How we test blenders and super blenders

We compare standard blenders, high-performance blenders and personal blenders in our test kitchen

Fact-checked

Last updated: 19 Aug 2024

Regular blender or high-performance super blender? If you’re right into your blending and looking for versatility, a high-powered blender ticks all the boxes. If you’re only interested in blending soft foods and making the odd smoothie, a regular blender at a fraction of the price might be more up your alley.

Our kitchen lab puts both types to the test, along with personal blenders designed to blend single-serve beverages.

Our expert testers

With 30+ years of experience our home economist Fiona Mair knows her way around a kitchen and has endless knowledge about kitchen appliances. Fiona and our test coordinator Chantelle Dart go from testing large appliances like ovens and cooktops to smaller benchtop appliances like hand mixers.

How we choose what we test

What makes us choose one blender over another? As with most of our product testing, our aim is to test the most popular models on the market and what you’re most likely to see in the retailers. We survey manufacturers to find out about their range of models, we check market sales information and we also check for any member requests to test specific models.

From this information, we put together a final list that goes to our buyers. They then head out to the retailers and purchase each product, just as a normal consumer would. We do this so we can be sure the products are the same as any consumer would find them and not ‘tweaked’ in any way.

Some blenders are capable of creating a hot soup from friction alone. We test and rate the result if this is part of their claim.

We put green smoothies through a fine sieve to assess how well the blenders process leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach.

How we test

Blenders come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and price points, from high-performance blenders like Vitamix that can cost more than $1600 through to cheap $50 Anko blenders from Kmart. Personal ‘single-serve’ blenders from Nutribullet and Nutri Ninja that let you create a healthy snack on the run are also available.

Blending, crushing and processing

Fiona and Chantelle conduct a range of performance tests on all blenders.

These include assessing how evenly they blend a soft food, seeing how well they crush ice, and processing kale to assess the machine’s ability to blend this tough green leafy vegetable.

We also conduct a number of tests depending on the blender’s core function.

Chopping carrots

We assess standard blenders’ ability to chop carrots in a uniform manner, without leaving large chunks behind or conversely turning them into purée.

Green smoothie

For personal blenders, we process fruits and vegetables and then put the resulting smoothie through a fine sieve, measuring how much is left behind to see how well the blender has processed them.

Nut butter and sorbet

High-performance blenders are more versatile than regular blenders so we conduct these extra tests on them.

Additional high performance tests

We also test and assess the following functions on high-performance blenders, if they claim to be able to perform them:

blending a raw vegetable soup which becomes hot through friction
pizza dough
dry milling nuts
grating parmesan cheese.

Ease of use

Fiona and Chantelle check the general comfort of each blender, assessing weight, chute size (if applicable), how well it sits on the bench and how easy it is to remove material from around the blade. They also assess how easy the controls are to use and how easy it is to clean the unit.

Personal blenders are also rated on how easy it is to travel with the cup and assemble and disassemble the cup.

Nutritional analysis

We’ve previously analysed the nutritional analysis of personal blenders (as well as juicers). Our results show little difference between models, so we don’t conduct this test anymore.

Test criteria explained

CHOICE Expert Rating

The CHOICE Expert Rating is made up of:

Performance (60%)
Ease of use (40%)

Our final ratings are only comparable by type (high performance, standard or personal) as we can’t conduct all tests on all models (for example a cheap personal blender is unsuitable for making a nut butter). However you can compare individual test results across blender types, if scores are available.

Our test lab

We maintain a kitchen lab that is up to date with the latest reference machines and calibrated measurement tools for our testers to bring you the right results.

Kim

I joined CHOICE as a content producer in July 2014 and am currently team leader of the household department. I write about a variety of products such as coffee machines, stick vacuums, bassinets, high chairs and ovens, which are tested by our in-house lab staff. Our reports help people make informed decisions about their purchases. We also keep manufacturers in check, regularly exposing product flaws which can result in better, safer products. Making a difference is what I enjoy most about my role. Prior to CHOICE, I spent 16 years working as a technology journalist in Sydney and London. I spent several years as a senior researcher/writer at our UK sister organisation, Which? Giving people access to robust, independent advice is something I have always felt strongly about. I'm also the author of several how-to technology books such as Spotify for Dummies and Digital Photography for the Older and Wiser and am a communications graduate of Charles Sturt University. You can find me on LinkedIn.

Rebecca

I joined CHOICE in 2008 as a work experience student while studying my Bachelor of Science (Nutrition and Food) at the University of Western Sydney. I've been with CHOICE ever since. My first job was in a room full of muesli, collecting all their nutritional data. When I completed my course, CHOICE offered me a full-time position as a Test Officer in the Kitchen Lab. In 2009, I moved into the role of household content producer. I write about a wide range of children's and household products, ranging from cots and strollers to ovens, BBQs, espresso machines and electric blankets. I even write about grocery items such as nappies, sanitary pads and laundry detergents. I love my job and the extremely talented and passionate group of people I work with. I love knowing that our research, testing and results go a long way to helping consumers with their buying decisions by highlighting great products – and singling out poorly performing ones. You can find me on LinkedIn.