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Blendtec Designer 650 Review

The Blendtec Designer offers a middle-of-the-road blending performance at a top-tier price
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Blendtec Designer 650 Review
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Price:  $450 List
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Manufacturer:   Blendtec
By David Wise and Austin Palmer  ⋅  May 4, 2022
78
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#8 of 16
  • Smoothies - 30% 6.9
  • Convenience - 25% 7.7
  • Ice - 20% 9.0
  • Pureeing - 15% 8.4
  • Grinding - 10% 7.5

Our Verdict

The Blendtec Designer 650 did well across all our rating metrics, with no significant flaws. However, it didn't do amazingly well and failed to oust any of our previous award winners with its performance. It blends a mean frozen margarita and crushes ice quite well, but it can't match the performance of the top appliances that we have seen. Unfortunately, while the Blendtec can't match the premium top-ranked blenders in terms of performance, it does match (and sometimes exceed) them in price, somewhat dissuading us from recommending it.
REASONS TO BUY
Great at crushing ice
Makes a mean blended margarita
REASONS TO AVOID
Very pricey
Not amazing at making smoothies
Editor's Note: We revised this review on May 4, 2022, giving more blender buying recommendations.

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards  Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Blender
Editors' Choice Award
Runner-Up for Best Overall Blender
Best Buy Award
Best Bang for the Buck
Best Buy Award
Best Buy on a Tight Budget
Price $450 List
$449.95 at Amazon
$500 List
$499.95 at Amazon
$600 List
$497.00 at Amazon
$150 List
$79.95 at Amazon
$100 List
$79.99 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
78
94
92
71
64
Star Rating
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Bottom Line While we didn't find any major flaws with the Blendtec, it's priced like a top product, rather than one that scored in the middle of the groupThis premium blender features a plethora of handy presets, offering top-notch versatility for blending, pureeing, and millingThis stands the test of time as one of the best blenders on the market, easily handling any kitchen taskConvenient and affordable, this blender is the perfect balance of price and performanceA solid option for blending frozen beverages, without the same versatility as more expensive blenders
Rating Categories Blendtec Designer 650 Breville the Super Q Vitamix A2500 Ascen... Nutribullet Combo Ninja Professional...
Smoothies (30%)
6.9
9.2
9.7
7.5
6.2
Convenience (25%)
7.7
8.8
7.8
6.7
6.3
Ice (20%)
9.0
10.0
10.0
6.6
8.1
Pureeing (15%)
8.4
9.8
10.0
7.4
5.6
Grinding (10%)
7.5
9.3
8.5
7.9
4.9
Specs Blendtec Designer 650 Breville the Super Q Vitamix A2500 Ascen... Nutribullet Combo Ninja Professional...
Model Number 650 BBL920BSS1BUS1 A2500 NBC-12A BL610
Power Peak 3.0 HP 2.4 HP Peak 2.2 HP Peak 1.6 HP Peak 1.3 HP
Pitcher Capacity 36 oz 68 oz 64 oz 64 oz 72 oz
Presets Yes, 5: Sauces and Batters, Ice Crush and Margarita, Smoothie, Ice Cream, Hot Soups and Fondues Yes, 6: Smoothie, Green Smoothie, Ice Crush, Frozen Desserts, Soup, Clean, 12 speed settings Yes, 3: Smoothie, Frozen Drink, Soup Yes, 2: Extract, Pulse, 3 speed settings Yes, 1: Pulse, 3 speed settings
Measured Dimensions (base with pitcher) 15.5" x 9.3" x 7" 18" x 10.5" x 8.1" 17" x 11" x 8" 17" x 7" x 9.5" 18" x 10.5" x 7.5"
Dishwasher Safe Pitcher; top rack only Yes - the blender jug, the personal blender cup, tamper, scraper, and the lids Yes Yes Yes
Accessories No Yes
  • Personal cup
  • Recipe book
  • Two tampers
  • Personal cup blade system
Yes
  • Tamper
Yes
-32oz Cup with blade attachment
-24oz Cup with blade attachment
-2 To-Go lids
-Tamper
-Recipe book
No
Digital Timer Yes Yes Yes No No
Meant for Heating? Yes Yes Yes No No
Cord Length 2.9 ft 3.8 ft 4 ft 2.5 ft 2.8 ft
Wattage 1560 watts 1800 watts 1400 watts 1200 watts 1000 watts
Measured Decibels for Standard Smoothie *not measured 82.4 88 83.7 84.1
Measured Soup Temperature 156.6 160 153.2 145 73

Our Analysis and Test Results

This model finished in the middle of the group, yet exceeds the price of some of our favorite blenders.

blendtec designer 650 - the blendtec didn't impress us all that much.
The Blendtec didn't impress us all that much.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Performance Comparison


We bought all the top blenders that are currently available on the market, then tested them side-by-side to see which of these kitchen appliances is really the best of them all. We compared their skills at whipping up the perfect frozen margarita or smoothie, pureeing and grinding food, and how convenient it is to use. We split our testing process into five weighted rating metrics, with the Blendtec's results described below.

blendtec designer 650 - the blendtec made an alright smoothie but did tend to liquefy it a...
The Blendtec made an alright smoothie but did tend to liquefy it a bit more than we desired.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Smoothies


The Blendtec got off to a good start, doing a respectable job at mixing up smoothies, which accounts for 30% of the total score. We made a green smoothie, a berry smoothie, a fruit & oat smoothie, and an Oreo malt in each blender, grading the texture and taste of each beverage produced.

Per the manufacturer's instructions, we used the “Smoothie” preset for the green, berry, and fruit & oat smoothie and then the “Ice Cream” setting for the Oreo malt. The green smoothie came out quite well, liquefying the ingredients much more than some other blenders.

blendtec designer 650 - the green smoothie came out alright, but it was a little on the...
The green smoothie came out alright, but it was a little on the watery side.
Credit: Austin Palmer

It only left a few residual pieces of greenery unblended, but overall we felt that the texture of the smoothie was just a little too watery, failing to match the velvety-smooth texture of the top products.

The berry smoothie turned out similarly, with the Blendtec only failing to blend a small chunk of fruit and seed. This blender doesn't really obliterate the seeds, and the finished drink was slightly seedy if we drank it unsifted, though overall it still created one of the better smoothies of the test group.

blendtec designer 650 - this product did heat up the fruit and oat smoothie a bit more than...
This product did heat up the fruit and oat smoothie a bit more than the other products.
Credit: Austin Palmer

The quality dropped a little with the fruit and oat smoothie — it didn't struggle with the thicker smoothie, but it left some unblended oats on the side of the pitcher. We also noticed that the Blendtec slightly heated up the smoothie, with the finished product being noticeably warmer than the beverages produced by other blenders.

blendtec designer 650 - the blendtec totally liquefied the oreo malt, reducing the ice cream...
The Blendtec totally liquefied the Oreo malt, reducing the ice cream to milk.
Credit: Austin Palmer

The Blendtec finished out with an okay performance at making an Oreo malt, though it practically reduced the ice cream to milk if we ran it for too long. However, it totally obliterated all of the sandwich cookies.

blendtec designer 650 - the blendtec did much better at making blended drinks.
The Blendtec did much better at making blended drinks.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Ice


Next, we moved on to our Ice metric, which constitutes 20% of the overall score for each appliance. This metric is composed of two tests: crushing ice and mixing up a frozen margarita. The Blendtec scored close to the top of the group here.

The Blendtec crushes it at crushing ice, obliterating most of the ice cubes without struggling. However, they bounced around a bit at the start, and there were a few larger chunks wedged under the blades that evaded being crushed.

The Blendtec Designer delivered another admirable performance in our margarita challenge. We used the recommended “Ice Crush” setting, which ran for about 35 seconds, and produced a decently well-blended margarita. The ice was evenly crushed, but the finished drink just wasn't quite as smooth as some of the other products, with the average size of the crushed ice being a bit larger.

blendtec designer 650 - the presets make this blender decently convenient and easy to use.
The presets make this blender decently convenient and easy to use.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Convenience


For this group of tests, we rated and judged how easy it is to actually use each blender, scoring them on everything from their preset functions to how easy they are to clean. The Blendtec did quite well. Altogether, the tests in this metric account for 20% of the total score — identical to our Ice metric.

We started by looking at the different preset functions on each product and how clearly they are labeled. This blender has six presets: batters, ice crush, smoothie, ice cream, whole juice, and soups, which are each identified by a different icon. The icons are quite intuitive, showing a whisk for batters or a margarita glass for crushing ice, but the EKG symbol for pulse can throw you off at first.

It has a digital timer that will count down when using the presets and count up when using the manual mode. The Blendtec is also one of the easiest products to clean, with the pitcher being by far the easiest to clean thoroughly without getting cut.

blendtec designer 650 - the blendtex isn't dishwasher-safe but is very easy to wash by hand.
The Blendtex isn't dishwasher-safe but is very easy to wash by hand.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

However, the inner lid felt a bit flimsy. Conveniently, you can also place the pitcher back on the base to dry, as there is still a decent amount of ventilation. Unfortunately, the lid and blades are not listed as being dishwasher-safe. The pitcher is labeled as being fine for the top shelf only.

blendtec designer 650 - we did like that it was very easy to clean this blender without...
We did like that it was very easy to clean this blender without getting accidentally cut.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

It also is very easy to remove the lid, though it can take a small amount of extra attention to get it properly aligned and seated when putting it on.

blendtec designer 650 - this appliance didn't show any signs of a struggle when pureeing nut...
This appliance didn't show any signs of a struggle when pureeing nut butter.
Credit: Austin Palmer

Pureeing


We also tested each product by making nut butter and tomato soup in each blender, as well as determining if it could actually heat up a soup. This trio of tests is responsible for 15% of the overall score, with the Blendtec performing admirably.

This blender did a good job at making extremely creamy almond and peanut butter, only taking about 5 minutes. It was somewhat grainy, but the Blendtec's motor didn't show any signs of a struggle at all.

The Blendtec continued its strong showing in our pureeing test, creating a decently thick tomato soup that was very well mixed.

blendtec designer 650 - the tomato soup was very well mixed, though it didn't do the best at...
The tomato soup was very well mixed, though it didn't do the best at heating it.
Credit: Austin Palmer

It didn't do amazing at heating it, though. Even after we ran the “Soup” cycle multiple times, the soup's temperate only reached around 130°F, rather than the piping hot 150°F the best blenders could achieve.

blendtec designer 650 - the blendtec does a great job at milling kernels with cornmeal.
The Blendtec does a great job at milling kernels with cornmeal.
Credit: Austin Palmer

Grinding


For the final 15% of the total score, we tested out how well the Blendtec did at milling corn kernels, grating parmesan cheese, and making powdered sugar. The Blendtec Designer delivered another solid performance, earning a 7 out of 10.

This appliance made very soft powdered sugar, with no visible granules remaining, but about a tablespoon got caught up on the top of the lid. It struggled a little more with the parmesan cheese. It has plenty of power to grate it, but there were more larger chunks left over than other models had.

blendtec designer 650 - this product easily grated the hard cheese but left a few larger...
This product easily grated the hard cheese but left a few larger chunks ungrated.
Credit: Austin Palmer

It redeemed itself a bit at milling corn flour, with over 95% of the finished product easily passing through a sieve, with only a few larger popcorn pieces.

Should You Buy the Blendtec Designer 650?


Overall, we didn't really find any major flaws with the Blendtec, but we think you should buy the best if you're going to spend this much money on a new blender.

What Other Blenders Should You Consider?


If you've got this kind of money to drop on a blender, we recommend the Vitamix models, specifically the top-performing Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series. The Cuisinart Hurricane Pro 3.5 is another blender worthy of your hard-earned money and also landed at the top of the heap. If you need something a little bit easier on your bank account, check out the NutriBullet Combo.

David Wise and Austin Palmer