Ninja Professional Blender 1000 BL610 Review

What Is the Ninja Professional Blender 1000

Picture this. You’re having a little get-together with a few of your closest friends. It’s a hot summer day and everyone is craving a frosty cold margarita.

You bust out your handy dandy blender you bought six years ago at the local big box store, load her up with ice and all the accoutrements, push start and ka-blammo!

The poor little blender starts smoking and heaving under the pressure.

This is a sad day for it, and for you. That old blender (if we can even call it a that) never could crush ice into anything smaller than a pebble. It’s been disappointing you since you first shelled out twenty bucks to buy it.

Don’t let this happen to you. It’s time to get yourself a new blender to aid in that uber-healthy lifestyle you’re (hopefully!) going for.

You can’t continue to be disappointed by clumps of ice in your smoothies. They aren’t clumpies, you know.

But blenders are scary, and scary expensive, right? Well, yes and no. They can be both, but lucky for you, the Ninja Professional Blender 1000 exists.

It’s somewhere between that sad machine someone handed down to you and that shiny and super expensive one that catches your eye at Williams-Sonoma. You don’t want the former, and you aren’t quite ready for the latter.

In walks the Ninja. Sleek, shiny, lightweight, not-too-expensive-but-not-a-cheap-hunk-of-junk-either. It’s a match made in well, reality.

It’s the right blender for both your newly-acquired skills and your somewhat slim wallet. You’re still figuring out if you’ll actually use this appliance, and you’re not ready for a lifetime commitment to payments or giving up your daily coffee fix. We got you. Read on.

Video Overview

Product Details and Usage

Notable Product Features

• 1000-watt motor powerful enough to crush ice and make smooth nut butters
• Minimal buttons for ease of use
• Triple stacked blade assembly with six total blades
• Large capacity, BPA-free, plastic blender pitcher
• Blinking power light alerts you to check pitcher and lid attachment. Will not power up if either is not in place.
• Locking lid with pour spout for safe pouring. Lid also has a handle for ease of transport of pitcher from counter to table.
• Comes with 32-page, full color, inspiration guide with recipes to highlight the blender’s performance

Build and Design

The Ninja Professional Blender 1000 is a sleekly designed blender that’ll look sharp on your countertop. Good thing, because it’s a rather tall appliance that may not fit in your cupboard or pantry.

Both the motor base and pitcher are made from sturdy plastic, which makes the unit super lightweight. It’s a great set-up for RVing, parties, barbecues, and the like. The plastic pitcher goes from countertop to table easily with the handle on the locking lid.

You won’t need to be a weightlifter to maneuver this blender. The pour spout on the locking lid is safe and handy.

The blade assembly won’t flop out in your drink if you leave the lid on, and it’s less likely to fly out and decapitate your guests.

With the pitcher and lid in place, it measures and weighs:

• 6 inches (15.24 cm) wide
• 17.25 inches (43.82 cm) tall
• 8 inches (20.32 cm) deep
• 7 lbs (3.18 kg)

There are only 4 parts to this blender, including the base. All parts are replaceable (except the base itself), and available on the Ninja website.

They’re pricey though, so realistically, if something goes awry with your blender after the warranty is up, it’s probably more cost-effective to just buy a new one.

The large capacity pitcher is huge. However, please note it has a maximum liquid fill at less than its overall capacity.

Don’t overfill or you’ll have a huge mess! It holds about 7 1/2 cups of the finished product, so it’s ideal for multiple beverages, soups, nut milks, and butters.

The motor base has a sleek look, with easy-to-read and use buttons. The power and pulse buttons are wide across the top, and the three speed buttons are generously spaced along the bottom.

The buttons are flush with the base, making the unit easy to wipe down and surface clean. This is an awesome feature as blender bases can get grimy with stuck-on goo that’s nearly impossible to get out of some nooks and crannies. Obviously, don’t submerse the base in water.

The base has an integrated core keeper in the back to wrap the cord around for prolonged use. Take care not to wrap the cord too tightly or it can be damaged.

There are two safety features in the design, which’ll disable the blender if not rectified. The pitcher and lid must both be locked into place before the blender will power on.

There’s a blinking light on the power button that alerts you if these aren’t in the correct place.

How Long Is the Warranty?

The Ninja Professional Blender 1000 comes with a limited one-year warranty.

The unit is guaranteed to be free from defects for the period of one year from date of purchase when used under normal household conditions.

If a replacement unit or part is issued, the warranty is then good for six months after the replacement part is received, or until the end of the original warranty, whichever is longer.

Normal wear and tear isn’t covered, nor is a unit purchased, used or operated outside of the US.

The warranty also doesn’t cover damage done while tampering with the unit, so don’t do it as it works great as it is, and you won’t make it work better, I assure you.

Performance and Noise Level

The Ninja Professional 1000’s selling point is its “Total Crushing Technology” which, in layman’s terms, means it’s meant to shred ice into snow with ease.

It does this, but it’s not noiseless. I mean, it’s a blender, so I’m not expecting whisper quiet, at all. However, when crushing ice to oblivion, you may want to consider that other people are around you.

Turn the music up to mask the 747 taking off in your kitchen. It’s truly time to jam to some trance-industrial-hip-hop before zoning out with your banana-mango-strawberry meditation smoothie.

Your neighbors and family will appreciate your efforts. Maybe you could bring a peace offering smoothie sample after… or your amazing almond-cashew-macadamia nut fusion butter.

Is It Easy to Use?

This blender is very easy to use, however, getting the pitcher and lid to lock properly into place can be tricky at first.

This blender has two built-in safety features so if the unit isn’t properly put together, it won’t turn on, and the power light will blink to notify you.

These safety features are in the base of the pitcher; it must click into the base with an audible sound, and in the lid; you must line up the arrows in the corner of the lid and snap the handle down, again with an audible sound.

Once those are done, the blender will be able to operate.

Setting up the pitcher is also very simple. The blade assembly is set into the bottom, no twisting or turning necessary.

The pitcher snaps into the base, and the lid snaps onto the pitcher. Removing the lid is a bit more difficult, as you need to snap the handle up, and twist, releasing the locking mechanisms. This may not be a good fit for people with dexterity issues, or arthritis.

If you need to add larger items that can’t fit through the pour spout, or if you need to scrape ingredients off the side, you’ll need to turn off the blender, remove lid, then add/scrape, reattach lid, and start the blender up again.

I appreciate that you can’t stick something into the blender when it’s running.

As far as actual use of the blender, the minimal buttons make blending a breeze.

There are no complicated dials or difficult knobs to twist or turn. Simply turn the unit on, choose the speed and press the button. Press the button again to turn off. Easy-peasy!

There are a few tips from the user manual on speed settings:

• Low – Use to mix thin batters, gravies and marinades, scramble eggs, puree cooked foods and uncooked fruits and chop vegetables for dips and salsa.
• Medium – Use to grate hard cheeses, cream soups, beat dips, grind nuts, thorough chopping, blend sauces and spreads. Blend mixed drinks, powdered drinks or milk shakes. (Remember NOT to use the blender with anything hot. Cool all foods to room temperature before attempting to blend them.)
• High – Use to mix smoothies, frappes, liquefy thick mixtures and blend whole fruits and vegetables.
• Pulse – Use to control chopping and processing.

A few more notable tips from the user manual:

• If you need to add additional ingredients while the appliance is processing, open the pour spout cap and pour ingredients in through the opening.
• When blending any kind of liquids, such as mixtures of any drinks or smoothies, don’t exceed the “Max liquid” mark (64 ounces) on the pitcher.
• Stacked Blade Assembly is sharp and not locked in place. If using the pour spout, ensure the lid is fully locked onto the blender pitcher. Failure to do so will result in a risk of laceration.

Is It Easy to Clean and Dishwasher Safe?

The blender pitcher is relatively easy to clean. The lid is a little tricky as some tiny particles of food can get stuck in the locking hasps. Just be sure to rinse extra well, and maybe use a scrub brush to get everything out.

The blade assembly is one piece, unlike other Ninja models (i.e. the super cheap Wal-Mart version I own, with deadly blades that come apart and try to kill me every time I wash them).

This is handy for removing the assembly to clean the pitcher but be forewarned! These blades are still extremely sharp and will cut the crap out of you if you aren’t careful. I’m not kidding.

Also, even if you’re super careful, you’re bound to get cut at some point using this blender. Everyone, it seems, does.

For extra safety, don chain-mail fish filleting gloves when hand washing the blades.

The easiest way to clean without a dishwasher is to rinse the whole pitcher unit (with lid attached) under water. Open the pour spout and fill the pitcher about half way with water. Put in a drop of dishwashing liquid.

Lock pitcher into base and pulse a few times. If there are stubborn food particles on the blades, drop in a few ice cubes and blend. Rinse thoroughly, and as mentioned half a dozen times, be overly cautious with the blades!

The pitcher, lid, and blade assembly are all dishwasher safe. Remove the blade assembly and lid from pitcher before washing. Lid and blade assembly are safe for top rack only. Again, use caution when handling the blades!

Store the blender unit assembled, to avoid dust in the pitcher, and to lessen the likelihood of an unsuspecting person harming themselves with the blades.

Due to its size, this blender is best stored on the countertop. You’ll be using it every day anyway, right?

What Can I Make with the Ninja Professional Blender 1000?

This blender boasts “Total Crushing Technology” which “turns ice to snow in seconds.” It does do this, and it’s amazing. However, many customers note that their green smoothies and berry-filled smoothies are lackluster and gritty.

Considering my former blender skills and machines, this is an underwhelming point for me. Those types of smoothies have always been somewhat gritty to me, and it’s not a deal-breaker.

Chunks of ice? THAT’S a deal-breaker. You won’t have that issue with this blender IF you follow the pitcher loading guide or know how to load a blender already.

I don’t, so that’s why I’ve included it more than once. Consider this smoothie-making-for-dummies-when-the-author-is-indeed-also-a-dummy.

I can admit it and I’m not ashamed. You shouldn’t be either, we can’t be good at everything, y’all. Love who you are and keep learning something new every day. You got this.

You can also blend dips, sauces, gravies, and soups, but please remember this blender is NOT for hot solids or liquids.

Smoothies

Smoothies may not be as “smooth” as you want them to be. This is especially true when using greens and berries.

Nut Butter

Nut butters come out lovely but can take upwards of 5 minutes to blend completely.

Ice to “Snow”

Perfect for creating frozen drinks, like margaritas and daiquiris!

What’s the Consumer Feedback Like?

The Ninja Professional 1000 has mostly positive feedback, especially considering its price point. With its high-powered motor, it has many of the performance capabilities of much pricier blenders, but of course, that comes with some drawbacks.

A frequent complaint I came across was about the pitcher itself. Now, I can’t speak on behalf of the reviewers, so I’m not sure if the issues were due to the product, or the user.

However, many people stated that the pitcher warped or broke after a short period of time. The pitcher is replaceable, and there’s that one-year warranty, so this may or may not be a concern for you.

A few customers disliked the locking lid, citing difficulty in adding ingredients, cleaning, and breaking of the locking mechanism itself. Remember that the locking lid must be properly engaged for the blender to turn on, so treat your lid with care.

The large pitcher is both a pro and a con, depending on who you ask. It’s fantastic for making large batches of your favorite soups and dips but may not work so well for a single serving smoothie.

When the pitcher isn’t full, customers complained that the smoothies would get too frothy. My solution? Make lots and freeze for later.

Any Problems with the Ninja Professional Blender 1000 I Should be Aware of?

As stated above, the plastic pitcher is a bit of a disappointment, whether it be from manufacturing flaw, or user error. Having the pitcher of your blender shatter in mid-blend is devastating, to say the least.

This part is replaceable through warranty and through the website, but it’s not cheap.

The blades start off super deadly sharp, but after regular (daily) use, tend to dull at a rather alarming rate.

I don’t think this is uncommon when you blend ice daily, and it seems to be a blender complaint in general, and not necessarily isolated to this brand or model.

One person noted that the cord isn’t stranded copper and can be damaged by wrapping too tight around the cord keeper.

The pitcher design doesn’t have drainage when turned upside down to dry. This can result in condensation in the handle, which seems impossible to remove.

My suggestion is to allow pitcher to dry standing upright first, wiping it out to dry instead of air-drying. This’ll help alleviate any moisture seeping into the handle.

Should I Buy the Ninja Professional Blender 1000?

For a mid-priced blender, this is a great value. You get high speed, “total crushing technology,” at a fraction of the cost. It does much of what many high-end blenders do, though it takes quite a bit longer.

You aren’t going to go from frozen fruits and veggies to smooth-as-silk smoothie in seconds. Minutes, yes.

I appreciate that the blender components can be purchased for replacement. The parts are found easily on the Ninja website but aren’t exactly cost effective.

A replacement pitcher will run you nearly what the unit itself costs, or a few bucks less. The blade assembly would be the most cost effective to replace and doing so would essentially give you a whole new blending experience.

The entire blender is made of plastic components, which makes it lightweight and portable. However, this also may sacrifice sturdiness and longevity.

It’s just not going to last forever and be handed down to our great-grandchildren, but by then, they probably won’t be eating fruits and vegetables in their natural form anyway.

All-in-all, this is an excellent gateway blender for those new to smoothie concocting and sauce preparing.

It’s a huge upgrade from your mom’s hand-me-down clunker and will have you mastering the blending world to justify the next step… a blender that costs the same (or more) than your rent.

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