JDowell—October 31, 2023
The media could not be loaded. 98% of the videos I watched of ppl complaining abt this product were bc they weren’t using it correctly!! I honestly wish I could msg them & tell them that! First thing I saw, they were saying the cup wouldn’t stay in the base to blend. YOU HAVE TO TURN IT & LOCK IT INTO PLACE! There’s a pic of a lock & unlock on the bottom of the cup & u set it in on the unlock & turn it to lock. The 2nd one was saying the lid would just sit on top so liquid would leak out. No, the lid actually fits on very well, maybe a lil too well, & it’s hard to get on. U rly have to work at getting it on but once it’s on, it’s on, & it won’t leak! Then prob the most important one, YOU MUST ADD LIQUID TO BLEND IN THIS MACHINE!!! U can’t just add fruit or vegetables & expect it to blend without adding any liquid. That’s not how this one works. If that’s what ur looking for u need a veg chopper & not this. This is geared towards a smoothie maker! There is a minimum liquid marker at the bottom & u have to add at LEAST this amt of liquid to start with & ur prob going to need more! Also, blend in stages. Don’t cram the whole thing full to the top & again expect it to blend. Here I added almond milk, frozen bananas & blended it & then added the rest of my frozen fruit & MORE LIQUID, blended & ended up stirring some & added more liquid. U may have to stir it up a lil or if ur lid is on tight & correctly while it’s blending, u can tilt it to side to side, front to back, & get ur ingredients moved around. This is also made to pulse the products & run for short periods of time. One review said she ONLY ran hers for 10-15 min & didn’t know why it started smelling funny!! Umm hello! U can’t run this lil thing that long! It’s not made to go for 15min at a time. This is an amazing lil smoothie maker if u use it correctly. This is actually my 2nd one bc I lost my 1st one & had to repurchase another one. Again, don’t use it for anything ur not adding liquids to bc it won’t work. If ur just wanting something to chop fruit & vegetables then get one of those lil choppers for that. This won’t work. If ur looking for something to make smoothies, iced coffe, soups, or anything like that then I highly recommend this!! Read more
Mikey Mike—October 15, 2025
So I picked up this little guy to replace the one I had before, right? I've been on this whole health kick thing lately. You know, the smoothies with the fruit, the protein, the chia seeds, all that good-for-you stuff. Here’s what I like: It’s small and doesn't hog up the counter like some big clunky thing. Holds just under 14 ounces, which is perfect for a quick shake. One button. That’s it. No nonsense. The lid snaps on nicely and doesn’t leak all over the joint. And cleanup? Super easy. Now, the not-so-great stuff: You gotta watch the fruit size. You throw in big frozen chunks of mangos, whatever it ain’t gonna break ‘em down too good. And listen, if you don’t add enough liquid up to that minimum fill line, those powders? They clump up like cement; they stick to the sides ah no good. But the bottom line? I’m happy with it. Works good, does what it’s supposed to. Read more
True Customer—June 12, 2024
6/19/2024 Update. I reduced my rating from 5 stars to 4 stars because Hamilton Beach has another model (51190F) at the same price that address most of the weaknesses of the lid on this model (51101AV). It is called the Personal Blender with Leak-Proof Travel Lid. Oddly it is not available on Amazon at the time of this review update. The 51190F has a screw-on lide with a flip top and is called "Leak-Proof." After using the non-leak-proof lid model several times daily for more than a week, I noticed that liquid does leak out of the opening in the lid and the pinhole even when the lid is closed. This happened when blending 10 oz of liquid with ~50 g of powder or 12 oz of liquid with ~15 g of powder. It did not leak badly but more than a few drops. In addition to the occasional minor leaking described above, I found that removing the lid for clearning was a hassle every single time I use the blender. Each time I can't predict exactly how much pressure I need to apply to remove the lid and worry that I will splatter liquid by accidentally removing the lid to suddenly. Despite the above, I would still rate this blender 5 stars given its price. It is after all still very good when used several times daily. That being said, given that there is already a model available that addresses the main problems with the lid at the same price point, 5 stars can't be justified. The 51190F has a leak-proof screw-on lid that is available now and at the same price. Original Review. This review is based on using Hamilton Beach Portable Blender 14 Oz for mixing powdered shakes and beverages multiple times daily. I use this to mix powdered (protein) shakes and (electrolyte) beverages to eliminate clumps that remain when using a shaker bottle. It does that perfectly. Far superior to a shaker bottle, especially if your powder to liquid ratio is high. I did not use this blender to blend ice, frozen fruit, or anything other than powder that could otherwise be mixed with a spoon or shaker bottle. There are many individual serving blenders on the market. This product is unique: -Blades are at the bottom of the cup -Cup detaches from a base that plugs into a standard electrical outlet -Cup is a thick solid plastic with a wide mouth for ingredients -Most other individual blenders have an attached base and the blades are on the lid (you invert the cup when blending) which creates a risk of injury every time you put the lid on and off. Those features are perfect for my use case because: -I use this at home, so I don't need the base attached -I want to prep, mix, clean quickly multiple times daily -Cup detached from base is easier to handle when prepping, drinking, cleaning -Blades at bottom of cup keep my fingers safe when quickly repeatedly using I previously used a shaker bottle and because I mix powdered beverages multiple times a day, I noticed I had to shake longer and harded multiple times every day in hope of eliminating clumps. This seemed like a risky practice over the long term, given it was every single day, multiple times. Vigorously shaking my body, arms, and even head so much seemed like a bad idea. The shaker bottle I used was the Helimax 2.0 Vortex. That is the best shaker bottle available in my opinion. It is effective at eliminating clumps, but it the powder to liquid ratio is high, like when mix multiple powders in a beverage, it requires more shaking and more vigorous shaking. It can be cleanded very thoroughly with minimal effort. There is not blender attachment that is difficult to clean and the surfaces are all wide open making it so easy to clean. This personal blender completely addressed my concern about using a shaker bottle so much. HAMILTON BEACH: THANK YOU! NOW SOME SUGGESTIONS / REQUESTS: LID. -Screw On Instead of Snap On. The lid is easy to snap on, but it takes effort to get it off for cleaing. With the uncertain effort it takes to remove the lid, every time I fear splattering residue from the lid/cup when I remove it. I would suggest referencing the shaker bottle I used previously, the Helimax 2.0 Vortex. Its lid is a screw on with perfectly engineered screw threads. Easy on, easy off, no leaks at all. -Thicker Material. Again, the Helimax 2.0 Vortex lid is a good reference. It has much thicker material. -Larger Hinged Snap On Cap Instead of Sliding Door with Hole. The sliding door seems to work, but I am concerned about residue building up under it even though I clean it immediately. Also, I noticed it has a pinhole in it. This makes me concerned about leaking in case the cup falls over. It did seem like the pinhole helps with flow when I drink from the cup, but a larger opening would be preferred. I am not sure if the pinhole also helps with blending when the door is closed. The opening in the lid is too small to drink the contents quickly. Helimax 2.0 Vortex has the perfect size opening with a hinged snap on cap. It us solid, easy to drink from, easy to clean, and I do not worry about spillage. -Protruding Opening Instead of Protruding Lip. The lid has a lip that protrudes into my mouth when drinking. This puts distance between my mouth and the opening to the lid. The Helimax 2.0 Vortex has a large round opening that protrudes in a cylinder shape about a half inch. Perfect for sipping slowly or gulping down quickly. CUP -It would good if the outside of the cup (not the inside) could be beveled. The smooth round shape on the outside makes me concerned it is going to slip out of my hand. The Helimax 2.0 Vortex has a beveled design that made me always feel confident when handling it. Overall this Hamilton Beach Portable Blender 14 Oz is beyond expectations at this price point and completely works for my demanding everyday use. Read more
