Breville BBL550XL 5-Speed Blender Review

I make a smoothie almost every morning that I am home.  Last year our Kitchen Aid blender crapped out after 14 years and I immediately went out and purchased another.  After an initial positive experience, I started having problems with it.  I am not sure if it was the motor or the blades, but either way, it could not get the job done. I had to shake the blender or open the top to move around the frozen strawberries to get it to blend.

So... this father's day I asked for a top of the line blender.   We looked at the VIta-Mix and the Breville.  Although the Vita Mix received the best reviews it cost twice as much ($400) and looked pretty ugly.  It was also reported to be very loud.

So I went for the Breville BBL550XL.  It cost $200.  I have now used it for the last week and found it to be much sturdier and better suited for the daily smoothie challenge.

It has a special smoothie button which allows you to walk away while it blends and pulses for a few minutes.  No more shaking or scraping.  The smoother also ends up well.... smoother.

The unit is very nice living and is a bit quieter than the Kitchen Aid which is nice since I like to make the smoothie pretty early in the morning. The glass container is heavy and very substantial.

For anyone that is considering the upgrade my one word of warning is that the Breville is taller than the Kitchen Aid and barely fits under the cabinet. It has to be angled rather than slid direclty under.

Enjoy!