VonShef UltraBlend smoothie-maker review

Cons:

● Some users may prefer a blender with more features

Star rating: 4/5

Available from:
VonShef (£53.99)
Amazon (£54.99)

Read our round-up of the best smoothie-makers

If you’re looking for an effective, no-frills smoothie-maker that won’t cost the Earth, the VonShef UltraBlend would be a sound choice.

The UltraBlend blends powerfully and consistently – and looks rather smart while it’s at it.

Setting up the UltraBlend is as easy as can be. Our tester had it working within a few minutes of having the base unit out of the box: all the user needs to do is fill one of the mixing cups with ingredients, fix the cup to the blade attachment, then push it down into the base unit to activate blending. We couldn’t imagine a simpler smoothie-maker to set up or use.

One of the benefits of the UltraBlend’s straightforward design is that it’s particularly easy to clean, with mainly smooth-surfaced components that are free from the hard-to-reach nooks and crannies commonly found in more complex smoothie-makers.

Perhaps owing to the simplicity of the UltraBlend, VonShef doesn’t include any kind of instructions or manual.

We expect this will appeal to some users who appreciate the cost savings that can be made in this way, but others, who are perhaps less confident with smoothie-makers, might prefer an alternative product that comes with some guidance.

We found the UltraBlend a really pleasant smoothie-maker to have around the kitchen. It’s relatively quiet considering its blending power, and the base unit looks smart in black with silver details.

The components are relatively easy to store: one of the cups can be left on top of the base unit, and the other won’t take up much cupboard space.

The base unit has a reasonably small footprint, and spare length of power cable can wound around its feet to keep the kitchen looking tidy.

There are no fancy features to speak of – no controls, no modes, no out-of-the-ordinary capabilities. But it certainly does the basics well.

We were really impressed with the consistency of smoothies made with the UltraBlend. In our testing, it successfully blended a wide range of ingredients, from fibrous ginger to seed-filled berries.

The quality of the cups included is good: both are tough, with no apparent susceptibility to leakage. However, we’re not entirely sold on them as takeaway cups: both are very wide, and so might prove awkward to carry around in a bag.

The UltraBlend comes very simply packaged in a cardboard box, with each component packaged in recyclable plastic wrapping.

Available from:
VonShef (£53.99)
Amazon (£54.99)

VonShef UltraBlend smoothie-maker specifications
Power: 1000W
Blend capacity: 800ml
Blade type: 4-blade array
Weight: 998g

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This review was last updated in June 2020. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.