Although in our tests the Designer 675 killed it in making smoothies and blended drinks, its lack of a tamper limits its usefulness. Despite Blendtec’s clever (if at times mildly sinister) video marketing campaign of blending everything from rake handles to iPhones, we’ve found its blenders wanting (we also tested the Total model in 2012). Will the Blendtec Designer 675 blend? Yes, but not as well as our top picks. You can’t expect that level of performance from dirt-cheap blenders, which is probably why most of them come with only one-year limited warranties. Vitamix, Oster, and Cleanblend models all come with warranties of five to seven years, and-at least for Vitamix machines-we’ve read plenty of owner reviews saying the blender lasts much longer. It’s a lot of stress to put on a little machine.” This is why a long warranty is important, especially if you’re paying a lot for a blender. If you make it do something difficult every day, a lot of them burn out. As Lisa McManus, executive editor in charge of equipment testing at Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country magazines, told our writer Seamus Bellamy in an interview for our 2012 guide, “Blenders have a really hard job to do in that little space. But it’s not impossible for even higher-end blenders to encounter burnout. The most common complaint we’ve found about cheap blenders is that their motors burn out easily and their jars crack or leak.

Kitchenaid blender with glass jar