But how good are Blendtec blenders with food? /*Consumer Reports*/ tested Blendtec's Countertop Total Blender and 40 other blenders, putting them through a battery of tests.
"We evaluated how well they made icy drinks and smoothies, crushed ice, grated cheese, as well as pureed," said Dan DiClerico of Consumer Reports.
Crushing ice didn't come easy for all the blenders. One of the blenders left ice that was hardly crushed even after a minute if blending.
Testers also used ice to check durability. Several blenders failed the test.
"On some the gears broke, while with others, the motor burnt out and they wouldn't even turn on," DiClerico said.
The task of grating cheese separated the great from the not-so-great.
"You can see how there's a lot of the fine cheese and very little of the waste. And with this one, there's very little fine cheese but several chunks, as well as medium pieces," said Cindy Fisher of Consumer Reports.
How did the Blendtec do?
"The Blendtec blender did rate very good in our tests, but it costs $400," DiClerico said.
Testers found a best buy that did just as well for one-tenth the price. It's an Oster blender, which costs only $40.
