Blenders

Comment:

We took a chance when we bought the Ninja. We read a lot of reviews that called it flimsy. We use it mostly to make healthy smoothies and salsas. I think it will last a good while if used as instructed. Don't run over 15 seconds per pulse, don't overload, and make sure the motor is well seated on the lid. It is a pleasure to use, it's quiet, comes with a bunch of containers, and is perfect for a retired couple like us. We don't need a $500+ machine to keep up with the Jones' or try to impress our friends. It is what it is. An affordable, quiet, and convenient appliance for making refreshing and healthy drinks. We'll have to wait and see about the longevity of the Ninja, but I'll bet it'll last if we use it in a sensible manner. If it doesn't last, we'll buy another at 1/10 the price of some of the others.

How long have you owned it:

A month or less

Bottom Line

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

Comment:

Let's be real, if you want a cheap blender for party drinks or making things like salsa or blending protein powder with soft fruit this is fine and will last a year or so before the plastic gears strip. You get what you pay for. It is not designed for heavy blender task. The way the blades are designed food is not drawn into them and it stays between them and never gets really smooth. It has small pieces or is very grainy like the ice in a margarita. Forget blending frozen fruit and nuts in a smoothie and getting a smooth consistency. The blade design and the weak motor is not designed to do this. It's fine for people who want party drinks but don't use consistently as a cooking tool. We make several smoothies daily and use for soups, purees etc. This would not last a week. Rating this above a Vitamix is a JOKE and I have lost all belief in Consumer reports. Anyone who has tried both knows they are not comparable.

How long have you owned it:

A month or less

Bottom Line

No, I would not recommend this to a friend.

Comment:

I was worried about this machine: it's so different from what I'm accustomed to!<br /><br />Surprisingly, it goes a lot farther I expected.<br />-I assumed it would make great smoothies and it does.<br />-I hoped it would crush ice for mint juleps and it does.<br />-I supposed I'd still be able to turn canned potato soup into vichysoisse, and this blender does that very well.<br />-It also allows me to quarter an avocado and a roma tomato, turn it on and scrape out guacamole!<br />-I can dump in stringy slaw, pulse it a few times and dump out fine cut slaw.<br /><br />Cleaning is a breeze. I don't have to carefully disassemble a tight base, I lift off the top, drop it and the blades in the top of the dishwasher and put the plastic pitcher in the bottom.<br /><br />The design looked as if it might not be stable: I've never had a problem with that: the rubber flanged base seems to grip the counter firmly.<br /><br />The only thing I can't do that I used to be able to do is make hollandaise by pouring hot butter over egg yolks in the blender. I don't make hollandaise often enough to make it worth the $400 price difference. I can beat the hot butter and eggs together. It makes a better hollandaise anyway.

How long have you owned it:

More than six months

Bottom Line

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.