Review of Hamilton Beach 51101 Single Serve Blender (reviews, washer, quality)

[reviewer]

Hamilton Beach 51101 Single Serve Blender

Rating: 4 out of 5

• Currently 4.0/5.0

For $19.99 I certainly have gotten my money's worth out of this little gadget. The Hamilton Beach 51101 blender is a small, single serve unit that you will find yourself using more than you actually need it. I actually have a full size blender that I use when I am making smoothies for the whole family but this single serve blender is just for making drinks for myself. It never made sense to dirty the large one when I wanted to make just a protein shake for myself before a run so I thought this one would be perfect, which it is. Not to mention it is very quiet so I don't wake the whole house up.

This blender is 175-watts with a plastic 14 ounce jar that doubles as a to-go cup and it actually fits in my car's cup holder. I do wish that it had a handle though because the jar gets cold and hard to hold so I've almost dropped it a few times. The blender is nothing fancy, just a one touch feature that gets the job done. Also, you cannot put this in the dishwasher but it is really easy to clean because the blades stay in the base so there is not a risk of cutting yourself when you are trying to scrub the jar out.

As for how well it works, it does a pretty good job but don't expect your drink to be professional smoothie quality. It chops ice but does not completely blend it to a snow texture so you will have ice chunks in your drink. I usually throw in a piece of fruit like a banana with some soy and protein powder and a few pieces of ice just to make it cold. The blender is really convenient. It rarely is on the base because it is usually either holding a beverage or in the dish rack drying. As long as your expectations aren't too high, you will really enjoy this product.

Review by professional reviewer, Oct. 2, 2010