I tried this $120 blender and found it makes smoothies just as well as the high-end options

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• With the best blenders costing around $500, more consumers are looking for cost-effective options that can do just as good of a job.
• Better known for its excellent yet affordable robot vacuums, Eufy recently entered the blender space with the goal of providing strong performance at a low price point.
• I especially liked how the MiracleBlend D1 was able to pulverize seeds and kale leaves to produce a truly smooth smoothie.
• Compared to the high-end brands, the Eufy MiracleBlend D1 Blender is inexpensive (currently $120 on Amazon), and though it has trouble with nut butters, it gives the big boys a run for their money when it comes to making smoothies and cleaning up easily afterward.

I have experience using countless brands of blenders ranging from the bottom-of-the-line $20 units to the do-everything $700 powerhouses.

I've noticed that there is a strong correlation between price and performance. However, there are the occasional outliers that work better than their price suggests.

After using the Eufy MiracleBlend D1 Blender for four months, it's safe to say that it's one of those outliers, at least when it comes to making smoothies.

My experiences with the Eufy Blender

Eufy sent me a review copy of the MiracleBlend D1 for free. I only received the motor base and pitcher. It didn't come with a user manual, recipe book, or the vacuum-sealed cup, which typically come with the unit according to the Amazon product page. So, I can't speak to the cup's benefits.

The jar is square and features a curved bottom that is helpful for keeping ingredients engaged in the blend and achieving the sought-after vortex effect, which is sort of like a small tornado. It's made of BPA-free plastic. The lid is also plastic and features a clear removable measuring cup in the center, where you can add ingredients while the blender is running.

The Eufy Blender comes with an 18-month limited warranty, which covers all parts of the blender, including the jar and motor, as long as you use it for household purposes (and not commercial).

The MiracleBlend D1 has a powerful 1200W motor and two pre-programmed settings: clean and smoothie. The control knob has settings of Off, On, Low, Medium, and High. There are approximately 30 speed gradations between Low and High. There's also a pulse option.

How the Eufy Blender performed

I'm the kind of weirdo who likes to read user manuals before using an appliance because you can learn interesting nuances about a gadget this way. So, I procured an electronic copy of the user manual. However, I know most people have better uses for their time than reading about a blender, a device you've probably used hundreds of times. Consequently, I gave the Eufy Blender a go without looking at any reading materials and found controlling it was utterly simple.

The Eufy MiracleBlend D1 Blender excelled at smoothies. I liked that I could just press the pre-programmed smoothie button and walk away to attend to other things. To test the blender's abilities, I made a smoothie of kale, strawberries, banana, and milk. The kale was blended thoroughly. There were no green bits left over, and I didn't need to stop the blender to scrape the sides to get it all within reach of the blades. The seeds of the strawberries were pulverized and unrecognizable in the finished product. It was truly smooth. I had similar success pureeing soups.

I also looked at whether the blender could turn ice cubes into slush. I added a tray of cubes to the jar and pressed the pulse button approximately 30 times. I ended up with a nice slush save for about three large chunks.

Clean up is about as effortless as it gets. I just filled the jar about a quarter of the way with water, added a couple drops of dish soap, and pressed the Clean button. After the cycle, there was no visible debris. This is especially impressive considering how hard it usually is to remove dough and peanut butter from just about any kitchen item. The only time I noticed any residue left over was when I beat eggs in the blender and neglected to run the clean cycle right away. I had to finish the job with a sponge.

Some concerns about the blender

The Eufy Blender did not do well making peanut butter or pizza dough. Many of the ingredients were quickly stuck to the sides where the blades couldn't reach. I'd scrape the ingredients to the bottom and start the blender back up again, and they'd immediately go to the sides again. Based on my experience, the more viscous the ingredients, the better the MiracleBlend does.

I found a couple of quirks with the Eufy Blender when I was making mayonnaise. To make mayonnaise in a blender, you must slowly add cooking oil to the egg mixture. While slowly adding olive oil through the hole in the lid, the ingredients would splash back up through the hole, which would be fine, except that I was dealing with raw egg. Also, it takes about 10 minutes to drizzle all of the oil into the blender. Yet, the unit automatically times out after three minutes of use. Fortunately, you can start it back up immediately.

At times, I noticed a slight mechanical smell while running the blender. However, at no time did I notice the motor straining, even after using it for marathon mayonnaise sessions.

Lastly, I wish this unit came with a tamper. All of the high-end blenders come with a specially designed tamper that fits through the lid hole and reaches down into the jar just short of the blade. Without the tamper, you're left reaching in with other utensils that may get caught in the blade, which is problematic for a number of reasons.

The bottom line

Overall, I strongly recommend the Eufy MiracleBlend D1 to anyone in need of a workhorse smoothie blender.

It's capable of annihilating the peskiest fruits and vegetables. Plus, it's simple to clean. Though it does have trouble with doughs and nut butters, it does an admirable job with soups and sauces.

At its current price, the MiracleBlend is a great deal. Yet, within the last few months, there were periods when the price dropped significantly on Amazon. So, if you're willing to wait and price watch, you might be able to save a few dollars.

Buy the Eufy MiracleBlend D1 Blender on Amazon for $120