Customer Reviews

Hamilton Beach 51101 Personal Blender

5 star:		(106)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

The other day I impulsivley went and bought a Hamilton Beach Juicer. When I got it home I hemmed and hawed, wondering if I should use it or not. Did I really want it? I started looking around the internet and realized what I really wanted was something to make smoothies or other fruit concoctions. I researched a few things like the Magic Bullet and Ultimate Chopper but both had mixed reviews. I was tempted to buy the Tribest blender because it had some good reviews here at Amazon but I could only find it online and it's listed at $60 - much more than what I really wanted to spend.

Instead, I went to my local Walmart and to see what they had. I saw the Hamilton Beach Personal Blender and it was priced for only $13.67 so I was interested. It's just me, so I don't need a huge and heavy unit taking up what little counter space I have. I also figured since that if I bought it at Walmart and that if I didn't like it I could easily return it.

I brought it home, looked over the manual and attempted my first smoothie. I threw in milk, strawberries, frozen raspberries and hit the button. I needed to blend it some more because of the raspberries being frozen. Live and learn, I should have done those first. I put in some ice and blended it some more. It came out wonderful!

The jar itself can be used as a serving glass. I probably will only use it in that manner at home. It has no handle so I'd be afraid I'd drop it when I was out. Then the blender would be worthless because the blade is in the jar.

* Jar twists and locks into place on the base
* Comes with a travel lid to take your drink on the go
* Cord wraps around the base
* Not intended for all food - manual says not to process hard foods such as cheese, crackers or meat. A maximum of 12 tablespoons can be ground at a time. Do not try to mash potatoes, mix stiff dough, whip egg whites, grind raw meat or extract juice from fruit or veggies.
* Container cover has filler cap that can be removed to insert small objects when blending
* Can not use big chunks of ice. You need to break them down. I have an ice tray where the shape is a small circle (half ball) and it was fine. Perhaps this is what you can use those holiday themed ice trays for. Some of those sizes which I have seem I think would work in this.
* NOT dishwasher safe - but easy clean up - rinse, put water and soap in jar, blend for a minute, empty, rinse again and you're done.
* No complicated speeds or choices - one push button
* I can't find it on the box or in the manual but according to Amazon, the motor has 175 watts of power

I just went and made another smoothie! Banana, Vanilla soy milk, little bit of chocolate syrup and instant coffee. Yummy!

This one site has TONS of recipes that you can use with this blender. You just have to play with the recipes because a lot of them are meant to be multiple servings.

[...] * this link no longer works. Try allrecipes.com - a search of "smoothies" brings up 200 results. There are books totally dedicated to smoothies. Google "smoothie" or just use your imagination.

While this might not do what a full size blender can, this is a great blender for smoothies, drinks, shakes and to grind coffee. I love that it's small, the cord wraps around the base and I can use this thing at night and not wake up the neighbors!

I just came back from the grocery store and picked up some more fruit... what else can I make???

This is probably the best $15 I ever spent for the kitchen.

I had a bigger standard blender, but never used it. Now, with this little blender, the little jar is always filled with something or in the dish drainer. It never gets a chance to be put away in the cabinet. The blender base is always on the counter - the only appliance of any sort that has that status.

It's simple and it works. It makes no more than two servings, and it does a real good job with single servings. I can make one kind of smoothie or shake and my son can make his own.

All of a sudden, we go to the store looking for "smoothie fodder" and we don't have to agree on what that is.

I am buying my second mostly for the second jar and lids. It is so inexpensive that they do not sell the replacement parts.

[Update: Motor burned out in 5th month, but I may have become unrealistic in my expectations of the little machine, bullying it more than necessary. It easily outlasted a Blender Express, and unlike the bad design of the Blender Express, the elegant simplicity of this Hamilton Beach insures not only much quicker but spill-free, dripless smoothies. I've ordered another. Lessons learned: Make sure liquid gets to the bottom along with the ice; turn it off at first sign of heat or electric odor; keep a close watch on the 25c-piece-sized lid.]

If you're an experienced and regular smoothie maker, you know already that anything over a year's use from a non-professional machine is a bonus. I recently returned a lightweight Blender Express (by Back to the Basics) that failed after a single use! (The banana was too much for it.) This Hamilton Beach is the smallest, lightest blender I've seen yet, but it promises to perform for a while at least.

Ingeniously, the makers have avoided any reference to ice cubes in either the instruction manual or recipes (I get the point, though I still insist on using them). Also, there is no "on" switch; instead, the unit has only a "pulse" switch, thereby insuring that your hands must remain on the unit, preventing it from dancing off the counter and insuring that the motor gets stopped the instant excessive resistance is met.

For under twenty bucks and six months' use, you can count this one a decent value--though keep those smoothies small and simple. And if you plan to take the container "on the road," be extra careful about misplacing the quarter-sized center lid (mine disappeared faster than a quarter).

I am on a diet, requiring that I mix and drink shakes every day. At home I use a blender, but at work I have been using a shaker jar. I bought this, hoping it would be compatible with my job environment. I just made my first shake in it, and I am impressed! The machine is not much more noisy than an electric shaver. The jar has a 3 cup capacity, and the blade can pulverize ice cubes in the shake, so I can whip up a large, thick shake. Since it is so small and lightweight, I will be able to carry it from my desk to the kitchen in a small fabric tote I have. The jar is shaped like a drinking glass, and is very comfortable to drink from. The blade is permanently installed in the jar, so cleanup is very easy - just make soapy water in the jar, and use a bottle washer. Although the jar is plastic, it is thick and feels very durable. It looks like this blender will meet my every need! It works so well, that I will carry it with me on trips, too. Thank you, Hamilton Beach!

I drink a protein shake 3-4 times a day and everyone kept telling me to get the magic bullet. I read the reviews, which I value highly in my decision making processes for all purchases, and there were more negatives than positives so I thought I should look at some more choices....I found this for $14.99 with free shipping and I figured for that price I had nothing to loose. WELL I am here to tell you that it crushes the ice to a slushee consistency and makes the best smoothies. I am buying one for home now since I leave this one at work. My $100 kitchen aide bogs down when I add 8 0z. of ice to 8oz. of water and then add my packet of protein...NOT what I expected for $100....so I am getting this for home....You won't be sorry!!!

I was looking for a very small blender to make smoothies in my very small kitchen. This seemed like a good size and it does work pretty well. I make smoothies from just yogurt and cut-up fruit and 2 small ice cubes. This blender has a tendency to get stuck on just spinning around and not chopping very well unless I shake it to get the fruit and ice to the bottom. Also, I must hold it in place or it will spin right off the base. In other words, it doesn't lock in place. For my purposes it works fine but I wouldn't recommend it for heavier jobs.

I make several protein/meal-replacement shakes every day. I was using "shaker" cups for this task day in and day out for several years. I happened upon this gem of an appliance by mistake while shopping at Walmart. I figured for $9.00 I had nothing to lose by giving it a try!

Let me start out by saying this is NOT intended to do much else other than make smoothies, protein shakes, mixed drinks, etc. It is not intended to replace that $100.00 big blender that gathers dust in your cabinet.

This little guy does a GREAT job at doing its job! A few pulses and you have a very well-blended drink with no yucky clumps. Seems like every protein powder claims to be mixable with a spoon, but NEVER is! I even added some ice and it handled it like a champ! I have used this blender 4-5 daily for a few months and it shows no sign of wearing out/slowing down. A very good product for only 9 bucks!

Another great part of this blender is it fits great in car cup holders. You can whip up a quick smoothie for breakfast and take it with you in a snap. Clean up is easy as well. I just add a drop of dishsoap, some hot water, and run the blender for a few seconds. It cleans it wonderfully! This is one appliance that never leaves the countertop. I will by buying a second one on my next trip to Walmart because they always seem to discontinue the great products! I would be lost without it....

I won't be dumping my regular blender for this, but I do use it frequently for my lighter and smaller blending jobs. I decided to get this when I was out looking for the Magic Bullet. Fortunately, the store didn't have any so I started looking at the other small personal blenders and decided on this one. I generally use it to puree onions and garlic for various marinades. It does a really good job. I occasionally find a stray piece but not often. I also use this sometimes in the morning when I want to make a quick drink without having to wash anything. Just drop in the ingredients, blend, put on the travel lid and go. The blender makes perfectly acceptable smoothies or other drinks as long as the directions are followed. I usually keep frozen bananas in my freezer to play the additional role of ice. For under $20, this little gem is a bargain. I have had mine for well over a year and it's still going strong!

I wanted a small blender, I hated lugging out and then cleaning the big glass one to make a simple shake. I researched some personal blenders such as the "Magic Bullet", but wasn't too impressed with the reviews. Folks on the whole said that they did like it, but said it didn't last long. $40.00 and up was just too much to pay for a "disposable" product.
I then came across this Hamilton Beach Personal blender on Amazon.com and read the rave reviews. What did I have to lose?(...)
I received the little blender a few days ago and I've got to say that I love it! I now blend all sorts of protein shakes. It works marvelously and the travel lid is convenient!! Clean up is easy. Since the blades,etc are all self-contained within the jar, its quick to handwash. Hubby, who doesn't like any of my purchases, or rather I'd not purchase anything, said,(surprise)that he thought it was really handy and a good idea.
I give this product 5 STARS!!!!!

I had a bullet but decided on this because of reviews and price. The good of it is its size, simplicity, and price. The bad of it is the low power of the motor (although I was able to blend ice so it does what i need) and while the attached blade makes the design simpler it is easy for food to get under the blade and then not blended. for example you learn to put the milk in first *then* the protein and fruit.