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PopBabies Portable Blender vs. iCucina Portable Bullet Side-by-Side Comparison




Our Verdict
- Performance (60%)2.3/10
- Design (25%)5.1/10
- Usability (15%)4.6/10
- Performance (60%)4.7/10
- Design (25%)7.7/10
- Usability (15%)9.3/10
The PopBabies’s cordless design is fairly convenient but provides disappointing practicality. Specifically, we found that its performance in the tests was suboptimal, making unsatisfactory shakes and smoothies. Nonetheless, this blender can still be an asset in simpler blends, such as on-the-go purees, as long as the ingredients are well-chopped.
Like the PopBabies, the BELLA is unsuitable for complex blending tasks, but in our testing, it slightly outperformed the competitor with smoother and more consistent blends. Additionally, its corded design guarantees a consistent and reliable power supply throughout the operation, which removes the risk of the battery running out of charge mid-blend, as can happen with the PopBabies blender.
PopBabies Portable Blender Performance
- Protein Shake (40%)2.8/10
- Frozen Fruit Smoothie (30%)4.0/10
- Fibrous Greens (20%)0/10
- Crushed Ice (10%)0/10
- 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
- Blending Time: 3 mins 20 seconds
- Result: Very Coarse
The testing of the PopBabies blender resulted in a disappointing outcome. Despite the blending session lasting for three minutes and twenty seconds, the oatmeal and almonds were blended well but the almonds remained largely intact, resulting in a chunky and texturally inconsistent shake.
One potential reason for this subpar testing performance is the blender's 175-watt motor, which appears to lack sufficient power to churn through such a tough ingredient. An inadequate blade design and jar shape can be factors that hinder the blender's efficiency as well.
However, it is important to note that the PopBabies blender had a notable advantage compared to other blenders. During the test, it did not become clogged with food, allowing the blades to turn smoothly and continuously, with minimal disruptions, except for the required idle blending time. Considering this, the PopBabies seems to be not a bad choice for those seeking a quick and convenient solution to make fruity work-out treats. To ensure the best possible results, just make sure to use only soft ingredients.
- 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.
Frozen Fruit Smoothie
- Blending Time: 2 mins
- Result: Smooth
- Suction:
The smoothie-making capability of the PopBabies was put to the test using four varieties of berries. Eventually, we found that this blender could achieve a smooth mixture within the allotted time of 2 minutes. That said, the final product did not meet our desired outcome of a thick, icy consistency due to the dilution caused by the fast-thawing nature of frozen fruits. Some other blenders we tested completed the task in only 1 minute so the smoothies they produced were perfectly ice-cream-like (for instance, the Ninja Fit, the NutriBullet, and the Ninja BN401).
Even worse, the blender itself couldn’t run smoothly, as opposed to the prior test with protein shakes. The fruits were so solid that the blades couldn’t power through so we had to intervene multiple times by shaking the cup vigorously. Nonetheless, we believe this blender still makes sense for all of us when it comes to preparing small batches of smoothies as long as our ideas of drinks involve fresh fruits instead of frozen ones.
- 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.
Fibrous Greens
- Blending Time: 20 seconds
- Result: Very Coarse
It is unclear why the PopBabies blade failed to spin at the outset of our test, but it is possible due to the small size of the blending cup and the large amount of greens we used. To get the food to circulate properly, we had to shake the cup vigorously, which was time consuming and left us underwhelmed, though, after several attempts, we finally got the blender to run for the required 20 seconds. Following this, we strained the mixture through a mesh strainer and were dismayed to find a significant amount of pulp still remained. This indicated that the blender didn’t extract the full range of nutrients and flavors from the greens. Apparently enough, if your aim is to maximize the nutritional value of your vegetables, this blender may not be an ideal choice.
- 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.
Crushed Ice
- Ice Fineness: Failed
- Unblended Ice: 100% of 6 oz
Given our experience with the blender in previous performances, it would have been reasonable to have low expectations for its capability in this test. However, we still gave it a fair shot.
And again, this blender became obstructed by the ingredients even when we had tried hard to shake the cup repeatedly. To be fair, though, personal blenders like this one are not designed for heavy-duty tasks like crushing ice due to their lack of power. Pushing your device beyond its limits can cause wear and tear that will inevitably impact its overall performance, even in more standard blending tasks. If you want fluffy, snow-like crushed ice or desire to incorporate ice into your smoothies, it may be worth investing in a high-performance blender, such as the Ninja Nutri Auto-IQ.
- 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.
PopBabies Portable Blender Design
- Blade (20%)6.0/10
- Build Quality (60%)6.5/10
- Blending Cup (20%)0/10
- Blades (20%)6.0/10
- Build Quality (60%)7.5/10
- Blending Cup (20%)10/10
In the Box of the PopBabies Personal Blender
- Motor base
- Blending cup
- Rubber funnel
- Ice cube tray
- Charging cable
- Recipe & user manual
- Motor Base
- Blade assembly
- Two blending Cup
- Two to-go lids
- User guide
Dimensions
- Height:10.2" (25.9 cm)
- Width:3.3" (8.4 cm)
- Weight:1.3 lbs (0.6 kg)
- Shaft Length:
- 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.
Build Quality
The PopBabies blender comes across as inexpensive, with the use of cut-rate materials. There are a lot of plastic parts that look cheap and are prone to scratching. Even after taking care to avoid using abrasive cleaning tools, we found multiple little scratches appeared on both the inner and outer surfaces. We were also disappointed to find that the cup did not hold up well over time as it somehow became cloudy with use, detracting from the overall appearance of the blender. The blade is adequate for the blender's price range, but it still lacks the sturdiness necessary for consistent performance found on higher-priced models.
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.
Blade
- Material:Stainless steel.
- Type:Sharp and Dull Blade.
- Guard Material:
- Blade Count:4
- Removable:No
- Dishwasher Safe:No
The PopBabies features a stainless steel blade assembly that is noticeably short and not very sharp compared to other personal blenders. While it may offer some benefits, we questioned whether this design could provide sufficient contact between the blades and ingredients for quick and even blending, and our experience with the blender confirmed that it was not as impressive as it may have appeared on paper. Furthermore, the blade assembly is permanently attached to the motor base, unlike most personal blenders. This makes it more challenging to clean the blades thoroughly, especially on the undersides.
- 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.
PopBabies Blender Motor Base
- Rated Voltage:N/A
- Rated Power:175 Watt
- Working Time:N/A
- Protection:Yes
- Weight:0.8 lb
- Cord Length:NaN" (NaN cm)
- Extra Feature:No
The motor has a peak power output of 175 watts. It has a 20-second idle blending time and shouldn’t run continuously for a long time per interval. In case it goes beyond the idle time frame, the blender will automatically stop and you will have to press the switch again should you want to continue blending. The safety mode is critical in preventing overloading and subsequent damage to the blender's components. Other blenders may rely on silicone feet for stability, but this model defies convention. Despite lacking this feature, we found it remained remarkably stable on the counter during all of its testing performance, with no significant movement to report. It's a small detail, but one that speaks to the blender's usability.
- 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.
Blending Cup
- Material:Plastic
- Capacity:16.0 fl oz (473.2 ml)
- Weight:0.5 oz (14 g)
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
- Measurement:Yes
- Suitable For:Small batches
- Accessories:A funnel
The blender comes with a 16-ounce capacity cup made of AS material. After rigorous testing, we found some areas being scratched, but it didn't affect the blender's performance in any way. The cup's lid provides a tight seal that prevents leaks, even during vigorous shaking or when the cup is turned upside down. To ensure optimal safety, it's essential to keep the lid securely closed and avoid adding ingredients while the blender is in operation. Additionally, the cup's small opening can make adding ingredients a bit challenging, but the included rubber funnel helps to prevent mess and spills.
- 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.
Speed and Controls of the PopBabies Portable Blender
- Control Type:Button
- Min Speed:N/A
- Max Speed:N/A
- Presets:No
- Noise Level:86 dB
- Digital Display:No
- Pulse Mode:No
The blender features a single-speed function that can be easily activated through a touch button. While it doesn't have a dedicated pulse function, you can still achieve a similar effect by rhythmically tapping the button in short bursts. Since the button requires only slight pressure to operate, you can get control over the blending process with ease.
- 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.
Battery
- Status Indicator:Yes
- Full Charging Time:3-4 hours
- Quick Charging Time:N/A
- Charger Adapter:N/A
- Charger Adapter Pin:USB-C, 5 V output
- Charger Length:
The PopBabies is equipped with a 4000mAh rechargeable battery, which requires a 3-4 hours charging time to reach its full capacity. The package doesn't include a charger, but you can charge the blender through any USB-C port using the supplied charging cable. This provides flexibility, allowing you to charge the blender using a variety of devices, including power banks and smartphone chargers.
PopBabies Portable Blender Usability Review
- Hands-Free Operation (60%)3.0/10
- Assembly (20%)7.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)7.0/10
- Hand-Free Operation (60%)10/10
- Assembly (20%)8.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)8.5/10
Hands-Free Operation
The PopBabies personal blender simplifies the blending process by allowing users to hit the power button instead of continuously holding it, as required by most traditional personal blenders. However, the device's cross blade is prone to clogs, which may impede the blending process when using solid ingredients such as hard nuts and root vegetables. Therefore, close monitoring of the blending process is necessary to detect obstructions early and prevent damage to the device.
In addition, the blender's automatic shut-off feature after 20 seconds of operation may inconvenience users as they have to press multiple times to resume blending, leading to a potentially impaired end-product quality. All things considered, hands-free operation alone cannot guarantee optimal convenience, and users must remain vigilant throughout the blending process.
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.
Assembly
Assembling the lid, cup, and motor is a simple task. Our recommendation is to attach the lid to the blending cup first, then secure the cup to the motor. However, keep in mind that the force required for tightening may pose a challenge for individuals with oily or wet hands. Furthermore, there is no audible "click" or visual cue to indicate whether the assembly was successful. The only way to know for sure is to press the power button. It's also important to note that simply tightening the cup to the motor for operation can be a safety risk, as it can easily be done by a child.
Disassembling the blender is equally effortless, just reverse the assembly process.
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.
Cleanability
The lid, funnel, and blending cup can be safely placed on the top rack, but it's recommended to wash them by hand with warm, soapy water to prevent rapid degradation. However, it can be a bit challenging, especially when it comes to cleaning the blade's undersides. The blade is permanently attached to the cup, making it difficult to clean its nooks and crannies. Not to mention, the small opening of the cup makes it hard to reach the blade. In this case, a bottle-cleaning brush is essential to ensure that the blade assembly is entirely free of any food debris.
We've also tried a water-only cleaning method, where we fill the blending cup half full with water and let it blend itself to remove food residues from the blade. However, we found that this method wasn't as effective as manually cleaning the blade under running tap water with a brush. This is especially true if you're dealing with tougher residues that the self-blending action alone can't remove.
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.