Customer Reviews

Proctor Silex 57171 7-Speed Blender

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I got this based only on price, you can't get a blender for less than $23 even at your local stores. I received it this past weekend and I put it to the ultimate test: Iced drinks! I put some ice cubicals, without precrushing them, and this little guy performed great! I then added some juice and fruits and enjoyed a wonderful iced beverage. Highly recommended also if you lift weights and need an easy-to-clean blender to mix the unmixable protein shake. All in all a great product and so far so good. I give it an extra point for not using glass (i.e. does not break) and for being extra easy to clean.

This is a really good blender for the price. You can make smoothies, margaritas and daquaris. I really like this blender. It is easy to clean. I also think that the plastic pitcher is a good item because I tend to be a bit of a klutz at times. It is also affordable, which is a big plus for a college student.

This blender does the job, especially for $20! Here are the pros & cons of the item.

Pros:
-Inexpensive
-Easy to clean
-Easy to assemble

Cons:
-Jar can't be stored in the fridge
-Takes a while to blend ice cubes if its added to the mixture last
-Doesn't come with replacement blades

But I would really recommend this product especially to college students because it's light weight and good for making cocktails & smoothies.

I got this blender some years ago, I don't even remember how long, because of the price. Then my finances got better and promised to myself once it broke I would change it for a nice new chrome steel model... but the friggin' thing keeps on going and going, so, I'm stuck with it until who knows when.

I have a Hamilton Beach Scovill Blend that I got as a gift from my favorite Aunt back in 1983, and it's still going strong! However, I needed a second blender and also wanted one with a larger Jar then my Hamilton Beach Scovill's 44 oz. Jar. There are many times when I need two blenders, and with a larger jar, that means I can make Smoothies or Icees for the Kids and don't have to make a second batch.

After looking at a few blenders with large 48 oz. and up jars, I decided to buy the Proctor Silex 57171 because of the great price on Amazon.com. I looked in all of the stores and online and couldn't find a better price. When I got the blender, opened the box and put the blender together, and I was very surpised at the quality and sturdiness of the machine. I have put it to some very heavy-duty use over long periods of time and it has performed admirability.

The Proctor Silex 57171 is a very well made, sturdy and dependable blender with a large 48 oz. jar, that does more then do the job well. And you can get it for under $20.00! You can't go wrong with this one.

Every smoothie came out lumpy, and with a bit of plastic aftertaste. I've had three blenders in the past. All could chop up almonds if you waited long enough, added a little juice, and tapped the sides. This thing has such a large and round jar with such small blades that it will just not reach every piece. Lumps and more lumps. I even tried sharpening the blades. The Krups turned almonds to powder in 10 seconds. This turnes almonds to small pieces in 2 minutes. So it makes a good alarm clock to wake the whole house. Even the banana was still lumpy. I read all these reviews and no one mentioned this problem. I'm definitely getting a different blender.

My beloved Black & Decker Handy Blender II finally bit the dust. I liked it because it weighed only 2.2#, was diminuitive and could blend anything. I wanted to replace it with another light-in-weight blender because I lift it in & out of an upper cupboard all the time. Also, because I didn't want a big clunky blender base eating up counter space or in the cupboard waiting to be shlepped up and down.

So, I read all the Amazon reviews and settled on this model, larger than the beloved but worth a try. I've had it for a few weeks and it's been in constant use, primarily for smoothies, salad dressings and marinades. It does everything it's supposed to do, and does it very well. Chops up frozen berries/fruit chunks easily and effectively. It's dandy for the price, too. Didn't do so well chopping herbs; Cuisinart best for that.

Three comments. One, the mfctr says do not, repeat, DO NOT, place the plastic blender jar in the dishwasher. Well, I threw caution to the wind and have had it in and out of there a zillion times. No problem, no clouding/streaking. Two, the lid is a really snug fit. I'm constantly adding things that don't make it through the top feeder hole. I wish it were easier to pop off, but am sure its snug fit is a good thing for a fully loaded jar. The top feeder hole is super-easy access.

The final, a concern for those who may leave it set out and plugged in: One slight touch of any button and the motor wheel fires up. I'd worry about kids, in particular, and plan to leave it unplugged, perhaps not the easiest approach if your dedicated outlet is out of reach. But the buttons on this model are prominent and easy to activate whereas some other models have more recessed controls. This isn't a problem here -- it's a plus -- but I wanted to point this out as the only concern.

I think this is a fine blender and well worth the reasonable price. I'd have given it five stars if it were smaller.

This blender is very weak. It has a small blade that cannot pull down anything of substance and I had to stir even soft fruit in liquid or it would never get cut up -- just the bottom part of the mix spins around. I used this blender four times since August 2006 (when I bought it) to make 'smoothies', always with poor results. As the other reviewer said, the fruit stays lumpy. The little blades aren't strong enough. Yesterday I wanted to liquify some cooked potatoes for soup. Of course they are thick and starchy, but after the usual 'stirring' to get them to move through the blender, the speed buttons started to vibrate and I could smell the unit getting hot. I wasn't overworking it -- mainly pulsing and then running it for about 30 seconds. All of a sudden, it wouldn't work any more. It just burned out. If you actually cook and expect a blender to blend things, don't buy this blender. I'm going to see if Amazon will take it back. (Note: after I wrote this, I was told by Amazon that I had to get in touch with the manufacturer, which I could do because it was within 90 days of purchase. However, the company wants me to mail in the plug and $5 for 'shipping' to get a replacement, which obviously I don't want. Why would I want to pay $5 more for a product that didn't work the first time? Why would I want the product again at all? Amazon would have taken it back, but they wanted it returned in the box, which I threw out. I'm even more dissatisfied with this product now than when I wrote this review originally. Maybe I can make it into an interesting planter and sell it at a craft fair . . . )

I've had this blender for about 9 months. I don't do a lot of cooking, but I've had very good experiences using it. Don't expect it to crush ice completely, but it's great for smoothies.

I usually use it to make chocolate tofu mousse. It mixes very well. I even made hummus once. I was worried it wouldn't grind the chickpeas down fine enough (it's not a food processor like the recipe recommended) but it did great! I was very impressed!

It's easy to clean. I think it has too many buttons (the speeds don't vary very much) but that's not really a drawback. If you're looking for an inexpensive, dependable blender... this is it!

no problems here. i was looking for a quick, easy to buy blender for my love of good blended margaritas, and this does the job just fine. it likely won't be powerful enough for more serious cooking labor, but for simple everyday blending, it gets my vote.