Product Description

This 11-Piece set is quick to assemble, easy to clean and convenient to store. It grinds, blends, whips, and chops.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14398 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Color: Chrome
• Brand: Back to Basics
• Model: BPE3BRAUS
• Dimensions: 13.25" h x 5.50" w x 6.00" l, 8.40 pounds

Features

• 350-watt motor with ice crushing blades, includes 2 blade bases, one with quarto-cross blades and one with dual flat blades
• 2 - 24-ounce mugs with spill proof lids and drinking rims
• Conveniently blend and store in the 12 or 18-ounce blender containers
• Compact storage with brushed chrome exterior

Customer Reviews

Very Handy
It's funny, the different experiences people have with the same products. Now, this review is for the Blender Express, not the "Plus." The only difference is the attachments. My wife picked up a couple of these at Wally World after Christmas (2005). They were in a clearance cart for [...] each. I figured that they were probably pretty cheap and I'd have a backup after I burned the first one up. Well, a little over a year later, I'm still using the first one. I use it 3-4 times a week for smoothies and frozen coffee drinks. I have to say that I really abuse the little guy. My coffee drinks call for half of the mug to be filled with crushed ice.

It will make these drinks with a minimum of "crunchy" ice particles and they are quite enjoyable. I never expected it to last this long because, truthfully, from day one, I have been able to notice the "burned wire" odor coming from the unit as I continuosly overload the mug. Yet, it is still chugging along. Even at the full price, a year of this type of useage certainly makes it a good value. And, cleanup is extremely easy and the "make it and run" mug is really handy. Of course, for larger quantities, I fall back on the larger blender. If I ever do wear out both of these units, I would not hesitate to purchase another.

UPDATE: 7/10/2009

Just wanted to add this note. Two and a half years after the above review (makes the unit three-odd years old), we're still using it!!! It still makes the smoothest frozen drinks. I guess we really got lucky with this one. I can't even remember where we put the second one! :)

simply the best blender to go
I have been using the Back to Basics Blender for about a month now. Previously, I own the Magic Bullet as well as the Shake and Taken blender.
Magic Bullet did not last after 2 months. The gear got stripped out. Shake and Take is still working but the container is long and hard to clean.
I really like the 24oz container of the Back to Bacics Blender. It is easy to clean. This is really THE BEST ONE on the market right now and the price is quite inexpensive.

Risky, but there's a griefless alternative.
I purchased this Blender Express from an Amazon vendor, it went completely dead after a single use, and the vendor was as non-responsive as the product. I called the Back to Basics company (in Utah, I believe), and they said return it and we'll send you a new one. It arrived promptly and has been doing the job (smoothies with ice cubes) for about a month now. So 3 stars after an initial 0 star experience with the first one.

Because of the problem with the first one and my impatience for a quick fix, I ordered the small Hamilton Beach personal blender, priced between fifteen and twenty bucks. It's a nifty item--quick, easy to set up, more convenient, practical, dependable, and far less messy than the Blender Express. Hard to believe, because it looks cheap, flimsy and lightweight.

Aside from concerns about durability, the Blender Express suffers from a design problem. You've got to screw the container in upsidedown, which means: 1. Powder or anything sticking to the bottom of the container is now on the top of the container and won't be blended; 2. When you're finished with the blending, you have to unscrew it from the base, turn it right-side-up, and replace the base+blade with the screw-on cover for drinking purposes, which invariably results in some overflow and spillage due to the expansion of contents. Wipe it off, but there's still stuff dripping from the container, guaranteed to make a mess on you and your car.

Get yourself the elegantly simple, efficient, quick and clean Hamilton Beach personal blender. Heck, if it fails in a year, it's still worth the fifteen or twenty bucks.