Decent budget smoothie maker

Tiglet

Last Summer I bought a Salter Nutri-Pro 1000W blender and, although it worked fine to begin with, it did have the occasional leak from the base of the blade shaft, causing rusty water to drip on to the base unit housing the motor.

Last month, the leak got so bad that liquid poured out into the base causing general mayhem. The motor now starts as soon as it is plugged in and it stinks of month-old burning banana.

So I'm now looking for a replacement. Unfortunately, all the reviews I've seen suggest that they all seem to be susceptible to the same problems. The all seem prone to leaking from the blade shaft, causing the cut-out switches to get gummed up. Also, because the motor sits under the jug, any leakage goes straight on to the motor and either damages it or shorts it out altogether.

So is there a decent one that doesn't cost the earth? And do expensive ones work any better. Maybe it's best to buy a cheap one and relace it every few months? (Surely not...)

Tealblue

If you bought it last summer, have you checked if it is still under guarantee? Most small appliances have a 12 month (or more) guarantee or warranty.

Tiglet

Maybe I could get my money back, but what should I spend it on?

I get the impression that mine lasted longer than most, so I'd be reluctant to accept an exchane - I want something better,without having to pay the earth if possible

Brighty

Would a standard jug blender not do the job? OK, so you can't drink straight from the thing like you can with a nutribullet type, but it will be less prone to fail

Tiglet

Bit of an update:

I bought the Tower XtremePro https://www.towerhousewares.co.uk/blenders-c5/xtreme-pro-p323
This was a similar price to the Salter one but it seems to have been designed a lot better. In particular, there is a much more effective seal around the blade shaft and this prevents liquid leaking out into the motor. As the price is similar, it seems that the better design has been paid for by cutting a few corners on aesthetics. The finish is generally a little more tinny, and the materials used feel a bit cheaper. None of this really matters, as it is perfectly good at the job it does

Appearance-wise , it's almost identical to the Salter one but, frustratingly, the two are just different enough for the accessories not to be interchangeable.

In general, I get the impression that the money spent on designing the Tower blender has been focused on the more important functional aspects of the design at the expense of a slightly cheaper feel. As a result, I'm much happier with this one than I was with the Salter model