Canstar Blue’s 2019 blender review has seen Kambrook, Sunbeam, Nutribullet, Breville, Nutri Ninja, Kmart and Kenwood compared on performance, ease of use, value for money, ease of cleaning and overall satisfaction.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Kambrook has climbed up the leaderboard to lead Canstar Blue’s 2019 blender ratings. It was rated best for ease of cleaning and overall customer satisfaction, plus received solid four star reviews in all other rated variables.
While the days of acai bowls and gourmet smoothies may have settled, our schedules are as busy as ever, making blenders a necessary staple of many kitchens. From protein shakes and veggie juices to purees and sauces, the small appliance is a versatile tool for any occasion, and with many price points on offer, you won’t have to spend a fortune. Even the more basic blenders available on department store shelves boast outstanding power figures and usability, making chopping through fruit and vegetables in the morning a breeze. Whether you’re about to finally give in and join the bandwagon or looking to upgrade an old model, you’ve come to the right place!
Each year, Canstar Blue surveys hundreds of Aussie consumers to find out exactly what they think of their blender and if it’s up to the chop! Brands were rated on several factors, including performance, ease of use, value for money, ease of cleaning and overall satisfaction. Seven leading brands made it into the ratings, but only one earned five stars for overall customer satisfaction – Kambrook. The brand also received five stars on ease of cleaning, plus four stars on performance, ease of use and value for money.
Canstar Blue’s 2019 review of blenders saw seven brands compared, rated in the following order for overall customer satisfaction:
Sunbeam, Nutribullet, Breville, Nutri Ninja and Kmart received four stars apiece overall, while Kenwood scored three stars. In the three areas that Kambrook lacked, Sunbeam excelled – performance, ease of use and value for money. No other five star reviews were granted in this year’s review, suggesting that Aussies are tough critiques when it comes to their blender.
To help you decide which brand will be best for your blending needs, below is an overview of the seven in this year’s review.
Kambrook is generally seen as a trusted and fairly-priced small kitchen appliance brand. It produces a range of blenders that very rarely top the $100 price tag. In its range you’ll find a bullet inspired blender aimed for making short work of veggies. It comes with a ‘Blitz2Go’ drink bottle for smoothies on the go, and an 800W motor for easy blending of fruits.
Its Blend & Crush blender, on the other hand, features a 600W motor and comes with a large 1.5L glass jug. While you won’t find any ‘super-powerful’ blenders in Kambrook’s range, you will find reasonable prices and blenders that likely suit a large number of consumers.
Kambrook was rated best for overall satisfaction and ease of cleaning, and achieved four stars on performance, ease of use and value for money.
Kambrook’s range includes:
Check Latest Prices at Appliances Online^
Sunbeam produces a large range of blenders for all types of blending applications, with prices ranging from around $50 to $500. Fuelling the ‘grab n go’ blender craze, Sunbeam’s forte is its drink bottle blenders, which blend your food into a bottle for quick and easy transportation. Other more traditional blenders are available and the range is big enough that you can specialise in certain areas – soup making, ice crushing, maximum power and so on.
The most expensive High Performance Power blender (PB9000) boasts a 1500W motor with a 1.9L blending capacity and pre-programmed controls. Drink bottle blenders come with two 600ml BPA Free bottles and a 300W motor – enough to chop through blueberries and other delicious smoothie foods.
Sunbeam was a solid performer in our 2019 review, rated best for performance, ease of use and value for money. It was rated four stars for overall satisfaction and ease of cleaning.
Sunbeam’s line-up features:
Check Latest Prices at Appliances Online^
A brand credited for igniting the nutrient blending craze, NutriBullet made its name in TV infomercials. It claims to be the world’s original nutrient extractor and lays claim to the impressive ‘Rx’ blender, which boasts a 1700W motor and heat cycle functions for making soups. This is a blender not just for smoothies, but a range of meals where you’d normally need to pulverise veggies.
The Rx hovers around the $350 mark, but NutriBullet does also have some cheaper blenders on offer if you’re only after a blender for smoothies on the go – the NutriBullet 900 can be had for as little as $90. It comes with a 900W power base, an extractor blade and a 700ml cup.
In 2019, NutriBullet was rated four stars for overall satisfaction and in all other categories.
Nutribullet’s models include:
Check Latest Prices at Appliances Online^
Breville is generally seen as a premium option when it comes to blenders, as most of its range is priced at $100 or more, with many models exceeding $200. Expect sleek designs, high-power motors and easy-use functionality. There are no bright and colourful drink bottle blenders here. You’ll find stainless steel and black finishes, with serious blending in mind.
The top dog in the range is ‘the Super Q’ blender, which boasts the most powerful motor within the range, along with a vacuum pump accessory and noise suppression technology. It also sports a price tag of $999.95.
Breville was rated four stars for overall satisfaction and in all other research areas.
Breville’s line up features:
Check Latest Prices at Appliances Online^
Last year’s winner, Nutri Ninja offers some exciting blenders, and is arguably one of the brands that ignited the whole blender craze to start with. While its blenders were once only available through select sales channels, Nutri Ninja has now expanded to be featured in many appliance stores across Australia.
Nutri Ninjas boast ‘Auto IQ’ technology with easy blending, crushing and pause cycles. There is a fairly large range of blenders on offer, with motor powers ranging from about 900W for the basic smoothie blenders up to 1500W for the ‘Pro’ series. Prices range from around $100 for the bullet models, up to around $450 for the Ninja Intellisense Kitchen System (CT682).
Nutri Ninja was rated four stars overall satisfaction, as well as for performance, ease of use and ease of cleaning. It was just three stars in regards to value for money.
Nutri Ninja offers the following blenders:
Check Latest Prices at Appliances Online^
If you’re a ‘Kmart Mum’, you’d have no doubt seen Kmart’s series of food blenders. Known to be the purveyor of ‘cheap and cheerful’ homewares, the Kmart brand produces a range of appliances, including toasters, kettles and yes – blenders. All of Kmart’s blenders can be found for under $80, with drink bottle blenders coming in at under $20.
While you won’t get all the whizz bang features like with other brands, you will still get adequately-powered motors from around 300W up to 700W. Its most expensive 2L High Performance Blender ($79 RRP) competes with other brands by offering 1500W of power.
Kmart was rated four stars for overall satisfaction, ease of use and value for money. It was rated three stars for performance and ease of cleaning.
Kmart’s range includes:
Check Blender Prices at Appliances Online^
You might be more familiar with Kenwood if you have bought a car stereo recently, but it also produces blenders. Kenwood’s food blenders feature trendy and intriguing names like ‘XTreme’ and ‘kMix’, with colour descriptions such as ‘Spicy Red’, ‘Mystic Purple’ and ‘Fresh Cream’.
Prices range from about $220 for the most basic ‘kMix’ blender – good for making smoothies with basic functionality – up to around $700 for the premium ‘XTreme’ range, boasting 1600W motors and 2L jug capacities. Designed with six Helix Force blades, Kenwood’s Blend-Xtreme (BLP900BK) allows you to blend tough ingredients while retaining the nutrients and fibres, according to Kenwood.
Kenwood rated three stars overall as well as for ease of use, value for money and ease of cleaning, but did rate four stars in arguably one of the most important areas – performance.
Check Latest Prices at Appliances Online^
Some people scoff at the thought of a blender and will try to get all their nutritional needs through their three-square meals a day. However, for those with a tight schedule, or who don’t feel like stomaching a cup full of kale, a blender is clearly a very useful ‘grab n go’ option. They can also make food preparation much easier. Key findings from our 2019 survey include:
Before jumping into a purchase, it’s important to think about what you’ll be using a blender for. There are three main types of blenders, with almost half of survey respondents (47%) purchasing a full-sized option:
Our survey of Australian consumers found the average amount spent on new blenders was $131. Kambrook owners spent less than the average ($92), which might suggest that you don’t have to spend big for a quality blender.
In any case, no matter how much you fork out, it’s going to be a waste of money if you don’t actually use your new blender! While many people buy blenders with the goal of a healthier diet or a positive change in their lives, a great proportion of them end up going unused. More than half (53%) of survey respondents said they don’t use their blender as much as they thought they would.
So before spending $100+ on a blender, consider if you actually need or really want one. If you’re just buying a blender to fit in with the trend, you’ve probably bought a $100 paperweight. But if you can see yourself making smoothies, soups and juices, then it should be a worthwhile investment!
Putting price aside, Aussie shoppers want performance above all else. Below are the key drivers of customer satisfaction when we get our blenders home and on the kitchen bench:
It’s evident that Aussies have high expectations with blenders, perhaps because of all those infomercials promising the Earth! Kambrook has proved to be the highest-rated brand in our review with a simple range on offer. If you’re just making juices, protein shakes or smoothies, do you really need the bells and whistles?
The average life expectancy for blenders is around 14 years, our survey shows, which suggests that buying a new unit is a long-term investment that should take some serious consideration. Whatever your decision is, we hope our ratings have provided a useful tool to help you decide which brand you should go with.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s home & lifestyle journalist, Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito. She’s an expert on household appliances, grooming products and all things grocery and shopping. In addition to translating our expert research into consumer-friendly ratings reports, Tahnee spends her time helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services, while highlighting the best deals and anything you need to be aware of.
Picture credits: LightField Studios/shutterstock.com, AT Production/shutterstock.com, Photographee.eu/shutterstock.com, Jemastock/shutterstock.com
*Prices taken from retailer websites, correct as of January 2020
Our latest customer satisfaction research based on a survey of 627 blender users saw a range of brands perform well in different areas:
Canstar Blue surveyed 3,000 Australian adults across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have purchased a new blender in the last 2 years (note: this excludes Thermomix) – in this case, 627 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.
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