Customer Reviews

Hamilton Beach 54245 Deluxe 14-Speed Blender, Black

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Hamilton Beach Model 54245 Wave Action 14- Speed Blender is an excellent blending device and it ranks among the best small appliances I have ever purchased for several reasons. First among them is the size. When I went blender hunting on the internet, I insisted on finding a blender with a larger jar. My old blender held only 36 oz. and I discovered through experience that this size is much too small. I wanted something larger and this blender, with its 48 oz. glass jar, was exactly the size I was looking for. I also wanted more power and that is exactly what I got: A blender with 700 watts of force at its peak.

Next, I really like the stylish appearance of this blender. All of my new kitchen appliances are black in color and this appliance is no exception (it is also offered in white, for those who prefer it). Not only does the color make it look slick and attractive, it is also more slender in shape than the blenders of old. The base does spread out a little at the bottom but the overall shape tends toward the vertical, making it easier to fit into a small countertop space and also easier on the eyes.

Now for the most important factor: The blending ability. One of the reasons I selected this Hamilton beach model was because of its patented "Wave Action" technology. For those who are unfamiliar with this, it is a system that helps to blend drinks and other foods more thoroughly and efficiently via the design of the blades. Most blenders contain four blades that are more or less parallel to the countertop. But with Hamilton Beach Wave Action, two of the four blades are bent upward. This design helps to push ice and liquids down toward the blades for better blending.

I was skeptical about the claims made by Hamilton Beach at first but one use made an instant believer out of me. I started by mixing up a frozen drink- something that requires the ice to be crushed into tiny bits. This blender crushed the ice down to tiny particles in a matter of seconds. There was no need to stir the mixture by hand and try again, like with other blenders. The drink was completely mixed, smooth, and delicious. I could not detect even a single piece of ice that was too large. Every last bit of ice was crushed to perfection!

Overall, I am very happy with my Hamilton Beach Ensemble Model 54245 Wave Action Blender and I have no regrets about spending the extra money to obtain it. It not only looks good, it performs its main task with ease and perfection. Drinks come out silky smooth in a matter of seconds thanks to the Wave Action technology, making this Hamilton Beach Blender an appliance that I will continue to use and enjoy for a good long time.

... for a blender that can do what it advertises, because this HB 5425 Deluxe is not it. I don't like writing negative reviews, so I will keep this one brief.

Pros:

-Probably works very well for less power-intensive jobs, like mixing fresh (read: non-frozen) fruits and drinks with more liquid.

-Glass jar with a relatively smooth and easy-to-scrape-clean inner surface makes getting every last bit a lot easier than the ribbed, plastic-type jars.

Cons:

-Do not expect this to do well when confronted with large-ish chunks of frozen items, eg. ice cubes, frozen mango chunks or frozen whole strawberries, unless you plan on feeding them in one at a time (carefully) through the top of the lid while the machine spits back at you.

-Like most other multi-speed blenders, I end up using about 3 (one of them is the quick-clean speed for, you guessed it, cleaning). Maybe it's just me, but what is the difference between chop, grate, crumb, puree, and blend?

-Didn't do the job as well as my 5 year old HB that suffered an untimely demise after the base slipped off the counter top. Speaking of bases, the one on this new HB feels more like a $20 unit than a $50 unit.

-Wave action = do not fill it past 1/3, as the "waves" have a nasty habit of kicking up past the brim. Unless you like scraping up half your smoothie from the lid.

I own the Hamilton Beach 54245 Black Deluxe Ensemble 14-Speed Power Plus Blender and I am very pleased with its performance. This blender has a blade-and-jar design (called wave action) that sucks the ingredients in for incredibly thorough blending, resulting in smooth, uniform consistency. It has a powerful (700-watt peak) motor that, combined with the wave action, yields excellent results. The motor carries a 3-year warranty. I use it mostly for ice shakes (usually the most demanding feature) and it crushes ice easily with no lumps left whatsoever. Its 48-oz glass jar secures easily on its sturdy base and is dishwasher friendly. Easy to clean and with no parts to assemble, this is my best blender to date. I highly recommend it.

I wanted a good blender for not a lot of dough. Primarily for blended ice drinks, shakes, smoothies etc. Got it, love it, recommend it! I owned a hotdog shop and we made blended ice drinks. This blender is fantastic for making these drinks at home. yipeeeeeee!

I've been making protein shakes with skim milk, protein powder, yogurt, frozen fruit and ice cubes every morning. Sometimes they are so think I have to eat them with a spoon, but this blender never misses. Not one chunk of ice or fruit...the shakes are smooth like buttah.

I cannot recommend this blender too highly..it even looks good sitting on the counter. I've only had it for a couple weeks, so I can't comment on it's lasting power, but it sure seems solid..and has a good warranty.

I'm leaving my original review below, so potential buyers can see how quickly my happiness turned to disappointment. I've had my blender for five months, used it probably 6-7 times, when suddenly it died. None of the buttons worked, and changing outlets didn't help. I contacted customer service on the Hamilton Beach website twice, asking them to repair or replace it (it's still within the three year warranty period), with no reply. I next plan to contact the Better Business Bureau and anyone else I can think of. How dare they sell a mid-priced blender with a three year warranty and then ignore the consumer who contacts them! Don't buy this blender, or you'll also be sorry.

Edited again January 2010: Hamilton Beach responded to the BBB complaint right away, and sent me a new blender free of charge. I am required to cut the plug part off the power cord of the old one and mail it to them as proof (I guess) that I owned the old one or I'm not still using it. I was pleased to get the new blender, and with how fast and courteous they were once I got their attention. But overall I still would not buy this product again. The hassle factor just isn't worth the price.

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Original review:

I had been looking at blenders for some time, when I found this one. I was looking for a powerful one with a large glass pitcher and multiple buttons for different functions. The ones I had seen in various stores had one or two buttons, which I don't think is enough. Also, most blenders have 300 to 500 watts of power - this one has 700 watts. I ordered this model from Amazon.com (free shipping, YAY!) and it arrived quickly.

The first thing I did was grind coffee beans. They all ground quickly, with a little "tornado" pulling the beans down to the blades. The blender produced consistent sized grounds, and emptied easily. The powerful motor never got hot despite 15 minutes of hard work.

Next I made a smoothie, and it performed perfectly. I did use the lid, to protect against splashing or surprises. Then I used my blender to grind up peaches for peach butter. It did a great job despite not adding any additional liquids. Last night I made hummus with garbanzo beans, garlic, lemon juice and tahini (sesame oil), and the blender made a smooth paste in a short time.

I have two complaints about this blender - the pitcher is oddly shaped inside, making scraping pasty contents out harder than a straight sided pitcher. And the rubber gasket that seals the blades to the base is built into the blade assembly. That means that when it needs to be replaced, the whole blade assembly will need to be replaced too. So instead of a $2 gasket, it will be somewhat more expensive to replace.

Other than these two points, I am very happy with my new blender.

I bought this blender to replace an old Cuisinart that ground itself up. I chose the Hamilton Beach because it had a 7 cup glass jar and regular push buttons. My old blender had the touch type buttons and the plastic over them cracked within the first year, so I did not want that type again. I usually use my blender for smoothie drinks in which I crush ice along with the other ingredients. I was shocked at how fast it did it's job. The drink was done in no time with no chucks of ice at ALL. Also the Hamilton Beach was noticeably quieter than the Cuisinart. Another reviewer gave it bad marks because he had to feed in the frozen fruit one at a time for it to do it's job and the contents splashed on the top. I pour everything in at once and hit the button with no problems. Yes, the drink gets on the top but this happens with every blender I have ever used. I give this blender high marks for noise during use, speed and efficiency. I would definitely buy this product again.

I absolutely love this blender. As a disclaimer, I only use this blender to make protein smoothies every morning with frozen fruit, ice, powder and liquids. It blends them perfectly everytime. You can really actually see the WAVE technology fiercely mixing the ingredients up and around to make sure every item is chopped evenly. THE ICE CRUSHING IS PERFECT. I always get the perfect little crystals each time, never any chunks or sticking. I bought this model to replace an Oster that was more expensive. I had to replace the Oster twice in 4 months after both of them broke. I finally decided to just go with another manufacturer. This Hamilton Beach is alot more sturdy. With my Oster model, the bottom of the glass portion wasn't wide enough and it always seemed a bit shakey on the base (like an upside down triangle). This glass container has a wide enough bottom where it sits in the base secure and locks in. It also looks great on the counter. I have a very modern, updated kitchen with black and stainless steel and this goes perfectly with everything else. Also, the glass container is very thick and doesn't feel or look cheap. I would definitely recommend Hamilton Beach over other types of blenders.

I have purchased at least 6 blenders in the last 3 years. The Hamilton Beach model has been the best so far and the least expensive! We love the 14 speeds as we make smoothies several times a day and it seems to handle the frozen fruit and ice very well. The glass jar and measurements on the side are very handy. It washes up well in the dishwasher and seems more durable than the Cuisinart that we just bought and paid more money for. The only downside is that the jar could be bigger to hold more, but with all the other positives, this is not a big deal for us.

This blender will do anything you ask of it, from breezing through ice to purees or shakes, its powerful motor makes the task easy. The blender makes a handsome addition to your kitchen also. It was a bargain for the price.