Read First Before Buy Hamilton Beach 51101 Personal Blender
People who give bad reviews to this product are using it beyond what it was intended. If you're looking to dice and slice, of course, you're going to wear the blades out. There are other products for that!
I use my Hamilton Beach blender exclusively for protein shakes. Every morning, I blend bananas, protein shake mix and ice cubes. It makes the most perfect shakes! I love the fact that a travel lid is included, so you can take it on the road. I'm often not hungry when it comes to breakfast, but stuck in an early morning commute, the travel shake is easy to consume.
I always take a shake with me when I need an early morning start. I also take it on every vacation and make breakfast shakes in my hotel room. Hotel ice cubes tend to be softer and blend the most terrific shakes of all.
I've had my Hamilton Beach personal blender for a year now and it's fabulous! I love it so much that I've also bought it as gifts for other friends. Do not hesitate to buy this product!
I have to say this is the best blender ever. 1)It's small 2)It's portable 3)Easy clean-up 4)It's powerful. I have to say I was very doubtful that this little blender was going to do the job I needed it to. I make protein shakes twice a day with full-sized ice cubes. My big Cuisinart duet was too big for just making one shake and had not enough power behind it. I gave it the ultimate test and put huge ice-cubes and banana in the mix with my protein powder. To my amazement it made the BEST shake ever. Not only did it blend the ice and banana into the shake, it made a frothy thick shake that was thick and yummy. I normally let it blend for about 90 seconds. The key is putting the correct amount of ice into your drink. I figured I'd test it out for at least a couple of weeks before I put a review up. It is still going strong. I even bought a second one for work. I bought mine at Wal-Mart for $14.95. It was the best money I ever spent. The sippy cup top is perfect because now I don't have to transfer my shake from blender to cup and miss a drop of shake. The cup top is soft and perfectly shaped so you don't get the "dribble-cup" effect. If I am running late in the morning I just make the shake and take with me in the car. It's even good for mixing salad dressings or other wet things together. I highly recommend this little blender...and I am the most picky person ever.
BalasHapusI make several protein/meal-replacement shakes every day. I was using "shaker" cups for this task day in and day out for several years. I happened upon this gem of an appliance by mistake while shopping at Walmart. I figured for $9.00 I had nothing to lose by giving it a try!
BalasHapusLet me start out by saying this is NOT intended to do much else other than make smoothies, protein shakes, mixed drinks, etc. It is not intended to replace that $100.00 big blender that gathers dust in your cabinet.
This little guy does a GREAT job at doing its job! A few pulses and you have a very well-blended drink with no yucky clumps. Seems like every protein powder claims to be mixable with a spoon, but NEVER is! I even added some ice and it handled it like a champ! I have used this blender 4-5 daily for a few months and it shows no sign of wearing out/slowing down. A very good product for only 9 bucks!
Another great part of this blender is it fits great in car cup holders. You can whip up a quick smoothie for breakfast and take it with you in a snap. Clean up is easy as well. I just add a drop of dishsoap, some hot water, and run the blender for a few seconds. It cleans it wonderfully! This is one appliance that never leaves the countertop. I will by buying a second one on my next trip to Walmart because they always seem to discontinue the great products! I would be lost without it....
I drink a protein shake 3-4 times a day and everyone kept telling me to get the magic bullet. I read the reviews, which I value highly in my decision making processes for all purchases, and there were more negatives than positives so I thought I should look at some more choices....I found this for $14.99 with free shipping and I figured for that price I had nothing to loose. WELL I am here to tell you that it crushes the ice to a slushee consistency and makes the best smoothies. I am buying one for home now since I leave this one at work. My $100 kitchen aide bogs down when I add 8 0z. of ice to 8oz. of water and then add my packet of protein...NOT what I expected for $100....so I am getting this for home....You won't be sorry!!!
BalasHapusI am on a diet, requiring that I mix and drink shakes every day. At home I use a blender, but at work I have been using a shaker jar. I bought this, hoping it would be compatible with my job environment. I just made my first shake in it, and I am impressed! The machine is not much more noisy than an electric shaver. The jar has a 3 cup capacity, and the blade can pulverize ice cubes in the shake, so I can whip up a large, thick shake. Since it is so small and lightweight, I will be able to carry it from my desk to the kitchen in a small fabric tote I have. The jar is shaped like a drinking glass, and is very comfortable to drink from. The blade is permanently installed in the jar, so cleanup is very easy - just make soapy water in the jar, and use a bottle washer. Although the jar is plastic, it is thick and feels very durable. It looks like this blender will meet my every need! It works so well, that I will carry it with me on trips, too. Thank you, Hamilton Beach!
BalasHapusI won't be dumping my regular blender for this, but I do use it frequently for my lighter and smaller blending jobs. I decided to get this when I was out looking for the Magic Bullet. Fortunately, the store didn't have any so I started looking at the other small personal blenders and decided on this one. I generally use it to puree onions and garlic for various marinades. It does a really good job. I occasionally find a stray piece but not often. I also use this sometimes in the morning when I want to make a quick drink without having to wash anything. Just drop in the ingredients, blend, put on the travel lid and go. The blender makes perfectly acceptable smoothies or other drinks as long as the directions are followed. I usually keep frozen bananas in my freezer to play the additional role of ice. For under $20, this little gem is a bargain. I have had mine for well over a year and it's still going strong!
BalasHapusI bought this blender after seeing that it has almost a 5 star rating. It is the best $17, I ever spent on a small kitchen appliance. I use mine 3 times a day to make protein shakes, with powder, water and ice cubes. It can handle the ice no problem. I will say, that you cannot hold the button down the entire time you are blending. It has a pulse button and should be used accordingly. I go for about 30 second intervals and then I stop to let it rest for about 5 seconds, and begin again. The longer you blend, the thicker and creamier your shakes/smoothies become. I have owned this blender for several months.
BalasHapusI put mine in the dishwasher all the time and haven't had any problems other than a little foggy appearance in the cup, which is to expected.
The only thing I would change is to have more cups with this blender, but then I found Hamilton Beach item#51102, which is the exact same item, with 2 cups for just a few dollars more.
This is probably the best $15 I ever spent for the kitchen.
BalasHapusI had a bigger standard blender, but never used it. Now, with this little blender, the little jar is always filled with something or in the dish drainer. It never gets a chance to be put away in the cabinet. The blender base is always on the counter - the only appliance of any sort that has that status.
It's simple and it works. It makes no more than two servings, and it does a real good job with single servings. I can make one kind of smoothie or shake and my son can make his own.
All of a sudden, we go to the store looking for "smoothie fodder" and we don't have to agree on what that is.
I am buying my second mostly for the second jar and lids. It is so inexpensive that they do not sell the replacement parts.