ottawa foodies

I am considering investing in a Magic Bullet to make smoothies. It looks ideal since it takes up minimal counter/cupboard space and I only want something to blend smoothies (ie - small amounts of liquid). Does anyone have one and can provide feedback? Is it durable or not? Did you find you got your money's worth?

I have had one for a few years. I like it because it's small and I take it with me in the RV. It does a decent job of smoothies and anything with liquid, but if you are using it for chopping things like onions and herbs, it doesn't do such a great job without added liquid. Even if you are trying to do blended herb butters, it's not so effective. Pretty much mixtures with a liquid consistency only.

I also have a kitchenaid stick blender, which I think is more versatile, as I use it for large pots of soup too. You might want to consider whether a stick blender would be a good alternative.

My magic bullet came with blender containers that are actually mugs, so you can blend and drink from the same glass. But there are lots of containers/rings etc. that came with mine, so I do have a big ziploc bag of "accessories" that also takes up room.

Along the lines of the Magic Bullet, I'd probably grab the Ninja instead. Similar, but a bit more robust and pretty decent reviews for it's pricepoint.

Slightly more cash can get you a good blender that will be much better and won't take up much more space. I'd recommend the 4 speed KitchenAid. I believe some are on clearance at WalMart. They are often on sale at The Bay or online. They are powerful, will last a long time, look pretty decent and make very smooth smoothies....not Vitamix/Blendtec territory, but for a quarter of the price you can't expect it to.

I have a Magic Bullet and have mixed feelings about it.

As others have mentioned, it is convenient for single portion smoothies, although you can't put anything too complicated in them or it won't blend it properly (i.e green smoothies).

I also agree that trying to make salsa or guac as seen on the commercials just doesn't work - everything turns to mush.

I use it for three things only:

-Simple smoothies
-Grinding up parmesan cheese (works awesome for this)
-Making whipped cream in 15 seconds - such a time saver

Other than that, I have not had much success with it.

Keep in mind that there are these rubber rings on the inside of the blades that must be replaced from time to time as they lose their seal. I am finding now after owning mine for about 6 years that even with a new rubber ring (which I have to keep buying online), the blades still leak - A LOT.

I am constantly washing out the base because of this. I think things are just getting worn down and not sealing properly anymore.

Anyways - that's my experience with it.

"Do you have a Magic Bullet?"

No. I have a real blender. A Vitamix. Second hand. Fifty bucks.

Sure it's a bit big. But it is multifuntional. Can make soups right in the thing and makes smoothies smoother than a babies butt !

What's the toy mixer, the so called 'Magic' Bullet cost ?
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Pointer: A good blender that will last has a set of (ball) bearings and not just brass sleave bearings.

A blender with cohones... I like it... Had a bullet for about 3 weeks, then it crapped out on me... Not very dishwasher friendly, seemed to be cloudy after the first wash, and couldnt get it to go away. Worked like a charm until the motor just stopped... Returned it and bought a GE blender that worked for about a year until just today we noticed that the bottom plastic ring cracked. So, I'm off to buy a new one at the end of the month... I'll keep my eyes open for a good deal...

I hated my magic bullet.. Like the others mentioned, it only has one setting - that is liquid consistency. So disappointed when I tried making salsa. More like tomato soup.

Not to mention, it is very cheaply made and the plastic tabs that locks the cup in tends to break. I recall, we had at least 2 in my dorm house and they all failed from the same symptom.

In the end, we resorted to a old fashion blender for our smoothies. I would take the $30 and invest in a good blender.

Like Captain Caper, we have a Vitamix. We bought ours new, so certainly nowhere close to $50, but we still wouldn't trade it for anything. We will never have to buy another one (lifetime guarantee). Not even in the same category as a Magic Bullet, so this might be unhelpful, but my husband drinks about two smoothies a day, so we use ours all the time. It will crunch up anything - frozen strawberries, ice, whole flax seeds, into creamy goodness. And your daquiris will never be the same :) I have also made avocado and banana ice creams...

We each came into the relationship with "ice chopping blenders" - which would only kinda sorta chop (read: make ice cubes into rougher smaller ice cubes) if you rocked the thing all over the counter, and we got fed up.

Again, if you're looking for the size and price of a bullet, this might not be helpful, but I would recommend anyone who ever blends anything, ever, to look into a Vitamix.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. At this point I only intent to use it for smoothies. I have a stick blender for puréeing soup and my mortar and pestle for making pesto sauce. I really don't make anything else that requires blending. Feedback about the Vitamix is good to hear. One of their sales reps was at the Women's Show last September and I was initially put off by the price. But I may keep it in mind if I ever decide to upgrade.

Captain Caper Those Magic Bullets are in the $100 range but one of the stores in Carlingwood had them on sale recently for $50. You clearly got a good deal on that Vitamix-;) I guess you bought it at St. Vincent de Paul? I clearly need to shop there more often-;)

I got my magic bullet for $30 at Canadian tire a couple of years ago. I doubt you'll find anything better in that price range unless you go "previously enjoyed"

Magic bullet? Um....i have 2!!! Love it, i bought it 5 years ago and use it 2-3 times a week. Small and handy to prepare shakes, sauces, and alcohol drinks within seconds. You cant do big portions but for me and the gf its good enough. We own a Ninja as well for bigger portions. Overall cant go wrong with the MB.

Have used one a few times. It does what it says on the box, but that's it, that's all. I prefer a blender so i can make extra.

Everyone i know who owns one has offered it to me as they never use it. I've seen them at Value Village for $20.

This is a belated thank you to everyone who provided input. I ended up buying a Magic Bullet last August. I have only been using it to make smoothies which are about 2 to 3 times a week. So it may last a little longer than those who use it more often. One of my colleagues has a Magic Bullet and is presently on her third but she uses it at least once a day.

So far it is good for puréeing liquidy fruits and veggies especially smoothies with berries in them. It is also great for blending flax seeds. Dense vegetables like carrots and beets didn't work out so well since I ended up with a really thick purée and I had to add an awful lot of water to thin it out.

I bought a similar one in Hong Kong's departmental store (saw the sales lady doing the demo - grinding black sesame seeds into fine powders, making fruit smoothies, making soya milk, etc.) That one I bought was made in Korea and the look is exactly the same as Magic Bullet.

I have been using this every day. In the morning, I use it to grind flaxseeds and almonds for my oatmeal breakfast. In the afternoon (between lunch and dinner time), I use it to make fruit smoothies. EVERYDAY.

This blender doesn't use too much counter space and is easy to clean. I have put away my Kitchenaid blender in the basement. Maybe I should sell it.

We got one to do baby-purées. Once our baby graduated to solids it had essentially served its purpose. I will still use it to whip eggs if I am making an omelet (yes I know I should use a whisk but the magic bullet is quick and convenient).