# Why are blenders so freaking expensive? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 25, 2006, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blenders-so-freaking-expensive/358186 "2006-05-25T16:17:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blenders-so-freaking-expensive/358186/1 "2006-05-25T16:17:20Z")
Being in the market for a good-quality blender, I went on the first site I could think of, which happened to be Williams-Sonoma. There I find that if you want a decent blender, you’ve got to spend around $200. Color me scandalized. Why in hell can’t you get a good blender for about fifty bucks? It’s a pretty simple contraption, no? Oh, well, maybe someone can recommend something to me. I’m looking for one with a glass bowl, and enough horsepower that a handful of ice cubes won’t cause the motor to seize. ---
**Author:** ![velvetjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f9b8f/32.png) [@velvetjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velvetjones)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blenders-so-freaking-expensive/358186/2 "2006-05-25T16:24:17Z")
Williams-Sonoma is wickedly overpriced IMO. Try Target. Blenders there start at $19.99 and go up to $99.99. I’ve got one that fits your description and I’m sure I didn’t pay more than $30 for it. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blenders-so-freaking-expensive/358186/3 "2006-05-25T16:25:28Z")
Williams Sonoma isn’t exactly the place for bargain hunters 😉 We got a very nice blender from Target - a [Black & Decker BL 9000](http://www.bdappliancestore.com/product_detail.asp?HDR=&T1=APP+BL9000&NAV=Default) for $40. It does the business. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blenders-so-freaking-expensive/358186/4 "2006-05-25T16:27:14Z")
A pretty impressive simu post there 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blenders-so-freaking-expensive/358186/5 "2006-05-25T17:59:18Z")
[QUOTE=Sal Ammoniac] Being in the market for a good-quality blender, I went on the first site I could think of, which happened to be Williams-Sonoma. [/QUOTE] Being in the market for a new car, I went to the first dealer I could think of, which happened to be the local Maserati dealer … ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blenders-so-freaking-expensive/358186/6 "2006-05-25T18:01:00Z")
Yeah? And could they sell you a $50 blender? ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blenders-so-freaking-expensive/358186/7 "2006-05-25T18:20:04Z")
You guys joke, but on products like KitchenAid Mixers, blenders and knife sets, Williams-Sonoma is going to have the same price as Target. They don’t just jack up retail because they’re Williams-Sonoma. The difference is they don’t carry lower-end merchandise. Look, for instance, at the “5-Qt Artisan Mixer” [here](http://www.target.com/gp/search.html/ref=sr_ln_1/601-8834504-1477708?%5Fencoding=UTF8&index=target&field-browse=1038578&field-keywords=kitchenaid%20mixer) and [here](http://ww2.williams-sonoma.com/sch/kwd.cfm?words=kitchenaid%20mixers&src=hme&fromheader=1&action=KWD). Anyway, I have [this](http://ww2.williams-sonoma.com/cat/pip.cfm?pkey=xsrd0m1%7C15%7C0%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7Cwaring%20blender&gids=e033&cmsrc=sch) blender. I finally broke down and bought a $100 blender after going through 2 $50 blenders in 4 years because of bad seals, and cracked plastic, and overall shitty design. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blenders-so-freaking-expensive/358186/8 "2006-05-25T18:37:40Z")
**Trunk** , how do you like that Waring blender? What’s interesting about it is that it has a 390-watt motor. Other blenders, even cheaper ones, have motors in the 500-600 watt range. My simplistic assumption is that more wattage = better, at least for stuff like crushing ice, unless the blade is made out of plastic or something. Anyone have any views on that? ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blenders-so-freaking-expensive/358186/9 "2006-05-25T18:53:28Z")
I like it. The glass is heavy. The bottom of it is sealed, no gaskets or anything that screws on which eliminates one source of problems. The “external” part of the blades that connect with the “teeth” from the motor is made out of thick aluminum, and that’s a place where I’ve seen blenders wear down before so that eventually they don’t make a good connection, and that eliminates another source of problems. It’s got a heavy base, only two speeds. I like the simplicity of that. Mine doesn’t have the “pulse” button which they seem to charge extra for. I don’t know about wattage, but it crushes ice fine. I also like it because it does well on “small” things. Sometimes I want to blend just garlic and ginger and a little water to make a paste. That’s a hard thing for any blender to do. This one, relative to my previous one, does it better. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blenders-so-freaking-expensive/358186/10 "2006-05-25T20:24:05Z")
FWIW, I have one of [these,](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004SGDR) and have been very happy with it over the past four years. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blenders-so-freaking-expensive/358186/11 "2006-05-25T20:48:08Z")
[QUOTE=gotpasswords] FWIW, I have one of [these,](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004SGDR) and have been very happy with it over the past four years. [/QUOTE] Bingo, only mine is white. I think it’s worth it to spend $100 for a solid machine but $200 seems excessive. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blenders-so-freaking-expensive/358186/12 "2006-05-25T21:07:27Z")
Williams-Sonoma also sells $349.00 Dualit brand TOASTERS. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blenders-so-freaking-expensive/358186/13 "2006-05-26T01:00:44Z")
[QUOTE=gotpasswords] FWIW, I have one of [these,](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004SGDR) and have been very happy with it over the past four years. [/QUOTE] That’s my blender, except it’s red. I got mine at Lowe’s; I don’t remember paying that much for it though…maybe it was a slightly different model. (I had a $50 gift card; I want to say the blender was around $85 or so…I don’t have the receipt handy.) ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blenders-so-freaking-expensive/358186/14 "2006-05-26T01:28:15Z")
Well, shopping is the art of the possible, and I ended up buying a Cuisinart. 600 watts, a hundred bucks on sale. It’s a gift, what can I say?