A decent blender?

[LynziMarie]

I am a college student getting ready to leave home to start school in another state... so I don't have very much extra money to spend. But I need a blender so I can try to do this all the way and not just get frustrated. So I need something that will do a really good job and not be too expensive. We have a really old one that does ok and a magic bullet but that sucks... so... any suggestions?

[Maintime]

Personally, I have used the magic bullet with a lot of success. Other than that, I am not sure which cheap blender would work for you.

[sidrah]

I use a Magic Bullet, too, but it is probably worth it to spend some extra money so you don't have to replace it in a little bit if you plan to use it a lot. I have had mine for a few years with no trouble, though.

They have a new magic bullet that is bigger and supposed to be better. Yes, there are cheaper ones in Target but I can't tell you how good they are since I haven't used them.

I think I am going to spend a little more on a good one this summer, like the Health Master emulsifier. It's about $200, but I figure it is a blender, jucier, everything all in one, so I can eat whole fruits, veg. and leafy greens as a juice and get the juice and fiber, too. I kind of dislike having only the juice and not the rest, so I am gonna go back and forth b/w the 2

[rkk]

I have the Tribest mason jar blender which I really like... it's small and portable, and around $70-80, I think. I have no idea how that compares with the Magic Bullet though. I use it to blend salad dressings and make small size smoothies, so I haven't used it for anything particularly difficult to blend. It's too bad Vitamix doesn't make a portable small version of their blender, as I would buy that in a heartbeat.

If nothing else, I know Walmart has a tiny portable blender for about $15 - it's one of those blend-in-mug things, which has a high convenience factor. I haven't used it so I have no idea how durable it is, but at $15 it's probably worth a try (assuming you choose to shop there).

[Dimond]

The KitchenAid 5-Speed Blender is under $100 and has mostly good reviews. If you live near a Bed, Bath & Beyond you can use a 20% off coupon and get a good deal. Some other stores may give a good price as well when they have sales. If you need it even cheaper, you can try a couple other brands like Hamilton Beach or Oster. Just keep in mind that the more you compromise on quality, the more difficult it can be to make raw meals that taste good and the sooner the blender will have issues. So it's usually better to try for a higher end cheap blender rather than save a little. You can read Amazon reviews to get a better idea.

[JennaHoneyBear]

some advice:

spend money on a quality blender. At LEAST $80 to get a good one.

I just wasted money and frustration buying a $40 blender (silly me thinking i could get a quality blender for $40 in this day and age :rolleyes:) and it broke after one week, I exchanged it, and that one broke. I upgraded to a $60 one and it still wasn't blending properly.

It's not like I'm blending up rocks! :eek: just frozen fruit! my parents got me the Blendtec and I haven't had any problems since.

Hamilton Beach was always good to me, just get a good, slightly expensive one.

It will be SOOOOOO WORTH IT!

[LynziMarie]

thanks!! I have a birthday coming up soon so I might ask for a nice one :-D

[sidrah]

WIll you be in a dorm or somewhere where you might have a decent size fridge? Might want to ask for a food gift card to the nearest store, too, so you can buy what you need when you need it and not worry about it going bad. Good plan to spend college years like that!!

[Shels]

I'm thinking the birthday idea is a good one. ;)
However, if that falls through you'd be surprised what you can find at thrift stores or places like Savers - then just buy a new blade and you're set.

Oh, also, if you're wanting to eat mostly raw you'll want a processor too - and with that you wouldn't even need a blender, so you might just want to look for one of those instead. I know I'd trade in my blending in a heartbeat if it meant a decent food processor.

Good luck!