Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
Would you like to give feedback on images? |
Product Description
Ninja the ultimate food & drink maker new and improved design
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
172 of 179 people found the following review helpful
By P. Lymburner
I've had this little gem only a few days, but have already put it through a few paces. I bought the "professional" model for the extra power (50 watts doesn't seem like much, until you try to crush ice). The unit is easy to set up, store, and clean. I like the fact that the power unit is very small yet powerful. The power "pod" moves from one container to the other without the necessity of cleaning blades if several different items are being chopped or blended. My first smoothie came out without any lumps of either ice or frozen fruit, something that was impossible in my more expensive Krups machine. I've made salsa in the smaller bowl, then blended icy Margaritas in the pitcher in the next moment without having to clean the blades or bowls (each bowl/pitcher comes with a specific blade set just for that container). I find it practical, simple, and sturdy. Great value for the money, because you are getting a blender with 2 sizes of pitchers (40 and 48 oz), plus a food processer with a 16oz bowl. Each comes with a separate lid in case you wish to store in the same bowl...although I don't think this is something I will do. I must still remind myself to PULSE the machine as there are no controls like on a traditional blender or food processor, but I've retired my Krups and the Oster in favor of this model. The parts are dishwasher safe, but very easy to hand wash, also. So far, I love it!
208 of 226 people found the following review helpful
By Dana
I got this chopper a couple of months ago. What I intended to buy the Ninja for has been great, so I will rate it on that. I will also review the issues I have with it.
I bought the Ninja to replace my small chopper. I absolutely love the double blade system, because it chops things very consistently; which was the reason I replaced my old chopper. I did not buy this to replace a blender OR a food processor, the `blender' was just an added bonus.
When chopping small things, it has been fabulous! My old chopper, like Ninja's spokesperson claims, turned the bottom food to mush, while the top food is still unchopped. With the Ninja, as long as I `pulse' as the instructions recommend, it works great. I've noticed, though, if I push down the power and leave it down, (usually when I'm in a hurry) I end up with the same results as my old chopper, so the key really is to `pulse'.
When it comes to ease of use, the Ninja is not:
-The motor on top is too big and bulky: My old chopper was a hand held immersion blender/chopper, so the handheld motor was interchangeable with the wand and the chopper bowl. If I needed to add other ingredients or push the contents down with a spoon, I could grab the motor (attached to the lid) with one hand and have the spoon or contents in my other hand to add. With the Ninja, I have to pull the motor off with both hands (because it is so bulky) then pry the lid off with both hands (because of the suction) then I can add the stuff. But then I have to realign the motor back onto the lid, sometimes it goes on easily, sometimes it doesn't (if you get easily frustrated with things, this isn't the system for you).
-The blade shaft goes directly into the motor, instead of the motor attaching to a lid: This `seems' like it would work fine, until you fill the bowl and the contents get on the shaft of the blades; which will inevitably happen because the blades have to be in place before you can add the contents. With my old chopper, I added the blade, then the lid had a gear that fit with the blade shaft, and the motor was geared with the lid. So, if I got yogurt or any sort of slop on the blade shaft, it would be on the lid, which could be thrown into the dishwasher. With the Ninja, the blade goes directly into the motor. So, after you fill the bowl with food, you need to make sure you wipe the shaft of the blade off, before it goes into the motor, because you can't put the motor in the dishwasher, and unless you wrap the end of something very slender with a wet rag, you won't get the slop out of the motor...especially in the little cracks.
-The blades take up all the room: Once you have your blades set in the bowl, the stuff you add has to be small enough to fall in around the blades. So, you have to pre-chop before putting it in the chopper, which sort of defeats the purpose of the chopper in the first place (unless you're a really slow chopper like me, then it's perfect)!
As far as the `blender' feature, I wasn't all that impressed. Since it is winter time, I haven't had a need for blended or shaved ice (I can get that in the yard), so I can't rate how well it blends ice. I did, however, try to blend a pot of soup into bisque, and it didn't turn out very smooth at all. I ended up using my immersion blender to finish it. I noticed another reviewer mentioned that you have to keep moving the ice around, to get the smooth shaved ice. That's what I had to do with my soup. I thought with three blades, it would move the contents around enough to blend it up, but it didn't, even when pulsing. I ran into the same problem when trying to make faux mashed potatoes out of cauliflower (gotta try everything with picky eaters). The cauliflower was cut into bite sized pieces and steamed before it was put into the blender. When I was blending it, it was just `stirring' it all together, instead of `blending' it. I had to keep taking off the lid and pushing the cauliflower down with a spoon to get it to `blend'. It finally did `blend' but with much poking and prodding, I will probably just use the immersion blender next time, less hassle.
I also need to point out, when I first got my Ninja, I was getting ready to use it and my father in law pulled out the blades to look at them. I didn't notice how they were put back in the bowl, but they fit in and looked right, and it was the first time I used it. It made a god-awful racket, and it wasn't chopping anything. I took the motor off, and saw plastic shavings on the top of the lid. My husband came and flipped the second blade over and it worked fine. Since the blade and the motor gears were stripped, we took it back to the store, and I decided to get another one. The new one has worked fine (as long as the blades are in correctly) but I'm a little weary as to how long they will last this time.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a blender or food processor, I would look somewhere else. It is a very good chopper, but for the price, I think next time, I'll stick with the immersion blender/chopper. I think Shark missed their demographic...it isn't powerful enough or versatile enough to replace the food processor or blender, yet it's too bulky and meaty for a regular chopper.
I bought the Ninja to replace my small chopper. I absolutely love the double blade system, because it chops things very consistently; which was the reason I replaced my old chopper. I did not buy this to replace a blender OR a food processor, the `blender' was just an added bonus.
When chopping small things, it has been fabulous! My old chopper, like Ninja's spokesperson claims, turned the bottom food to mush, while the top food is still unchopped. With the Ninja, as long as I `pulse' as the instructions recommend, it works great. I've noticed, though, if I push down the power and leave it down, (usually when I'm in a hurry) I end up with the same results as my old chopper, so the key really is to `pulse'.
When it comes to ease of use, the Ninja is not:
-The motor on top is too big and bulky: My old chopper was a hand held immersion blender/chopper, so the handheld motor was interchangeable with the wand and the chopper bowl. If I needed to add other ingredients or push the contents down with a spoon, I could grab the motor (attached to the lid) with one hand and have the spoon or contents in my other hand to add. With the Ninja, I have to pull the motor off with both hands (because it is so bulky) then pry the lid off with both hands (because of the suction) then I can add the stuff. But then I have to realign the motor back onto the lid, sometimes it goes on easily, sometimes it doesn't (if you get easily frustrated with things, this isn't the system for you).
-The blade shaft goes directly into the motor, instead of the motor attaching to a lid: This `seems' like it would work fine, until you fill the bowl and the contents get on the shaft of the blades; which will inevitably happen because the blades have to be in place before you can add the contents. With my old chopper, I added the blade, then the lid had a gear that fit with the blade shaft, and the motor was geared with the lid. So, if I got yogurt or any sort of slop on the blade shaft, it would be on the lid, which could be thrown into the dishwasher. With the Ninja, the blade goes directly into the motor. So, after you fill the bowl with food, you need to make sure you wipe the shaft of the blade off, before it goes into the motor, because you can't put the motor in the dishwasher, and unless you wrap the end of something very slender with a wet rag, you won't get the slop out of the motor...especially in the little cracks.
-The blades take up all the room: Once you have your blades set in the bowl, the stuff you add has to be small enough to fall in around the blades. So, you have to pre-chop before putting it in the chopper, which sort of defeats the purpose of the chopper in the first place (unless you're a really slow chopper like me, then it's perfect)!
As far as the `blender' feature, I wasn't all that impressed. Since it is winter time, I haven't had a need for blended or shaved ice (I can get that in the yard), so I can't rate how well it blends ice. I did, however, try to blend a pot of soup into bisque, and it didn't turn out very smooth at all. I ended up using my immersion blender to finish it. I noticed another reviewer mentioned that you have to keep moving the ice around, to get the smooth shaved ice. That's what I had to do with my soup. I thought with three blades, it would move the contents around enough to blend it up, but it didn't, even when pulsing. I ran into the same problem when trying to make faux mashed potatoes out of cauliflower (gotta try everything with picky eaters). The cauliflower was cut into bite sized pieces and steamed before it was put into the blender. When I was blending it, it was just `stirring' it all together, instead of `blending' it. I had to keep taking off the lid and pushing the cauliflower down with a spoon to get it to `blend'. It finally did `blend' but with much poking and prodding, I will probably just use the immersion blender next time, less hassle.
I also need to point out, when I first got my Ninja, I was getting ready to use it and my father in law pulled out the blades to look at them. I didn't notice how they were put back in the bowl, but they fit in and looked right, and it was the first time I used it. It made a god-awful racket, and it wasn't chopping anything. I took the motor off, and saw plastic shavings on the top of the lid. My husband came and flipped the second blade over and it worked fine. Since the blade and the motor gears were stripped, we took it back to the store, and I decided to get another one. The new one has worked fine (as long as the blades are in correctly) but I'm a little weary as to how long they will last this time.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a blender or food processor, I would look somewhere else. It is a very good chopper, but for the price, I think next time, I'll stick with the immersion blender/chopper. I think Shark missed their demographic...it isn't powerful enough or versatile enough to replace the food processor or blender, yet it's too bulky and meaty for a regular chopper.
381 of 435 people found the following review helpful
There are two serious issues with this item which minimizes it's value.
First, the power is only 450 watts, which is about the same as the normal household blender. The people who have been writing these positive reviews - reviews upon which I relied when I bought this thing - seem like they have never heard of a blender or food processor. The bottom line with regards to power is indisputable - this is the same wattage as a weak blender. Regardless of what people are saying, bear this in mind - no more power than a blender. That's the biggest problem.
Second, the position of the blades relative to the size of the containers does not crush ice into snow as stated (unless you are willing to continually remove the motor and lid, and reposition the ice and/or the contents) and does not chop veggies or anything else evenly.
I tried to crush ice into snow. After repositioning the contents 4 times, I still had chunks of ice (the ice I started with was already crushed ice from our freezer dispenser). So yes, you'll get some snow. But you'll also get so many chunks of ice that it makes this thing useless relative to a blender. When I chopped veggies, the size difference was annoying. Any attempt to more finely chop the larger pieces liquified the smaller pieces.
Here's the thing. If you want to truly crush ice into snow, you need a professional blender (as you see in coffee shops or smoothie outlets). Amazon carries them, they operate on 1000 watts, and cost $200. The base motor (with blade) has to be wider than traditional blenders and the container wider throughout. The idea of 2 or 3 tiers of blades does not help in this regard.
If you want to chop veggies, you need a good food processor where the blades are proportionate to the container. These blades are far too spread apart to chop evenly.
One more thing. This product comes with 3 separate containers for different purposes. You'll need 2-3x the storage space of an ordinary blender.
The Amazon ad says that this lists for $69.95 (as of today). I paid $59.95 at Kohls and had a 30% off coupon. I also had $10 of Kohls cash that I used. That means my cost was about $32 before tax.
And I'm still taking it back.
Beware of some of these reviews. I mean, I have yet to read reviews that were so hyped up. I have to wonder about the origin. Just use common sense and if you still wat to try it, make sure you save the box and receipt.
First, the power is only 450 watts, which is about the same as the normal household blender. The people who have been writing these positive reviews - reviews upon which I relied when I bought this thing - seem like they have never heard of a blender or food processor. The bottom line with regards to power is indisputable - this is the same wattage as a weak blender. Regardless of what people are saying, bear this in mind - no more power than a blender. That's the biggest problem.
Second, the position of the blades relative to the size of the containers does not crush ice into snow as stated (unless you are willing to continually remove the motor and lid, and reposition the ice and/or the contents) and does not chop veggies or anything else evenly.
I tried to crush ice into snow. After repositioning the contents 4 times, I still had chunks of ice (the ice I started with was already crushed ice from our freezer dispenser). So yes, you'll get some snow. But you'll also get so many chunks of ice that it makes this thing useless relative to a blender. When I chopped veggies, the size difference was annoying. Any attempt to more finely chop the larger pieces liquified the smaller pieces.
Here's the thing. If you want to truly crush ice into snow, you need a professional blender (as you see in coffee shops or smoothie outlets). Amazon carries them, they operate on 1000 watts, and cost $200. The base motor (with blade) has to be wider than traditional blenders and the container wider throughout. The idea of 2 or 3 tiers of blades does not help in this regard.
If you want to chop veggies, you need a good food processor where the blades are proportionate to the container. These blades are far too spread apart to chop evenly.
One more thing. This product comes with 3 separate containers for different purposes. You'll need 2-3x the storage space of an ordinary blender.
The Amazon ad says that this lists for $69.95 (as of today). I paid $59.95 at Kohls and had a 30% off coupon. I also had $10 of Kohls cash that I used. That means my cost was about $32 before tax.
And I'm still taking it back.
Beware of some of these reviews. I mean, I have yet to read reviews that were so hyped up. I have to wonder about the origin. Just use common sense and if you still wat to try it, make sure you save the box and receipt.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Small unit - BIG power
I have been thru several blenders. The best; Vitamix (but pricey), the worst; HealthMaster Living Well (occupying a landfill now) but this Ninja is great for my needs. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Janice L Herzog
5.0 out of 5 stars
Purchased for a gift...
I have had one of these for about a year...love it so much I am now giving them as gifts to very special people! I use mine every day, multiple times. The uses vary ... Read more
Published 1 day ago by Breezy
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great for what I have tried so far.
I have not had a chance to make use of the full range of things this product can do. So far I have been using it to make fruit smoothies and it does an excellent job. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Nana O'Dell
1.0 out of 5 stars
Great until....
Very pleased until product quit after 11 months of use. There is of course a 12 month limited warranty--send it to them, include $14. Read more
Published 4 days ago by jon eden
1.0 out of 5 stars
NINJA JUNK
THE NINJA IS ALREDY BROKEN AFTER JUST A FEW MONTHS !!! THE SHANK WITH BLADES ATTACHED DOESN'T FIT SECURELY IN THE BASE OF THE
PITCHER. IT WOBBLES. Read more
PITCHER. IT WOBBLES. Read more
Published 13 days ago by mary m. mccarron
1.0 out of 5 stars
I received a different thing!
I received the wrong thing! I got a chopper instead of a blender. I'm having a hard time returning it too!
Published 18 days ago by Lisa B. Clark
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful
My brother is using it every day!! It is wonderful. I would recommend it, for other people who need liquid diets.
Published 18 days ago by chas
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is an excellent kitchen tool
I use this for my smoothies I'm eating for "The Aztec Diet", and it performs as advertized. DO BE AWARE OF THE BLADE UNITS! The are INSANELY SHARP. Read more
Published 19 days ago by G. Morningstar
5.0 out of 5 stars
Buy this one
The best blender/processor we have ever had. Easy
Cleanup to boot. Would not trade it for ones costing
Ten times more.
Cleanup to boot. Would not trade it for ones costing
Ten times more.
Published 19 days ago by Bob D.
5.0 out of 5 stars
LOVE!!!
Works great!! Great for snow cones, smoothies,and chopping foods.. Will never use and regular blender again. Can not beat this product!!
Published 19 days ago by Lori Burnette
