Customer Reviews

KitchenAid KTA-KPCB348PPM Pro Line Chef's Blender with Polycarbonate Jar, Pearl Metallic

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Been using a blender daily for years and years. Most common mix is frozen banana in skim milk and diet powder or fruit. The frozen banana is the challenge for sub $90 blenders. They blend but often leave little chunks unless the blender runs a minute while I do something else.

Enter the Pro Line Chef, exit the little chunks. Folks there are more expensive blenders out there but even on low speed the bigger blades finish my breakfast drink in about twenty seconds. First morning I made the mistake of using medium speed too long. My drink almost like thin whip cream. These larger blades and power blend FAST. Now I use only low speed with a couple pulses when I added the last fruit or diet powder. Did I mention this blender is much quieter? On high not so quiet but for normal use on low and medium half the noise of my old Krups.

Felt a little shy about the $183 but not anymore. Blender has a bigger base and higher container but fits fine under cabinets. Larger base definitely more stable with blender on. Use to keep my hand on top of the old one while chunks clunked the sides. Not this one. Pro is a little heavier but there are two slots, left right base edge, for your fingers to lift and move back under cabinets, very handy.

Container seems larger but at 48 oz it is the same as my old one. However it sits much better on the machine and counter because it is bigger on the bottom. Even starting on low speed the lid better be on because the blade torque makes the liquid jump at startup. After it is running you can take the lid off to add things. So, if you wants lots of power, less noise, good stability and fast blends I think you will be pleased.

Year and a half later: Over time the blades dulled a little and the bearings under the blades became quite noisy. Couple days ago took the container to Sears tool department to find a tool to remove the blade/bearings. A large needle noise plier will reach the two opposite slots on the bottom ring and allow removal. Ring was not tight. Might have been able to loosen with my fingers.

Unscrew bottom ring and the blades/bearings come out through the container top. At home again, used a tooth brush to clean under blades around drive shaft. Lots of food deposits. Also removed "O" ring on bottom under retainer ring and cleaned. Tried putting a little oil on the bottom area between the drive gear and sealed bearings. Doubt any got in. Also carefully sharpened the blades with a small hand stone. Stainless steel (blades) is realitively soft and dulls gradually. Pretty easy to sharpen.

With the cleaning and sharpening blending is much quieter and faster. Now that I know how easy to disassemble will clean often. Pleased to say the parts are obviously superior quality. Dishwasher has dulled the clear container but still pleased with blender after hundreds of blends.

I just started using this blender and all I can say is Wow! How it holds up over time is an unknown, but right out of the box it seems very sturdy and well-made. The polycarbonate jar won't break like glass, but it's clear so you can see what's going on, unlike stainless steel. The start-step feature is great-when you start it up, the mixture doesn't erupt upward and get all over the lid. There are 3 speeds and that's all you need.

The power is awesome. This thing could probably grind stones into gravel and come out laughing (but I don't recommend that). I put plain old ice cubes in and it grated them evenly and fine enough for a snow cone. The blade assembly seems to be well-designed too, so that it blends/chops/grates evenly and you don't have to stop and scrape down the sides and redistribute the contents like I had to do with my cheaper blenders.

All in all, I am looking forward to a summer of great smoothies and slushies.

First of all let me mention that I am really picky about the appliances that I purchase (it took me two months to buy a vacuum cleaner and I had to take one back just because I wasn't sure that it was the best for the money - my wife didn't know this about me when we got married - in fact her first exposure to this was with a blender some 19 years ago). Anyway, I am pretty thorough about doing the research so I can get the best product for the money. If money were no object I probably would have purchased a three or four hundred dollar blender but since I was trying not to exceed $150 (ended up at about $180.), I had to do the best that I could and stay near my budget goal (and please don't tell my wife how much I spent).

My goal was to find a blender that was powerful enough to do the frozen fruit and ice necessary for smoothies (often 2-3 times per day) and durable enough to not break down. I have had a more powerful blender (Juiceman), but have found that all the blenders I have had (Bosch, other KichenAid, Juiceman, Black and Decker and other cheap ones) burnt out or broke under the strain of frozen fruit or did a lousy job and I took them back. I really needed powerful and durable.

My first impression of the KitchenAid Pro Line blender is that it is a a thing of beauty. It at least "looks" powerful and durable. It seems to be very well designed. It does a great job on smoothies and is WAY more quiet than the Juiceman (which caused people to leave the house when I turned it on). I am very pleased with its performance and the quality of my smoothies (a few frozen strawberries, some frozen mixed berries, half a banana-frozen or fresh - and some OJ. Mix in some whey protein powder by hand, it tastes better that way). I do have one concern, however, and that is that sometimes when I turn the blender on, it hesitates like it can't blend the frozen fruit. I quickly switch it to pulse - it might not stall very long but I am not about to take the chance of burning out the motor. Based on that uncertainty, I would give it a 4.5 if it were an option. I don't know how long it will last, but it is certainly the best blender I have ever owned and I have a guaranteed two years with the "hassel free" warranty which is a very attractive feature. It truly is a pleasure to use (as are other things of high quality) and I think it is probably the best in this price range. It is not inexpensive but considering the great job it does and if it does indeed turn out to be durable then it will have been money well spent.

We've had this blender for about a month now, use it daily, and have been very pleased with it. The price is a little daunting, but we own other countertop appliances from KitchenAid and they have all been terrific, as is the customer service at the KitchenAid 800 number.

Everything about this blender feels like commercial quality restaurant equipment. The power, stability and thoughtful design make it a pleasure to use. We use it to make frozen fruit smoothies (aka slushies) for breakfast and the only time it had the slightest problem was once when I overloaded it with frozen banana pieces and didn't include enough liquid. I added a few more ounces of skim milk and it powered right through them. I love the extra large jar (48 oz) and how easy it is to clean.

If you only use a blender a few times a year, this is overkill, but if it's a regular part of your food preparation, treat yourself to the top of the line KitchenAid. I'm glad we did.

*** Update 6/2011*** After 5 years of near daily service, this blender has simply stopped working. No notice, no smoke or smell or anything, it just stopped. It was a really great blender while it lasted, but I'm disappointed that at this price (over $200) it would simply die after 5 years, especially when the blender that my parents got for their wedding, in 1963, is still going strong.

**** Update 7/2011 Good news - since I bought mine at Williams-Sonoma, and registered it with KitchenAid, KitchenAid honored the eternal warranty with Williams-Sonoma and is sending me their current top of the line blender. Good customer support from both companies.

*** Original Review***

Well, I certainly read a lot of reviews before I made my decision, so I thought I should write one, too. Hope this proves helpful.

I have been using the Pro Line Chef's blender for about a month now on a daily basis for a smoothie once or twice a day, and I've made a couple of pureed soups as well. This is a super-high quality blender that feels even more expensive than it costs, and lives up to all the positive reviews.

Advantages over other blenders:
1) No little left over ice chunks. Really.
2) Very quiet on low setting, and low is strong enough to do about anything you could want as fast as you'd want it.
3) Well designed: easy to clean, little finger places on the sides to pull out, nice handle, cord storage, etc.
4) extremely strong motor.

After reading all the reviews, I almost bought the professional bar blender, but I'm very glad I ended up with this one for two reasons:
1) It's really useful to see what you're blending. The polycarbonate will likely stay clear and clean for years, and the stainless steel cannister with the Pro Line bar blender is beautiful, but won't let you see what you're blending. As you really need to have the lid on or stuff will splatter, the clear cannister is invaluable.
2) The bar blender has two speeds, but you can only access the low on "pulse" mode. I like being able to step away instead of holding the pulse mode, and I rarely use the high-speed because it's so loud and low works just fine. If I'm really looking to pump some air into a smoothie, medium works great. In short, having three speeds is much more useful than I thought it would be.

While I consider this a bit of a luxury purchase on my finances, the blender is something I use everyday, and it will likely last for many years (in fact this replaces a 40-year old blender). I'm quite picky, and this certainly exceeds my expectations of quality and performance. It also looks pretty cool.

Good luck with your decision.

I was a bit apprehensive about the price for this blender ($184 shipped). However, I make smoothies with frozen ingredients almost every day, so I figured this would be a bit of an investment. Before this blender, I had a 500 watt Oster ($80). With the Oster I would always have to start it, take the jar off and shake midway, then put it back on again. Many times, I would even have to add more fruit juice to get it to mix. It was always a hassle. After a year, it broke, so I did some research and decided on this blender. I have to tell you, I can't imagine a better blender. It's always a pleasure to use, almost like driving a fine german car. Same feel - very solid. For smoothies, I only have to hit pulse for a second or two, then switch it to high. About 20 seconds later - perfect smoothie. The jar cleans really well too since it is one piece.

I bought this Blender in Jan. of 05, have used it weekly since and have had no problems at all. In fact I cant forsee any problems in the future nor a better blender. Today I made a great smoothy with frozen blackberries, strawberries, respberries, milk, ice, vanilla, bananna and honey. The frozen product was perfectly mixed with the liquids to form a perfect texture, on LOW! The power is excellent, there are no leaks, product mixes superb, cleaning exceeds expectations. All in all in my opinion this is the perfect blender, buy it, you wont regret the years of quality.

We make smoothies a couple of times a day using frozen fruit - pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries - along with various juices. With all the rave reviews and the 1 horse power motor of this Pro Line Kitchen Aid blender, I was disappointed that air pockets form so readily around the blade. Just seconds after I turn it on, the blender stops blending until I stop the motor, poke the fruit down with a spatula, and restart. I usually have to do this about 4 or 5 times to make a simple smoothie. If I add plenty of juice, it is less prone to this problem; however, we like our smoothies thick. Once the fruit is blended enough to keep air pockets from forming, it makes a GREAT smoothie - far superior to the Kitchen Aid 1/2 horse power food processor I used to use. It's also attractive and the handle is light weight. The motor also regularly smells of smoke; hopefully this is because it is so new?

I'm giving this blender three stars because I want to call attention to some design issues that may be of concern to those considering this rather expensive purchase. I returned my Pro Line and purchased another less expensive KitchenAid.

First, the pluses:
1) The best customer service ever. KitchenAid stands behind this product 100%. The two-year warranty is also nice.
2) The polycarbonate jar is relatively light, has a comfortable handle, is chip resistant, see-through, and can be put on the base at a number of convenient angles.
3) Relatively quiet at the low setting, which, as others have mentioned may be all you'll ever need.
4) Feels very heavy-duty and well constructed.

Now, the minuses:
1) The blender is significantly taller than my other counter appliances and it barely fit under my cabinets. Looks like a monolith.
2) Color choice: one. You either like the dark grey "pearl" metalic or you don't. However, the blue speed indicator lights are awesome.
3) The lid. During use, it kept slipping and/or spinning no matter what I did. KitchenAid has an alternate lid, but the standard lid, as designed, appears to be too shallow.
4) The one-piece polycarbonate container. It's difficult to clean since you can't remove the blades separately.
5) Dishwasher issues. If you decide to put the container in the dishwasher, it's OK, and KitchenAid has drain holes at the top to let the water drain out...but if you have any food flying around in your dishwasher, the holes at the top will become clogged with stuff. Better to hand wash.
6) Not particularly quiet on high setting.
7) No drip stop on the jar. With traditional screw-in-the-bottom blenders, there's a natural lip that catches stray spillovers. The polycarbonate jar has no drip stops, so the drips continue down the sides until they hit whatever surface it's on. Annoying.

In summary: If you value ruggedness, durability, and peace-of-mind over cleaning convenience and can handle the size/height/color issues, I still recommend this product. I hope KitchenAid will modify the design, especially the standard lid (to make it more like the bar blender's lid) in the next redesign. I would also encourage KitchenAid to keep the polycarbonate jar but get rid of the one-piece construction to allow for easier cleaning.

I felt a little guilty indulging in a high end blender when my plan was to use it only occasionally for making some sauces and blended desserts. But I got this mahchine a little over a month ago, and it's such a joy to use that I'm now using it every single day.

I've never made smoothies before, but now I'm hooked - I can't start my day without one. And this machine makes 'em a breeze. Frozen fruit, ice, dry clumpy powders - they all quickly blend into one smooth, happy, lump-free treat. I think you could probably make a granite smoothie in this beastie, and the granite would come out smooth and creamy, and the blender would just smile and say "What's next?".

The scalloped interface between the jar and the base means you can just set the jar on the base and blend - no twisting the jar to lock it into place or unlock it. A small detail, but it makes it that much more effortless to use, particularly if you lack strength in your hands/arms. The rubber lid fits very snugly, but is flexible, so it's also very easy to insert and remove. Again, no twisting. I can't imagine anyone finding that the lid slips - the rubber grabs onto the jar, even when it's only partially inserted. [The rubber is actually kind of yummy - I imagine Batman's sculpted rubber suit is made of the same stuff - Yum!]

Clean-up's a breeze: A quick rinse gets rid of all visible debris. Then just put in a squirt of detergent, fill halfway with warm water, and whiz it around on low for 10-15 seconds. I use a soapy sponge after that, but I'm a little...detail-oriented [those folks who call me "anal" are so obviously exaggerating]. (You can also just throw everything but the electric base in the dishwasher, but since I don't run the dishwasher every day, I hand wash it.) The sealed rubber buttons are also easy to wipe down, as well as safe in the (unlikely) event of spills.

This machine has actually improved my health by making it so delightfully easy to get my 5 servings of fruits per day. I've raved about it to friends, and I'd recommend it to anyone who's considering blenders in this price range.

BTW, here's my favorite drink so far, which I found on //chetday.com/freesmoothierecipe.htm: half a small, seedless watermelon, juice of 2 lemons, a sprig or two of mint, and 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla. Whiz it all around for several seconds, then drink up. YUM!