Best Smoothie Blender Under $100 – Finding Value!

Nutri Ninja with Auto – iQ (BL482Z) – [best price on Amazon]

The Nutri Ninja is one of the best blenders you can find for under $100 in my opinion. It is expensive enough to make it durable and powerful, but not so cheap it will break after blending a single banana!

Ease Of Cleaning

Let’s face it; blenders are hard to clean. Not only due to what you put in them, but because they have so many parts that get mucked up, and are hard to actually wash. This makes the process of blending anything less desirable. With the Nutri Ninja, however, the overall concept of “how to clean my blender,” has been redesigned.

The first thing you will notice is that there is no strange foam with the Nutri Ninja; whereas other blenders tend to leave an odd residual foam substance that gets into all the nooks and crannies of your device. This in itself takes the cleaning time down by about half.Another excellent mechanic of the Nutri Ninja is the pulsing design for the inner compartment.

How do you think this blender compares to the other Nutri Bullit?

This pulsing mode allows the user to put in a bit of warm water and soap, and just have the entire inside scrubbed in just about a minute. Making your only real cleaning effort rinsing it out after it has been cleaned. Even tough residue like peanut butter or bananas comes off with almost no effort on your part. This method will also work on the blades themselves, which is traditionally the hardest part of cleaning any blender.

Another excellent mechanic of the Nutri Ninja is the pulsing design for the inner compartment. This pulsing mode allows the user to put in a bit of warm water and soap, and just have the entire inside scrubbed in just about a minute. Making your only real cleaning effort rinsing it out after it has been cleaned. Even tough residue like peanut butter or bananas comes off with almost no effort on your part. This method will also work on the blades themselves, which is traditionally the hardest part of cleaning any blender.

Noise Level

Blenders by nature are loud. They grind, they tear, they mash and they blend all in about two to three minutes. This process is not going to be quiet, and that is the price we pay for wanting fresh blends quick. However, while this issue isn’t something that can be entirely fixed, it is workable. There is no such thing as a quiet blender, it is a myth, but that doesn’t mean that the design for the Nutri Ninja has just given up on the concept as a whole. There are two reasons why even if this blender isn’t quieter than others, why it is still preferred.

First is HOW the blending is done. By mixing up speeds and cycles the Nutri Ninja doesn’t just sound like a loud foghorn for three minutes. It is somewhat loud, but when it mixes up the noise it becomes more tolerable and is much easier on the ears.

The second is the speed of which the noise disappears. While the Nutri Ninja doesn’t trade out speed for its incredible ability to think about what it is blending, it is still very fast. Even tough ingredients are blending within minutes and even with ice, you don’t need to dread having the blender itself on for more than a couple minutes. Which is very useful when you just want your fresh blend without the ear-piercing noise.

Are The Buttons Easy To Use?

Knowing how your blender works is key when it comes to how your blends come out. Unfortunately, this is difficult when your buttons are oddly labelled, or vague. This, however, is not a problem for the Nutri Ninja. With four clearly labelled and intelligible buttons, there is no guesswork when trying to blend even a multitude of items.

A Start/Stop button, A pulse button, a Blend button, and an Ultra Blend button; it is as easy as just knowing what kind of blend you want. Pressing blend for frozen ingredients or ice will give them a nice and creamy texture. While Ultra blend will achieve a juice consistency for the more fibrous ingredients. Each button has its own feature, so you won’t have to worry any longer about which “level of blending” is my blender on now. Simply select which type of blend you want, then hit start.

There is even a time and IQ indicator between the buttons! Honestly making this the best smoothie blender under $100 on the market today.

Each button has it’s own feature, so you won’t have to worry any longer about which “level of blending” is my blender on now. Simply select which type of blend you want, then hit start. There is even a time and IQ indicator between the buttons! Honestly making this the best smoothie blender under $100 on the market today.

Are The Safety Features Good?

Safety is always a concern when it comes to appliances. Whether for yourself, or loved ones, you always want to make sure that the products you are buying are safe and secure. The Nutri Ninja has a spectacular safety rating that really shows why it is the best smoothie blender under $100. Not only are the materials for the blender itself made of thick durable plastic; they are also 100% BPA free.

As BPA is a harmful substance found in many plasticware, it is important that to be aware of products that do not contain it. Especially since the Nutri Ninja is dishwasher safe.
BPA holds and solidifies plastic together during the initial process of making it.

With plasticware that contains BPA, when it is introduced to warm temperatures, it begins to seep out over time. Which can then leak into your food or drink. Knowing that your blender is BPA free is very important to the overall safety of the product. This is just another great feature the Nutri Ninja has to offer.

Negative Features?

While there is a myriad of positive factors for the Nutri Ninja, there is a drawback to go over. With some of the individual Nutri Ninja blender products, there have been some reports that the blades tend to become pitted, or dull after many uses.

When a blade becomes pitted, it makes the actual blending process harder to complete. Which can take more time or more blends to achieve the smooth texture that is desired. This really applies more toward the tougher ingredients that are to be blended, such as ice or apple and pear chunks. For easier to blend ingredients there is virtually no issue. While the blades are the heart and soul of any blender product, this isn’t necessarily a cause for concern; as this issue tends to be few and far between, and only with singular devices.

While this may in itself not be a negative feature, there is also no food processor that comes with this model nor any additional attachments at all. This aspect may not sound as if it is a drawback. However, there are customers who are looking for a blender with usable attachments for other needs. If that is the case, then the information should be shared.