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Surprising results – Breville Blend-Active Pro review
The Blend-Active Pro is Breville’s newest portable Blender to reach the marketplace.
Aimed at those who are serious about an active lifestyle, the Blend-Active Pro is an updated version of the Blend-Active, adding style to your smoothies.
“It’s quick to use and perfect for bringing to the gym or commuting to work”
Blending’s a great way to include plenty of fruit and veg in your diet, without having to spend ages eating them. Instead, you can have a delicious fruit and veg smoothie, that’s full of healthy goodness.
This Breville Blend-Active Pro blender review is for you!
What’s included with the Blend-Active Pro?
When you unpack the box, you’ll see:
- Blend-Active Pro blending unit
- 500ml sports bottle
- Blades with safety cap
- Neoprene bottle sleeve
- Instruction booklet with smoothie recipes
Is the Blend-Active Pro an improvement?
Read Part One for helpful information such as:
– list of differences between a Juicer and a Blender
– whether to use a centrifugal or masticating Juicer
– two pinnable infographics
Read Part Two for a review of The Nutri Juicer Plus, as well as the main features to look out for when choosing a Juicer or Blender
Read Part Three for a review of the Ninja Master Prep Pro and Breville Blend-Active, as well as some delicious smoothie recipes.
First, let me say that I already own and love the older Blend-Active.
I’m not someone who’d pay extra to replace a working machine with another, just because it looks nicer.
For me, the Blend-Active Pro had its work cut out.
But:
I was wrong…and the test results surprised me.
Yes, both models are 300 watts and can blend frozen food, ice and nuts. But that’s where the similarities end.
One does it much better than the other.
Why reinvent the wheel? Breville’s retained the simplicity of the Blend-Active range, as it already knows that’s what makes it a success.
What makes the Blend-Active Pro so special?
Breville Blend-Active Pro with neoprene bottle sleeve
- Blending Unit – whereas the original Blend-Active is great value, it’s perhaps more budget-friendly with its green plastic finish. Instead, the Blend-Active Pro’s a shiny black with chrome accents – definitely standing out in the crowd
“The Breville Blend-Active Pro has a classy, sleek black finish for a premium style”
- Blend Button & Power Light – it has a small chrome blend button and a power light which fits in with the sleek style of this updated model
- Cord Storage – convenient cord storage beneath the blending unit (and, yes, the cord storage actually works)
-
Breville Blend-Active Pro bottle with lid and non-slip gripSports Bottle & Sleeve
- 500ml clear plastic sports bottle (slightly smaller and less curved than the Blend-Active’s 600ml bottle) making it a more convenient carry-size
- fits well into car or bike cup holders without being top heavy
- made from BPA-free plastic which is durable, shatter-proof, odour and taste resistant (as is the Blend-Active model)
- black rubber non-slip band below the lid for an easy grip
- smart black neoprene bottle sleeve to keep your drinks cool
Breville Blend-Active Pro blade unit and safety cap
- Bottle Lid – the lid looks similar to the original Blend-Active model, but the screw cap is a brighter green with a black click-on lid, and has a much better (read: stronger) leak-proof design
- Blade Unit and Safety Cap – the blade unit is pretty much the same design as the Blend-Active’s, but has the useful addition of a safety cap. This not only covers the blades when not in use, but can be used for crushing nuts and/or spices too.
What’s it like using the Breville Blend-Active Pro?
As you know, I was disappointed to see that the Blend-Active Pro had a 300 watt motor – had Breville only made cosmetic changes to the new model?
However, after testing, I’d say the answer is:
On paper, yes. In practice, no.
Somehow, Breville’s made the Blend-Active Pro significantly more effective at blending. It powers through and crushes the frozen fruit and ice, leaving no lumps. I’m genuinely impressed – it’s just 300 watts!
The Blend-Active Pro’s motor runs alot smoother and quieter compared to the Blend-Active. It’s robustly made, which gives confidence that it’s not going to overheat whilst being used.
Here’s a couple of photos of the delicious smoothies I recently made (using water!) with the Blend-Active Pro. One’s bright red (banana, beetroot, honey and a pear) and the other’s bright orange (banana, orange, carrots and ginger).
“Both recipes definitely recommended – such beautiful colours, and both were delicious and smooth!”
If I prefer blending my fruit and veg with water – can I still call it a ‘smoothie’? Apparently not, even though the texture’s very similar. The definition of a smoothie means it’s blended with milk, yogurt or ice-cream. I’m sure I could stretch to using some ice-cream…
Testing the Blend-Active Pro with frozen fruit and ice
I wanted to see whether both models dealt easily with frozen fruit and ice. Here’s the results:
- Blend-Active Pro – blending frozen bananas, frozen strawberries, ice-cream and milk. It did a good job and the drink was delicious without any lumps.
- Blend-Active Pro and Blend-Active – blending a banana, pear, 2 large ice cubes and water. I pressed both blend buttons for the same amount of time (two pulses, and then 10 seconds). The difference in results was AMAZING, and I was totally surprised:
- Blend-Active Pro – the drink was smooth, fully blended without any lumps of ice or fruit
- Blend-Active – the drink still had several pieces of ice which hadn’t been blended
If I’d pressed the Blend-Active’s button for longer, it would have crushed the ice properly. But the point is, the Blend-Active Pro had already done the job in a fraction of the time.
If you’re thinking of upgrading to the Blend-Active Pro, you’ll be glad to know that the bottles are interchangeable between both models. I think that’s a nice feature by Breville, as they could so easily have made them incompatible (as other manufacturers do), forcing people to have to pay for additional bottles. Thanks Breville!
Is the Breville Blend-Active Pro worth the additional cost?
I love how well it blends, and its stylish and professional finish and, given the choice… [shh, close your ears Blend-Active] …. I’d rather have the classy black and chrome Blend-Active Pro in my kitchen than the plastic look of the green Blend-Active. [Did I just say that?!]
There’s nothing cheap about the Blend-Active Pro – it looks good, blends brilliantly, and has useful accessories. It’s also more expensive than the Blend Active by about £15-£20, at full price.
And, yes, it’s worth the extra money with all its features as it blends so much better.
“Move over Blend-Active, I’m happy with the Blend-Active Pro!”
Thinking about getting the Blend-Active Pro?
As at October 2015, the Blend-Active Pro is on sale for a bargain £30 to £35 at Amazon, Breville and Argos (it’s usually about £50).
Note: this review is a general resource, not intended to be professional advice.
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