Equipment Review: Best Blenders (Midpriced/Mid-Range) & Our Testing Winner
Buy KitchenAid 5-Speed Diamond Blender:
Buy Black + Decker Performance FusionBlade Blender:
Behind the Testing:
Full testing details and ranking chart:
*** UPDATE JULY 9, 2018 ***
Our winning mid-priced blender, the Breville Hemisphere Control, has been discontinued, though some are still available for sale. Breville is launching a new line of blenders this fall, including a replacement for the Hemisphere. We’ll test the new model as soon as it’s available and report back with our findings. In the meantime, we recommend our runner up, the KitchenAid 5-Speed Diamond Blender for those who want to make blended drinks, soups, and thicker recipes like almond butter, or our winning inexpensive blender, the Black + Decker Performance FusionBlade Blender, for those looking to just make blender drinks, soups, and thinner recipes.
***
We tested 7 midpriced blenders to find the best blender (listed in alphabetical order):
Braun PureMix
Breville the Hemisphere Control
Cuisinart Hurricane 2.25 Peak HP Blender
Cuisinart Hurricane Pro 3.5 Peak HP Blender
KitchenAid 5-Speed Diamond Blender
Nutri Ninja Ninja BlendMAX DUO
Oster Versa Pro Performance Blender with Tamper 1400 Watts
What are the best blenders out there? From burnt-out motors to cracked pitchers and smoothies that aren’t smooth, most midpriced blenders are a bust. Luckily, in our latest blender review, we found one you can count on.
We review gas grills under $500:
Need to buy a new food processor? Watch our review:
WINNING TRAITS OF A GOOD MIDPRICED TOP-RATED BLENDER
– Powerful, durable motor
– Well-designed blade that results in optimal food circulation
– Well-designed jar that requires few or no scrape-downs
– Reasonably quiet motor
– Clear, logical control panel
WHAT WE EXAMINED
We tested seven blenders, priced from $159.99 to $285.00, rating them on their ability to perform various tasks. We also evaluated each blender on how easy it was to operate and clean. We measured the diameter of each jar at the midpoint. We used a tachometer to measure how fast each blender’s blades turned on the lowest setting and a decibel meter to measure how loud each was.
SMOOTHIES: We made kale, pineapple, and orange juice smoothies in each model. The best made completely smooth smoothies while incorporating minimal air.
CRUSHED ICE: The best models quickly turned ice into fluffy white snow with minimal scraping.
MAYONNAISE: We evaluated each model’s ability to blend small amounts of eggs and oil into mayonnaise, measuring the efficiency of its lowest speed and the functionality and usefulness of the hole in the top of its lid, through which we poured the oil while the blender was running; the best models produced a smooth and creamy sauce on the first try.
ALMOND BUTTER: Models that were able to produce smooth butter from whole almonds with minimal scraping or overheating rated highest.
EASE OF USE: We rated each blender on how logical and intuitive its controls were, as well as how maneuverable the jar and the blender itself were. We also evaluated how easy it was to clean.
NOISE: We noted how loud the blenders were throughout testing and measured their noise levels with a decibel meter, noting a range of roughly 80 decibels (comparable to the dial tone of a telephone) to 103 decibels (comparable to a lawn mower). Those that stayed under 100 decibels rated highest.
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Link goes to a Kitchen Aid blender.
Had the Brevell blender its great, my ex wife got it.
Great review & good test methods. It's agencies like yours which I tend to trust more. However you need one last test. The difference between your ratings and Amazon for example can vary widely, and they have thousands of personal real life testimonials on the Breville you recommend which are hard to ignore. The biggest difference seems to be with longevity & customer service. So this is why I recommend that with each manufacturer you try to get a hold of them with some perhaps made up problem. The ease of getting customer satisfaction would add quite a bit to an otherwise great reviews.
Does the newer Breville "Fresh and Furious" use the same pitcher? Do you think it would perform in a similar way despite being nearly twice the power (1100watt vs 750watt) and having the same 5 speeds?
Before I used to watch entire videos but now if I see lisa is the one reviewing then I just skip to the end to see the winner as I have now so much faith in her reviews!!! Great job!!
😍😍😍🤩🥰
It would be great if you could do blender reviews yearly. The recommended models are never available any longer – frustrating!
So, what's the new breville that replaced it?
All I can find is $350+ breville blenders …
Seriously!!!! You go through this whole extremely well-done comparison of these blenders to say that the Breville Hemisphere Control performed the best. BUT when I look to buy it it is not available anymore!!?? That's just mean!
jar is everything i just got v shaped jar for my standard 500w blender and it works like magic. all this hi speed is bullshit.
be great if you could compare https://froothie.co.uk/optimum-9200/ blender against them, as it is 2611w powerful value blender but not sure if its as good as it sounds. please review esp want to know if they last, thanks in advance
NOISE SHOULD BE MEASURED AT A FIXED DISTANCE! (ex. 1m)
Here's a list that helped me out.
"whinyl.com/bbs-guide/
In the end, I went with #3.
1:05
I see the Breville has been discontinued and they recommend the Kitchenaid runner up.
I don't know about the new units, but after $9 worth of parts my almost 20 year old Kitchenaid is still one of my favorite appliances.
Was expecting the KitchenAid to win.
This is such a thorough review! Thank you. How has it held up after 2 year of use?
Breville seems to come out on top in a lot of categories. These must be good products.
Buying items for my first home and I have been watching these nonstop. So grateful for this channel. 🤍
Cool
I like my blendtec. These days & probably always don't really know how bias reviews are. One smashes one cuts. But I don't have Vit to compare.
How would you compare this top pick to the vitamix favourite for longtime use? The Breville is cheaper upfront, but if the vitamix were to last longer, than it could ultimately be cheaper per use in the long run 🤓
Love the Breville Hemisphere blender, too bad it's discontinued.
actually listened to her explanations without skipping
portions of it or the middle for answers. what i came
to seek for; which blenders were the best, which was
their favorite, with their why.
i even enjoyed their show of what they did or and how
it was tested and tried out. other reviews had
unnecessary comments not related to their reviews so,
earned their 'dislikes'. this review, liked it. which was
why i looked for her explanations again, this one
2nd time, after her pot pans reviews, which
contributed to why i liked this review too
I have a Ninja. I use it to grind up dry dog food. It's strong and reliable. Never fails me. Had it for 7 years or more. Never used for anything else.
Don't they normally announce a runner up?
How is $100 mid range? What the heck?
How I make mayonnaise, step one: open a jar of Hellmann’s mayonnaise. Step two: done!
I got the NutriBullet ZNBF30500Z Blender Combo 1200 Watt. This review is 3 years old so I just did my research and pulled the trigger. I love my blender cause I can just use the portable container to blend small stuff and easy clean. It is super strong. Only down side is the latching onto the blender, It can only be on 4 different way but im just being picky. The bottom attachment could be metal but I think it was be okay. Worth it. BTW i mostly use it to make smoothies.
Hell yeah. Four and a half inches.
“It’s moderately priced at $199.95” go fuck yourself. I’m just gonna take a wild guess and say the “high-end” blenders require a mortgage plan.
Update December 2018:
BREVILLE replaced The Hemisphere Control with The Fresh & Furious and it is the new winner for best mid-priced blenders.
https://www.americastestkitchen.com/equipment_reviews/1807-midpriced-blenders
really like it
Questions: I keep a kosher home, which requires me to have a blender jar that is for dairy items (dairy) and one for non-dairy and non-meat products (pareve) so that I could blend soup bases or nut butters or smoothies, etc. For grinding meats, I use a dedicated "meat" food processor container made of plastic. Glass jars can be koshered (as far as I know), but plastic jars cannot be koshered. If you use them for dairy, they really should only ever be used for dairy in the future. So my question are: Did you test for performance of GLASS jars compared with PLASTIC jars and did you find any differences between them in the end results of whatever you blended?
"in 2019, this list helped me decide for the best blender scafe.shop/tbb2019?t5 hope it helps you out too!"
I pity the poor soul who had to taste the kale smoothie. You took one for the team! Thank you
Almond butter is best made in a food processor anyone would know that.