Cordless portable blenders weren鈥檛 really a thing a decade ago, or maybe even three years ago. But battery tech keeps getting better. This means the best portable blender I鈥檝e tested, the Ninja Blast Max ($100), is now fully able to make a six-pack of crushed-ice margaritas at your next picnic or blend up a berry-filled protein shake at the gym without breaking much of a sweat. Meanwhile, the ingeniously designed Nutribullet Flip ($115) offers more torque than previous-generation blenders, plus enough insulation to keep ice frozen until it鈥檚 time for lunch (or even dinner).
Does this not jibe with your past experience with cordless blenders? Reader, I agree. It鈥檚 a young technology, and most past (and current!) cordless blenders are a disappointment, especially compared to the best blenders that plug into the wall鈥攚hich are often as much as a hundred times more powerful. But I found that our two top cordless blenders were far superior to the rest, after testing eight of the most promising contenders for battery life, ice crushing, smoothie and milkshake consistency, and all-round blender vortexing.