Should you buy the new Ninja BlendBoss?

“Is there someone next door using a chainsaw?!” my 9-year-old yelled out from the living room on what was otherwise a peaceful Saturday morning. 

“I’m just using the blender I’m testing for CHOICE!” I yelled back (shouted conversations between rooms seems to be a common mode of communication in our family).

I’m not surprised she thought our neighbour was hacking down some trees. The Ninja Blendboss blender is loud. 

My daughter was referring to the (admittedly clever) way the blender noisily whirrs through cycles of pausing, pulsing and blending, based on a series of smart programs you can select (more on that later). I guess in a way it does simulate someone using a chainsaw, on and off.

Is it unreasonably loud for a powerful blender? Probably not. I’ve had a much-treasured, high-powered Vitamix for 10 years now and my husband continuously complains about how loud it is. I’d say this one is on par, and considering the great results it creates in the blended concoctions I’ve been making, and its compact size, I’m willing to overlook the noise. 

But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, what is the Ninja BlendBoss? It’s a personal blender that blends smoothies, shakes and frozen drinks directly into a 760ml travel tumbler. It currently retails for $199.

Once your drink is ready, you flip the tumbler the right way up, swap the lid with stainless steel blades for a leakproof lid and a straw, and off you go. Tumblers of this ilk, merging functionality with fashion, have become painfully trendy, thanks to “clean girl” aesthetics and many a wellness influencer touting one on the way to the gym in head-to-toe colour-coordinated athleisure wear (the BlendBoss even comes in five cute colours so you can match your top with your tumbler). 

But does it actually blend well and is it worth the $199 price tag? Here are my observations.

It is easy to use

My first observation about the BlendBoss (apart from the slightly cringe moniker): it couldn’t be simpler to use. After glancing at the instructions, I went ahead and filled the tumbler with my ingredients and selected one of the three preprogrammed smart “Auto IQ” programs which are designed to make either a smoothie, a crushed ice/frozen drink, or a blend (of fruits, veggies and liquids for drinks or purees for example). There is also a pulse function.

Each of the functions, apart from the pulse, is a timed cycle that finishes automatically. Once the blender has completed the selected program, you just turn the tumbler over and add your lid and straw. All the detachable components are easy to rinse and are dishwasher safe. 

It is powerful

The reason for the chainsaw-like volume becomes clear when you realise this compact blender packs an impressive 1100 watts of power. While a high wattage isn’t the only factor that will influence a blender’s performance, this level of power is higher than any other personal blender we’ve tested in our latest review.

It also comes close to the power of top-end full-size blenders – some personal blenders in our review have anywhere from 300 watts of power up to Ninja Nutribullet which has 1000W , while the full-size Vitamix E310 Explorian high-performance blender, which costs $699, is 1200W. 

To get this amount of power for a $200 price tag in such a compact unit (it’s significantly smaller than my Vitamix) is impressive.

And the results? All the blends and purees I made were super smooth. Even when I challenged it with the curly nemesis of many blenders – tough, fibrous leaves of kale – it blended them with frozen mango and coconut water with ease to create a silky smoothie with close to zero bits in it.

CHOICE experts know that blending kale is a task many blenders struggle with, which is why we give each blender we test in our labs a green smoothie score (no one should have to chew through their smoothie).

We haven’t yet tested this blender in our labs, but I’m confident it would rate well (stay tuned for full results once our experts have had time to conduct a series of tests).

A warning – the blender comes with suction-cup feet on its base and you better ensure those suckers are stuck to your kitchen counter before you blend (otherwise, expect it to start “walking” across your benchtop). When fully assembled, the entire unit weighs just 2.48kg, with the empty tumbler weighing a very manageable 600g. 

The tumbler and straw are handy, but may not be right for everyone  

This appliance is obviously designed for people on the go – the tumbler is light and the base fits handily into car cup holders. It even has a handle (see image).

My daughter also enjoyed using the straw to sip straight out of the container, while I enjoyed the fact she was sipping from a mostly spill-proof container on the couch.

I like to just make my smoothie and enjoy it at home while it’s freshly blended, though, so this is less of a compelling feature for me. 

Speaking of, my daily smoothie-making is mostly because I have two young kids to feed. While the 760ml tumbler is a large serving for one person, it’s not large enough to make enough for us to share between three.

So, great for individual servings, but if you’re making smoothies for multiple people or wanting a blender you can use for meal prep, you should consider one with a larger container. 

The price tag is justified

Is this the cheapest personal blender out there? No. We’ve tested a mini portable USB-powered blender from Kmart for $15 that received a CHOICE Expert Rating of 79% in our testing, which could meet your needs if you’re after something cheap and basic. Two hundred dollars is pretty expensive for a personal blender, however I was really impressed with the performance and the quality of the components, and it comes with a two-year manufacturer’s warranty. 

Sure, you’re probably paying a little extra for the pretty colours and the brand name, but if you want to spend that cash so you can look great while sipping your purple protein blend, we won’t judge.

Is it worth buying?

If you’re often mixing up smoothies, protein shakes or frozen margaritas, and you value convenience, portability and aesthetics, the BlendBoss could well be up your alley if it fits within your price range.

If you prefer blending larger amounts of smoothies, or you want a blender you can use for a wider variety of meal prep tasks, it may be worth looking at other models instead.

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Pru Engel

Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.  She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.  Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.  Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney. Find Pru on LinkedIn.

Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.  She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.  Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.  Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney. Find Pru on LinkedIn.