Like most Magic Bullet blenders, it's not meant for crushing ice without liquid in the jar. Its design feels plasticky and not particularly durable, and it's not very versatile since it's very hard to use for blends like nut butter or hummus. It takes longer to blend a smoothie than the Ninja Fit, but you don't need to hold onto the jar to blend. It makes a smooth blend with fibrous ingredients like kale and blueberries, meaning it can make a well-blended smoothie with all kinds of recipes. This blender's light, compact design makes it easy to store on a shelf or in a cupboard, which is good news for cramped kitchens. The Magic Bullet Mini isn't as well-built or as powerful as the previous picks, but it's a good option if you're looking for the best mini blender for smoothies or want to save money. It's quieter, so it's not as irritating to stand next to it for a few minutes. The 16oz jars are narrow, so depending on the recipe, you may need to stop and shake the jar partway through the process. Also, it doesn't come with a 'Smoothie Bowl Maker' jar and isn't as easy to use for recipes like nut butter. It means you can't multi-task while blending, but making something like a smoothie, even with tough fibrous ingredients, doesn't take long. The blender's main downside is the controls-it has no buttons, so you need to push down on the blending jar and hold it to blend. It's also great for small batches of crushed ice, so it can easily handle ice cubes in your smoothie or produce well-blended slushies and blended margaritas. However, it has no trouble processing tough smoothie ingredients like spinach or blueberries. This simple bullet-style blender lacks a few features compared to the Ninja Foodi Power Nutri DUO and isn't as versatile. The best single-serve blender we've tested with a mid-range price point is the Ninja Fit. The jars, lids, and blades are all dishwasher-safe, but if you're cleaning by hand, you must be careful of the sharp blades. Like most personal blenders, it can't hot blend, and its small capacity and single speed preset also make it less versatile. It has a few other helpful design features, like to-go lids for the personal jars and automatic blending programs that let you move away from the blender as it's running-which may come in handy because it's one of the louder blenders we've tested. Add in its fantastic ice-crushing ability, and you have a compact, multi-purpose blender that can help with everything from smoothies to hummus to slushies. It comes with a pair of personal jars that you can use to blend extremely silky smoothies with fibrous elements like kale. It's partly because of its 'smoothie bowl maker', a jar with rotating arms inside that allows it to easily process hard ingredients like nuts and make very smooth, spreadable nut butter. If you're looking for a smoothie maker, it's a fantastic option, with an overall performance that rivals some full-size models. The best personal blender we've tested is the Ninja Foodi Power Nutri DUO.

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