Product Description

Now that I'm on a diet, I practically live with my blender. It helps me make low-calorie and nutritious beverages that are filling without being fattening. The key, however, is making sure the blender can do the job. This Braun blender tackles the job. Whether you're watching calories or enjoy creating delicious smoothies and shakes, this blender has got the professional power to mix and blend almost anything.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37039 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Brand: Braun
• Model: MX2050
• Dimensions: 14.20" h x 7.80" w x 10.20" l, 6.80 pounds

Features

• 525-watt blender with 58-ounce capacity
• 5 speeds plus pulse setting for just the right amount of control
• Heavy-duty, stainless-steel blade crushes ice quickly
• Triangular lid design allows pouring from 3 different positions
• Measures 14-7/8 by 8-1/2 by 11 inches; 1-year warranty

Amazon.com Review
This appealing blender looks great, with a rounded triangular shape that marries form and function. It pours perfectly and cleans beautifully, but what we noticed first was the terrific grip on the handle: firm and comfortable, like a great handshake. The lid is also well designed, sealing easily and snugly, with tiny rubber tips attached on three sides to facilitate a smooth release and opening. This blender packs a lot of power, puréeing in seconds and turning eggs and oil into mayonnaise in fewer than two minutes. Five speeds let you whip up everything from chunky salsa to velvety soups; there's also a pulse mode when you need an extra surge to add solids or give something one last stir. As a bonus, this blender looks great on the counter or stores easily in two parts in the cupboard. --C. Whitney-Ward

Editor's Choice:Braun's PowerMax blender is an ideal first blender--not too expensive and still heavy-duty enough for many blending tasks--and is our pick for best blender under $50. It has five speed settings and a pulse feature. The blades are made of stainless steel, which makes them strong enough to crush ice (don't pack the ice too tight, though), and they remove easily for cleaning. The blades, jug, and lid go in the dishwasher, while you wipe the base by hand with a damp towel.

Customer Reviews

Very powerful and fast blender, one minor complaint
I had an old Osterizer blender with 12 push-buttons, none of which matched the speed of this Braun powerhouse. I bought this to make protein shakes, which includes crushing a couple ice cubes, and so far, it has produced uniformly smooth shakes, with no lumps of unblended powder or pieces of uncrushed ice. The blades circulate the mixture quickly and thoroughly, and clean-up is simple; removing the bottom allows easy access to the (heavy) glass jar, or you can put some water and detergent in the jar and use the pulse setting.

One minor design flaw caused me to downgrade from 5 stars to 4. The lid has a removable center part for adding items while blending, which is a good idea. But even when this piece is fully closed and in place, there are openings at the edges. This is not a problem for the shakes I make, but the first time I used the pulse setting to clean the blender, I had soapy water all over. The easiest work-around is to put a kitchen towel on the lid when cleaning, but I do not know why Braun's designers left openings in an otherwise tightly-fitting lid. Even the old Osterizer with its removable center part sealed completely. If not for that, a 5-star product!

An excellent blender
I know there are others out there like me: when I want to buy something, I want to buy the best. Naturally, I go for the top of the line. That usually means paying more for better quality. My reasoning is to spend a little more and I won't have to buy another one for years to come.

I'd been meaning to buy a blender for sometime now. After some hunting through the most well-known "consumer reporting" magazine, I discovered that this $50 blender, mixed, chopped and crushed ice better than models that were EIGHT times as much. This model is the best I've ever used.

Ice crushing was the key factor in the purchase. This baby crushes it in a few quick pulses. Frozen drinks are ready in less than 30 seconds. I use mine for protein shakes and it's a snap to clean. The key is cleaning it immediately.

I must stress that you can't find a better value for your money. This blender is amazing!

Weak blade drive design
I was excited to receive this blender after much research. I enjoy making smoothies and this unit had favorable reviews. As I first put it together I noticed that three of the six plastic gears on the bottom of the blade assembly seemed particularly thinly spoked. I recalled the one review in which the owner mentioned that two of his six spokes had broken off. I pushed forward hoping that the Braun engineers knew what they were doing.

Unfortunately, after maybe 10 smoothies and nothing else, I went to reassemble the blade assembly and notice one of the larger three spokes had broken off! I looked at the base unit and sure enough the small plastic piece was sitting next to the drive gear. How long will it be before one of the small ones breaks off?

Otherwise, the blender is perfectly nice. Unfortunately, this design flaw is critical and I wouldn't expect any of these blenders to last more than a year or two. They need to beef up their blade assembly. Mine is going back. Save yourself the hassel, keep looking...