blenders BlendTec -v- Ninja blenders/food processor

salsalady

Business Member
I've been wanting to do this side-by-side comparison  for a while.  A recent test batch of a sauce I'm working on for the next Making Hot Sauce class was the perfect opportunity.
 
 
BlendTec -vs- Ninja
 
 
I've had a BlendTec blender for a while.  I purchased it used on eBay for about $300.  It was refurbished, the carafe had a dinged up hard plastic lid that leaked when product splashed up against it.  It was used for about 3 years, then the gasket on the gear spindle on the bottom got really stiff and wouldn't turn easily.  I don't know if it was the rubber of the gasket, or what...whatever...I bought a new replacement carafe with a soft rubber lid and removable center cap.
 
Recently, I wanted to have a blender in the house for smoothies and such, so, the Ninja got the nod.  Here's pics of the carafes, insides of the Ninja food processor, the Ninja blender and the BlendTec-
 
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The BlendTec top with removable center for adding things, and the Ninja Lockdown top, small corner flip lid designed for pouring out smoothies, not adding ingredients....
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One of the reasons I purchased the Ninja was for smoothies.  I'd made a smoothie using the old circa 1989 Cuisinart blender with kale, flax seeds, yogurt etc and it was pretty good, but the flax seeds were broken up but not really smooth.  I had high hopes for the Ninja.
 
First test with the flax seeds-
put the seeds in the blender, turned it on for 20 seconds or so.....
Not Good-
all the seeds gummed up under the spindle, didn't chop up at all.  I added the kale and other stuff, and it did not blend or "smoothie" them to the consistency I was expecting. 
 
 
OK- FF to now!
Sauce Test Batch!!!
 
I'd done a couple runs with the different items, so here's how this went down.
Up on the mixing block was a test batch using roasted beets, garlic, some liquids, bit of ginger, spices....I want a smooooth consistency, no chunks....
 
I ran in in the Ninja food processor bin for a good couple minutes, heres the consistency-
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Not smooth, so it went into the Ninja food processor for a couple minutes-
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Still not as smooth as I wanted.  You can see white bits of garlic and ginger...into the BlendTec it goes!
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That's more like it!
 
 
 
I've tried to make powder with the old Cuisinart and other blenders and they did OK.  The BlendTec will make the dried peppers as smooth as commercial garlic powder.  Not a mix of flakes and powder, all powder.  When making sauces, the BlendTec will completely blend the seeds, ginger, everything to a smooth consistency.  To the point where it would do no good to run through a food mill. 

 
My Vote-BlendTec WINS the performance tests!
 
 
 
 
 

Here's some jalapeno powder with a quick blitz in the BlendTec.  It's not perfectly smooth as for this powder, it's going into the salsa, so being really smooth was not an issue.  I have made really smooth powders, just don't have a picture of them right now.
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Hope This Helps~~
 
SL
 
great pics and side by side... but i think this would be more comparison of blades no? I have that ninja and like you see here not great at fine smoothing... but also got another ninja with the different kind of blade attachments... some like you see there in the blend tec,and that thing in my ninja turns anything to juice, can fine mesh it and have zero particles... great looking sauce by the way...love the color...
 
Thanks for your comments J-z-D.  You are probably correct that it is the blades making the difference.  I did not look at the motor watts, (I can do that in a few minutes).  I was really surprised that the triple tier Ninja blades didn't do as good as the BlendTec wild side.  The Ninja was purchased new about 3 months ago, so I would 'assume' that the blades are the latest/greatest Ninja has to offer?
 
edit- both base units are 1500 watts.
 
 
side note- I was at the local Don't Center looking for a coffie grinder for spices.  One unit was 85 watts for $19, the other was 200 watts for $23.   I spent the extra $4~  :lol:
 
not really... i mean thats a great general blender but for your purposes you want the ninja juice blender.... the 3 teir blades are more about brute force and after something gets small enough they just push it out of the way... blades like the ones in the bottom of the blend tec are designed to suck things in towards the blade.. no escape... its a smoothie blade...
 
http://www.ninjakitchen.com/blending-extraction-fusion/total-crushing-blending/
 
the auto IQ blender will change your life... lol... its simply amazing
 
you may have that one already as it comes with the 3 teir too... i dont see your base... but if you dont have it, the nutri ninja is the shit... the multiple blade configurations it comes with is worth it alone... but even with the standard 3 teir and the Auto iq tech or whatever it is... i still get ultra smooth...
 
size may be an issue for you though...the multiple blade configurations only fit on the cups 32 oz being the biggest... so that might get in your way of making large portions of sauce... they should make the same blades for the larger bin too... its definately the smoothie blade in the blend tec that made the difference...
 
is your carafe and blades different than what I show? I didn't take pics of all the Ninja stuff, it was a full package deal with the mini-go bottles, food processor bowl, blender with the 3-tier blades.

The base I have has 5 buttons- 2 larger power/something on the top, 3 smaller (mix/blend/pulverize[notreally] ) on the bottom as opposed to the 10 buttons on the other model.
 
No they look the same, but thats their standard. they sell that one even with their basic on off models... if you have the whole system you probably have what i said already... in that case should do a side by side with like blades for proper comparison... but again, being you make lots of sauce, the smaller containers may be a problem for you in which case the blend tec with the smoothie blade would be best...
 
OK- I'll look in the bits-n-pieces for a similar blade to the single BlendTec.   The Ninja carafe is larger, but with the triple blades not working as well as the smaller BlendTec carafe....gonna have to figure out what's all what... 
 
 
 
Since it's late and I've been working since 6:30 this morning (meaning I'm too lazy to look anything up right now), and since I'm not familiar with either the Ninja or the Blendtec (but mostly the Ninja), is my perception right that you have two different containers for the Ninja? One base, but one "top" is more of a standard blender but the other "top" is more like a bowl?
 
That alone makes the Blendtec a winner for me - I love my kitchen gadgets, but if I can have one piece of equipment do the job of two, I'll take the one.
 
you are correct but the bled tec may make better smoothies ( i may be wrong on it not having different blades but from the pic it looks like a permenant blade) its not gonna be able to do all the other stuff the ninja does... you can do everything in the same top in the ninja, it just comes with multiple attachments for multiple purposes. not that the standard top cant do them too, its just depends on your prefered usages... like making a dip vs making a drink... the smaller round bowl would be easier for prepping dip...can do in both still, but just easier... the ninja also has individual smoothie cups that fit the base so you can make your own personal smoothie and drink it from the same cup without dirtying the large carafe and the big blades...  not that you cant do all in one, just more options on how you want to go about it
 
Yes, geeme. One ninja base, individual smoothy cups with small blades a food processor bowl with steel and plastic blades, and a blender carafe with steel blades.

For an all in one, it does pretty good. I'll try a smoothy in a bit.

But on the one point of making something smooooooth, BlendTec beats Ninja. Sometimes people are looking for a machine for sauces or powders. I gotta give the vote to the BlendTec.
 
Smoothy-
yogurt
frozen blueberries
flax seed
milk
 
in the individual Nutri cup, it blended pretty smooth, it did break up the seeds
 
Double batch in the Ninja blender, it did not break up the seeds.  Whole seeds still in the smoothy-
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So once again, I dumped it all in the BlendTec,  zipped it around, no big pieces!
 
Awesome Ann.

I have the Ninja IQ it does a great job with the smoothies. I want one of those Blendtec's. I can't believe the price of some of those things. My mom has a Vitamix that's really cool. Used is still crazy $.

Thanks again for the comparison.
 
OCD Chilehead said:
Awesome Ann.

I have the Ninja IQ it does a great job with the smoothies. I want one of those Blendtec's. I can't believe the price of some of those things. My mom has a Vitamix that's really cool. Used is still crazy $.

Thanks again for the comparison.
I bought a refurbished for $219 shipped from Walmart last year.
 
OCD Chilehead said:
Awesome Ann.

I have the Ninja IQ it does a great job with the smoothies. I want one of those Blendtec's. I can't believe the price of some of those things. My mom has a Vitamix that's really cool. Used is still crazy $.

Thanks again for the comparison.
Just found it for 229 shipped. 
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1JX2CE2378&ignorebbr=1&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleMKP-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleMKP-PC-_-pla-_-Blenders-_-9SIA1JX2CE2378&gclid=CMmatM7inNECFUtNfgodP-8DkQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
 
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