Features

With blenders, power, performance, and price don't always go hand-in-hand. In our tests, some modestly powered, inexpensive blenders turned out smooth-as-silk mixtures, while some bigger and fancier blenders left food pulpy or lumpy. Here are the features to consider when buying a blender.

Wattage

Blenders generally range from 300 to 500 watts. Manufacturers claim that higher wattage translates into better performance, but in our tests, lower-wattage models often outperformed more powerful ones by, for example, making icy drinks faster and smoother. Power seems to make more of a difference with immersion blenders than with countertop models. An immersion blender in the 100-watt range didn't even have the energy to mince onions in our tests.

Controls

Touchpad controls are easiest to clean, and some touchpad units have programmable controls to eliminate guesswork. But you have to press the button twice: once for on, once for off. Push-buttons easily change from one speed to another with a single touch but are difficult to clean. A dial control is easier to clean than push-buttons, but you must dial through all the settings to reach your desired speed. A flip switch is simple but limits your options to one or two speeds and possibly a pulse setting.

Number of speeds

Three to 16 speeds are the norm, but more is not better. Three well-differentiated speeds are adequate; a dozen or more that are hard to distinguish from one another is overkill.

Wide-mouth container

This makes loading food and washing easier.

Big markings

Look for easy-to-read notches and numbers on the container to help you to measure more accurately.

Pulse setting

This helps you to fine-tune blending time. There's no lag time between when you push the button and when the blender starts or stops.

Attached blade

It might seem that an attached blade makes a container sturdier, but in fact, it makes it harder to clean.

See also:

Mixers

Toasters

Coffeemakers

Wine chillers