ABSOLUTE ASCENDANCY

Commencing operation . . .

Overview

On and off for a few years, I have been wanting to procure a blender to start making my own smoothies, but it was difficult to justify the cost for something I perceived I would be using rather infrequently.

When your mind reminds you to do a certain thing over a period of time, it is a sign that it is something worth pursuing, so I decided to finally act on the message and take the plunge.

I went in pretty hard and purchased a high-quality Ninja blender BL642 which has multi-functional use with the intention of making smoothies in summer and soups in winter. I am writing this review having used the product a total of three times thus far, so bear that in mind when reading.

Review

Firstly, you get a lot of product in the box.

• 2.1L Blender Pitcher
• 1500 Watt Power Base
• 500ml Cup
• 650ml Cup
• 900ml Cup

It is possible to attach any of the cups to the power base and replace the 2.1-litre pitcher, allowing conversion to a bullet style blender. Still, I have only tested the pitcher as I like making large smoothie batches – one of the main reasons why I paid for this blender rather than a pure bullet-style one. I have also only made smoothies with my blender so far, and hence only used the smoothie setting on the machine – it comes with many configurations depending on what it is you are trying to achieve.

What I can say is that the smoothie setting works a treat. The sharp blades crush all manner of things with ease – ice stands no chance, and I can think of few things harder than ice that you would want to blend. The machine has automated technology to control the blending process, so all you have to do is press the button and wait for the device to finish – I generally run the process twice to be sure the job is done.

As for the cups, I initially wasn’t planning on using them but have now found great joy in positioning them in key locations around my house, akin to setting up a couple of water stations! Very convenient and they will definitely serve me well when I start hosting big gaming events in the future, such that I can preemptively store large volumes of water for consumption throughout the day. I am pleased I have been able to make full use of the product components in this manner.

The instructions and recommended recipes are nothing to write home about. Still, they do explain everything in reasonable detail, so I have no complaints with the user manual and technicality of operating the device.

Drawbacks

I will say that the machine is quite loud due to the powerful motor system, which can also cause the device to vibrate. These are minor inconveniences to me, and I usually place a hand on top of the pitcher to keep it in place.

The blades are sharp enough to cause minor cuts due to absentmindedness. One time a pit from a fruit I was adding to the pitcher fell inside, and I carelessly reached in to pick it up and one of my fingers caught against the razor’s edge as it were and gave me a small cut. Nothing crazy severe but a bit of caution is advised and perhaps not for the clumsy! Also don’t leave the blades horizontal against any surface as gravity will do its work and slowly dig the edges in. I have noticed that the jug has one or two small gashes engraved on it. I suspect they may have occurred when I positioned the blades one time; I may have caught the pitcher edge. Again, nothing crazy serious but another reminder to be careful when handling the blades.

Customer Service

A few weeks after purchase, I noticed Amazon had dropped the price down by almost £30, so I contacted customer support to see whether I could be price matched, despite post-purchase. I will say that as the ninja website stands, I couldn’t find their customer support email address, the claim being that due to coronavirus, they are operating via telephone only.

I worked around this by reaching out via social media to get in contact with a representative who was then able to supply me an email address to raise my request formally. After getting in touch with a Ninja data analyst, my request was approved!

To be honest, I wasn’t expected the company to comply as the price reduction happened after I purchased – a couple of weeks at most but afterwards nevertheless. It’s good to know that Ninja isn’t all about the bottom line and at least in my case, I was looked after, despite the initial difficulty in contacting them.

Conclusion

So far, I am pleased with my purchase. It fulfils its intended purpose, and I look forward to experimenting more with its functionality in the future. If you do decide to purchase the Ninja Blender BL642, have a little mindfulness when handling the blades, and all should be well.

Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.