In September 2016 I made the decision to take the plunge and buy a smoothie blender, after doing my research I settled on a Nutribullet pro 900. What's more that model was on offer, down from £129.99 to £89.00, that sounds like a great deal right?
The description of the blender was all singing and all dancing, and it even claimed that the device could blend ice with ease. This isn't something I tried, however I did try a few times with frozen fruit which according to the instructions was what the machine is designed for.
So you can imagine my surprise when 7 months down the line I decide to make a morning smoothie using soft fruit, strawberries, raspberries, banana and some cashew milk to blend. I clipped the blade into place, it starts rotating and then seconds in I hear a horrible crunch. It being early, I nearly jumped out of my skin. It wasn't a great morning, I was left with a half blended smoothie, a mess and an irreparable machine on which the plastic component of the blade had shattered. Not what you need just before work.
I must stress that the machine hadn't been overused, perhaps once or twice a week. And I had been very careful to look after it.
The search began for the receipt, seriously, I am very good at keeping these things, where was it? Finally, I came across it in a drawer for safekeeping.
I waited for the weekend and returned to curry's with the blender and my receipt in hand. I made a beeline for the smoothie makers to see what my options where. The Nutribullet was now back up to £129.99. Within a few seconds of looking at the blenders I was approached by a sales assistant who greeted me and couldn't recommend the Ninja enough and had nothing nice to say about the Nutribullet. even referring to it as 'that muck'.
When you return something the expectation is that you can have like for like, yes the product was on offer when I bought it, however it wasn't my fault it had broken, At the returns desk I was advised I would most likely have to put the difference towards the cost of the product which had shot back up. This I can understand if I exchanged for a different like a more expensive model, but not for the same item, so I think that policy stinks if that really is the case.
I went over for another look at the blenders, this time with no salesmen. We had a good look at the blade and its components in each the Nutribullet and the Nutrininja. The plastic component in the Ninja did seem better quality and less brittle. I then looked at the Nutribullet Rx NBLRX, which is the upgraded model and retails for £169.00, low and behold the plastic component in this new machine has been upgraded and is now the same as those found in the Nutrininja, in addition the pro 900's are no longer boasting on the tickets that they blend ice. That gives me a very strong feeling that this plastic component has a habit of breaking, otherwise why else would it have been changed in the newer model.
I asked the staff in the store if they see them break a lot due to the plastic piece, the salesmen didn't say yes, but he also didn't say no. He said yes with his expressions and body language however.
The lady on the refund desk said mine was the first one that had been returned, however I struggle to believe this.
Bearing in mind all of my findings within the store, I decided to give the Nutrininja (straight swap as it was the same price I paid for the Nutribullet initially) a go and so far I am getting on well with it. There are some features which really outshine all of the Nutribullets, even their newest model.
When you click the blade into place it doesn't automatically set off, which the nutribullets do, meaning if its not clicked into place quite right this would be detrimental. The Nutrininja clicks into place and then you have options to pulse, blend, or use an ultra blend setting for ice and harder stuff. There are timed settings or you can blend ad hoc and the timer counts upwards to give you an indication of how long your taking which is great for future reference.
Having researched both machines now in much more detail it is evident that these types of blender aren't built to last, perhaps a couple of years.
In which case it may be worth sampling the cheaper alternatives out there. but for the moment I am really loving my Nutrininja.
I found a really helpful comparison on the 2 machines here if you are considering one of these.
Also I found they are cheaper on Amazon than curry's.
The one I have is £74.99 on amazon, there is also a large one designed for couples and families, which is only £94.99 and the one that the salesman in the shop said he had and worked for him is the cheaper Nutrininja, coming in at only £39.95!
Perhaps due to the nature of these and the expected lifespan it's worth considering options and going for something a little cheaper? I have heard good things about the Breville's, and they are some of the most reasonably priced smoothie makers I have seen on the market at just £19.50 for the standard blender and £25.00 for the VBL096
I hope you found this interesting, I just wanted to share my experience with you.
Please let me know in the comments if you have tried any of the products mentioned and what you thought?
Cookie x
No comments:
Post a Comment