Vegan Kitchen Appliances: Nutri Ninja Blender Duo with Auto-iQ (BL642)

Product Review: Nutri Ninja Blender Duo

Price Range: $200-$225

Features:

1500 Watt Blending Motor
Preset Blending Functions to Automate Your Kitchen
72 oz Blending Pitcher and On-the-Go Blending Cup
Recipe Books for Smoothies and Other Healthy Foods

140 Character Summary:

Is the Nutri Ninja Duo superior to the Nutri Ninja Pro? Not really, while it may be more powerful, the higher price is not justified.

Pros:

Power. The Nutri Ninja Blender Duo comes with a 1500 Watt motor, making it the most powerful blender in the Nutri Ninja Series. The Nutri Ninja Pro only has 900 Watts of Power in comparison. With all this power, you are going to be able to blend faster and more thoroughly than the lower-powered Ninja blenders.
Auto-iQ. Make Smoothies and Puree with No Effort. Essentially, the Ninja Auto-iQ Technology works best as an automated smoothie making machine. The puree function is nifty, but you may prefer more precision while pureeing.When blending, the blender will tell you how much time remains until the blending function finishes.
Blending Cups & Pitcher. The great On-the-Go Blending Pitcher is included with this set, and is the single best blending pitcher. You'll also find a 72 oz Blending Pitcher as well, to handle your larger blending needs like bean dips, icy drinks for parties, and bread doughs.
Speed and Simplicity. Blending has become even more simple with the Nutri Ninja Duo, thanks to the onboard computer and timing function. While Ninja includes a recipe book, you'll be more than free to customize recipes all on your own. When using preset functions, just load your blending pitcher up and hit the button; in less than a minute your blender will have completed the cycle.
Smoothies. Even though this blender comes with a 72 oz Blending Pitcher, this blender excels as a single serve smoothie machine. If you love to make smoothies bright and early in the morning, you'll definitely find the Nutri Ninja Duo an upgrade over almost all sub-$100 machines. Its power and smoothie function will liquify your fruits and ice to a great consistency in no time flat.
Easy Cleanup. All blending pitchers, cups, and blending blade are dishwasher safe. Just rinse off your blender pitcher and blending blades in the sink after blending, and throw them in the dishwasher. Be careful around those blending blades; they are sharp and can nick you while removing them.

Cons:

Blending Base. There are a few flaws with this blending base. First and foremost, it is heavy, but still feels somehow cheap. Part of this is due to the fact the suction cups have to be used to secure the blender, even though it is already so heavy. Secondly, the metallic finish of the blender functions will smudge easily, which will annoy you, just give it time.
Price. Costing $200 or more, the Nutri Ninja Blender Duo is truly not meant as introductory model. It sits in an awkward place, on the one hand, the Nutri Ninja Pro costs less than $90, and can make smoothies nearly as well as the Nutri Ninja Duo. At the other end of the spectrum, a Vitamix Blender can be purchased for near $300, and will serve you far better than the Ninja.
Large Blending Pitcher. You're going to run into some unfortunate realities with the large Ninja Pitcher. First of all, it doesn't create a real vortex while blending, this means you will never get a 100% perfect blend when handling drier things like nut butters or bean dips. Secondly, its overall quality leaves a bit to be desired, the plastic build of it just feels somewhat lower quality than what you should be getting from a $200 blender.
Blades. If you're familiar with the Ninja upright blade system, you'll find it once again in the Nutri Ninja Duo. These blades have two major faults in my opinion: they're removable and layered. Since these blades are removable, you'll need to remove them while cleaning which is dangerous. Along with that, it is entirely possible that the blades may fall out while pouring a beverage with the lid off. Secondly, these blades just don't have the proper design to deliver a perfect or even 85%+ blend.
Lifespan. Perhaps this blender will last for a long time, but I have my doubts. The Ninja Company constantly pushes out new blender models, never quite perfecting and relying upon a standard issue. Following this line of thought, the warranty policy of the Ninja Company leaves a bit to be desired, especially compared to how Vitamix handles issues. Expect your larger pitcher and large blending blades to wear out, they have in previous blender models, so they will as they are the same recycled designed in the Nutri Ninja Duo.
Unfortunately, the other Ninja Autp-iQ functions don't make a whole lot of sense, pulse is self explanatory, but the 'Nutri Ninja Blend' and 'Nutri Ninja Ultra Blend' will leave you with questions. Thankfully, Ninja included a 'Low', 'Medium', and 'High' setting for this blender.

Nutri Ninja Duo vs. Nutri Ninja Pro

Price:

More than $100 separates these two blenders. What exactly does all this extra money buy? Not much. First and foremost, the quality of smoothies made in the lower priced Nutri Ninja Pro will come out almost as good as the more powerful Nutri Ninja Duo. As an upgrade you'll find an underwhelming 72 oz blending pitcher and the Auto-iQ Technology.

Design:

Nutri Ninja Duo: The Nutri Ninja Duo suffers from having too many features. At the end of the day, the 72 oz blending pitcher just isn't good enough to justify a $200 price tag. Now, the on-the-go blending pitcher is the exact same as the Nutri Ninja Pro's, which is a good thing. However, Auto-iQ really is not that big of a deal as a more inexpensive Auto-iQ Ninja exists.
Nutri Ninja Pro: If you need a compact blender, go with the Nutri Ninja Pro. In an age of bulky blenders with tons of add-ons, a small and efficient blender is a relief for many of us. Blending is a simple affair, just pulse your smoothies until they're done.

Best for Whom?:

Nutri Ninja Duo: 1. Multi-Taskers. The ease of just pressing a button and walking off to do other tasks is nice. 2. Multi-Purpose Users. If you need to make both smoothies and all sorts of other blended food, the Nutri Ninja Duo will better suit you. 3. Ninja Fans. The Nutri Ninja Duo does offer a few new cool features, namely the interface of the control panel and Auto-iQ.
Nutri Ninja Pro: 1. Beginning-Mid Range Blender Fans. The Nutri Ninja is so simple a complete blending newbie could use it. 2. Price Conscious. At under $100, this blender is a great bargain for its powerful punch. 3. Smoothie Lovers. One of the most ideal blenders for smoothie lovers out there wanting to spend less than $300.

Overall:

You will end up happiest by purchasing the more affordable Nutri Ninja. Assuming you're on the market for a mid-range blender upgrade, the Nutri Ninja will well suit your needs if you're mainly a smoothie maker. Now, if you absolutely need a large blending pitcher as well, the Nutri Ninja Duo is a fine blender to consider.

Read My Full Review of the Nutri Ninja Pro

Value for Money?

Unfortunately the Nutri Ninja Duo is not the best deal in the world for those out there wanting a blender primarily for smoothie making purposes. Compared to the much more affordable Nutri Ninja Pro, the features of the Nutri Ninja Duo just can't justify themselves for smoothie making alone. Now, if you are on the market for a smoothie maker and general use machine, the Nutri Ninja Duo will do an adequate job meeting those needs. Overall, the Nutri Ninja Duo receives a total of 3/5 stars.

Where to Buy: