Types:
Immersion Blenders - Blades on the end of a stick - $60-$180
Regular Blenders -
  Full size - 4-8 cups $100 - $800
  Personal - 2.5-4 cups $100- $200

Features:
Power:
More powerful blenders will crush harder foods, leafy greens, fibrous ingredients with skins and seeds such as entire pieces of fruit and vegetables, in seconds. They can puree almonds into almond milk.
Some have dough blades so can work like a food processor for mixing bread dough.
Their high speed can also heat up soups.
They are typically rated at 1,400-1,600 watts or 2 horespower.
1 electrical horsepower, or hp(E), is equal to 746 watts.
The Blendtec Classic lists a peak horsepower of 3 and the Cuisinart Hurricane Pro lists 3.5 HP, but that is only in a short burst.
Many blenders with 300 to 500 watts are just as capable of crushing ice and making smooth purees as the expensive blenders with 1000 watts.
With more power comes much more noise.

Variable Speed:
Microprocessor-controlled blenders have advantages, because they have the ability to vary the speed during a specified blend cycle to help move the contents around the pitcher more thoroughly, which tends to avoid having to remove pitcher from the base to shake it or use a tamper to get complete blending.
The end of the 4" blade on the Vitamix 7500 is going 270 MPH at 22,700 RPM.

Blender vs Food procesor vs Mixer:
A blender is better for liquids and can do things like salad dressings and some have dough blades.
A food processor is better for chopping, shredding, dips and butters.
A mixer is better for baking tasks such as whipping eggs, creaming butter and sugar, and mixing batters and doughs.

  The vitamix Pro 750, 7500 and Pro 300 were top rated, but all over $500.
  The 700 watt Electrolux Expressionist ELJB56B8PS at $170 got a very good rating and was also recommended
  The 1,600 watt Ninja BlendMax Duo BL2013 for $220 got a very good rating.

Blender Ratings & Reliability | Consumer Reports
Model Price Rating Watts RPM Container
size
Personal
Jar1
Dough
Blade
Vitamix Pro 750 $650 86 1440 22,700
Vitamix 7500 $530 86 144064 oz
Vitamix Pro 300 $530 861440
Cuisinart Hirricane Pro CBT-2000 $400 81 1500 25,000
Blendtec Designer 725 $630 81 1725 29,500
Electrolux Expressionist ELJB56B8PS $170 80 700 720
Ninja BlendMax Duo with
Auto-iQ Boost2 BL2013
$220 78 1600 24,000 88 oz Y Y
Hamilton Beach Professional
Quiet Power 58870
$150 69 15003 32 oz
Oster Pro 1200 $70 63 12004 y
Personal Blender (Smaller containers that can double as a travel mug.)
Jamba Juice Quiet Shield $140 76 1190 y
Ninja Auto iQ BL642-30 $150 74 1500 72, 24, 18 y
Ninja Nutri Bowl DUO NN100 $105 1200 32, 24 y
1. Personal Jar - Comes with a separate 16-24 oz jar with its own blade for smoothies etc.
2. Ninja Auto-iQ Boost - Timed pulsing, blending and pausing patterns for different functions.
3. 1500 watts peak power
4. 1200 power watts and 900 watts of ice crushing power?

Other features:
A plastic jar is safer than a glass jar.
Touchpad controls are easier to clean the pushbutton controls.


Links:
Immersion Blenders
Blender Ratings & Reliability | Consumer Reports (requires subscription)
The Best 3 Blenders of 2016 and Blender Reviews - TheBlenderReview.org
Ninja vs Vitamix: Comparing Two Top Blenders | Juiced Body
The truth about horsepower in blenders and food processors - CNET
Vitamix 7500 review - Page 2 - CNET
Should I Get a Blender, a Food Processor, or a Mixer? | The Sweethome

last updated 5 July 2017