After a little research on Google and YouTube and pretty much every site imaginable that sold blenders, we came across a model by KitchenAid on the Bed Bath and Beyond site. The reviews were solid, across the board, so we made our purchase.
Price:
$99 at Bed Bath and Beyond
Detailed Specifications:
The Basic Specs and Highlights:
- 0.9 HP Motor. Yes, the thing is 3 times heavier than your Grandma's blender
- 56oz pitcher. It is plastic, but durable! The blender blades are built into the base of the pitcher - it doesn't come apart, like the old blender style
- The way the pitcher fits onto the base is simple and smooth
- Buttons are flat under a tactile cover. Very smooth and easy to press.
- When the blender starts, it kicks with an initial pulse that really gets things moving. Be sure to have the cover on or your ceiling will be wearing your smoothie!
What we don't like:
- The cover is made of a thick rubber material. However, it doesn't seal tight onto the top of the pitcher. The force of this blender is intense - especially when making anything that involves crushing ice! The top tends to vibrate off if you don't hold it down on higher speeds
- The initial pulse is a bit annoying when blending liquids. It just seems unnecessary.
What we like:
- The power is simply fantastic! Though I would never try it, I believe this blender could make a handful of nails into metal dust in 30 seconds. I have never experienced a blender that was able to blend ice and liquid (Margarita, for instance) into the perfect drink. It is seriously like, if not better, than restaurant style drinks! The old blender struggled with our morning protein shakes with ice. Now, within 2 mins we are sipping thick shake-like drinks to start our day!
- The big pitcher cleans up very quick and easy. We thought we would prefer a big glass pitcher, but the plastic is much easier to handle and clean.
- The heavy base keeps the entire unit stable and it isn't as loud as the old style blender. Granted, it still has a deep growl, but it is surprisingly quiet for the power.
- While blending with ice (and likely the same with ice cream), everything keeps flowing. The old blender would start to rev up, because the thick stuff was at the top and the liquid was at the bottom. This guy just keeps everything moving. Pretty awesome!
What we didn't like about the Ninja:
- The blade system is vertical from the base to the lid. In the review videos, these seemed to be a pain when pouring.
What we didn't like about the HealthMaster:
- Square pitcher and videos suggested it was really loud. It seemed to be more of a "juicer" than a blender.
- Frankly, the promo videos gave me tons of doubt if it really worked as they promised.
- Price was much more.
That is the review of the KitchenAid Blender! It was a great purchase and after 30 days of use, we are very happy with the purchase!
Upcoming reviews: Car, sunglasses, wireless router, TV, ipod and many more!
- Robb
