What to Look for When Choosing a Blender for Your Smoothies

I’ve had my blender for a few years but it doesn’t work well with frozen fruit. I have to defrost it slightly in the microwave before the blender works effectively. Additionally, it has a tendency to stop and restart mid-blending.

As I’ve been drinking more smoothies and incorporating a lot of natural ingredients in my diet since I began my fitness challenge, I decided it’s time to upgrade my blender. Picking one however turned out to be quite a challenge and confusing as there are just so many brands out there. Subsequently, I narrowed the requirement list to the following:

6 Things to Look Out For Before Purchasing a Blender

1. Built for longevity. I’m not keen on changing appliances at all. I prefer to buy the right appliance and continue using it until it stops working.
2. Can withstand use a few times a day. Apart from my smoothies, I make pesto, sauces, soups etc for my evening meals several times a week so the blender needs to accommodate repeated use.
3. A big pitcher. My previous blender had a medium-sized pitcher, which could be annoying sometimes when I had a large batch of things to blend.
4. Budget friendly. While I’m okay to invest in the right blender, I certainly will not be breaking the bank for one.
5. Easy storage & reasonable size. I’m not trying to buy a gigantic blender that will take up half of my kitchen counter space.
6. Multifunctional with various speed & blending functions. Not just start and stop like my previous blender.

Once I applied this requirements to my search, I narrowed things down to the five below based on size, additional components, price point and reviews from previous buyers.

Oster Versa Professional Performance Blender – $$$

Oster Versa Professional Performance Blender with Jar and Cookbooks – $$$

Ninja Professional Blender – $$$

Breville BBL605XL Hemisphere Control Blender – $$$

Hamilton Beach Power Elite Multi-Function Blender – $$

In an ideal budget scenario where money isn’t a concern, I would probably settle for the Vitamix Professional Series 750 Blender or something else in the Vitamix family.

Have you purchased and used any of the above blenders? What’s your feedback? Would you recommend another brand apart from those above?