NINJABlast Max Portable Blender, 570ml, Rechargeable Battery, Blending Cup & Leak-proof Lid, 3x Blend Functions, Makes Smoothies, Protein Shakes, Blends Ice & Frozen Fruit, Cool Grey BC251EUGY

As an owner of the mains powered, Ninja Power Blender Duo Pro, I was interested in testing the new Ninja Blast Max, both to see how it compared with its larger sibling, as well as investivating the very specific niche that it undoubtedly occupies.Out of it’s Amazon packaging and the first thing to note is that it has a decent weight to it, even without liquid in it. Straight onto the digital kitchen scales and it weighs in at 1kg 112g.Typically, with all of the ninja products that I own, this one comes packaged in card and paper. No plastics here whatsoever. Once unpacked, the blender comes with a plethora of stickers attached - A QR code to scan for recipies, a sticker explaining the blend modes, one with a list of the lighting modes, one instructing how to separate the cup from the battery, etc. It seems that all of the quick start instructions are attached to the blender in the relevant places. This is quite a clever way of ensuring that the new owner is aware how to quickly set up and use the device. I like this - a lot easier that trawling through an instructions booklet.The device feels really sturdy in the hand. That is despite the fact that all of the external components are made from plastic. As you would expect from Ninja, it’s sturdy plastic and very well made.There is another set of instructions in the drinking cup. This instructs you how to fill the vessel. There is a specific approach - liquid at the bottom, followed by fresh fruit, leafy greens, seeds / protein powders / nut butters, and finally finish with ice or frozen ingredients. Also inside the drinking cup is the charger. This leads to my first (minor) downside - It is a proprietary charger, meaning that it is specific to this device. Lose the charger and you’ll find yourself having to buy a new one. The predecessor to this was charged using a USB C cable. I’m not sure why Ninja would ditch the USB C for a proprietary cable. I’m sure they had their reasons. Give me a USB C any day of the week.Another sticker informs you to ensure that the device is fully charged before use. Onto charge it goes. While that’s doing its thing, let’s look a bit more widely at Ninjas latest portable blending iteration, compared to their previous offering.One of the main things to note with this version is that the drinking cup on the Ninja Blast Max is a standalone unit, with its own bottom. This may sound strange if you haven’t seen the previous version. ‘What’s he talking about?’ you may say. ‘A cup with a bottom - of course it has a bottom!’ Well, indeed. One would obviously assume that this was perfectly normal until you see how they designed the Ninja Blast - With that model, the cup didn’t have a bottom. It slotted over the base unit, which had the blades attached. Ingredients were added into the top of the cup and blended. Once blended, it was necessary to turn the whole thing over, unscrew the cup and then screw a base onto the bottom of the cup. Once in place, you could then use the cup as normal. With the Blast Max, Ninja have remedied this almighty faff. Now the blades are fully enclosed in the bottom of the cup and sealed in place. The cup then slots onto the base unit, which serves as a drive unit and powers the blades.Whilst that base unit is charging, let’s have another look at weights. Without the base unit attached, the cup alone comes in at a much more reasonable 383g (minus any liquid). That’s a much more acceptable weight if you just want to blend, detatch, grab and run. There is a silicone handle attached to the lid of the cup, making the ‘grabbing’ and ‘running’ stages of the process much easier.A quick check in the kitchen and, after around two hours, the device is fully charged. The family has had homemade pizza for dinner and my little boy and his cousin are ready for desert. The perfect time to test the new Ninja Blast Max. In goes the milk, some greek yoghurt, a banana and some honey. Press the smoothie button and we’re off. The first thing that I noticed is how quiet it is. I was pleasantly surprised. Compare this to the full sized Ninja Power Blender Duo Pro in the kitchen, which sounds like a space rocket is lifting off! When I did the review for that, I actually knocked off a star for how loud it was - ear splitting. The Ninja Blast Max, in comparison, is like a baby kitten quietly mewing for its saucer of milk. The one touch smoothie function worked flawlessy and blended the kids’ smoothie to perfection. It was the quietest they had been all evening, as they guzzled their drink down. That’s got to be worth an extra review star in any parent’s book!My main questions that I find myself asking about this as a product is, ‘who exactly is this for?’ and ‘where will it get used?’ Take it to blend out of the house and you’re going to need to take all your fruit and liquid with you. Either that’ or you’re going to have to buy everything out and about. Correct me if I’m missing something, but I don’t really get that. Alternatively, use it to blend at home. That being the case, then why not just use a normal, mains powered blender? Maybe space is limited in your home. That being the case, then I could certainly see the benefits of this. It is significantly smaller and lighter than my Ninja Power Blender Duo Pro (which is a bit of a beast). Despite my scepticism, I find myself strangely drawn to this diminutive kitchen gadget. Do I need it in my life? No. Will it get used on a regular basis? Possibly not. Is the proprietary lead annoying? Yes. All these things aside though, I’m drawn to it looks, it’s quietness and its, dare I say, cuteness. Oh dear. I’ve fallen for a kitchen gadget. Time to sign off me thinks.

This Ninja Blast Max is a powerhouse for smoothies - it annihilates frozen fruit and ice without sounding like a jet engine, which is a nice change from many blenders. I particularly like the consistency of the ice that comes out from this one when compared to other blenders, which I find to be much closer to my ideal of ice shavings (great for summer)! The twist-off cup design means no more fumbling with separate lids when you're half-awake pre-gym, and the battery can last most of the week through daily blends before needing a charge.If you’re looking at this solely for the ‘25-blend’ claim per charge though, I would add that this can seem optimistic as I do feel it really depends on what it is you’re blending and the important words in the description are 'up to' 25 blends. Things that don’t need a lot of blending up before they’re ready to drink will mean they’re pretty quick to finish and won’t use much power, but if you’re adding a lot of harder/more fibrous items to the mix, it’s going to need more blending and ultimately use up more power, so use your judgement on how long it may last.Aside from this, it's sturdier than cheaper portable blenders, and it works really well compared to another big brand bullet type I’ve had previously, although I will say that the proprietary charger is a tad annoying when everything else uses USB-C these days! It's super easy with a manual burst or options ready for ice or smoothies, plus it's no trouble at all to clean after use. As the blending jug is also your cup, clean up is minimal, and this one includes a leak-proof lid, carry handle & sip spout, giving you close to 500ml for your drink that you can carry out with you.While the "blend on-the-go" idea seems a bit unnecessary to me personally (I don’t know who's carrying bananas and yoghurt around all day, but I suppose you could be taking ingredients to work to make there?), it is brilliant for quick breakfasts or post-workout shakes at home without hogging counter space. Just don't expect it to replace a proper food processor - it's fantastic with liquids as part of the mix, but really chunky or dry stuff without much wetness isn’t its target use (it may get there with some help, but it wouldn’t be the best option). Just to note, there is a minimum liquid level for use and you'll want to add the liquids first before you add other ingredients so it works as well as it should.For the price, it's hard to fault if you want something that actually works properly without waking the neighbours so I think on the whole it’s pretty good value. If it’s not in your budget range, there’s an earlier model that’s not the Max that may suit, but if the price isn’t really a consideration for you then this is definitely the better option of the two (having used the alternative at a relative’s house to compare). Happy to recommend the Max to others and I’m loving using ours! I’ve definitely rejoined the smoothie bandwagon since this arrived and here's to some healthier protein shake or fruit smoothie breakfasts to replace the toast default.