Four blenders smooth with smoothies, pesto, and almond butter
Whether you’re a casual home cook, a smoothie fanatic, or the next Gordon Ramsay, we’ve got the perfect blender for you.
BLENDTEC DESIGNER SERIES WILDSIDE BLENDER
CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
The good: The Blendtec Designer Series WildSide Blender can juice, grind, mix, and blend with the best of ‘em. It is, in fact, among the best of ‘em.
The bad: The thing costs $454 at time of review and it really works best with larger portions. In other words, you better be prepared to make a ton of food to justify this purchase.
The cost: $386.74 to $454.95
The bottom line: Do you really need a 9-in-1 kitchen appliance? Unless you’re planning to make massive quantities of nut butter (or other relatively obscure things) regularly, you might actually prefer something less intense.
Product Review: www.cnet.com/products/blendtec-designer-series-wildside-blender/?partnewspapers
NINJA ULTIMA BLENDER BL810
CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
The good: The Ninja Ultima BL810 blender performs as well as models that cost twice as much.
The bad: The Ninja Ultima looks bulky and you may not like having to keep track of the various accessories.
The cost: $199.99 to $259.99
The bottom line: If you’re looking for a blender that can replace a lot of your small appliances without emptying your wallet, you can’t go wrong with the reasonably priced Ninja Ultima.
Product Review: www.cnet.com/products/ninja-ultima-blender-bl810/?partnewspapers
VITAMIX 7500
CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
The good: The Vitamix 7500 was one of the most consistently powerful blenders that we tested. It’s also one of the simplest to use.
The bad: With no presets and no timer, it might be a bit too simple. Also, it doesn’t dominate the cheaper models as much as you’d think.
The cost: $582 to $529
The bottom line: As tempting as that freakishly powerful motor is, it’s difficult to justify the $529 Vitamix over some of the more affordable competitors available.
Product Review: www.cnet.com/products/vitamix-7500/?partnewspapers
BREVILLE HEMISPHERE CONTROL BLENDER
CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
The good: The Breville Hemisphere Control Blender boasts strong performance, multitasks, and could, for certain tasks, replace your mixer or food processor.
The bad: There are models that, while not as versatile, still complete basic blender functions and that cost far less money.
The cost: $187.88 to $199.99
The bottom line: If you want a high-end blender that can multitask for you, the Breville may be worth the cost. If you’re looking for a basic blender, there are solid options out there for less money.
Product Review: www.cnet.com/products/breville-hemisphere-control-blender/?partnewspapers
CNET staff members Andrew Gebhart, Ry Crist, Megan Wollerton, Katie Pilkington and Laura K. Cucullu contributed to this story.
This story was originally published December 4, 2014 at 9:12 PM with the headline "Four blenders smooth with smoothies, pesto, and almond butter."