Smeg Personal Blender Review

If there’s one thing personal blenders on the whole lack, it’s style. They may be able to whip up a delicious smoothie in seconds ready for the commute, but they’re not exactly style icons. Sure, a KitchenAid has a retro appeal, and the latest blend of Nutribullets look purposeful, but they’re not a small appliance to sit proudly on your kitchen counter. That is unless you’re looking at the new for 2023 Smeg Personal Blender.

Smeg and style go together like roast potatoes and rosemary, but this 50’s style blender is a particular work of art. With chic 1950s-inspired styling, this Italian small appliance features lashings of chrome and is unmistakably Smeg. But with a 300W motor, can it cut it against more powerful competitors?

A Modern Kitchen’s deputy editor, Ryan Gilmore, took delivery of the Smeg Personal Blender to see if it was worth the asking price.

Verdict: Oozing style and quality, and with perfectly acceptable performance.

Score: 4/5

What's good?

Smeg is renowned for its premier fit and finish that puts most other kitchenware companies to shame, and it's business as usual here. The chromed detailing, raised lettering and rich cream paintwork really do paint this as a premium product. If cream isn't to your taste, black, white, red, pink, green and blue are available here, all very attractive options.

The ergonomics too are also second to none with the Smeg. There's one dial that controls blend speed and you press the bottle down to activate the blades. It's impossible to misuse or be confused with the Smeg - it'll even cut out after 60 seconds of continuous spinning to prevent excessive wear on the motor. Add in that the initial set-up takes seconds and the Smeg really is user-friendly.

The majority of the 1.8kg weight seems to be concentrated in the base. This feels like a purposeful decision to keep the device feeling planted and solid, even when accidentally blending some tough mango skin. There's minimal vibration and no movement from the blender at all.

Underneath, the cable management system is incredibly neat, allowing for minimal exposed cable and tightly binding the rest of the cable neatly underneath the base of the unit. For something so design-focused, the last thing you want is a messy cable dangling out the back of it.

The Tritan Renew bottles that are included are another example of clever design. Not only are they 50 per cent recycled material, but they also don't absorb odours, are shock resistant and feature a very clever locking mechanism to ensure no spillages when used on the go. Shame they look a tiny bit baby-like.

What's okay?

It never quite delivered a 100 per cent smooth smoothie. Small seeds and bits of skin seemed to be the main culprits here and that 300W motor would be overpowered by tougher foods like nuts. For making smoothies with soft fruits it was perfectly capable, but don't expect this personal blender to be much use making soups or pesto.

As you’d expect from a Smeg product, the blender won't win any best-value awards soon. At £109.95 it sits comfortably at the premium end of personal blenders. That being said, it is the most affordable way to get a Smeg appliance.

Cleaning the double blade was relatively straightforward with a rinse under the tap. The included BPA-free bottles however proved to be difficult to clean thanks to the concave design. As the lumps from the residue would often cling to the insides of the bottle the best way of hand-washing the bottle includes manoeuvring a Scrub Daddy around the inside with a pair of tongs. Thankfully, the bottles are fully dishwashable.

Any negatives?

There's very little that's wrong with the Smeg - overall it was a delight to use and packed with neat ergonomic touches. Even the comparatively small motor never really held me back in my smoothie-making quest and there are only a handful of real frustrations.

The biggest one was the power control dial. Like everything else, it was chromed and built like a bank vault, but it also had no grip when operated with even slightly damp hands. A simple strip of rubber would have fixed this issue instantly.

Smeg doesn't recommend blending too many ice cubes in one drink, not ideal if you're after a frozen margarita.

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Who tested this product?

Ryan Gilmore is the Deputy Commercial Content Editor for A Modern Kitchen. With his small kitchen already full of kitchen gadgets, he's always keen to work out whether a small appliance really deserves a spot on your countertop.

How this product was tested

The Smeg was introduced into my kitchen for a couple of weeks and in that time was used to create a variety of smoothies. It was used between two people to test its abilities in small households as well as to test how easy it was to clean and use. It was also tested in the Bauer office where it received a lot of compliments.

Ryan Gilmore is the Deputy Editor for A Modern Kitchen, specialising in utensils and the latest kitchen technology. Also working for CAR and Parkers, Ryan sees a well-equipped kitchen to be no different to a well-stocked toolbox and is always on the hunt for the most ergonomic and best-quality kitchenware.