Customer Reviews

Back to Basics 2-in-1 Blender Solution 5000 with Smoothie Server

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I actually bought this as the 3-in-1 package (with the food processor optional bowl), but I'll stick to my review of these two portions here.

The blender is the best I've ever seen. My ex- had a Vitamix, which I covetted. Amazingly, it scored lower in Consumer Reports' comparison than some blenders with less motor power in blending smoothly! Their conclusion was that the *shape* of the bowl was as important as the absolute power of the motor.

With that in mind, I shopped around for the "best" blender, in store after store, for quite a while. I really liked the "pusher" that Vitamix provided through the top hole of their lid, and decided that was an essential feature. High power was still a plus, but no longer the ultimate criterion. And the bowl shape had to promote even mixing - but all I knew there from the CR report was that deep fins on the inside helped, and a round bowl wasn't always best (a triangular bowl performed highly, but square ones were sometimes good & sometimes bad designs).

Enter the Back To Basics 3-in-1.

I was leary. It seemed to have everything. But it was so cheap! Would the bowl prove to be a bad design? Was it cheaply made? Would the motor burn out quickly? Am I a worrier by nature? OK, that one is a given.

I decided to buy it. I didn't even realize until I got it home that it had the food processor attachment! Since I already have a food processor (an old Black & Decker), that wouldn't have been an attraction anyway. I would have been happy paying that much ($50) for just the blender, if it was the shiznizz, the real deal.

6 months later, I love Love LOVE my blender. Early on, I pushed it *hard*, to see if I could break it during the return period of the store. Nope. I got the motor too hot, and smelt smoke, but to be fair, I was really punishing it. Watching carefully over the next few days, I expected it to finish frying its wiring. Nope: it was just fine.

Now I treat it normally. I don't baby it, but I don't do foolish things, and work hard batches of food in pulses, giving the motor a chance to cool. It takes whatever I give it.

The blender blends everything, top to bottom, smoothly & quickly & evenly.

The smoothie dispenser is great, and I can't believe I ever lived without it. I use it for lots more than smoothies; the dispenser is a wonderful idea!

Buy this package deal.

We have had it for 3 months and it is standing up well and making good smoothies. Crushes the ice well, no chunks, def. a good value.

I thoroughly reviewed smoothie makers of all makes before I made this purchase based on positive reviews, and have not been disappointed in the least. The blender works wonderfully, blending the smoothie to perfection, including nicely chopping the full sized ice cubes I used, not leaving any large chunks what-so-ever! The dispensing spout is awesome and works better than I thought it would. I fully expected it to barely dribble out as a smoothie is fairly thick, and thought I would end up just pouring it out of the carafe...boy was I wrong!! Turn the blender on low, and be prepared for the smoothie to flow from the spout with AMAZING speed, so have your glass ready before you engage the spout!!

I received the smoothie maker faster than I expected. I was a little disappointed however when I unpacked the contents of the box and the spout was missing. However, I got ahold of the merchant and they were happy to rectify this with absolutely no hassle, and immediately sent out the spout at no extra cost to me.

I'm extremely satisfied with my purchase and enjoying the smoothies even now in the cold weather, but I'm very much looking forward to some delicious smoothies to "chill us out" during the summer heat waves!!

My Kitchen Aid went south, so I decided to try this product. Most of the reviews were very good and that is what I based my decision on. I like the fact that I can use it as a blender or smoothie maker. Plus, the smoothie part has a very handy dispenser. However, I should have paid more attention to the reviewers that complained the unit would not crush ice. They were right. When I make most of my smoothies I use plenty of milk or other liquid, fresh or can fruit and sugar. I followed the directions and made sure I had more than enough liquid. Then I put in about the same amount of ice cubes. I used the pulse as the directions stated, but the motor would not budge the blades. I tried increasing the liquid and decreasing the ice with the same result. The ice got hung up on the blade and would not spin. So then I tried using crushed ice and the same thing happened. Then I tried using the blender base to see of it could handle ice and it did. The blades never got hung up and it pulverized the larger ice cubes. I then examined and compared the two different blades and I found the problem. The blender blades are set at a much steeper angle upward, while the smoothie blades are set a much shallower angle. This shallow angle lets ice get stuck between the blade and the base and the blade can not move over the top of the ice. It is clearly a design flaw. My Kitchen Aid never stalled, got hung up on ice, or even hesitated. I called the company and they said that they never had a complaint about the problem I am having. That is hard for me to believe considering the reviews about this problem. I can not recommend this product.

After burning up my old blender making smoothies, I read the reviews on this and figured I'd give it a try. Sure glad I did! This blends up everything I throw in it without missing a beat. I sware it could turn a car battery into a smoothie if I through it in.

This was my first blender in a long time, and I was replacing a 15+ year old major brand blender with what I expected to be a pretty inexpensive model. Was I wrong!! The blender is heavy, of good quality (metal housing on the base, large glass pitcher with a wide mouth), and a lot quieter than my previous model. It also comes with two chopping bases, one with a fountain-type pour spout, and one just regular. In addition, it chops ice to make smoothies or other drinks very rapidly and without actually liquifying it. My only complaint is quite minor, that I wish the spout handle was spring-loaded, and shut itself off when you release it. It doesn't so I've had a few minor accidents. But the quality and operation of this blender are really outstanding.

I bought this because of all the good reviews. I wish I hadn't bought it. I bought it to make smoothies and it doesn't blend very well. It leaves large chunks of fruit and ice all the time. I hate it. The spout does work good surprisingly. I will probably buy something else and put this in the back of my cabinet. Don't waste your $$.

I bought this to replace a dying 7 year old Oster blender that didn't even see much use. I use this new blender a few times a week to make smoothies and less frequently for food processing.

I like that this blender is more powerful and has a larger capacity than my old blender. It is attractive and solidly made. I've only had it for a couple of months, but I haven't had the problem with ice that others report. Then again, I use more frozen fruit than ice in my smoothies. My favorite part of this machine is the stir stick. I don't know how I ever got along without one.

My main gripe with this blender is that the smoothie dispenser is more hassle than it's worth. When I start to dispense, there's always a bit of liquid that comes out first that I have to pour it back in. Sometimes the smoothie is too thick and it just doesn't come out, even when I turn the blender on low while dispensing. When I'm done dispensing, it always drips a little on the counter. The dispenser also a bit of a pain to clean as there are five parts to it.

So if you are looking for a good blender, I say go for it. If you are looking to be wowed by a smoothie dispensing dream machine, you might not be as impressed.

I bought this blender along with many others to test out against my Villaware Smoothie Maker (which broke). This blender simply can't crush ice. I wanted all of the reviews of it to be true - but unfortunately I'm taking this blender back to Target. You get what you pay for I guess.

I stumbled into this blender while looking for parts to repair my Kitchen Aid. I was able to buy this for less than the repair parts on the KitchenAid! Could not believe my luck in finding this. Smoothie attachment is a stroke of genius; works great so you avoid having to remove the bowl to pour. Totally pleased and you will be too