I thought I’d give you my 2 cents worth and do a blender review.

I don’t really use a blender for much other than smoothies, but I am a devoted consumer of protein smoothies so my blender gets used almost every day for lunch. I need one that crushes ice easily, is fairly easy to clean, and holds up well under a lot of use. Once again, I am not sponsored by either company so this is unbiased by money, but it is biased by experience.

There’s no doubt that Kitchenaid blenders have a motor that does a great job of pulverizing ice. Where Kitchenaid has failed on two consecutive blenders is in the blending container. The first one had a rubber washer that would get moldy and gross and need to be replaced. The last time I called Kitchenaid to get another rubber washer they said the blender was a poor design (no kidding) so they discontinued it and wouldn’t even sell parts anymore. A ploy to force you into getting another blender? It worked for me. I wasn’t using a blender that was sealed on the bottom by a moldy piece of rubber.

Next Kitchenaid blender the seal failed around the turning part for the blade and there was no way to repair or replace it. I gave up on Kitchenaid at that point. Their blenders aren’t cheap and if they couldn’t build a container that lasts I was going to try another brand.

Which brings me to the Ninja. I have to admit that when I first tried it I thought it was a pain in the butt. The container has to be locked on to the base. The lid has to be put on the container with the lid arrow lining up with the arrow on the handle of the container. The lid has to be locked down. Fail to do any of these three properly and the power button will not come on. Having used the Ninja for a while, this just isn’t a big deal anymore.

KitchenAid KSB1570SL

• Intelli-Speed™ Motor Control – The Intelli-Speed® Motor Control senses contents and maintains optimal speed to power through all ingredients.
• 5 Speeds/Crush Ice/Pulse Mode – Stir, chop, mix, puree or liquify. Pulse mode works with all speeds for staggered blending, while the crush ice feature pulses at precise intervals for optimal ice crushing results.
• Soft Start® Feature – The Soft Start® Feature starts the motor at a slower speed to pull food into the blade then quickly increases to the selected speed setting.

 

 

Ninja Professional Blender (NJ600)

Soft Start® Feature
The Soft Start® Feature starts the motor at a slower speed to pull food into the blade then quickly increases to the selected speed setting.

The blades on the Kitchenaid blenders were permanently installed in the bottom of the container and it’s what failed on both blenders I owned. The Ninja has a set of removable processing blades. The blades are exactly like my food processor only more blades and taller. It’s nice the blades are removable for cleaning.

What’s not so nice is the consistency of my smoothies. The Kitchenaid blenders were true blenders and everything came out with an extremely smooth “blended” consistency. The Ninja processes like a food processor and the food is chopped up more than blended. I have to admit I prefer blended.

The the blades in the Ninja do a heck of a job chopping ice though. Not sure why the fruits I put in the smoothie are a different texture while the ice is certainly pulverized.

The Ninja container has a very dark green cast to it and I suspect there are some kitchens it would not look good in because it might clash with decor colors. Look at it before buying.

Cleaning

I love the removable blades on the Ninja — it’s so much easier to get everything really clean so that’s a big plus for the Ninja.

Durability

Kitchenaid pretty much proved to me they don’t hold up. The containers on both failed and the motor was going on the second one — but that could have been caused by the leaking container that allowed food and liquid to seep down into the motor.

Time will tell, but I hope it’s possible to order parts for the Ninja. Like if the blades start to fail or if the part that turns the blade starts to leak, maybe you can get replacements.  Of course, the motor is the key — it doesn’t matter if the container and blades hold up if the motor fails, but so far I’m glad I made the switch to Ninja.