Sage The Fresh & Furious SBL620 review
Test score
Key features
- Jug blender
verdict: The best jug blender on test
The Fresh & Furious stormed through our tests. It can make a perfect smoothie, is intuitive and simple to use, and the jug is dishwasher-safe. If you’re after a jug blender, this is our top recommendation.
- Makes excellent smoothies out of a range of ingredients
- Great at mixing soup and pesto
- Brilliant at crushing ice
- Easy to use and clean
- Dishwasher-safe
- Quieter than most blenders
- Has plenty of features
- Particularly big
Magimix 11610UK review
Test score
Key features
- Jug blender
verdict: An oldie but a goldie
Like a good wine, this blender has stood the test of time. It’s a classic that impressed us just as much when we re-tested it as it did originally. It more than holds its own against newer rivals, storming through our tests and getting five stars in all key areas. It can handle tough smoothies, is a breeze to use and clean, and is quieter than most blenders. All-in-all, it’s one of the best blenders we’ve ever tested.
- Brilliant at blending a range of smoothie recipes
- Makes fantastic smooth soups
- Versatile enough to make thicker mixes such as dips and sauces
- All parts are dishwasher safe
- Easy to use control panel and auto programs
- Quieter than most blenders
- Heavy glass jug can making using and washing up more difficult
Nutribullet Pro 900 review
Test score
Key features
- Mini blender / travel cup
verdict: One of the best
The Nutribullet Pro 900 is a mean blending machine. When we retested in 2021, it proved one of the best blenders you can buy thanks to its performance across a variety of recipes and its user-friendly design.
- Makes excellent smoothies
- Can blend thicker mixes well
- Super simple to set up and use
- Easy to clean
- Struggles when hard ingredients are added to smoothies
- Noisier than many similar blenders
- Push-down-to-blend controls are not suitable for those with hand-dexterity problems
KitchenAid 5KSB4026BBK review
Test score
Key features
- Jug blender
verdict: Expensive but brilliant
The KitchenAid 5KSB4026BBK is a powerhouse blender that flew through our tests with relative ease. It’s huge and its price may be off-putting if you just want to whip up the odd smoothie, but on performance alone, it’s hard to fault.
- Fantastic at creating smooth mixes
- Excellent at crushing ice
- Not too noisy
- Can be hard to see what setting you’re selecting
Nutribullet 600 review
Test score
Key features
- Personal
verdict: Outstanding at smoothies
The original Nutribullet has been around for a while now, and it remains the seminal bullet blender for a reason. It still holds up well and does an outstanding job with smoothies.
- Makes great smoothies and pesto
- Simple controls
- Dishwasher-safe cups
- Easy to clean by hand
- Poor at crushing ice cubes
- Push-down-to-blend controls are not suitable for those with hand-dexterity problems
Ninja QB3001UKS Slim blender review
Test score
Key features
- Mini blender / travel cup
verdict: Exceptional quality
This personal blender makes excellent pesto and it’s a doddle to clean. Smoothies and soup come out smooth and delicious, but it struggles to crush ice.
- Makes excellent smoothies and soup
- Easy to set up and use
- Very easy to clean
- Poor at crushing ice cubes
- Uncomfortable vibrations on your hands when in use
Tefal BL420840 review
Test score
Key features
- Jug blender
verdict: Brilliance on a budget
This blender proves that you don’t have to spend a lot to get greatness. It doesn’t have many of the flashy extras that more premium models do, such as lots of speed settings or pre-set programs, but the Blendforce gets the basics right.
- Great at making a range of recipes
- Excellent at crushing ice
- Very easy to use and clean
- Dishwasher-safe
- Struggles a little when tough ingredients such as nuts are added to smoothies
- Noisy
- A little slower than more powerful and expensive blenders
Kenwood Smoothie 2 Go SB056 review
Test score
Key features
- Mini blender / travel cup
verdict: Perfect for smoothies
Despite being such an unassuming, back-to-basics blender, this Kenwood held its own against newer and pricier rivals. It’s currently one of the cheapest Best Buys available and certainly suited to anyone looking to make and take smoothies on the go.
- Fantastic at blending smoothies
- Good for thicker mixes such as dips and sauces
- Easy to use and clean by hand
- Not dishwasher safe
- A little noisy
Nutribullet Rx review
Test score
Key features
- Mini blender / travel cup
verdict: Big and powerful, but quite noisy
This is another great bullet blender from Nutribullet. It excels at smoothies, and tougher challenges such as ice. Its only downside is that it kicks up a racket when it blends..
- Makes excellent smoothies even out of tough ingredients
- Can blend thicker mixes well
- Super simple to set up and use
- Easy to clean
- Push-down-to-blend controls are not suitable for those with hand dexterity problems
KitchenAid Artisan Power Plus 5KSB8270BBK review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Jug blender
verdict: Pricey, but worth it
We were very impressed with how well this blender pulverises soft and hard ingredients into smoothies, so whether you’re adding fruit, veg or nuts you’ll always end up with a velvety smooth drink. It’s better than most at crushing ice and it’s easy to clean.
- Makes excellent smoothies and soup
- Good at crushing ice
- Very simple to use
- Dishwasher safe and easy to clean
- Plenty of features
- Heats soup
- Doesn’t make the best pesto
KitchenAid Artisan Power Plus 5KSB8270BCA review
Test score
Key features
- Jug blender
verdict: Pricey, but worth it
We were very impressed with how well this blender pulverises soft and hard ingredients into smoothies, so whether you’re adding fruit, veg or nuts you’ll always end up with a velvety smooth drink. It’s better than most at crushing ice and it’s easy to clean.
- Makes excellent smoothies and soup
- Good at crushing ice
- Very simple to use
- Dishwasher safe and easy to clean
- Plenty of features
- Heats soup
- Doesn’t make the best pesto
KitchenAid Artisan Power Plus 5KSB8270BMS review
Test score
Key features
- Jug blender
verdict: Pricey, but worth it
We were very impressed with how well this blender pulverises soft and hard ingredients into smoothies, so whether you’re adding fruit, veg or nuts you’ll always end up with a velvety smooth drink. It’s better than most at crushing ice and it’s easy to clean.
- Makes excellent smoothies and soup
- Good at crushing ice
- Very simple to use
- Dishwasher safe and easy to clean
- Plenty of features
- Heats soup
- Doesn’t make the best pesto
Nutribullet Balance review
Test score
Key features
- Mini blender / travel cup
verdict: Smart and smooth results
This Nutribullet Balance is one mean smoothie machine, even with tough ingredients such as nuts and frozen berries. And the accompanying app is easy to connect to and straightforward to use. If you’re keen to keep track of the nutritional content of your homemade smoothies, the Balance will be a fantastic, if expensive, option.
- Smart nutrition tracking works seamlessly
- Makes excellent smoothies
- Very easy to use and clean
- Poor at making thicker mixes
- Blending cups aren’t good for travelling as they’re large and difficult to grip
- Can’t be used to crush ice
Ninja BN495UK review
Test score
Key features
- Personal blender
verdict: Brilliant blending
The Ninja Personal Blender with Auto-IQ BN495UK is an all-round success, blitzing everything you put into it to create tasty, well-mixed recipes, no matter the thickness or the complexity of the ingredients. It’s a breeze to use and it’s the perfect size for easy storage.
- Makes delicious drinks and sauces
- Smart auto programmes
- Streamlined and easy to use
- Some recipes need lots of shaking and stirring
- Moves around the worktop when it’s on.
AEG CB7-1-4CW review
Test score
Key features
- Jug blender
verdict: Stellar blending
This AEG blender can blitz a range of recipes and ingredients – it’s only let down by not being able to blend every tiny bit of tougher ingredients such as nuts or frozen berries. All-in-all, it’s a great blender, though it’s a little pricey for what you get.
- Fantastic at making smoothies and soups
- Can blend thicker mixes such as dips
- Can turn ice cubes into a beautiful snow for frozen drinks and cocktails
- Simple to use and dishwasher safe
- Struggles a little when hard ingredients such as nuts are added to smoothies
Sage The Boss To Go BPB550BAL review
Test score
Key features
- Mini blender / travel cup
verdict: A good choice for quality-first buyers
This blender always impresses us on test, though more recently it’s been overtaken by some better models. Its one of the best on the market but not quite a Best Buy.
- Makes excellent smoothies
- Also fantastic at soups and thicker mixes
- Great at crushing ice cubes
- Very easy to use
- Simple and straightforward to clean
- Dishwasher-safe
- A bit noisy
Swan SP39040BLKN review
Test score
Key features
- Mini blender / travel cup
verdict: Small but perfectly formed
If you only want to whip up one smoothie at a time, the Swan Stealth Personal Blender SP39040BLKN will serve you well. It’s compact – great for small kitchens – and straightforward to use. For a budget smoothie maker with just one speed, it produces delicious results.
- Great dairy smoothies and pesto
- Excellent for smooth soups
- Fairly quiet
- Dishwasher-safe attachments
- Easy to use
- Nutty smoothies may have some granules left over
- No dedicated pulse button
Russell Hobbs Retro Blender Cream 25192 review
Test score
Key features
- Jug blender
verdict: More than just a looker
If you’re after a stylish and sturdy glass jug blender, this Russell Hobbs retro model is a great candidate. It doesn’t flinch at even the toughest ingredients, and is dishwasher safe and easy to use.
- Makes excellent smoothies
- Good at making thicker mixes such as pesto
- Dishwasher safe
- Intuitive and easy controls
- Quiet
- Heavy glass jug is tricky to clean by hand
- Instruction manual isn’t detailed
Ninja CB100UK review
Test score
Key features
- Mini blender / travel cup
verdict: Well worth considering
If you’re blending for one, the Ninja Foodi Power CB100UK is well worth considering. Smoothies made in the travel cup have a super-smooth consistency and the blender is convenient – simply blitz, pop on the lid and go. It only missed out on becoming Best Buy because it’s not quick and crushing ice is a bit too arduous.
- Excellent smoothies
- Great for blending soup
- Smooth pesto
- Easy to use
- Dishwasher-safe attachments
- Excruciatingly noisy when crushing ice
- Can’t produce large quantities
- Slow
- No manual speed settings
Nutribullet Blender Combo review
Test score
Key features
- Jug blender
verdict: Great smoothies in a big jug
The Combo absolutely pulverizes fruit, veg, nuts, ice and anything else we could feed it to make velvety smoothies, smooth soups and more. Although it hogs a lot of space on your kitchen counter and it’s seriously loud, it’s an easy-to-use blender. If it didn’t struggle with thicker mixes such as pesto in the main jug, it would be a Best Buy.
- Makes a perfect smoothie
- Choice of cup sizes
- User-friendly design
- Struggles with thicker mixes such as pesto
- Loud
