Ninja QB1004 Blender/Food Processor with 450-Watt Base, 48oz Pitcher, 16oz Chopper Bowl, and 40oz Processor Bowl for Shakes, Smoothies, and Meal Prep,Black

I was skeptical that this 450-watt motor pod could handle my daily smoothies packed with frozen fruit and ice, but this little Ninja is an absolute beast. It pulverizes frozen strawberries and crushes ice cubes into a perfectly smooth consistency in seconds, something my old blender could never do. The separate food chopper bowl is also fantastic for making a quick salsa with my late-summer garden tomatoes. A true kitchen workhorse for a great price.

I was looking for a blender so that I could make some smoothies for my daytime eating (to make things easier and healthier), but didn't want to spend a fortune to get something that was easy to use, easy to clean, and a very good blender. A few friends of mine recommended a Ninja blender, so I decided to give this one a shot. I couldn't be happier with my choice!As a blender, I have to say this is by far the easiest to assemble, use, and clean that I've ever had access to. The blades go together in a second, and you just drop them down into the carafe onto the little peg to get them situated. For a typical smoothie, I toss in frozen berries, some ice cubes, a banana, some yogurt, and a little soy milk. The lid snaps on easily without having to play with it forever. Then just set the electrical component on top of the assembly and hold down the large (and only) button, and you're on your way! When everything's done whirring about, it pours nicely out the spout of the lid, and you can stick the whole thing in the fridge if you have some leftovers.Clean-up is amazingly simple, as well. Even when I use a soy protein powder, this thing practically rinses clean with just hot tap water. I've yet to need to scrub with any real effort to get it spotless, including the blades and lid. You can put it in the dishwasher, but it'll probably fair better if you wash it by hand.A few things you should keep in mind if you do purchase this blender:1. The place where the electrical component attaches to the blade shafts can get spattered with the blender's contents if it's full enough, or if the mixture is thin enough. After using the blender, always check that little indentation on the electrical component and clean it immediately with a dry paper towel, cotton swab, or whatever else you have that'll fit in that area. If you let things dry up in that crevice, it can be hard to clean later.2. The spout on the lid pours very well, but if there is anything on the rim of the spout when you go to snap it shut (as if to store leftover contents), then it will be spattered about your counter, wall, or shirt. Make sure you wipe that area nice and clean before closing the spout cover.3. There is a tiny hole in the bottom of the blade shaft where it slides onto the peg inside the blender carafe. Make sure you have a pipe cleaner or thin wire brush (or something similar) to clean up inside that tiny crevice after use. I had a set of wire brushes meant for cleaning out straws and the spouts of sports bottles, and they work perfectly for this.4. These blades are extremely sharp. Far sharper than those of any other blender I've used. Handle them with extreme care, unless you dislike having all the fingers you currently possess.5. There is only one speed (Speed Awesome!) and you must hold down the button for it to blend, so you can't walk away from it after turning it on. You do have to stand there and keep the button down to have it continue blending for you. (Essentially, it only pulses.)Bottom line, I highly recommend this to anyone who needs a blender for a good price, and doesn't want to work too hard to clean it afterwards. It also comes with a food processor assembly, so you really can't go wrong!

I bought this Ninja food chopper back in 2017, and it’s been one of the most reliable kitchen tools I own. I use it weekly for onions, peppers, nuts, and herbs, and the blades are still sharp. It’s easy to clean, doesn’t take up much space, and has held up way better than I expected for the price. The only downside is the bowl is on the smaller side, so it’s best for quick prep jobs rather than big batches. After 7+ years, it’s still working perfectly — definitely worth it.

Important to note: My comments are in the context of having been a Vitamix user for over 20 years.We bought the Ninja because we were looking for something to replace our Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus. We were attracted to the Ninja because the reviews said it turned out more consistent results compared to others.We also noted that people warned about how quickly it could turn ingredients from chunks to mush.Both are very true.What we love about the Ninja is that it's super light, and easy to assemble and clean. It's also very quiet compared to other machines. And, the bases are super stable--no traveling across the counter as our Vitamix wants to do sometimes.What's remarkable is how quickly the Ninja breaks down ingredients. We've been going crazy making nut butters, including peanut and pecan butters. That's where the Ninja totally shines in comparison to all other machines (and we've used them all, from the Vitamix and Cuisinart to others!). Quiet, effective, and speedy are the three words to describe the Ninja.We also made raw cranberry relish (raw cranberries, apples, whole oranges, and dates) that the Ninja zipped out in seconds.It's true that the Ninja won't turn out the kind of silky smooth cream soups that the Vitamix will, but if the Vitamix earns an A+ in this use case, the Ninja earns an A-.You also can't beat the price: Less than 10% of the cost for a Vitamix. Do the math. It's a simple equation if you don't absolutely need silky smooth textures.And there's no comparison with the Cuisinart Mini-Prep, which we found to be noisy, OK for salsa and courser chopping, but not great at nut butters.For the easy of use, what it produces, quietness, and price, the Ninja can't be beat.