Back to Basics BPE3BRAUS Blender Express Plus 11-Piece Mixing System Review

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(More customer reviews)It's funny, the different experiences people have with the same products. Now, this review is for the Blender Express, not the "Plus." The only difference is the attachments. My wife picked up a couple of these at Wally World after Christmas (2005). They were in a clearance cart for [...] each. I figured that they were probably pretty cheap and I'd have a backup after I burned the first one up. Well, a little over a year later, I'm still using the first one. I use it 3-4 times a week for smoothies and frozen coffee drinks. I have to say that I really abuse the little guy. My coffee drinks call for half of the mug to be filled with crushed ice.
It will make these drinks with a minimum of "crunchy" ice particles and they are quite enjoyable. I never expected it to last this long because, truthfully, from day one, I have been able to notice the "burned wire" odor coming from the unit as I continuosly overload the mug. Yet, it is still chugging along. Even at the full price, a year of this type of useage certainly makes it a good value. And, cleanup is extremely easy and the "make it and run" mug is really handy. Of course, for larger quantities, I fall back on the larger blender. If I ever do wear out both of these units, I would not hesitate to purchase another.
UPDATE: 7/10/2009
Just wanted to add this note. Two and a half years after the above review (makes the unit three-odd years old), we're still using it!!! It still makes the smoothest frozen drinks. I guess we really got lucky with this one. I can't even remember where we put the second one! :)

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Whether setting up house for the first time or looking to add versatility to an already busy kitchen, this 11-piece mixing system provides exceptional convenience. The set includes a powerful 350-watt motor base, one chopping blade base, one ice-crushing blade base, two 24-ounce heavy-duty plastic travel mugs, 12-ounce and 18-ounce plastic blending containers, two leak-proof closable sipping lids, and two comfort-fit drinking rims. With its small footprint, the compact unit takes up minimal space on the counter, yet it replaces a food processor, blender, and coffee grinder. Use it to grind fresh coffee beans or to make homemade salsa, salad dressings, milk shakes, and more. Simply add ingredients to one of the two blending containers, connect the container to the power base, and turn the dial from "low" to "high" speed or to the "pulse" setting to set the blades spinning. Even more, the containers feature durable see-through construction, which makes it easy to keep an eye on the consistency and to identify contents at a glance when stored in the refrigerator. A user manual with recipes comes included. Quick to assemble and easy to clean, the mixing system, with its sleek brushed-chrome exterior, measures approximately 6 by 5-1/2 by 13-1/5 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.

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Shake N Take Sports Bottle Blender Review

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(More customer reviews)I've now owned four of these. Each has had the motor die. One after a single day. The longest was six months. The system is a good one. The bottle works well and is a good size. But, the motor simply can't handle regular use.
You can limp it along by putting fewer frozen pieces in -- say under half the bottle -- or by only mixing for a few seconds, before walking away and letting it rest. But, in all, you shouldn't have to baby it quite so much.
I'll probably try another type next to see if it works better.

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Shake N Take Sports Bottle BlenderInstantly blend smoothies and protein shakes and go! Blend and drink from the same bottle. Crushes ice instantly. Just blend and go!Convenient flip top straw, super powerful blender crushes ice instantly, fits in car cup holders and easy to clean.A quick breakfast solution for families on the go!Add fruit to create a healthy fun snack!Blend a different drink for each of your friends!The perfect size for a light meal or treat at work.Add a scoop of your favorite protein and head for the gym. At home or on the road, just blend and go!

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Sensio 13330 Bella Cucina 12-Piece Rocket Blender Platinum Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased the Rocket just a few days ago in hopes of creating great smoothies n protien shakes. The design n look of the rocket are pretty sleek i must say. It blends a shake in just minutes, pretty awesome. The only issue i had is one of the main points of these single serve blenders is to simply remove the cup throw on a lid and take it on the go (as i do for work in the morning), this way i can enjoy my shake as my mid day snack. However, i noticed there is minor leakage when carrying the cup when you are on the go. I had thankfully put mine in a zip lock bag just in case, which was a good call on my part. I have heard better reviews on the magic bullet, especially to just throw a lid on the cup n take it on the go without any spills. I plan to return the rocket, which is unfortunate, but oh well. Can't beat the price though if you are just looking to make shakes and drink it right away at home, or other uses that do not require to use the lid for on the go.


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Whether setting up house for the first time or looking to add versatility to an already busy kitchen, this 12-piece high-speed mixing system provides exceptional convenience. The set includes a power base and two stainless-steel cutting blades (one flat, one cross); two blender cups (tall and short); one party cup with two comfort lip rings; two reseal-able lids; and two shaker lids. The unit takes up about the same amount of space on the counter as a coffee mug, yet it replaces a food processor, blender, and coffee grinder. Use it to chop, mix, whip, blend, and more--perfect for making party dips and mixed drinks or food-prepping the main course and whipping up dessert. Simply add ingredients into one of the three blending cups, connect to the power base, and press down for results in a matter of seconds. Even more, blending cups feature durable see-through construction, which makes it easy to keep an eye on the mixing process and to identify contents at a glance when stored in the refrigerator. With its sleek design and attractive chrome finish, the high-speed blender measures 5-1/3 by 4-1/2 by 11-4/7 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.

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Back to Basics Splash Smoothie Makers Review

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(More customer reviews)The first time I used it (and everytime after that) after about 3 min of blending it started to smell like burning plastic like I was overusing the motor and it could possibly catch fire. Then after the second wash the handle from the spout broke off so now there's no point for that. So now I have a useless blender that I've owned for less than a week.

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Designed for basic smoothie making, the Smoothie Splash offers simple operation with the innovative Dispenser Valve and Stir Stick expected in a smoothie maker.

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Tribest Personal Blender - PB-100 Blending Package (with new S-Blade Assembly) Review

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(More customer reviews)This blender looks pretty nice, it is small, and it requires less cleaning than traditional blenders. It is also higher quality than other one cup blenders. That aside... the instructions say that you cannot put the cups into the dishwasher so you must wash by hand. The cups also have measurement marks on the side, but they are very hard to read. One cup was washed by mistake and the plastic became fuzzy.
The blender will chop full sized iced cubes, but not well, it leaves big chunks. If you crush the ice first with your fridge dispenser or with another machine, then this blender does a much better job. Tribest does sell an ice crusher attachment but not with the package I bought.
With thicker shakes content can get stuck up at the bottom of the cup. Do not shake the blender to move the stuck content down towards the blades while the machine is running, this will make the motor smell like burning rubber. Take the cup off, shake it, then put it back on the motor. Also place ice, hard stuff toward the top, close to the blades, and protein powder right at the top, the first thing to touch the blades. These tidbits are not in the instructions but are necessary to avoid excessive shaking and scraping protein powder off the side of the cup later.
The instructions also say not to run the unit for more than 60 seconds at a time with 45 seconds in between. This is probably because there is only a 200 watt motor in the thing. The problem is that 60 seconds is not enough time to blend most smoothies that have ice.
Don't get me wrong, I have used this blender everyday for ten weeks and it is still much better than a larger blender, easier to clean, less noisy, and smaller.
Oh, and the biggest benefit. Since the container is small, 16 oz there is not a lot of air that gets incorporated into the drink. In a normal sized blender the contents expand when making one drink and all that air can make you feel bloated. With this blender there is less air that can be whipped up into your single serving smoothie.

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With its Blend-N-Serve cups, the Tribest Personal Blender is the portable ice-crushing, smoothie making, coffee grinding powerhouse for people on the go! The Personal Blender allows you to blend multiple recipes without having to stop and clean a bulky blending jar every time you switch recipes. Just add your ingredients in one of its single-serving cups, blend, and serve. You drink right out of the Blend-N-Serve cup, so there's no extra mess to clean up, and no cumbersome jar to wash. The Tribest Personal Blender PB-100 is a compact blender set, with a base unit, a screw-on blending blade, two large 16 oz. Blend-N-Serve cups with 1 commuter lid and 1 regular lid. The Blend-N-Serve cups and the detachable blending blade assembly are all easy to clean. The Tribest Personal Blender features a powerful 200-watt motor that crushes ice, blends frozen fruits, and grinds coffee in a snap. It is perfect for home or for the office. The PB-100 comes with the new S-Blending Blade Assembly already installed, so upgrading the Personal Blender for use with glass mason jars with the new mason jar attachment is quick and easy.

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Tribest Single Serving Blender/Grinder Review

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(More customer reviews)I have had the $100 Kitchenaid blender for a few years now. What a pain it is, it actually is an 8 piece assembly (not including the base). So each and everytime you use it, ugh! And I don't put the rubber gaskets (2!) in the dishwasher, so handwashing and then re-assembly is a chore/hassle. The tribest-200 is incredible. I am using it twice daily to mix protein shakes, it does a great job, and I have not had any problems with the ice crushing at all. The best part is only 2 pieces to clean up! Wahoo! I like the fact I can assemble the shake (powder, water, ice cubes), mix and then use the same container to drink it. I did upgrade and buy the case that includes the commuter lid (no spills on the road).

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With its Blend-N-Serve cups, the Tribest Personal Blender is the portable ice-crushing, smoothie making, coffee grinding powerhouse for people on the go! The Personal Blender allows you to blend multiple recipes without having to stop and clean a bulky blending jar every time you switch recipes. Just add your ingredients in one of its single-serving cups, blend, and serve. You drink right out of the Blend-N-Serve cup, so there is no extra mess to clean up, and no cumbersome jar to wash. The Tribest Personal Blender PB-200 is a compact blender and grinder set. It includes: the base unit, two 16-oz. Blend-N-Serve cups with lids, two 8-oz. grinder cups with 3 regular lids, 1 commuter lid, a blending blade (4-pronged), and a grinding blade (2-pronged). The Tribest Personal Blender features a powerful 200-watt motor that crushes ice, blends frozen fruits, and grinds coffee in a snap. It is perfect for home, the office, or for travelling. The PB-200 comes with the new S-Blending Blade Assembly and S-Grinding Blade Assembly already installed, so upgrading the Personal Blender for use with glass mason jars with the new mason jar attachment is quick and easy.

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Focus Electrics, LLC BPE3BR Blender Express Review

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(More customer reviews)I started with this unit, it immediately failed, the company that's absorbed Back to Basics was quick to send me a new one in exchange for my defective one. In the meantime, I picked up the comparably priced Hamilton Beach Personal Blender. I'm now alternating the two every other day.
It's no contest. The Hamilton Beach may be a simpler and lighter, wimpier-looking machine, but it's an infinitely superior design and is deceptively powerful. It's quick, handy, and clean! With the Hamilton Beach, you're not turning the cannister upside down, screwing and unscrewing different covers on it for each use, and best off all there's no spill-over and drippage every time you use it (a good day is one on which, after using the Blender Express, I don't have goopy pants and a sticky car seat by the time I make it to the job).

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Designed for the On the Go consumer wanting a fast, healthy blended drink, the Blender Express is a convenient, economical way to blend in a healthy drink every day. Simple 2 speed dial with pulse action makes blending quick and easy. Consumers will appre

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Hamilton Beach 51101 Personal Blender Review

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(More customer reviews)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???

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No need to lug out the heavy-duty blender for those morning smoothies, protein shakes, or other blended beverages. When you're trying to get out the door in a hurry, this convenient blender offers one-person portions, simple one-touch blending, and durable stainless-steel blades for fast results. Best of all, its 14-ounce blending jar doubles as a travel cup, so you can sip from the same container you blend in, which means less to clean in the end. The portable travel cup includes measuring marks up the side, and it fits most car cup holders for safe, secure transport. A travel lid to drink from and a recipe book are included. Great for at home or on the go, the 175-watt single-serve blender measures 3-3/4 by 3-3/4 by 12-1/2 inches.

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Hamilton Beach 51101B Personal Blender with Travel Lid, Black Review

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(More customer reviews)I got this for my 17 year old son to make smoothies. He made the most delicious peach smoothie from ice and the Big Train Fruit Tea Smoothie Blast syrup also bought on Amazon. The consistency was smooth and perfect, just like a professional frozen drink. I asked him to make me one. On the second smoothie the motor died. We thought maybe it needed a little "rest" but sadly, it was the end of the road for that blender. When pressed for details, my son admitted that he noticed a burning smell before the motor stopped dead, and yet he kept pressing that button! Bottom line: great design, lightweight, nice personal cup size, easy storage and cleanup. The motor is just not very powerful, and can't take long blending times. Still, we are going to order a replacement and see if a bit more TLC while blending gives this blender better shelf life. Seems like it worked for some of the other reviewers.
Update: we got the new blender and it is working out great. You just have to be careful to pulse the blender as you go along, and stop for a few seconds (10?) if you start to smell the motor smell. Ice is blended into drinks very well, with no big chunks. The only downside is the no dishwasher requirement. I feel pretty tempted to try it, but as this is already the second blender I will resist.

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No need to lug out the heavy-duty blender for those morning smoothies, protein shakes, or other blended beverages. When you're trying to get out the door in a hurry, this convenient blender offers one-person portions, simple one-touch blending, and durable stainless-steel blades for fast results. Best of all, its 14-ounce blending jar doubles as a travel cup, so you can sip from the same container you blend in, which means less to clean in the end. The portable travel cup includes measuring marks up the side, and it fits most car cup holders for safe, secure transport. A travel lid to drink from and a recipe book are included. Great for at home or on the go, the 175-watt single-serve blender measures 3-3/4 by 3-3/4 by 12-1/2 inches.

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