commercial is one of the best blenders for making smoothies. It is indeed powerful, which is enough to pulverize ice, berry seeds, or even pieces of stringy ginger and obtain a smooth consistency.
The tapered shape of the container pulls the ingredients down to the blades, and the pestle pops any air bubbles. Therefore, you spend less time preparing your smoothie and more time enjoying it.
We also found this machine to be more rugged than other models, so it should last for many years. But if anything goes wrong, this Cleanblend model is backed by a five-year warranty, with responsive customer service and a quick complaints process.
One of the minuses of this machine is its high price. However, when you think about it: if you pay 4 to 12 dollars for a smoothie in a juice bar, five days a week, in two to four months, you will have spent as much as for this blender. I do think this is a worthy purchase to invest in.
Key Features:
Best Budget: Hamilton Beach Personal Blender With Travel Lid
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Comes with travel cup and lid
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Low power and may lack durability
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Difficult to clean
The Hamilton Beach Shakes and Smoothies Personal Blender is a compact, single-serve blender. It has a single button that can be used to blend continuously or use as a pulse feature. It comes with a 14-ounce travel cup that fits in most cup holders and includes a travel-friendly lid. The inexpensive price point and user-friendly functionality make it our top budget pick.
This blender differs from many other smoothie blenders as the blade is not removable from the travel cup. That may make it more difficult to clean, since the blade remains attached. One plus is that the lid and cup, including the blade, are dishwasher safe.
The motorized base of the blender includes a wraparound cord for easy storage, and the compact design allows for countertop or cabinet storage. While this blender is functional and easy to use, it may not be as durable as other options.
Price at time of publication: $23
Weight: 2.07 pounds | Power: 175 watts | Volume: 14 oz | Dimensions: 11.8 x 3.94 x 3.94 inches
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How The Vitamix 5200 Has Held Up
We also used a Vitamix 5200 in our test kitchen for five years with nothing but excellent results. It finally did burn out, but only after we put it through strenuous use over the course of many tests for both this guide and others. Still, it easily outlasted the Oster, and it made many more batches of nut butter and extra-thick smoothies before we pushed it to its limit. Since our Vitamix was still under warranty when it burned out, we contacted customer service, and the representatives promptly replaced it.
Ive also used a Vitamix at home for years, and its still my favorite household blender, period. I long-term tested the runner-up, the Oster, for six months and noticed some glaring differences: The Vitamix can handle more without its motor straining, and the Vitamixs tamper is much better than the Osters, which is really hard to get down in there.
Another minor complaint weve heard is from senior editor Kalee Thompson, who notes: Its so tall, it doesnt fit under the upper shelves over my counters … so Im less inclined to leave it out, and once its away, I dont use it as much. That said, others have told us how much they appreciate the Vitamixs large capacity.
Best Personal Blender Overall: Ninja Nutri
The Ninja Nutri-Blender Pros solid construction gives the machine a sturdy, high-quality feel, and the wide base provides a stable foundation for its powerful motor. Its straightforward control panel was the simplest to understand right out of the box of all the personal blenders we tested, making it easy to get right to blending as soon as we plugged it in.
The Ninja Nutri-Blender Pro has dedicated crush, smoothie and pulse modes, but our favorite feature in testing was its Auto-iQ function, which automatically selects a blending and pausing pattern for your chosen mix and stops once the blend is complete. We were initially skeptical of this feature, but ended up being impressed with the results, and appreciated how it let us hit the button once and walk away to do other things, confident wed get good results. If youd rather keep an eye on things and stop it manually, you can turn off this function at any time by pressing the start/stop button.
The Ninja had no trouble making any of our test smoothies. It easily crushed ice and frozen fruit, pulverized leafy and fibrous vegetables and had no trouble mixing our powdered protein drink in about 10 seconds. Whether this is due to the more vertically oriented blade assembly or to the Auto-iQ blend-and-pause routine, the Ninja also never got stuck or needed any manual shaking to clear lumps of partially blended ingredients like some other blenders did.
Also Check: Bed Bath And Beyond Smoothie Blenders
Blender Deals Save On Top
When seeking out the best blenders, you also want to save plenty of cash. Blending food often means you get the most from your produce, so why wouldnt you want to get the most from your money? Thats why weve taken a look at all the best blender deals and picked out some great bargains. Read on while we take you through why each choice is worthy of your time and money.
- Travel friendly
The Oster MyBlend Personal Blender keeps things simple. If you just need a blender for personal use, and youd like to be able to take it to different locations with you, then this is the ideal blender. While its a little small for the whole family to take advantage of, its a great basic blender if youre just starting out on maintaining a healthier lifestyle. All you need to do is fill its reusable sports bottle with your favorite fruits, vegetables, shakes, and more, before touching the button to blend it up. Hold the button in for as long as you need to, gaining the consistency that suits your needs the most. Whether you want a chunky smoothie or something more sauce-like, the Oster MyBlend Personal Blender can make that possible.
If youre looking for a personal drink, you cant go wrong with the Oster MyBlend Personal Blender. Its easy to add to your morning food preparation so youre guaranteed a nutritious drink while on the move.
Vitamix Professional Series 750 Blender Pearl Gray
Check Latest Price
| Lowest Price |
Product Details
Five pre-programmed settings automatically handle Smoothies, Hot Soups, Frozen Desserts, Purées, and Self-Cleaning. The sleek exterior is highly durable and will complement any kitchen décor. Five pre-programmed settings ensure simple cleaning, walk-away convenience, and consistent results for smoothie, frozen dessert, soup, and purée recipes.
The commercial-grade 2. 2-peak horsepower motor is able to blend the toughest ingredients. With a drop of dish soap and warm water, your Vitamix machine can clean itself in 30 to 60 seconds. The 64-ounce Low-Profile Container is perfect for family meals and entertaining, while fitting comfortably under most kitchen cabinets.
| Smoothie function, pureeing function, self-clean function, frozen dessert function, hot soup function |
| Blenders |
| 7 years |
Reviews From Real Customers
I would really like a threaded or better secured lid. I dont feel like it will stay on after several uses. I am concerned about safety around children since you can activate the blender without the lid on.
Some people might want that feature, so Im not going to knock it down for that but you may want to be aware of it. Overall, The quality of the blender is fantastic, but the tamper is extremely cheap, like a mini- childs whiffle ball bat.
This machine has blown me away every time I use it and I could not recommend a single other item to be in the kitchen over the 750, which has proven irreplaceable.
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Hamilton Beach 58148a Power Elite Multi
Hamilton is always recognized for high-quality affordable blenders that is why we selected the Hamilton Beach 58148A Power Elite Multi-Function Blender that offers EXCELLENT versatility at a reasonable price. The blender has 700 watts of the motor with a 40 oz. Dishwasher safe glass jar. What it has the wave action system that pulls the mixture down into blades to all the ingredients could blend well.
The most attractive parts of the blender are its pre-programmed buttons. The mixer has an option for making milkshakes, ice cream, chop, grind, blend and many more. The milkshake button works for self-cleaning as well.
The blender has a plastic lid cover that has an additional pouring cup for natural liquid pouring.its even good at making the dip, salsa or any sauce.
The jar, lid, and the bled is washable in the dishwasher. You can even wash these all manually by separating all of these. Overall, its a high-quality, efficient, versatile and safe blender for a daily meal or drink preparation for small family or singles.