Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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1,054 of 1,091 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
When in doubt, read the manual, September 12, 2004
For the most part, anything that is advertised on those infomercials over-promises or fails to deliver. I ordered a Magic Bullet anyway because it seemed to be just the sort of kitchen appliance that I needed...small, safe and useful. I crossed my fingers and ordered one. When the package arrived, it was packed nicely in a large case containing all the parts and accessories as advertised; mixing cups, drinking/mixing mugs, small blender attachment, juicer attachment, shaker cups, two receipe books, an instruction manual, blades and motor base. Basically, the Magic Bullet is a small compact blender that is turned on it's head. Instead of putting items from the top and blending/chopping them, you put the contents in a holding cup and twist on the cap/blade. This whole unit is then placed upside down on the base and you turn it on. After the contents are processed, you take the unit off the base and twist off the blade/cap. A great and ingenious idea. But the big question is, does it work as advertised? The surprising answer is yes.
I've had this unit for about a month and a half now and am thoroughly surprised at how nice it works. I have made smoothies that not only rival the local juice bars, but the product tastes better and is a snap to make. I have also made personal servings of soup and vegatable smoothies. Making a tuna-egg-mayo spread was blended very nicely and the whole family ate it up in a couple of days. To get this unit to work as it was intended has to do with reading the manual. It states very clearly that there are certain ways to load your mixing cup. In cases where things do not get blended or are stuck at the top of the cup, the instructions tell you to take the blending cup off and to tap it a few times to get all the contents to the bottom. There is no problem in overheating *if you read the manual*. About 90% of the jobs can be done in about 10 seconds or less by using the pulse method. If you continuously blend/chop and leave it on like a regular blender, it will overheat and possibly break the unit. Nothing needs to be processed for more than 30 seconds so this is a moot point. Clean-up is one of the best features of this appliance. Just run the mixing cups and blades under water with a little soap, and you are done. This unit is so easy to use that our family uses it on a daily basis.
As far as the cost is concerned, it may seem a little on the steep end, but the Magic Bullet pays for itself in no time at all. It has many useful features which allow you to use it as a coffee grinder, a chopper, a blender, a smoothie maker, a sandwich spread maker, soup mixer, etc. I have never used a small kitchen appliance as much as I have used the Magic Bullet. The big blender made by -------, which has been sitting on the shelf for many years is now officially retired.
A few minutes of your time in reading the manual will help you dodge any bullets in using the Magic Bullet.
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314 of 324 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bad rap, January 13, 2005
I have the Magic Bullet and I read some less than good reviews on the unit. I would like to put those to rest if I may.
1. After using the magic bullet, could smell the motor burning up.
Having worked with motors in the past, I can put that bad rap to rest. There are two types of electrical motors commonly used in the market today. One is an induction motor. and the other is the brush and commentator motor. Although the induction motor is most commonly used, there are some brush types out there. The burning electrical smell you sensed is common, especially when first using the motor. When first used, the brushes are not worn slightly to perfectly fit against the commentator. Until that happens, the brushes will slightly arc and you will sense an electrical smell but it doesn't take long till they are perfectly fitted to the commentator. After that, the smell will no longer be there. This is normal and is not a problem. It is not a sign of overheating or any damage to the motor.
2. I found an excellent quick way to clean the Bullet. I first spray the blade and inside of the cup to remove larger particles, then I fill the cup about 1/3 full with water and just a drop of soap detergent. Screw the blade lid on firmly and pulse it a few times. Unscrew and rinse and you will have a sparkling clean unit. This will get into areas that otherwise you couldn't possibly reach especially in and around the blade area.
3. I have also found that removing the processed food from the cup is best done with a small rubber spatula as use of a metal object like a knife or fork etc will eventually scratch and mar the plastic.
4. My Magic Bullet came with several replacement rubber gaskets that are used inside the black blade screw on caps. When you have cleaned your unit and you are going to store with blade cap screwed onto the food cup, do not screw the blade cap tightly with the food cup as when it is stored even overnite, the rubber gasket will tend to flatten out and then need replacement.
I always leave mine about a turn loose and you will get a lot more use out the gaskets.
5. When I am making a sandwich spread or anything requiring mayo I wait until I have finished processing the food and then I mix the processed food and mayo in a separate bowl. If you add the mayo before processing, the mayo and the fool is going to stick to the sides and even tapping is not going to loosen it.
6. The instruction book says that you need to occasionally tap the blade/cup unit to free up food to get to the blade. I have personally found that a back and forth shaking motion does a much better job as all the food in usually at the bottom anyway and a few shakes will move it into the blades and wa-la, it works mucho bettro.
7. If you read the instructions and use accordingly, you will find the magic bullet works, (Maybe not excatly like on TV) but I am very pleased with mine. I have also fould that the shorter pulses seem to work best as they don't tend to sling the food out and away from the blade.
8. I tried processing some pecans, mixed a little soy milk and honey and created some great tasting health food.
If you are considering the Magic Bullet, I can just say that it is like anything else, when directions are followed, it will work fine. When I picked up the Base unit, the weight tells me that the motor is plenty big enough to get the job done. A light motor, light duty, a heavy motor, heavy duty. Enjoy
Thanks for your time,
Darryl K Springston
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118 of 123 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Irreplaceable plastic parts., November 9, 2005
I was using the Magic Bullet sparingly until its main drive gear on top of it's base unit shattered into 3 main pieces. It's made of plastic and I have not been able to find any source of replacement parts. When I contacted the distributor they only offered to sell me a new unit. They advertise it like it can handle anything but the gear broke while I was mixing a regular protein shake.I can't recommend this product.
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