Is a $450 blender worth the money? It is if you choose the right one, says Consumer Reports. But you can also pay far less and get top performance. The magazine rated both personal blenders that make smoothies and premium mega-blenders that can cost hundreds of dollars. Consumer Reports tested each product's ability to make smoothies, puree, and crush ice, and rated each blender for convenience, noise and durability. Among the 58 premium blenders, the top-scorer since at least June 2010 is the $450 Vitamix 5200 (pictured on the right in the above photo), according to Consumer Reports' senior editor Daniel DiClerico. "Besides acing our frozen drinks, puree, and ice crush tests, it's one of the few models that makes hot soup and blitzes whole fruits and vegetables into smooth, creamy juice," Consumer Reports said, as shown in a video on its website. But this year, the $60 Ninja Master Prep Professional QB1004, a blender and food chopper, shares the top spot - and a score of 91 out of 100 - with its much more expensive competitor.

That Ninja Master out-scored the more expensive $650 Vitamix Professional Series 750, which scored 81 and scored "excellent" for its ability to puree, crush ice and in the durability test. As for smaller, personal blenders, Consumer Reports put them to the same tests and found they each had different strengths. "The $35 Back to Basics Blender Express BPE3BR performed superbly across all tasks, but it didn't pass our durability test, which involves crushing successive batches of ice," the magazine said. kitchenaid mixer khm5ap(That blender is pictured on the left in the photo above.)kitchenaid 2 speed hand blender khb1231cu review Out of 12 personal blenders that Consumer Reports rated, eight Hamilton Beach products ranging from $20 to $25 shared the top rating in that category, scoring 55 out of 100 possible points.stick hand blender - professional - cucina romana

When asked if a household, with the kitchen space and money, should fork over more money to buy a premium blender over a personal blender, DiClerico says, "Definitely." "It's incredible how much you can do with a top-performing blender like the Vitamix," he said. "All the usual stuff like smoothies and shakes and frozen drinks, but also things like hummus and soup, even cappuccinos and hot chocolate. back to basics blender express plus 6pc setThese can be incredibly versatile machines, and they should last for many years, making them well worth the investment." Here are lists of the top-scoring 10 blenders for both categories, out of 100 possible points. Full Size Blenders 1. Ninja Master Prep Professional QB1004, $60. Ninja Professional NJ600, $100. Vitamix Professional Series 750, $650. Vitamix Professional Series 300, $530. Hamilton Beach Commercial Tempest HBH650, $450.

Waring Xtreme MX1000R, $350. Ninja Kitchen System 1100 NJ602, $160. L'Equip RPM Professional, $300. Score: 73 Personal Blenders 1. Hamilton Beach Single Serve Blender 51101, $20. Hamilton Beach Single Serve Blender 51102, $23. Hamilton Beach Single Serve Blender 51103, $20. Hamilton Beach Single Serve Blender 51104, $20. Hamilton Beach Single Serve Blender 51106, $20. Hamilton Beach Single Serve Blender 51108, $25. Hamilton Beach Single Serve Blender 51111, $20. Hamilton Beach Single Serve Blender 51126, $20. Back to Basics Blender Express BPE3BR, $35. OXO Good Grips Y Peeler (21081BK) - Black Oster Versa 1.89L 1400-WattVery powerful, easy to clean, great price. What more do your want? What about a 7 year warranty. Has it all at half the price. Blender - Oster Versa 1400 watt Have had the blender for about 2 weeks now, so far I think it is great. Lots of power and very easy to clean. Mostly use it for smoothies and making soup, both with excellent results. I like the 7 year warranty.

Delivery was on time and Best Buy had a good price. If your looking for a good quality blender but don't want to pay the big price, I would recommend this blender. powerful with design flaws This is really powerful machine, as least as powerful at far more expensive vitamix and blendtec blenders. Smoothies made with raw veges come out very smooth, but I always end up with a couple of chunks at the end. I think this may have to do with the shorter and wider jar. I would recommend contacting Oster for a replacement. This is what I am doing. Other than that, you cannot beat this blender for the price. Anything that even compares is at least 500 bucks. Rating: High to Low Rating: Low to HighA few weeks ago I tweeted that and I was going through a temporary serious smoothie withdrawal! What brand did I end up buying? Or the new low-priced dual-function ? You might be surprised in my split-second choice. After a few days of unfulfilled , I ran into a local department store and grabbed the best blender I could find on the shelf.

There was no or on the shelf. The top of the line blender in the store was an brand blender called. The is marketed as a blender. For both frozen drinks and food-chop purposes. It cost me retail, a welcoming price in comparison to the Vita-Mix and Blendtec blenders. Any smoothie junkie, raw foodie or healthy chef knows that there are blenders and then there are The two most consumer friendly, well-known brands are and . Both brands offer high power, diverse use machines for all your blending and food processing needs. Make smoothies, soups, salsas, dips, desserts and more. I've used both brands and yes, they are fabulous. But the big drawback is the price. But obviously some folks are just not ready to make a $400 investment in a blender. Especially when a $20 Hamilton Beach brand to blend up a strawberry-banana smoothie just fine, (until it breaks). *Over 52 'kitchen tasks' in one. * high quality warranty. * (not rubber or plastic) container-to-base construction. *High performance, cool running motor, propels the blades.

* hardened Stainless-Steel Blades. *Speed controls from blending speeds!Made from an all-new material developed this year by Eastman called Tritan™. *11.5 amps / watts * stainless steel blade. *Six pre-programmed blend . *Reverse action capable blending. *Pre-programmed smoothie vs. food chop .Does not cover normal wear and tear. */1000 ice crushing capability When comparing blenders the big differences I find come in the category of power and quality. The Oster Fusion is the most powerful blender in its class. Blenders in this $40-$60 range usually have around s. The Oster Fusion, at $80 retail, has an impressive of blending power. However, for optimal power the price goes up. The Blendtec and Vita-mix blenders have s. Big differences. Quality, aka how long will this blender perform well, is a huge factor. The Oster Fusion has a pitiful 1 year limited warranty. While the Vita-Mix has an impressive 7 year warranty. Blendtec, 3 years, lifetime on the blade.

So how will the Oster perform two years from now?Does the job and does it well. I love the pre-programmed features. All I do it press the button once and my smoothie is at the end of the cycle. I was a bit shocked at how easy this process was. I blended a roasted corn chowder soup on the food chop cycle and it was great. The power seemed a little duller than the Vita-Mix and Blendtec's I've used in the past. But with a few extra pulses, the job was done well.I like the fact that I can still get a glass container. I'm not a huge fan of the plastic containers-although the new plastic containers sound like a very worthwhile upgrade in the Blendtec and vita-Mix blenders. Well this is an obvious difference. I found the Oster Fusion online at Amazon for $70. I paid $80 retail. This is a fraction of the cost of the vita-Mix and Blendtec which start at around $400. So the big question is: are you willing to pay a higher price for the better machine? And by better I mean better , more and a few more cool and accents.

If you are willing to invest in the top of the line high quality machines I suggest you buy a Blendtec or Vita-Mix. Both brands are fabulous. Although, the 7 year warranty with Vita-Mix really stands out for me. However, if you want equal results with a pretty-bad warranty and possibility that your machine will break or wear down in a year or two, get the Oster Fusion. At under $80 it really does an impressive job. With the Fusion, you can test out your smoothie and food-chop skills and you may want to buy the Fusion now and for a Blendtec or Vita-Mix. But if you are ready to dive into a $400 blender... You will be ensured a long few years of smoothie blending perfection.oh and that for the Oster sounds like a must-buy. I need to try this. My big investment kitchen gadget is my pricey . So yes, I do go all out in some areas of healthy kitchen gadgets. I'll probably switch back over to a Blendtec or Vita-Mix when the Fusion dies. But who knows, if it holds up well I may surprise myself again.