NutriBullet Balance Bluetooth Enabled Blender - Black

As a smoothie fanatic, I was very excited to try this blender. It is fairly easy to start using it - just give it a wash, and it is good to go. The setup is a simple process as well. After putting the desired ingredients into the container, top it with the blade, and place it on the base. Tilt it to the side to start it, and then back to stop it. This simplicity of the machine is what encourages me to use it. My favorite part - which I believe is what really makes this blender a five-star product - is how efficient the Nutribullet Balance App is. After downloading it, just connect it to the blender through Bluetooth. This app shows a variety of distinct recipes for smoothies, dips, salad dressings, and soups that you could make with the blender. When following a recipe, the app will tell you how much of each ingredient you need and will alert you when you have put enough or too much. I am especially fond of this feature as no separate measuring cup or tools are actually needed. The app will also control the amount of time the blender is on, turning it off automatically. Moreover, this app allows you to keep track of all nutritional facts in your drink, soup, dressing etc. This is imperative for developing a healthier lifestyle. Cleaning it is an effortless task as long as you rinse it immediately after use. Essentially, I am highly satisfied with this product and I am sure I’ll be using it regularly.

In the box is the blender base with a bluetooth centerpiece, two cups, two travel lids, the blender bottom (very sharp, be careful) with a protective lid, and a simple manual to get started. There is an app to download but no worries, the app has step by step video guides for setup. I must first say that this is by far one of the easiest products that I have ever used. There is a video guide that takes you through and shows you how to use every piece of equipment. I also love the fact that there is a measuring mechanism on the base and the app is so user friendly. I normally steer away from blender products because I never know what to buy or what I can blend together but the app gives you ideas on different options or you can create your own and save your mixture for next time. If you have an idea of an item that you have in your pantry or fridge, for example cucumber, type it in the search bar of the app and it will find different recipes with cucumber in it. There is a shopping list feature built in and if you are unsure about anything, there is a video to help you through the processes. The blender is a little heavy, so it is best to keep stationary but you can still travel with it. There is only one button, everything else is handled through the app. The noise level is not too bad and with the suction cups on the bottom, the blender stayed in place while mixing/making a smoothie. Would I buy this product again? Absolutely, it is definitely worth buying again with all of the different features of the app and I would definitely recommend to friends and family.

I use my own recipes so I haven’t tried the Bluetooth option yet. My only warning would be that you can’t have even one sliver of ice go beyond the “max” line or blending will be sluggish. End results are enough to share or you can use as a meal replacement as it makes a good sized batch.

I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for smart devices of almost any type. But when I saw that NutriBullet Balance had produced a Bluetooth connected blender, I was dubious. The description they gave made it seem like the blender was essentially only serving to replace the equals sign on an app-based calculator. But, being a smart device sucker, I decided to try it anyway. The first thing I discovered is that the product description does not do nearly a good enough job of selling this thing’s strengths. The best feature of the system is most definitely not the nutrition tracking (which I do find to be very dubious – more on that later) but rather the fact that they’ve built a highly precise digital scale into the thing. Which means that when you go to assemble a recipe, you can skip the measuring cups and simply add each ingredient to the cup until it tells you that you’ve reached the right amount. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but the effects of this are huge. The Nutribullet parts, designed as they are for frequent use and small batches, are engineered for easy cleaning. When you don’t need to use two or three different measuring devices, the total time to clean everything up drops to just a couple of minutes. For someone like myself who isn’t always the greatest at staying on top of these things this alone makes me far more likely to use the Balance, which hopefully will translate to me eating healthier in the long run. Speaking of, I also must give this thing serious points for build quality. In addition to being easy to clean (most of the parts are dishwasher safe) every single part has a satisfying heft and has been engineered to surprisingly tight tolerances. They’ve also thought of a lot of things that I’ll admit I wouldn’t have. For instance, the threaded tops of the cups can be covered over with a smooth plastic lip to make for easier drinking and easier cleanup, as the threads are protected from most things that might gum them up. I only wish that I could say the same for the app that comes with it. This, sadly, is ultimately the downfall of the Balance. Smart devices live and die on the quality of the app their paired with, and this one is only barely usable. It’s slow to run (even on my modern flagship smartphone) quick to crash and only marginally reliable when it comes to tracking your nutrition. The first day I had it, I used it for all three meals to test it out for this review. For two of them I used the built-in recipes (which are okay, but nothing too special) and for the third I created my own concoction out of the leftovers from earlier in the day. The next day, all of that was gone. I don’t know how, I don’t know why, but the app managed to delete everything I’d stored in it. I can’t say I was too surprised though, given that it had frequently failed to respond to basic button presses, aggressively demanded that I log back in multiple times even though I never logged out, and froze up at least half a dozen separate times when I attempted to search for recipes. Oh, and if you want to add some simple granulated sugar to your recipes without anyone knowing, the Balance has your back. Despite having an encyclopedic collection of ingredients that I’ve never even heard of in its database, “sugar” is apparently not one of them. I understand that this is intended primarily for healthy living, but I’d rather have an accurate accounting of my dietary sins all the same. This leaves me in somewhat of a frustrating position. Overall, I like the Balance. And when they worked, I could see there was some real potential in the smart features which I feel could end up being more widely adopted to make cooking as well as blending easier. But with the app in the state that it is, you’re not getting all the features that you’re paying a premium for. In the state that it is now I could only recommend getting this over a regular non-smart version of the NutriBullet if you’re willing to play the early adopter game and wait however many months or years it takes for them to sort out the problems with the app.

I don’t start the day without making a smoothie. I use smoothies as a means to supplement my diet not only with fundamental fruits and veggies but to also add minerals and additional nutrition to increase cognitive as well as athletic performance. My VitaMix has afforded me 30 years of dependable service; but, I really like the NutriBullet Balance with the Blue Tooth App because it allows me to easily construct and file recipes as well as determine the nutritional profile of my recipes and theirs in calories, fiber, carbs, sugars, sodium, cholesterol, etc. Pros: Tracking ingredient amounts helps me connect the experience of my mind and body with what I consume. At the app, I can select my goals and design my nutrition accordingly. The process is easy with the Balance: I put the canister on the unit’s scale which is also the base that blends the ingredients then add contents that are reflected as the layers of ingredients as added in real time via a simple graphic on my smartphone app. The scale is so sensitive that a reading is produced when I add my powdered ingredients such as wheat grass, goat protein, chia seeds, spirulina, etc. As noted earlier, though I have a VitaMix and a Cuisinart, this Bullet Balance adds another variety of options that expands my knowledge base and allows me to move to a higher level of organization. This new Bullet is also another educational tool in my efforts to promote fun and easy wellness strategies to friends, family and colleagues. The machine came beautifully packaged with lots of protective cardboard forms. The design is hefty with a feeling of durability without being overwhelmingly heavy. The suction cups on the base keep the unit from slipping. It’s quiet and fast. The cups are large with snuggly fitting caps that creates a fast transition from blending station to travel bag for a fast day. Cons: Personally, the highest logic in diets is the BLOOD TYPE GENETICS DIET. I must call their R+D to consider including blood type compatible recipes that optimize immunity and metabolic efficiency. What could make more sense than a DNA driven diet? Call Peter D’Adamo ND to work out the plan. I don’t like that a time frame is recommended for a blade change. The added expense and hassle is not a deal breaker but is another item I have to track on my calendar. Sure wish there is a post-consumer recycling program for the machine’s parts, its base, etc In light of our current need to manage industrial waste, Bullet can be the market leader in eco-green sense with a strategy that returns product parts to their origin for repurposing in new machines or be directed to appropriate applications in other industries. greenrita.com says green-up!

Even if your goal isn’t losing weight or bulking up for some high endurance sport, the NutriBullet Balance blender/smoothie machine is attractive simply because of it’s amazing technology. If you like gadgets, you’ll love this blender. The NutriBullet Balance connects to your smart phone through Bluetooth connectivity. Instead of making vague assumptions about the quantity and caloric density of each ingredient you add to your health drink, you use the precise scale built in to the NutriBullet Balance. You can toss in items that you have available and just tap on the specific ingredient description (blueberries, hazel nuts, ice, celery, etc.) and as you add them, the total calories of the mix will begin to appear on the App screen. An even better way is to use the hundreds of recipes that are available. The trick to sticking with a particular type of diet is making the item you’re eating (or in this case drinking) palatable. Grinding up and gulping down pure turnip for example might be “good for you” but it might also make you gag and give up your diet. The recipes in the guide are designed to be at least edible, but more often delicious. You look up a recipe that meets your needs, get the ingredients out of the fridge or pantry and add them to the NutriBullet Balance in the order you see them on your phone’s screen. As you add the ingredient you see a bar-graph-like display superimposed on a picture of the NutriBullet Balance. Just add one ingredient until that part of the bar-graph shows full and move on to the next ingredient. When you’re finished adding items, your NutriBullet Balance should look full just as the App picture does. Put the Cap on the “Bullet” and start the blender motor. When it’s done you can drink it immediately or leave the cap on and take it to work or your work-out location. The Bullet is a spill proof travel drink container and you get two of them with the kit. You can mark your Favorites in the provided recipe list or even develop your own recipe that will calculate the calories as you create it. The NutriBullet Balance recipes are not just for Smoothies. It makes Soups, Dips, Salad Dressings and Gravies that can be tailored for specific dietary needs such as diabetic issues. There are more features but I think you get the idea. PROS: - Gives you great control over your dietary intake. - Has a powerful 1200 watt motor that can liquefy most foods. - Hundreds of recipes for different needs and results. - Scratches that “Tech Gadget Itch”. - Relatively quiet for such a powerful blender. CONS: - Like many of our increasing numerous Bluetooth devices, it is subject to the conflicts of every Bluetooth device trying to connect with every other Bluetooth device in your home. That can sometimes lead to dropouts and slow connection time as each Bluetooth device fights for supremacy over the same frequencies and bandwidth. It’s something that the Bluetooth consortium is going to have to address soon as we become flooded with Bluetooth devices. - Yet one more device taking up space on your counter top or disappearing into a cupboard until the next yard sale. CONCLUSION: - If you have any dietary health issues or concerns, this could be a device that helps you manage them. To use it effectively though, you must be willing to go through the learning curve. Even if you’re not into the “Healthy” thing, you can make one delicious 2000 calorie milk shake to die for ;)

This is a great little blender. I only say little because I have a Ninja that is huge by comparison. This thing has plenty of power and has blended everything from frozen fruit to kale for my smoothies. It is much heavier than it looks, but is still manageable for most people. Initially, I didn't know why in the world a blender would need to be paired via Bluetooth to my phone, but after using this for several days now, I have grown to appreciate it for one reason in particular. My wife calls me a by the book cook, which means that if the directions say use 1/4 cup of this or 2/3 cup of that, I'm breaking out the measuring cups to make sure I get it right. That is the reason I love this blender. With the app downloaded and paired to the blender, I began making my favorite smoothie. I set the cup on the "scale" as stated and created my recipe within the app. First, I searched for 1% milk within the app by clicking "Add ingredient", typed the name and added 1 1/2 cups of milk. Instead of breaking out my impressive collection of measuring cups, I poured it directly into the blender cup and the app told me how much milk I had poured. I then broke out the frozen mangoes, repeated step one and kept adding until the app said about two cups. Finally I added a couple scoops of protein powder. I didn't need to measure that. After adding the ingredients, I placed the blender cup on the blender base and the app asked me what texture I preferred. I selected smoothie and the app determined how long the recipe needed blended and voila, 52 seconds later, I had my Mango Protein smoothie. The cups are huge and two are included along with the lips and lids. Clean up was easy and much quicker than cleaning my Ninja blender. I like that the app has recipes, stored in it that I can use or I can make up my own and store them in the app. Overall, this is a fantastic blender and will certainly get plenty of use in my household. I would definitely recommend this product!!

Great purchase, keeps me juiced. It comes with instructions and technology to help assemble smoothie with amount of ingredients, calorie measurement, phone app.....technology is great. Appears built to last....