If you’re looking for a high-powered blender that’s affordable, the Ninja Blender NJ600 XL might be just the blender you’re looking for. With 1100 watts of power, this handy kitchen tool can be used to mix, puree, and crush ice.

While many people love this blender, some aren’t so happy. The main reason you don’t like this blender is that some claim it doesn’t mix smoothies smoothly enough. Keep reading to know more.

What are you getting?

The Ninja blender comes with a 72 oz jar (made of BPA-free SAN plastic) and a set of 6 stainless steel blades.

There are 3 speeds on this blender, as well as a pulse option. Use them to mix, beat and crush ice. Use the pulse button for controlled chopping and processing.

The jug, lid and blade assembly is dishwasher safe. It is recommended to place the lid and blade assembly on the top rack. If you don’t want to use the dishwasher, you can simply rinse, fill 3/4 warm/hot water with a drop of soap, then press the pulse button a couple of times.

What can you do?

Some things you can do with Ninja Blender include:

• delicious smoothies made from frozen fruits
• smooth and creamy ice creams and sorbets.
• juice made from fruits and vegetables with water/ice added (fiber is retained as it is not a juice extractor)
• various nut butters made from ground walnuts
• Gazpacho
• hummus
• breadcrumbs

You cannot use the Ninja Blender for:

• Making hot soups with cold ingredients
• mix dough

Does it blend smoothly?

The design of the blades is different from your average blender. One owner said she has learned to make great smoothies starting on speed 3 to coarsely chop ingredients, then Pulse a few times, then finish on speed 3 again for great smoothies.

I think because of the way the blades are designed this blender may require more liquid than some people are putting into it. If there is not enough liquid, the ingredients are not moving enough to mix well. Many owners have said that once they learned to add more liquid and blend a little more than they had been doing, the shakes they made were delicious and smooth.

For those who are comparing this to the Blendtec or Vitamix, as one reviewer said, these are completely different categories of blenders and should not be compared. Ninja blenders are the best blenders out there and are better than any other blender in this price range.