 Addicted to a blender |
| Review Date: April 20, 2005 |
| Reviewer: K. Maxwell, Middletown, NY |
The other day I impulsivley went and bought a Hamilton Beach Juicer. When I got it home I hemmed and hawed, wondering if I should use it or not. Did I really want it? I started looking around the internet and realized what I really wanted was something to make smoothies or other fruit concoctions. I researched a few things like the Magic Bullet and Ultimate Chopper but both had mixed reviews. I was tempted to buy the Tribest blender because it had some good reviews here at Amazon but I could only find it online and it's listed at $60 - much more than what I really wanted to spend.
Instead, I went to my local Walmart and to see what they had. I saw the Hamilton Beach Personal Blender and it was priced for only $13.67 so I was interested. It's just me, so I don't need a huge and heavy unit taking up what little counter space I have. I also figured since that if I bought it at Walmart and that if I didn't like it I could easily return it.
I brought it home, looked over the manual and attempted my first smoothie. I threw in milk, strawberries, frozen raspberries and hit the button. I needed to blend it some more because of the raspberries being frozen. Live and learn, I should have done those first. I put in some ice and blended it some more. It came out wonderful!
The jar itself can be used as a serving glass. I probably will only use it in that manner at home. It has no handle so I'd be afraid I'd drop it when I was out. Then the blender would be worthless because the blade is in the jar.
* Jar twists and locks into place on the base
* Comes with a travel lid to take your drink on the go
* Cord wraps around the base
* Not intended for all food - manual says not to process hard foods such as cheese, crackers or meat. A maximum of 12 tablespoons can be ground at a time. Do not try to mash potatoes, mix stiff dough, whip egg whites, grind raw meat or extract juice from fruit or veggies.
* Container cover has filler cap that can be removed to insert small objects when blending
* Can not use big chunks of ice. You need to break them down. I have an ice tray where the shape is a small circle (half ball) and it was fine. Perhaps this is what you can use those holiday themed ice trays for. Some of those sizes which I have seem I think would work in this.
* NOT dishwasher safe - but easy clean up - rinse, put water and soap in jar, blend for a minute, empty, rinse again and you're done.
* No complicated speeds or choices - one push button
* I can't find it on the box or in the manual but according to Amazon, the motor has 175 watts of power
I just went and made another smoothie! Banana, Vanilla soy milk, little bit of chocolate syrup and instant coffee. Yummy!
This one site has TONS of recipes that you can use with this blender. You just have to play with the recipes because a lot of them are meant to be multiple servings.
http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=smoothie
While this might not do what a full size blender can, this is a great blender for smoothies, drinks, shakes and to grind coffee. I love that it's small, the cord wraps around the base and I can use this thing at night and not wake up the neighbors!
I just came back from the grocery store and picked up some more fruit... what else can I make??? |
Dumped my big blender, buying a second one of these.
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| Review Date: June 25, 2005 |
| Reviewer: T. Boland, Southern California |
This is probably the best $15 I ever spent for the kitchen.
I had a bigger standard blender, but never used it. Now, with this little blender, the little jar is always filled with something or in the dish drainer. It never gets a chance to be put away in the cabinet. The blender base is always on the counter - the only appliance of any sort that has that status.
It's simple and it works. It makes no more than two servings, and it does a real good job with single servings. I can make one kind of smoothie or shake and my son can make his own.
All of a sudden, we go to the store looking for "smoothie fodder" and we don't have to agree on what that is.
I am buying my second mostly for the second jar and lids. It is so inexpensive that they do not sell the replacement parts.
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Works as well as my large blender
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| Review Date: December 23, 2004 |
| Reviewer: American Consumer, Texas |
| I am on a diet, requiring that I mix and drink shakes every day. At home I use a blender, but at work I have been using a shaker jar. I bought this, hoping it would be compatible with my job environment. I just made my first shake in it, and I am impressed! The machine is not much more noisy than an electric shaver. The jar has a 3 cup capacity, and the blade can pulverize ice cubes in the shake, so I can whip up a large, thick shake. Since it is so small and lightweight, I will be able to carry it from my desk to the kitchen in a small fabric tote I have. The jar is shaped like a drinking glass, and is very comfortable to drink from. The blade is permanently installed in the jar, so cleanup is very easy - just make soapy water in the jar, and use a bottle washer. Although the jar is plastic, it is thick and feels very durable. It looks like this blender will meet my every need! It works so well, that I will carry it with me on trips, too. Thank you, Hamilton Beach! |
Forget the Magic Bullet....this works awesome for shakes
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| Review Date: July 6, 2005 |
| Reviewer: T. Alberts, Seattle,WA |
| I drink a protein shake 3-4 times a day and everyone kept telling me to get the magic bullet. I read the reviews, which I value highly in my decision making processes for all purchases, and there were more negatives than positives so I thought I should look at some more choices....I found this for $14.99 with free shipping and I figured for that price I had nothing to loose. WELL I am here to tell you that it crushes the ice to a slushee consistency and makes the best smoothies. I am buying one for home now since I leave this one at work. My $100 kitchen aide bogs down when I add 8 0z. of ice to 8oz. of water and then add my packet of protein...NOT what I expected for $100....so I am getting this for home....You won't be sorry!!! |
**Move over Magic Bullet, there is a new KING!***
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| Review Date: February 16, 2006 |
| Reviewer: J. Tomaszewski, Chicago, IL |
I make several protein/meal-replacement shakes every day. I was using "shaker" cups for this task day in and day out for several years. I happened upon this gem of an appliance by mistake while shopping at Walmart. I figured for $9.00 I had nothing to lose by giving it a try!
Let me start out by saying this is NOT intended to do much else other than make smoothies, protein shakes, mixed drinks, etc. It is not intended to replace that $100.00 big blender that gathers dust in your cabinet.
This little guy does a GREAT job at doing its job! A few pulses and you have a very well-blended drink with no yucky clumps. Seems like every protein powder claims to be mixable with a spoon, but NEVER is! I even added some ice and it handled it like a champ! I have used this blender 4-5 daily for a few months and it shows no sign of wearing out/slowing down. A very good product for only 9 bucks!
Another great part of this blender is it fits great in car cup holders. You can whip up a quick smoothie for breakfast and take it with you in a snap. Clean up is easy as well. I just add a drop of dishsoap, some hot water, and run the blender for a few seconds. It cleans it wonderfully! This is one appliance that never leaves the countertop. I will by buying a second one on my next trip to Walmart because they always seem to discontinue the great products! I would be lost without it.... |
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