Kenwood BlendXtract Smoothie Maker SB056,Black

I have had the black version of this smoothie maker for almost 3 years now, and recently purchased the silver one for a friend, which in summary would tell you how I pleased I am with this purchase. However, for those wanting to know more, here is my detailed review.Purpose:I bought this initially to make “smoothies” – without really having any idea of what and how to make. The reviews online looked decent enough, and I decided to take the plunge. Since then there has been no looking back. I have used it to continually make the same milk shake recipe that I like the most, and it always delivers. The recipe is basically some milk, chocolate protein powder, and some cut up frozen bananas. Yes, frozen bananas. And this beast of a machine turns it all into the most delicious milk shake I have ever had.Pros:Performance: The blade is incredibly strong. Despite the horrible sound it makes while slicing through the indestructible frozen bananas, the machine ensures that there are no large chunks left by the time I am done with this. The milk shake comes out nice and thick, exactly the way I want it, with no lumps of bananas in it. It is fast, ruthless, and in less demanding jobs, can get you the final products within 10 seconds or so. I have periodically used it for other blending and smoothie making purposes as well, and needless to say, it’s a walk in the park for this bad boy. 6/5Size: The overall footprint of the machine’s base unit is quite small, with good grip at the bottom to ensure it doesn’t slide or anything of the nature. It means it takes very little counter space and I don’t need to stow it away every time I am done using it. The cups (or containers in which you actually blend items) are on the larger side, which means you can make more of what you want to make, which is an ideal combination for me: less machine, more smoothie. The holders themselves come with separate caps, which you can put on them, and turn them into travel mugs. This can be especially handy for people who like their breakfast smoothie on the go. Just quickly whiz it in the machine, put on the cap, and you are set to go! 5/5Reliability: 3 years of crushing frozen bananas and the blades were still rock solid. However, I did end up breaking the inner mechanism, basically the plastic gears which connect the blade to the motor and hang on for dear life as the blades spin around. It was mainly down to my own rough treatment of the machine, as well as making them blend such solid items which admittedly shouldn’t be blended to begin with. I ended up buying replacement blades which cost me almost 8 quid, but it was a worthwhile replacement. If you are put off by the fact that I eventually broke something, then don’t be. As I said, I gave it a pretty rough treatment for almost 3 years after which it finally gave way. And even then the replacement didn’t cost much, which is an extra bonus. 4/5Operation: Operating the machine is actually quite simple. You basically put all the ingredients in the containers, and you screw on the “cap” with the blade on it. You turn the entire thing upside down (don’t worry, it doesn’t leak at all), connect it properly to the base unit so it locks, and then twist the dial to start blending. Once done, you simply disconnect it, unscrew the cap, and you can drink the smoothie directly from the container. You could also screw on the other cap which turns into a travel mug i.e. it has an opening at the top from which you can drink, and a flap to close the opening so that it doesn’t spill when you aren’t drinking.Cons:None that I can think of. It truly is a very powerful machine, with excellent results, and able to withstand quite a bit of rough treatment for years to come.Overall, I couldn’t be happier with the purchase. When a friend of mine recently asked me to recommend something to him, I immediately bought him this without any hesitation, and now he shares the same belief in this machine as me. For the performance it gives, the price is actually quite reasonable, and I don’t see why I would go for any smoothie maker more expensive than this one.

I probably like most other people who have bought this thought this was such a novel idea. 'oh wow look, an easy to clean personal blender for me! no mess!'I still think that today, but after having this for about 5/6 months i've come across a few problemos.I should probably start by mentioning that i use this every day without fail for my breakfast. If anyone out there is a weightlifter you'll know the importance of a good breakfast. few scoops of oats, few scoops of protein, a banana and some milk and im good to go. That's what i put in here every day. Sometimes i throw a bit of peanut butter in to liven it all up a bit, break the cycle yada yada. If you want a decent breakfast to set you up for the day i swear by this.The problem is that after i've had this, alike many other teenagers, im in a rush to continue with my daily cycle of rushed tasks. I end up leaving the shaker and coming back to clean it either that night or the next morning before its next use. the blades in the lid are particularly hard to get behind with a cleaning utensil, even a finger cant fit behind. that means if like me there is some stuff dried on, fruit, oats or whatever other exotic goods you use, its a nightmare to get off from behind the blades. The blades should be DETACHABLE for easy cleaning, they aren't. suddenly this easy to clean beauty isn't so easy to clean.On the topic of cleaning, if you wash this by hand like i do, you hurt your hand when washing it out because of the tapered nature of the cup which has grooves on the inside for some reason unbeknown to me. always end up smashing my knuckles around whilst scrubbing it out.aside from that, i often get a harsh sounding noise when i turn the thing on to actually blend my drink. its like the blades are grinding on something that isnt as soft as oats or a banana, more like rocks. strange because i dont eat rocks or condone eating rocks. perhaps this is a fault with mine and the motor is a bit dodgy, or perhaps all of them are like this. it didnt sound like it at first and i havent blended anything i shouldnt have, perhaps its wear and tear. sign of poor quality perhaps. It still blends my drink though.apart from that i cant really complain. i get a nice smooth shake, and for those using only fruit dont worry about it leaving lumps. as long as you blend it for over 10 seconds you wont get anything other than a smooth drink from what ive found. sometimes i just pulse mine when its got a banana in because i like the lumps.Overall this bad boy does the trick. Just don't expect it to be as easy to clean as you think. submerging it in water immediately after drinking is a good idea to keep the remnants loose, but wouldn't be a problem for all of us rushed folk at all if the blades were detachable.1.

Just what I needed