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Eating healthy can be tough, especially if you don’t like eating your greens. Smoothies can be the perfect way for most of us to sneak in some extra fresh fruits and veggies into your daily intake. The problem is, breaking out your regular blender isn’t always the most convenient option. That’s where personal blenders come in.
Why Do I Need A Personal Blender?
Having the convenience of a personal blender can mean the difference between staying on the right path or sliding back into snack mode. The problem is that many personal blenders suffer from the same 3 deficiencies:
- They don’t have the power to blend your smoothies to the desired consistency
- Because their motors are weak, they burn out after a short period of time
- They can leak all over if you don’t screw the blender blade lid on tight enough, which can be hard for people with limited hand strength. (The easy remedy is to have a non-slip silicone jar opener on-the-ready. They’re great for the pickle jar, too!)
To help you avoid these common issues and tested some of the most popular personal blenders on the market. Narrowing the list down to our top 3 favorites and best performing, at least one of these should fit your needs and budget.
1. Nutri Ninja Auto iQ
Best All-Around Personal Blender
Accessories: (1) Pro Extractor Blade, (2) Sip & Seal Lids, (1) 24oz Blender Cup, (1) 18oz Blender Cup
Pros:
- 1,000 Watts of power; Great at breaking up seeds, dates, and other harder to blend ingredients
- One-press Auto iQ Blend and Ultra Blend mode
- Automatic 60-second cutoff in manual mode to avoid overheating
- The lid with the blender blade is ribbed for easily tightening to avoid leaks and just as easy to unscrew
- Rubber grip on seal-and-sip lids for easily screwing on and off
- Cups and lids are BPA-free dishwasher safe
- 7-Point rubber foot and suction cup base to avoid movement from vibration
- Best-in-class durability
- No leaking issues, even after long-term use
- Comes with 18oz & 24oz travel cups
Cons:
- Wish it also came with the 32oz travel blender cup (sold separately)
- Only one color available
- Doesn’t come with storage lids for travel cups (only 2 sip & seal lids)
Conclusion
The Nutri Ninja Auto iQ is by far the best value, especially at its new low price. Like I said earlier, durability is a huge concern with personal blenders, and that’s one of the main reasons the Nutri Ninja Auto iQ is sitting at #1. This 1,000 Watt beast doesn’t leak and has an Automatic 60-second cutoff to avoid overheating.
The only other personal blender that beat the Nutri Ninja in the category of durability was the Vitamix S30 S-Series. On the other hand, the Vitamix S30 didn’t even make the final cut because when we test it at higher speeds, it started walking across the counter. This was an instant disqualification because of safety concerns.
The Auto iQ is another feature that sets this model apart from the competition. The Auto iQ Blend and Auto iQ Ultra Blend modes create the perfect mix of hands-free pulse and blending. This avoids “dry-blending,” which can wreak havoc on blender motors and your ears.
Even though it doesn’t come with the 32oz out of the box, the large 24oz cup is plenty big for this smoothie-lover. If you have more than 2 people in your household who plan on using it on a daily basis, you might as well pick up a few extra blender cups anyways.
Extra Nutri Ninja Accessories
2. NutriBullet Pro
Best Accessory Kit & Largest Travel Cup
Accessories: (1) Extractor Blade, (2) 32oz Blender Cups, (2) Sip & Seal Lids, (2) Lip Rings, (2) Lip Rings With Handle, (1) Recipe Book
Pros:
- 900 Watts of power; does an above-average job of blending seeds, dates, and other harder to blend ingredients
- Comes in 11 different colors for the blender unit (white, onyx black, berry, champagne, clover, cobalt, coral, rose gold, silver, sky, and violet)
- Great accessory kit includes 2 sip and seal lids, 2 lip rings, and 2 lip rings with handles
- Comes with 2 huge 32oz travel cups
- Cups, lids, and lip rings are BPA-free and dishwasher safe
Cons:
- Doesn’t come with smaller cup options (sold separately)
- Leaking is an issue after long-term use
- The blender blade lid is not as easy to grip as the Nutra Ninja’s deep-ribbed design
- No buttons for additional modes; either on or off with push-and-twist motion
- Teeth on the outside of cup can break off which make that particular cup unusable because they are used to trigger the on/off switch on the blender base
- NutriBullet App full of recipes and tips, but also full of many bugs that makes it frustrating to use
- Wish the sip-and-seal lids and lip rings with handles were one piece; you can only use one or the other
Conclusion
After testing the Nutri Ninja Auto iQ, it definitely felt like a step down to go to the Nutribullet Pro. Even though it has an impressive 900 Watt motor, you can tell the difference when using it side-by-side with the Ninja. Personally, I like my smoothies thick enough to eat with a spoon, so I use frozen fruit instead of ice cubes. Needless to say, their 600 Watt model lasted only 6 months before burning out. This 900 Watt model is still going strong though.
The main reasons you would want to choose the NutriBullet Pro over the Ninja is for the color options and/or accessories. If you have smaller hands, you’ll definitely like the sip rims with built-in handles. Also, the 32oz blender cups that come standard is my favorite features. I always have a tough time stopping at the “Max Fill” line no matter how big the blender cup is.
Extra NutriBullet Accessories
3. Nutri Ninja Fit
Best On-A-Budget and Travel-Friendly
Accessories: (1) Pro Extractor Blade, (2) 16oz Blender Cups, (2) Sip & Seal Lids, (1) 30-Recipe Guide
Pros:
- 700 Watts of power
- Extremely simple to use; just press and blend
- Very compact for the amount of power your getting
- Perfect size for traveling
- Blender cups are the most car cup-holder-friendly of our top 3 choices
- The lid with the blender blade is ribbed for easily tightening to avoid leaks and just as easy to unscrew
- Extremely durable build for the price
- No leaking issues, even after long-term use
- Comes with 2 travel cups (16oz)
- 30-recipe smoothie and dip guide
Cons:
- No buttons for variable speeds and additional modes
- No way to blend hands-free; must keep pressing to blend
- Doesn’t come with a larger cup option
Conclusion
The Nutri Ninja Fit is perfect for travelers and people always on the go. The total size of the unit makes it easy to pack and the 16oz blender cups are designed with car cup holders in mind. There’s no buttons or modes so it’s super simple to use, yet you get the power and durability of the Ninja brand.
