Ninja Blender Reviews

In my Ninja blender reviews, I take a look at two of their machines - the popular budget model, the Ninja NJ600, and the massively hyped Ninja Mega Kitchen System.

If you believe the advertising, these machines are too good to be true. I decided to see if they really are.

The first up in my Ninja blender reviews is the Ninja NJ600.

Ninja NJ600 Review

Click here for complete Ninja NJ600 specs

Advantages

+ It’s Cheap

The Ninja NJ600 blender can be had for under $100 (here).

+ Decent Blending

The NJ600’s blending is good for a blender under $100. Nowhere near commercial grade, but not poor either.

+ Large Jar

Comes with a 72 oz jar.

Disadvantages

Unfortunately there’s too many to ignore, and my Ninja blender reviews would be incomplete without them…

- Poor Build Quality

The whole thing feels very cheap.

The container/ jar is light and thin. The lid has a gimmicky locking mechanism which looks great on adverts. But once in your hands, you can see how flimsy and unnecessary it is. And the clear flap on the spout looks like it will break at any moment.

But the most significant problem is that it is almost all plastic.

Even the most vital parts, the coupling which connects the jar to the motor - is plastic too.

This is a vital part - it’s where the motor’s 1000w of power is transferred to the blades. Being made of plastic makes them wear much quicker, and makes them inefficient in transferring the energy.

The power cord is thin too, and doesn’t look durable. It looks more at home on a clock radio, rather than a ‘professional’ kitchen appliance.

- Cheap ‘6 Blade Technology’

The imaginatively marketed ‘6 blade technology’ isn’t well executed. The ‘tree’ which holds the blades is also made entirely out of plastic. If you’re blending lots of ice, it’s possible that this will damage, leaving little black flakes of plastic in your drink.

It also doesn’t lock into place. The plastic blade tree just sits loosely on the plastic drive shaft in the jar.

And because it just ‘rests’ on the shaft, you really need to remember to remove it before you pour, otherwise you’ll easily cut yourself. Removing it can also be messy, with produce dripping off it.

You’ll also need to be careful when putting the ‘tree’ back into the jar, otherwise you’ll scratch the sides of the thin jar.

- Made In China

Sacrificing build quality and building a plastic blender is one way to keep costs down.

Another way is to outsource production to China, where poorer components are used and where production standards aren’t as high.

- Short Warranty

Only 1 year for a plastic blender with a lot of corners cut in design and production.

Ninja Blender Reviews: Ninja NJ600 Conclusion

To summarize the first part of my Ninja blender reviews, the NJ600 is a fair choice if you want the smoothest smoothies you can get for under $100. It’s nowhere near restaurant quality, but then again, neither is the price.

You will, however, need to live with its poor build, and the fact that it probably won’t last you much longer than a year.

If you want something with a better build quality (all-metal drive connectors, glass jar), but poorer performance, this Oster is worth a look.

• You can buy the Ninja NJ600 for under $100 here.

 

Ninja Mega Kitchen System

If you’ve seen the hype (and I’m sure you have), you’ll have noticed the Ninja boasting that it’s better than the Vitamax, but for much less. How true is it? It boasts a 2 horsepower motor, almost as powerful as the Vitamax. Does it blend as well? Next up in my Ninja blender reviews, the Ninja Mega Kitchen.

Click here for complete Ninja Mega Kitchen specs

 

Advantages

+ It’s cheaper than a Vitamax

That’s all.

Disadvantages

The Ninja Mega Kitchen is the same as the NJ600, except with a more powerful motor, plus more jars. I was very disappointed to learn this during my Ninja blender reviews…

- Poor Build Quality

Since the Ninja Mega Kitchen uses the same base unit as the NJ600 (except for the motor), it has the same poor build quality. But at over twice the price, these flaws are magnified. Over $200 for a plastic blender! Unbelievable.

It gets worse when you consider that they put a 2 horsepower motor into this flimsy housing. And the coupling which connects the jar to the base - it’s STILL all plastic.

Still also made in China, and still has that poorly built plastic ‘6 blade technology’ tree

- Average Performance

This blends nowhere near as well as the Vitamix. The motor may have the same horsepower as the Vitamix, but I’m guessing the poor build, physics and components are what’s responsible for its very average blending performance. It certainly does not ‘liquefy’ tough and fibrous vegetables like the Vitamix can.

- Wild Claims

The infomercial has too many wild claims, so I’ll only cover the first two I heard before I was too irritated to watch anymore:

‘Restaurant quality’ - for peaches and ice, maybe. For everything else, if you received a Ninja smoothie from a restaurant, you’d never eat there again.

‘Professional blender’ - the Ninja Mega Kitchen is closer to a childs toy than a to a professional blender. How long do you think a plastic, made in China blender will last in a professional kitchen?

- Warranty

It’s a plastic blender with a 2 horsepower motor. And it has a 1 year warranty. You don’t need my Ninja blender reviews to know that this is a recipe for disaster.

Ninja Blender Reviews: Ninja Mega Kitchen Conclusion

To summarize the last part of my Ninja blender reviews: If you want a premium blender, don’t buy the Ninja Mega Kitchen System. It’s not a premium blender - it just has premium marketing.

The bare minimum was done on this blender. It’s clear the only attention given was what the marketing department told them to pay attention to (6 blade system! 2 horsepower motor!).

If you want a premium blender at a discount, get the entry-level Vitamix (discount here) or Blendtec (discount here). REAL premium blenders.

If your budget won’t stretch to one of these, just get the standard Ninja NJ600 (here). To spend over $200 on a plastic blender is madness.