Blendtec - Designer 650 - Black

As a lover of healthful, tasty, fruit smoothies and, home-made vegetable soups I was excited to receive this complimentary Blendtec Designer 650s for review. Out of the box and on to my counter I was pleased that it fit under my cabinets. This is a big plus since I plan to use this blender a lot and want it conveniently stored on my countertop, where I can get at it. It is a very attractive, eye-catching, kitchen appliance with its two-tone contrasting stainless steel and black base. Since all my major kitchen appliances are both stainless steel and black, the Blendtec Designer 650s is a perfect compliment. YooHoo! What's In The Box: * Wildside + Jar & Lid * Recipe Book and Starter Guide – Featuring blender basics and a limited number of recipes for Smoothies, Frozen Treats, Hot Soups, Juices, and Dips & Dressings. * Owner's Manual and User Guide – Detailed instructions, drawings, and illustrations for the safe and successful operation of your Blendtec Blender. Wildside + Jar Features: ** Constructed of Eastman Tritan Copolyester – Impact resistant, shatterproof, tough, and durable plastic, which is much lighter then glass construction and stays sparkling clear. ** Jar Capacity - Total capacity is 90 ounces. Clearly visible, graduated markings on two sides; up to 36 ounces and, or, 4 cups on one side, and, 105 centiliters, and, or, 1,100 milliliters, on the other. ** BPA Free Plastic – Is not manufactured with any bisphenol compounds, A (BPA) or bisphenol S (BPS. ** Easy Open, Gripper Lid – Made of rubber for sealing liquids with removable center opening for adding ingredients or, to vent vapor from hot liquids. The lid must be held ON any time you are blending. It does not lock into position, just fits securely enough not to leak. ** Dishwasher Safe - Manufacturer recommends top rack only. However, the jar can be easily cleaned with warm water and a drop of dish washing liquid by installing the top lid and using the 'Pulse' cycle for 5 seconds. ** Blends Hot Liquids – Manufacturer recommends avoiding blending very hot and boiling liquids above 212 F because it could damage the lower seals of the jar. In fact they recommend to never put anything hotter in the jar then tap water to begin with, especially if you are making hot soup. The friction of the blades will make the liquid soup even hotter. ** Stainless Steel Blender Blades – Strong, cold-forged, patented wing-tip blades, corrosion resistant and designed for heavy use. The blunt, blade design efficiently blends your ingredients as they fall into the front of the blades for greater pulverizing power. The blades are installed and sealed at the factory – you cannot remove them. They consist of permanently lubricated ball bearings encased in a rubber, shock absorbing mount. ** Ergonomic Design – Handle is designed for easy-pouring from any one of three corners of this lightweight jar. Including lid the entire jar assembly weighs approximately 3 pounds. ** Vertical Interior Jar Ridges – These two interior, protruding, vertical ridges actually disrupt the blending pattern, which allows for faster and smoother blending. ** Efficient Jar Design – Eliminates air pockets in thick and cold ingredients by preventing cavitation. The jar design shifts the vortex of the ingredients in front of the blades at all times. Base Unit Features: ** Power Base Unit – 1,560 watt motor with three prong heavy-duty, 48” appliance cord. ** Attractive Base – Contrasting stainless steel and black design. ** Non-Skid Base – There is a non-slip, rubberized material on the base of the unit to keep it from, sliding, walking, or moving during the blending process. ** Touch Screen Controls – At the top of the base towards the front is the touch screen, which lights up when unit is turned ON, and, or, any of the pre-programmed blending cycles is pressed ON, and, or, the Pulse Cycle is depressed, and, or, the slider is used to manually control the blending process. ** LED Info Center – Initially, when the unit is first turned ON, for three seconds, the LED Info Center will display a cycle count of the total number of cycles the blender has run. After that, it display the number of seconds left for each pre-programmed cycle you select for blending. ** Automatic Cycles – There are six automatic blending cycles: Batters, Ice Crush, Smoothies, Ice Cream, Juice, and Soups. Each of these cycles has been pre-programmed for variable speed settings, which change through that particular blending cycle. The variable speed settings allow time for your ingredients to be drawn down into the vortex of the blender blades for greater uniformity. The blender automatically shuts OFF when the cycle is finished. ** Pulse Cycle – Any blending process that requires just a few seconds can be done through depressing the Pulse Cycle. It can mix, chop, mince, froth, or whip in just seconds. You must depress the Pulse Cycle t keep in in operation – release when finished. ** Slider Control – You can manually control the speed of your blender. Increase, decrease, or vary the speed to get your desired results. I grind my own coffee blends from whole roasted Colombian and roasted Jamaican mountain-grown beans using the Slider. YUMMY! ** Other Icon Displays – There is a warning Temperature Icon, which will glow when the blender motor unit is overheated. A Touch Error Icon, which glows when you have touched more then one sensor for operation. A warning Phone Icon, which will glow when you are alerted to call a Blendtec Service Representative. A Stop Button (X), which will stop the blender immediately. ** Warranty – Limited warranty for eight full years. NOTE – You must retain your original proof of purchase. Here are some of the 'goodies' I made after a whole week of using this blender: Tangerine Smoothies, combination of Cantaloupe and Honey Dew Mellon fruit juice, grinded roasted coffee beans into my own personal blends, made Butternut Squash, and Asparagus soups, and ground up two pounds of Pork Shoulder and two pounds of Chuck Steak to freeze for making chili later on. I love this Blendtec Designer 650s. Its power, versatility, ease-of-use, and especially, the uniform consistency of well-blended ingredients regardless of how thick, fibrous, or hard is what makes this a 'must-have' blender for my kitchen. Did I mention how easy it is to clean? WooHoo! It is not inexpensive, but when you see what this blender can replace, it is a bargain. I no longer need my worn-out coffee grinder, my dated juicer, my electric ice cream maker, and will probably no longer need my hand-crank, meat grinder as this Blendtec does all of these functions, and, exceptionally well. I highly recommend the purchase of this Blendtec Designer 650s for yourself, family member or friend, who loves to cook and enjoys healthful benefits from the use of this kitchen appliance. It would make a great gift for newlyweds, and even for Grandma and Grandpa too.

======= Summary ======= The Blendtec Designer Series 8-speed blender is a powerful, versatile, and serious blending machine. ======= Design ======= With its simple black and stainless steel design, the Blendtec D650S is a serious-looking machine with a touch of modern elegance. Located atop the hefty and solid blender base is a LCD touchscreen that offers easy-to-use controls. Six one-touch preprogrammed blender options are offered - Smoothie, Ice Crush, Whole juice, Ice Cream, Batters, and Mixed drinks. There is also a Pulse function as well as a "touch slider" that you can use to adjust the blending speed (eight different speed levels). The flatness of this touch control area makes cleaning very simple and easy. The 36-oz blending cup fits into the base effortlessly as does the cap on top. Ergonomicaly speaking, I experienced no annoyances. Everything is just well-built, solid, and all the components fit perfectly together. A seamless experience is the result. ======= Performance ======= Our household is a big fan of organic fruit & vegetable juices, smoothies, and ice cream. We consume typical beverages such as strawberry & banana smoothies, apple & carrot juice, and other combinations of fruit & vegetable drinks (celery, kale, pineapple, orange, etc). Compared to ALL the other blenders we've owned in the past and use today, the Blendtec D650S performed the best. The liquid consistency, texture, and mixture proportions were spot-on and our drinks tasted and felt like they were blended by pros at Jamba Juice. It is not surprising when you read the specs of the Blendtec machine - a 1,560 W commerical-grade motor, powerful stainless steel blades, and 3.0 peak HP. Here is a short video I shot of the Blendtec D650S in action making a strawberry-banana smoothie: https://youtu.be/Hu2qfpn0HvU This thing is blending monster. It is a bit loud but that's the price one pays for POWER and superior blending performance & consistency. :D ======= Nice Extras ======= The 8-year warranty is really nice. And it is Made in the USA. Not many appliance makers will stand by their products for this long. The long warranty gives me a nice feeling of assurance that I'll get to enjoy the blender for many long years and I'm hoping it to be a faithful kitchen companion. Another nice touch is a little recipe pamphlet that Blendtec provided in the box. Even nicer is their website that provides hundreds of more (https://www.blendtec.com/recipes). It is exciting how this powerful blender opened up so many new recipes that I can now try that I couldn't before with lesser blenders from the past. ======= So, is it any good? Is it a good buy? ======= Yes and Yes~! What using the Blendtec D650S has taught me is that you really get what you pay for. Get something cheaper and less powerful and you'll get less performance, consistency, less warranty, less support, and more frequent purchases. If you get something more expensive but powerful from a trusted brand such as Blendtec, then you'll experience less frustration, the blending will be satisfactory and complete on the first try, and even more variety of different recipes can be experimented with and will be opened up to you.

For quite some time, I’ve enjoyed the “Will it blend?” Videos on YouTube. These videos feature Blendtec blenders and the founder of the company proving they can destroy just about anything because of how powerful they are. About a week ago, I finally got my chance to try out one of these wonderful machines. The Blendtec 650s from the Designer series product line arrived in a branded product box. I was surprised to find that the blender only comes packaged with the motor base, jar, lid, and instruction manuals. I thought it would have more accessories than that. Even though it was properly padded with styrofoam, be sure to handle the box with care as it is quite a heavy kitchen utility device. Setting it up is very easy. You simply plug in the motor base to power and set the jar with the lid on top of it. Then, you blend. I was surprised to find that there was no locking mechanism on this model. When I set the jar on the base, it just sits there unassisted. I did hold it in place while it blended, but found it odd that there was no lock for it. The lid has a small opening in the center of it for adding ingredients while blending. Many blenders have this feature, but I was surprised to find that this one is vented. It does have a cover that snaps into place, but there are small slots along the sides that allow airflow into the jar. I didn’t have any issues with the jar contents being flung around while blending. Even though the founder of Blendtec likes to push his machines to their limits, I decided to take a much more conservative approach to my testing process. I made a simple ice cream-based smoothie with fruit instead of trying to blend an Apple product. Using the measurement marks along the side of the jar, I added 4 ounces of milk, three scoops of vanilla ice cream (maybe about a cup and a half), 4 strawberries, and a whole banana. As far as prep goes, I did pull the stems from the strawberries and cut them into chunks. I realized after I had cut them up that it wasn’t really necessary given the power of the Blendtec. After adding the milk, ice cream, ice, and strawberries, I broke the banana in half, after peeling it of course, and dropped it into the jar. The Blendtec has a very simple display with icons to show you what you are blending. Each one of these buttons is associated with a set of time and speed that is already programmed into the blender. You can still operate it manually, but Blendtec makes blending very simple with these pre-programmed button options. Once I set the jar on the motor base, I selected the option for Smoothie and hit start. It immediately started blending and I noticed that because the Blendtec is so powerful, that the jar did start moving around on the base a bit. So, I put my hand on the top to steady it. The ingredients were blended for 60 seconds and then I poured it into glasses. The fruit was completely mixed into the ice cream mixture and only the flavors were added. I am very impressed by the Blendtec blender. Not too long before it entered our household, I was able to test out a Ninja blender as well. The biggest difference in the two machines is that the Blendtec relies heavily on its power to mix the ingredients because its blade is not sharpened. The Ninja, on the other hand, does have a very sharp blade. Both powerhouse blenders have a place - for me, I choose the Blendtec.

I look for a few specific features in a good blender: * Powerful * Easy to control * Easy to clean * Quiet This Blendtec Designer Series blender meets 3 of these 4 desired features. 1. Powerful - this thing has some serious muscle! While the blade doesn’t look really sharp, it does the job quite well. I followed the included recipe to make Tortilla Soup by dropping in various ingredients and not going out of my way to pre-cut them up. This blender made quick work of turning the large chunks of vegetables into hot soup in only a few short minutes. Bravo and check one required feature off the list. 2. Easy to control - the touch panel has pre-programmed buttons for things like soup and smoothies. One press of the respective icon starts the blender doing what it needs to do. The touch-enabled slider control makes it easy to select a specific speed and the timer display lets you know how long it’s been running. Another bonus for the Blendtec. 3. Easy to clean - I’m a neat freak and prefer appliances that are easy to clean after use. They thought of a ton of nice touches like drain holes in the handle and the bottom of the provided WildSide+ container. The touch-enabled control panel is also easy to wipe clean. There are even easy to access hand holds on the bottom sides to make it easy to pick up and put away the base. My only complaint here is that captive (non-removable) cord doesn’t have any storage or wrap, so you just have to bundle it up with the provided Velcro tie and let the cord bundle flop around the back. 4. Quiet - here’s where the substantial power from feature 1 above conflicts with the desire for a quiet appliance. The Blendtec’s power is great but it’s also quite noisy. The splines of the container shaft match great with the motor housing, but there’s a bit of noise generated while in operation. This is by no means a dealbreaker, but if you’re looking for a blender with power and quiet operation, you might want to look elsewhere. Overall, this Blendtec blender is a substantial piece of kitchen appliance gadgetry. It’s attractive to look at and matches the look of stainless steel appliances that you may already have in your kitchen. It’s also easy to use, easy to clean and has more than enough power to chop up whatever you put in it… as long as you don’t plan on carrying on a normal conversation with someone nearby.

Do you want a BEAST of a blender? Stop here, ADD TO CART, and save the rest of your day looking up blender information and making comparisons. This is THE best blender you will find at the consumer level. --PROS-- * This thing is a BEAST. It has a 3HP motor, tops in the consumer blending industry. It's basically a commercial grade blender. * The BEST THING - the VORTEX suction. YOU DON'T NEED A TAMPER! I currently have another branded blender (which hasn't Aided me in the Kitchen), and I'm constantly having to push the ingredients down to the bottom. With the Blendtec, no tamper is needed. Due to shape of the container and the design of the metal non-sharpened blades, everything is sucked down to the bottom. It's an engineering marvel really. It doesn't get any easier than this. * It will blend through anything thoroughly, though I haven't tried putting rocks in it yet. * Settings galore in order to make the perfect mix including a finger slider speed adjustment module. * The touch interface is awesome and extremely EASY TO CLEAN * Did I mention the blades are not sharp like some brands? No worries of cutting your fingers if you get to cleaning the bottom of the container. * The 8-YEAR WARRANTY. For close to $500, you expect greatness from a kitchen appliance such as this. They back up their product with 8 years of replacement/repair in the event the beast has issues. This is rarely seen anywhere in the kitchen appliance realm. * Some blenders bases move or rotate slightly when using - this one stays put. * The stainless look with LEDs look great on the counter top. It just LOOKS like it means business. * NO ICE CHUNKS. I have made about 10 pineapple smoothies so far and every single one has been creamy smooth. You won't have any ice chunks getting stuck in your straw. --CONS-- * Yeah, it's loud. It's a 3HP motor that has a job to do - and to do it well. Blenders typically make quite a bit of noise... if you want it done right, it's going to be a little louder. I'll sacrifice sound for a job done better than any other blender. * Manufacturer states you can dishwasher-clean this thing on the top rack. Problem: It won't fit on the top rack upside down in many cases. If this is a problem, you can put on the bottom rack; however, this could VOID the incredible warranty they offer. So get ready to fall in love if you have used other inferior branded blenders like I have. It's not even a fair fight. Power. 8-year warranty. Performance. You get it all. Stop reading and comparing.... once you get this thing, you'll be saying the same thing.

BLENDTEC Model: DESIGNER 650s Are you looking for a blender that will match visually with a high end kitchen? The Blendtec has a luxury look and feel, with its heavy stainless steel cladding, disappearing seamless control panel, and crystal clear plastic jar, with stainless steel blade. The Blendtec has a typical footprint, but its slightly shorter, square jar requires less height, so it can actually be operated under many top cabinets. And, it’s a powerhouse blender, with an advertised 3 HP motor. There’s a colorful recipe book, describing drinks, salsa, soups, yogurt and smoothies. The control panel is smooth, and disappears with no seams or indicator other than one red power button on the upper right corner. Cleaning is never more than a wipe across the smooth control surface or the motor housing. When the power button is lightly pressed the entire control panel lights up with icons, revealing the various programmed blend patterns (batter, ice crush, smoothie, ice cream, whole juice, and soups). There’s a digital slider controlling the motor speed manually and a pulse button. There are also 3 error icons (overheating, button touch, service needed). It’s high tech, with none of the drama. Operation is shown in the short video we took. Fill the jar, set it on the motor housing (no twisting needed)., press power, then press your program. Watch the choreography. This is a powerful blender, not likely to be perturbed by any cooking project you want accomplished. While the manual makes no mention of keeping a hand on the top cap, I’d recommend it. Ice or firmer foods may result in an initial startup kick, which quickly settles. My standard smoothie is an assortment of fruits, some frozen. This blender looks like it’s completed the task at 30 seconds, but the program runs a full 60 seconds. Other programs run different lengths, but then, you can pulse or control speed and time all manually, very easily. This is a powerful and attractive appliance. I could easily imagine others will love this blender, but for the price. Of course, if you’re insisting on an elegant tabletop appliance, price won’t matter.

I rely very heavily on my wife's opinion when it comes to what small kitchen appliances we have in our house. When she said she wanted a new Blendtec Blender, she did caution me about sticker shock. Thankfully I was prepared to see the $450 price point for this particular beast. The design of the blender is simple, elegant and minimalistic. There's no console or blending station set up, just a base and the blender cup. One flaw in the design is how to clean it - the cup states it's dishwasher safe in the top rack, but I don't know of a dishwasher that has a top rack tall enough to accomodate this. Our Bosch dishwasher certainly doesn't. My wife informed me about how Blendtecs are basically the powerhouses of the blender world and she was right. This thing took everything we threw at it! Ice - it blended that fine. Cake batter - did that too. Smoothies - no problem! That being said, this thing is $450 - that's an insane leap from the other blender that we were replacing. I'm happy to learn that Blendtec are rated as very reliable and have a reputation for lasting for a very long time. Since we wore out our old blender, I'm hoping that the cost-per-use on this will help me feel better over time. The pictures we posted were of before we started blending, because my wife informed me that Blendtecs are strong enough to shred electronics. Sorry, wasn't going to let my new iPhone X near that thing while it's on! This thing is loud too - but then again, what blender isn't? If you're a serious baker, cooker, etc - then you might want to look at the Blendtec. It's a beast. If you’re not into serious cooking though, you’d have to weigh the idea of paying nearly as much for a blender as you do for an iPad. If you’re a budget conscious shopper, then this isn’t the blender for you.

The Blendtec - Designer Series 8-Speed Blender - Stainless is simply the best blender I've ever used. It is heavy enough to set firmly on the counter or table surface without moving while running at its highest speed. With its 36-oz pitcher in place, the whole unit is 16" high so it will fit under most overhead cabinets for temporary storage away from your workspace. The lid snaps down on the pitcher so that it is secure. Power? This thing has a 3HP 1560W commercial grade motor. It powers through meat or anything else you would put in a blender. It is exceedingly simple to operate and clean. The impressive blade unit is not removable from the pitcher, so there's no disassembling it to clean it and hoping you reassemble it correctly so that the pitcher doesn't leak when you next use it. You simply put a couple of drops of detergent in the pitcher with some water and pulse the blender as needed. It will swirl the contents up to the top of the pitcher as long as you run it. Then just rinse the pitcher and lid in hot water and set it aside to dry. The base has a digital screen in front of where the pitcher sets, and the rest of the base is wrapped in stainless steel. Just wipe the entire base off with a damp cloth, and you're done. This blender is by far the easiest blender to clean that I've ever used. On the control panel, it offers a digital slider for manual speed control - just touch the slider or slide your finger up or down the wide slider icon to the speed you want. In addition, it has the preset icons along with a power icon and alert icons for various situations. It has 6 presets: Batters to mix or whip batters, sauces, dips and dressing: Ice Crush to blend mixed drinks, milkshakes or to simply crush ice: Smoothie to blend your smoothies: Ice Cream to actually make ice cream: Whole Juice to make whole juice or green drinks: Soup to make hot soup (blade action actually heats the ingredients) or hot chocolate. These presets have been fashioned to run the blender at different speeds at different points in the blending process to obtain excellent results - just put your liquids in first, then the lighter solids above that and the heavy solids above that. The soup we made using the Soup preset was excellent! The Blendtec blender comes with a book to show you how to properly use your blender for smoothies, frozen treats, hot soups, juices and dips & dressings. More recipies are available at Blendtec.com. If you want a simple to operate blender that cleans easily and does a superb job blending, mixing, whipping or any other blender job, you will love the Blendtec - Designer Series 8-Speed Blender - Stainless.