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iCucina Portable Bullet vs. NutriBullet Pro 900W Side-by-Side Comparison




Our Verdict
- Performance (60%)4.7/10
- Design (25%)7.7/10
- Usability (15%)9.3/10
- Performance (60%)9.8/10
- Design (25%)9.7/10
- Usability (15%)9.7/10
The choice between the iCucina Portable Bullet and the NutriBullet 900-Watt Pro will come down to your needs and budget. If you have the budget for a heavy-duty blender, the NutriBullet 900-Watt Pro is a no brainer.
Upon thorough performance testing, The NutriBullet performed far better than the iCucina, winning hands-down in most of the tests, if not very well at the forefront of the segment. On the other hand, the iCucina Portable Bullet blended very coarsely, suggesting that it is only suited for light tasks. That’s the compromise if you prefer the blender’s affordable price tag.
iCucina Portable Bullet Performance
- Protein Shake (40%)6.0/10
- Frozen Fruit Smoothie (30%)5.0/10
- Fibrous Greens (20%)4.0/10
- Crushed Ice Cubes (10%)0/10
- Protein Shake (40%)10/10
- Frozen Fruit Smoothie (30%)10/10
- Fibrous Greens (20%)9.0/10
- Crushed Ice Cubes (10%)10/10
Protein Shake
- Blending Time: 1 mins 50 seconds
- Result: Very Coarse
The iCucina may be a good choice for you to prepare any protein shakes that use fresh plant-based food, but if you want to level up your workout drinks with raw nuts and dried fruits, we recommend going with other models, such as the Ninja Fit, Nutri BN401, or the NutriBullet. This blender is inefficient enough to liquify and combine such ingredients fully.
For this test, our protein shake is designed to include oatmeal, almonds, protein powder, and dried blueberries. Throughout the blending process, we noticed that this blender didn’t have much hard time grinding the ingredients; it worked quite smoothly, indeed. All the oatmeal was turned into liquid form in approximately two minutes, which seemed not to be so fast yet acceptable enough. The final drink, unfortunately, couldn’t get the most flavor out of almonds and berries, since about a third of the fruits were still solid.
- Blending Time: 40 seconds
- Result: Silky Smooth
The NutriBullet Pro is amazingly capable when it comes to preparing protein shakes. In this test, it was the fastest contender, mixing a silky-smooth workout drink in only 40 seconds. It blended well enough that we didn't need to shake the cup to promote contact between the food and blades. The blade spined extremely fast and together with the mighty motor, it allowed the blender to draw everything toward the blades and tear apart each at the same time without any struggle. You might notice there even wasn’t a time that food clinged to the sides of the cup.
There were also blenders that delivered the same result, such as the Ninja Fit, but they all demanded extra shaking or stirring to dislodge chunks trapped on or around the blades during the blending process. Efficiency aside, it’s apparent that your NutriBullet Pro will also outperform its rivals in terms of use ease.
Frozen Fruit Smoothie
- Blending Time: 1 min 50 seconds
- Result: Smooth
- Suction:
Berries are the favorite superfoods of many people but their skins and seeds are typically a little bit hard to be liquified entirely. That’s why our recipe for this test calls for four berry varieties; we want it to be a practical way to test for the smoothie-making capacity of our personal blenders, including this iCucina, and fortunately, it does.
Preparing frozen fruit smoothies with the iCucina asked us to compromise on texture. This was because while this blender could break down all the fruits in one minute and fifty seconds, after such a duration, the smoothie it delivered did lose its thick, icy consistency we prefer.
Simply put, for an ice-cold treat to come out perfectly, your blender should blend as fast as possible so the frozen ingredients don’t have time to thaw and therefore dilute the overall consistency. But as we learned from our tests, this blender isn’t capable enough in this regard. We recommend using crushed ice instead of freezing your ingredients in advance if you prefer a smoother icy blend.
- Blending Time: 50 seconds
- Result: Silky Smooth
- Suction:
The NutriBullet completed our smoothie in less than a minute, and its results were unparalleled. Our smoothie came out exceptionally velvety. Although there were still tiny flecks of raspberry skin and strawberry seeds, this is a common occurrence when it comes to processing such ingredients.
It’s worth noting here that no other personal blender we tested could produce such an ideal texture in the same time frame; some couldn’t even break down strawberries after a full minute. Again, this blender never demanded that we shake the cup or stir the contents, and we really couldn't be happier.
Aside from the high-speed rotation and powerful motor, we supposed the blade assembly is a factor creating this outstanding performance. Personal blenders typically feature a blade assembly with two or four prongs, but the NutriBullet is an exception. Made of first-grade stainless steel, its blade is a clear step above those of the competition, including even the pricey Ninja Nutri Pro. It isn’t super sharp, but looks thicker than most and has up to six prongs. More prongs allows for more food contact at the time so the final drink will come out faster and finer.
Fibrous Greens
- Blending Time: 20 seconds
- Result: Very Coarse
We blended kale, spinach, and celery in the time benchmark of 20 seconds to see how well this iCucina would incorporate fibers to your meals. Eventually, we found this blender underperformed significantly against top competitors, again. There was a ton of fibrous pulp left behind when we strained the mixture through a mesh strainer. This suggested that our final drink didn’t get the greatest nutritional value.
Perhaps, you might think it isn’t necessary to blend that quickly, blending a little bit longer is concede as long as your desired consistency can be achieved. For the most part, we agreed this is entirely possible with the iCucina.
- Blending Time: 20 seconds
- Result: Fine
Liquifying high-fiber whole food like leafy veggies is always a challenging task for personal blenders, but the NutriBullet’s performance really made it stand out from the rest.
It could break all the ingredients down into their finest state in only 20 seconds. We drained the completed drink through a mesh strainer and noticed it left behind very few leafy chunks. It could produce an even better result if we blended longer.
Actually, we didn’t expect such good results so quickly. Most of the machines we tested turned out very coarse blends on this test, such as the Magic Bullet.
Crushed Ice Cubes
- Ice Fineness: Coarse
- Unblended Ice: 73.5% of 6 oz
Typically, personal blenders aren’t designed with a focus on ice-crushing capability, and the iCucina is not an exception. The lack of strength prevented it from powering through the ice. We noticed that the blade couldn't even spin so most of the ice came out virtually untouched. Sometimes we undocked the cup and shook it on purpose to even out the blend, but this still couldn’t help much. If you particularly have a need for this sort of blend, you’d be better served by something that is packed with a higher-powered motor, such as the Ninja Nutri Pro.
- Ice Fineness: Very Fine
- Unblended Ice: 3% of 6 oz
The NutriBullet Pro is not only capable of crushing ice cubes, it excels at it! We tested a myriad of personal blenders, and so far haven't found a single machine that can crush ice as fluffy as this one.
It finished the test in about 40 seconds. A couple of ice chunks still remained solid, but it didn’t look like the blades would be able to grab them. Nevertheless, this NutriBullet performed wonderfully and is very deserving of the top score.
iCucina Bullet Blender Design
- Blades (20%)6.0/10
- Build Quality (60%)7.5/10
- Blending Cup (20%)10/10
- Blades (20%)10/10
- Build Quality (60%)9.5/10
- Blending Cup (20%)10/10
In the Box of the iCucina Portable Blender
- Motor Base
- Blade assembly
- Two blending Cup
- Two to-go lids
- User guide
- Motor base
- Extractor blade
- Two blending cups
- Two to-go lids
- Two cup rings
- Two handled cup rings
- Recipe book & user guide
Dimensions
- Height:13.6" (34.5 cm)
- Width:5.0" (12.7 cm)
- Weight:2.5 oz (71 g)
- Shaft Length:
The iCucina is about one-third smaller than a standard full-sized blender, like the Vitamix 5200 or the Ninja with Auto-iQ technology, so we suppose it’ll fit easily into any cabinet.
- Height:14.7" (37.3 cm)
- Width:5.4" (13.7 cm)
- Weight:4.6 oz (130 g)
- Shaft Length:
This blender comes at an ideal size — small, portable, and easily storable. Although it’s bigger than some single-serving blenders such as the Ninja Fit, it won’t take up too much space on your counter or in your cabinet.
Build Quality
The whole construction of the motor base is plastic except for a thin layer on the outer that is made of stainless steel. It’s supposed that the lack of sleekness of this layer somehow causes the blender to feel cheaper. That’s why although our iCucina is rather solidly put together, next to the Ninja Fit or the KOIOS, it just looks less of a bargain.
This blender has a flawless finish. Its build quality is better than most rivals. It is also more pleasing to the eye and neither the motor base nor the blending cups scratch easily. For the most part, after a careful inspection, we all agreed the NutriBullet Pro was a better product than it looked at first glance.
Blades
- Material:Stainless Steel
- Type:Sharp and Dull Blades
- Guard Material:
- Blade Count:4
- Removable:No
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The blade has four prongs: two are sharps and the others are dull. In comparison with the rivals, it is less refined due to its small-scale and the lack of sharpness. Lackluster performances mainly result from this, we believe.
- Material:Stainless Steel
- Type:Sharp Blade
- Guard Material:
- Blade Count:6
- Removable:No
- Dishwasher Safe:No
The blade is made of high-quality stainless steel and has 6 prongs. Solidly built, it is even more heavy-duty than it seems on paper. Still, the manufacturer recommends that it not be used for dry grinding or as a regular ice crusher since this may impair its efficiency and limit its lifespan.
Motor Base
- Rated Voltage:120 V
- Rated Power:300 Watts
- Working Time:≤ 1 minute
- Protection:No
- Weight:2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)
- Cord Length:NaN" (NaN cm)
- Extra Feature:Silicon feet, a cooling fan
The base stands steadily on our counter thanks to the four silicone feet on its bottom. Like those of other personal blenders, the motor cannot run for longer than 1 minute to avoid damage caused by overheating, though there is an internal cooling fan designed to ensure proper ventilation and air circulation.
- Rated Voltage:110 - 120 V
- Rated Power:900 Watt
- Working Time:≤ 1 minute
- Protection:No
- Weight:3.7 lbs (1.7 kg)
- Cord Length:2.5 ft (0.8 m)
- Extra Feature:Silicon feet
Peaking around 900 watts, the motor is powerful enough to handle just about any blending project. However, be aware that it cannot run longer than 1 minute at a stretch. If more time is needed, you should allow the motor to cool down for 20-30 seconds before continuing with the next 1-minute interval. This will help protect your machine from being permanently damaged.
There are four silicone feet on the bottom of the base to keep it steady during operation. So far, ours hasn’t tried to bounce around on the counter even while tackling intensive tasks like crushing ice cubes.
The rubber gasket built around the top is also very helpful. It’s meant to hold the cup tightly to the base, reducing the risk of leakage. On the other hand, we’re quite disappointed about the power cord. It is so short that it often got pulled from the outlet while we were using it.
Blending Cup
- Material:Plastic
- Capacity:28.0 fl oz (828.1 ml)
- Weight:0.4 oz (11 g)
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
- Measurement:Yes
- Suitable For:Small and Medium batches
- Accessories:To-go lids
The set consists of two blending cups. They can work interchangeably with the blade assembly and two spout-flip lids that are extra included.
- Material:Plastic
- Capacity:32.0 fl oz (946.4 ml)
- Weight:0.8 oz (23 g)
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
- Measurement:No
- Suitable For:Small and medium batches
- Accessories:2 to-go lids, 2 cup rings, 2 handled rings
There are two identical blending cups with lids included. They both have a capacity of 32 oz and can be used interchangeably with the extractor blade. The to-go lids feature flip-top spouts and screw on tightly to seal well; we got no leakage even when we turned the cups upside-down. As a nice bonus, this blender also comes with removable lip rings, which make the cups easier to sip from directly.
Speed and Controls
- Control Type:Button
- Min Speed:N/A
- Max Speed:N/A
- Presets:No
- Noise Level:97 dB
- Digital Display:No
- Pulse Mode:No
The iCucina is a single-speed personal blender with one-touch operation. This means there is a pressing button in the front center that you’ll use to control the motor. More to the point, the button is very clicky so you don’t need much force to press.
- Control Type:Twist and Push
- Min Speed:RPM
- Max Speed:RPM
- Presets:No
- Noise Level:97 dB
- Digital Display:No
- Pulse Mode:No
This blender has one speed and doesn’t need a control panel. Just attach the blending cup to the blade, place it onto the motor base, push it down to start the motor, and twist it to lock it in place. This makes this NutriBullet a great choice for people who like simplicity and don’t care about advanced settings. You can also simulate pulse mode by pressing and releasing the cup in short intervals.
iCucina Bullet Personal Blender Usability Review
- Hand-Free Operation (60%)10/10
- Assembly (20%)8.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)8.5/10
- Hands-Free Operation (60%)10/10
- Assembly (20%)9.5/10
- Cleanability (20%)9.0/10
Hand-Free Operation
We like the smooth and non-intrusive operation of this blender. In particular, your iCucina will blend much more like a full-sized model since it doesn’t require you to press and hold the power button or the blending cup throughout the whole process like many rivals. Most impressively, food doesn’t too often get lodged under the blade and demands your intervention to resolve. Those suggest that you can possibly take your eyes off your blender to do other things while it is operating.
We awarded this blender maximum points for this category. It takes little effort on your part to get the job done.
While several personal blenders demand that we hold the cup in place throughout the operation in order to engage the motor, the NutriBullet Pro is more fun to use since you can take your hands off it once the cup is locked in place.
And as mentioned earlier, it never needed extra shaking or stirring to dislodge chunks trapped under the blades; it created an even blend entirely on its own.
Assembly
It is very easy to seal the cup with the blade assembly. Just align the grooves on the blade assembly with the appropriate grooves on the cup and then turn one of the two pieces clockwise until you feel they attach firmly together. Attaching the cup assembly to the motor base, on the other hand, takes quite some time to figure out how things work.
Assembly is the easiest part of using the NutriBullet Pro. Just screw the blade section onto your blending cup, turn it upside-down, and push it down onto the motor base to start blending. Twist clockwise to lock it in if you wish. To remove it, just twist counterclockwise and lift.
Cleanability
Except for the motor base, you can put everything in the dishwasher. The blending cup has a wide opening so you won’t have any difficulty reaching inside if cleaning by hand. Regarding the blade assembly, you have to remove the silicone gasket first. because this part is attached extremely tight, we found it is quite frustrating to get the job done, however. On the bright side, there isn’t much difficulty in wiping the blades’s backsides, especially when you have a bottle brush.
Cleaning this blender is easy. Simply place the pieces (except for the motor base and extractor blade) on the top rack of the dishwasher or hand wash with soapy water and rinse well.
Regarding the motor base, you can use a non-abrasive sponge or dish cloth dampened with soapy water. Wipe down exposed surfaces until clean. You may occasionally need a small brush to remove sticky debris from the white actuator tabs.
The extractor blade, on the other hand, is a little tricker to clean. We found it’s almost impossible to reach the blade’s underside unless you use a straw-cleaning brush.