Quality blender under $100

[Elizabeth86]

The last 2 blenders I had were cheap brands from Walmart and they broke in no time. I looked into good ones and I'm finding some to be several hundred dollars. Yikes. Do you have one under $100 that works well and lasts a while.

[ScoutTN]

Well, ours doesn't get super heavy use, but it makes smoothies just fine. It's an Oster and was about $60 at Walmart. 

 

[Katy]

I’d plan on spending more and look for a refurbished vitamix. We got ours from Amazon. 

[Bambam]

We now have a Hamilton Beach blender. It's been going for maybe 5 years? We make smoothies on average once/week (frozen fruit). That is pretty much all it does since I got an immersion blender for soups. We got a blender with a big jar as the smoothies were for 4 people. 

[Ali in OR]

We got a Ninja for Christmas two years ago. I think it was in the $50-$60 range. We're occasional users--smoothies, salsa, margaritas. We're happy with it.

[Hilltopmom]

Not that cheap but a vitamix is worth every Penney and lasts forever

[PeterPan]

We ruined a really nice KA blender wedding present making milkshakes. Now we have a commercial milkshake machine for shakes and a metal immersion blender for the rest. We have a Vitamix but rarely use it, only when we want to make batches of milkshakes instead of singles. So I guess it depends on what you're blending (ice, hummus, dressings, smoothies, etc.). I'm really keen on my hand held immersion blender and use it a ton.

[Arcadia]

I overheated many blenders and they kaput. Now I have  Ninja blender and it just trip instead of overheating and I just have to reset at the plug. Its $130 but worth it after I burnt so many blenders. Our worst experience was Bella, we could smell the burnt electrical components smell. 

[Forget-Me-Not]

We have a KA Diamond, which varies in price depending on the color you want. 

[popmom]

I recently bought a Ninja, and I'm pleased with it so far. I make green smoothies with it mostly. 

[mathnerd]

I bought my Vitamix more than 18 years ago and it is still going strong, in fact, my workhorse. It gets used twice or thrice a day. It is very expensive, especially if you are buying their expensive accessories like their dry jar, aeration disc jar etc. But, I will not buy another blender until this one croaks which might not be for a long time. All this to say that if you amortize the original cost of the blender over 25 years or so, then, it seems affordable. So, my recommendation is to go with a refurbished Vitamix if you can find one closer to your budget.

Apart from that, I also have my original blender, an Oster with a glass jar that I bought from Bed Bath and Beyond when I was a college student and it still lives and works though I don't use it at all. 

[Pen]

Juice Lady - may not be made anymore though 

[ksr5377]

We've had a Ninja for about 6 years.  I had been leaning towards getting a Vitamix but wasn't sure we would use it enough.  Someone on this forum recommended the Ninja as a stepping stone.  We don't use it daily but it does get used at least 3 times a week.

[Bootsie]

If my budget were $100, I would get an immersion blender.  I have had several blenders that I thought were more trouble than they were worth, a pain to clean, and did a marginal job. Last year I thoroughly researched blenders, looking at all of the America's Test Kitchen reviews and other sources.  I came away convinced I would prefer to go without unless I could budget for a more expensive blender.  I received a basic model Vitamix as a gift--and it has been so much better than anything I have ever owned before.  

[Carol in Cal.]

I can tell when a blender is overheating, and I rest it at that point.  

I have never bought one, which is funny because I do cook a lot.

When my grandparents passed away, I got my grandmother’s old Oster blender.  It is not fancy, and has a plastic jar instead of glass, and when I made peanut butter in it a la Saxon Math 1, I almost killed it.

BUT, I have since scored two better blenders, one free and one for $5 in a moving sale, and they have worked well and smoothly for several years now.  So my best advice is to get on your neighborhood garage sale or free lists on facebook and keep your eyes open for a blender becoming available.  That happens pretty often around here.  This is also how I got my last Kitchen Aid mixer and my last Cuisineart food processor.  Kitchen stuff that is ‘hardly used’ seems to come up pretty often.

[Soror]

I have an Oster Pro and it has lasted for years. It is loud but does the job.

[Pawz4me]

I have either an Oster or a Hamilton Beach that's about four years old and still works just fine. I don't remember exactly which brand it is because about three years ago I let DS25 take it to his apartment. He makes smoothies anywhere from daily to several times a week, whereas I only used it a handful of times a year. It's super easy to clean--put in some water, add a drop of dish detergent and let it whirl for a few seconds. Rinse and done. Are y'all telling me some blenders can't easily be cleaned that way?

I do have a Ninja coffee maker that I really really like. It makes very good coffee and comes apart for easy cleaning. Based on that I'd highly recommend the brand. If I ever actually need a blender I'll probably look at the Ninjas first, just based on how much I like my coffee maker.

 

[Impatien]

I have had this one since 2014, and it works very well, also easy to clean

 

https://www.amazon.com/Ninja-400-Watt-Processor-Blending-QB900B/dp/B003XU3C7M/ref=sr_1_13?crid=1DOA01XMYHULW&dchild=1&keywords=ninja+blender&qid=1609245560&sprefix=Ninja+bl%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-13

[mom31257]

We got an Ambiano professional one from Aldi a few years ago. It is great.  

I use this one a lot for smoothies, but I don't put ice in mine. 

https://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-51101BA-Personal-Smoothies/dp/B00KVZ27UA/ref=asc_df_B00KVZ27UA/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167155690034&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15254007480459177964&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010883&hvtargid=pla-283454461091&psc=1

 

Edited December 29, 2020 by mom31257

[Farrar]

I have a combination food processor/blender that's made by Cuisenart that I got for about $100 - the list price is a bit higher, I think. Part of the plastic top bit broke a few years ago and it was nice that I was able to replace it.

In my experience, if you have heavy blender use for a ton of stuff, then nothing but a Ninja or Vitamix will really do it. My step-father had a medical issue where he essentially had to go on an all liquid diet for years. There's no way he could have made it through with anything less. A friend's family does smoothies several times a week with ice and frozen fruit... again, there's just no way they'd be able to with a "regular" blender, even one from a decent company. So I guess I'd just keep that in mind.

I use my blender every so often for things. I use the immersion blender - as mentioned above - a LOT more often, especially for pureeing soups.

[mmasc]

We use our blender for mostly smoothies (frozen fruit), and not super often. But I’ve had the Oster Beehive for at least a decade (and probably longer) and it’s still going strong. Blends up the frozen fruit well—but it is really loud!

Eta: this is the one I have. 

Edited December 29, 2020 by mmasc
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[mathnerd]

@Elizabeth86 I was in costco today and they have the Nutribullet Blender Combo for $79 (this is the season of new year's resolution and people beginning to drink Green Smoothies 😉 ). I believe that many retailers like BBB, Kohl's etc will have sales for blenders at this time of the year.

The nutribullet had a 1200 W motor, a lot of accessories like Single Serving Cups and looked good, in case you are interested.

https://www.costco.com/.product.100601243.html