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Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: one-minute review
Nutribullet is a brand most well known for its compact personal blenders which – while suited to blitzing up smoothies and protein shakes – aren’t exactly heavy duty pieces of culinary tech. But models like the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo aim to up the power and functionality without compromising too much on simplicity or affordability.
By combining a full-sized pitcher with Nutribullet’s familiar single-serve cups, and adding a smart auto-cycle that adapts blending power on the fly, it aims to cover the needs of both speedy smoothie lovers and home chefs.
For the most part, it succeeds. Most everyday tasks are handled quickly and consistently. The SmartSense auto cycle is genuinely useful for hands-off blending and the 1,500W motor packs more punch than most people will ever need.
But all that isn’t without its caveats. The SmartSense Blender Combo struggles with thick or dry blends and requires you to intervene a couple of times during the blending process to ensure all the ingredients are within reach of the blades. You’ll also find that very small batches of dips don’t quite reach high up enough to get blended.
Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: price and availability
- List price: $164.99 / £149.99 / AU$299.95
- Available in the US, UK, and Australia
- Reasonable price for a two-in-one blender combo
In the US, UK, and Australia, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo is available to purchase on the Nutribullet site. and from third-party retailers like Amazon.
In phrases of price, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo sits on the mid/excessive finish of the Nutribullet vary. Understandably, you’re paying greater than you’ll for a dinky private blender, however it received’t fairly set again as a lot as a top-of-the-line meals processor/blender combo.
Similar fashions from different manufacturers embrace the Cuisinart Velocity Ultra Trio
Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: specs
|
Price |
$164.99 / £149.99 / AUS $299.95 |
|
Weight |
9.81lbs / 4.45kg |
|
Travel cup capacity |
32oz / 900ml and 24oz / 700ml |
|
Jug capacity |
64oz / 1.8 liters |
|
Blending speeds |
5 |
|
Presets |
Auto (SmartSense) |
Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: design
- Five blending speeds and an auto mode
- Pitcher with fixed blades and a vented lid
- Travel cups with extractor blades
The Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo consists of a blender base which can either be attached to the included 64oz pitcher, 32oz travel cup, or 24oz handled travel cup. All three of these add-ons are made from BPA-free plastic, meaning you can enjoy the lightness and durability of the material without worrying about harmful chemicals leaching into your soups and smoothies.
The SmartSense Blender Combo box contents also included a tamper but during testing, I found that it offered very little in the way of practical help. A far more useful tool was a cheap silicone spatula I tend to use while baking. It had the flexibility necessary to scrap the edges of the blender jug, but didn’t tend to get ingredients stuck to it like tamper did.
Like the rest of the build, the attachments of the SmartSense Blender Combo are sturdy enough to inspire confidence. The only real concern I’d have is the possibility of stains or scratches developing after long-term use, but even this would just be a superficial complaint. Not to mention, a good thorough clean after every use helps to prevent this. Thankfully, attachments for the SmartSense are dishwasher-safe so this task is a little easier.
Blending with the travel cups is done with a separate extractor blade but in the case of the pitcher attachment, the blade is sealed into the base. This means that, when you’re hand-washing your blender (which those of us without dishwashers are cursed to do) it’s a little difficult to clean. Without being able to pop the blade out and wipe it down, it’s best to blitz some warm water and soap in the pitcher to loosen some of the debris that tends to get stuck underneath. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but it definitely adds an awkward extra step to maintaining the machine.
One great thing about the pitcher’s design is that its lid has a vent which allows you to add ingredients mid-blend and – crucially – allows for steam to escape when making hot recipes. I’ll admit that throughout my years in the kitchen, I’ve occasionally taken my chances blending hot sauces and soups against manufacturers’ instructions. To try to reduce steam production and the chances of the lid blowing off from the pressure, I’d let everything cool down a bit before pouring it in. But even with these attempts to mitigate risk, the likelihood of getting scalded (or at the very least making a mess of your kitchen) means that blending hot food in an unvented blender is a terrible idea. A tiny gap in the lid makes a big difference when it comes to making this blender an even more versatile piece of kitchen kit.
Controls on the motor base are exceedingly simple to navigate. There’s an on/off button, which – alongside powering the machine on and off – also prompts the appearance of rather cute “hello” and “goodbye” messages on the base’s LED screen. The plus and minus buttons are used to adjust between the 5 power settings, but you can skip all that by using the Auto button that activates the load-sensing setting and estimates the right blending speed and time for you.
Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: performance
- Makes stellar smoothies with virtually no nasty bits
- Crushes ice (with some assistance from you)
- Dry blends were a disappointment
Coming in at 1500W, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo should have more than enough power to handle most jobs. Testing started with a smoothie recipe from the Nutribullet site consisting of blueberries, milk, banana, and kale.
Fibrous green veg really puts blenders through their paces, so it’s a great way to reveal just how well it performs. Frozen kale tends to produce fewer gritty chunks than its non-frozen counterpart, but it turns out it’s oddly difficult to find pre-frozen kale in the UK, so I just proceeded with the fresh version instead.
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Thankfully, the power of the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender managed to blitz away any unpleasant texture to produce a smooth, thick end result. Despite my expectations, the kale didn’t pose any problem for the SmartSense.
In fact, the only inconsistencies that were left after blending were the tiny seeds from the blueberries. Personally, this isn’t the kind of textural inconsistency that gives me the ick but even if it was, it seems a tad unfair to expect a blender under $200 to have the seed-pulverizing powers of something like a Vitamix A3500.
The SmartSense Blender Combo additionally makes mild work of crushing ice cubes, on the situation you scrape the ice from the edges halfway by means of. The blades actually don’t have any issue slicing by means of rock stable chunks of ice (and in reality, the machine doesn’t even go previous 95db whereas doing it) however the construction of the pitcher signifies that the ice tends to pool across the edges earlier than it’s performed being crushed. The excellent news is after a bit of intervention, it’s best to be capable to rustle up your individual daiquiris or frappuccinos at dwelling no drawback.
Despite delivering a fairly stellar efficiency within the realm of drinkable delights, the subsequent hurdles for the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender actually uncovered the machine’s weak factors. One of the deadly flaws of the SmartSense Blender Combo is the location of the pitcher’s mounted blades. They sit just a bit too excessive and don’t cowl sufficient floor space throughout the pitcher’s backside so it’s frustratingly straightforward for elements to flee the blender’s vortex.
During the hummus-making section of testing, I discovered that the machine persistently created a tasty, well-incorporated dip. However, attaining that consequence required me to intervene two or 3 times to redistribute the elements and ensure none of my chickpea combination prevented mixing.
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This blade placement drawback majorly impacted my capability to make mayonnaise with the blender too. Due to the sheer dimension of the pitcher, I discovered I needed to double a traditional batch with a purpose to have my yolk/vinegar/mustard emulsion even contact the blades in any respect.
Even then, I couldn’t preserve a constant sufficient vortex to create a satisfying consequence. If you’re really set on making mayonnaise with the SmartSense Blender Combo, one of the simplest ways to do it’s to combine up your emulsion by hand after which put it again into the blender for the step the place you regularly incorporate oil.
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One different very notable improvement throughout my exams is simply how redundant the Auto perform felt. While the SmartSense title positively supplies a elaborate promoting level, I discovered that I truly didn’t respect the automation of the mixing course of. It’s not just like the SmartSense Auto mixing ever acquired issues too far fallacious however relatively I most popular to maintain my eye on what I used to be engaged on and alter the facility as wanted.
I can positively see the attraction of this for people who discover their consideration pulled by youngsters or pets whereas within the kitchen, however the removing of management truly made issues much less handy in my expertise, so I largely opted for the guide choices.
Should you purchase the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo?
Buy it if
Don’t purchase it if
Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: additionally take into account
If you’re on the look-out for choices which can be much like the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo, right here’s some alternate options price contemplating:
How I examined the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo
Alongside utilizing it for a few of my ordinary kitchen duties, I put the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo by means of its paces with TechSwitch’s ordinary check recipes. During my exams, I alternated between utilizing the Auto and guide velocity controls to find out one of the best strategy for every recipe. I used a decibel tracker to find out how loud the blender is throughout use. After every mix, I cleaned the blender attachments and equipment by hand.