For households that share a love for smoothies but have completely different tastes, a personal blender with multiple cups is exactly what you’re looking for. The Tribest Personal Blender PB-250-A Complete Blender and Grinder Package offers something everyone will appreciate.
Cut out cleaning the countertop blender between uses and make one smoothie after another with these individual Blend-N-Serve cups.
At A Glance
Pluses…
- Blends well
- Lightweight
- Includes 2 large and 2 small Blend-N-Serve cups
- 1-touch pulse blending
- Twist and lock continuous blending
And Minuses…
- Components take up a lot of cabinet space
- Lip of cup is awkward to drink from
Now that we’ve had a brief overview, let’s get into the details of each point.
A Powerful Little Machine
People love to call this blender a “little monster” or “beastie” because it packs a big punch in a little package.
Tribest Personal Blender & Grinder PB-250A Package available on Amazon
This Personal Blender Package has a 200-watt motor and two interchangeable blade bases, which gives the user the results they’re looking for. It also has a bit of a roar, but nothing like other models available on the market today.
The PB250 is incredibly easy to use. Just load up the Blend-N-Serve cup about 2/3 full, screw on the blade assembly, flip it upside down, lock it into the motor unit, and it blends.
Alternatively, pressing down and then letting up on the inverted cup engages the pulse function. Whether the user tosses in apples, carrots, or ice, this little product crushes it!
Portability
I know I’m not the only one who travels a lot, and I’m definitely not the only one annoyed by airport food. Not only are the prices inflated (Starbucks, you are pricey enough, stop it), but often the options aren’t satisfying (fruit cups) and/or healthy (you know the places).
Cue the Tribest PB-250. At 3 pounds, it’s a lightweight option that fits in most luggage easily. The commuter lid will let you bring a homemade dressing for salads (3.4 ounces or less). Or, if you load up with fresh fruit, you can blend up smoothies before a flight (blades need to go in checked luggage).
It’s well loved for the lightweight and compact design for travel, be it for hotel rooms or vacation homes.
Multiple Uses
Of course, blenders are best known for making fresh smoothies. But there’s so much more to do with this little appliance!
The 4-prong stainless steel blending blade is great for blending margaritas, making hummus, pureeing fresh baby food, and emulsifying homemade dressings.
The other base included is a 2-prong stainless steel grinding blade for dry grinding seeds and grains such as flaxseeds and oatmeal, or even coffee beans.
Compatibility
You might be like me and find yourself moving away from plastics in favor of glass storage jars. Tribest is totally on board as they offer a Mason Jar Attachment, which you can buy directly from the vendor.
The included blending jars are made from high impact BPA-free polycarbonate, so they’re virtually unbreakable. That’s great news for those of us who tend to bump things off the counter.
In case you’d like to purchase additional polycarbonate cups, these are also available for separate purchase.
Two Modes of Operation
The Tribest personal blender has two blending settings to meet your needs:
The first is a pulse setting. Just screw on the grinding lid, flip the bending cup upside down, set it in the motor base, and apply pressure to trigger the blending function. This delivers complete control over the blending or grinding.
The second setting lets you push down on the inserted blending cup and twist to lock the motor in blending mode. This is perfect for someone like myself, since I like to set it and toss the food waste while the smoothie blends. I don’t like to leave it running for too long, so I check it about every 15 to 20 seconds.
Note: While this model excels at making standard smoothies and shakes, it does not make a perfect green smoothie. Leafy greens like kale and spinach will blend, but not to a creamy consistency. There will be specks of greens, if not complete chewy pieces that would be difficult to coax up a straw.
Regardless of how long I blend it, green smoothies won’t reach that creamy consistency that my countertop Vitamix can deliver. Of course, it’s also important to remember this model is available for a fraction of the price.
Dimensions and Specs
The dimensions of the PB-250 are 5 x 5 x 12.3 inches, and altogether, the weight comes to a manageable 5.4 pounds.
Included in the Box:
- Personal Blender Motor Base (AC 120V, 60 Hz, 200W)
- One Stainless Steel Blending Blade Assembly (4-Pronged)
- One Stainless Steel Grinding Blade Assembly (2-Pronged)
- Two 16-ounce BPA-Free Large Cups
- Two 8-ounce BPA-Free Small Cups
- 3 Cup Lids
- One Commuter To-Go Lid
This complete package provides a lot of value. The only downside for me is that it takes up quite a bit of cabinet space.
I don’t typically store food in these containers, and I pour my smoothie into my favorite insulated double-walled travel tumbler, so the dishes can pile up.
But if you’re looking to use these cups regularly for food storage or drinking, this isn’t going to be a problem. and best of all, they can go in the dishwasher!
Warranty Information:
Tribest offers a 1-year limited warranty on their products, however these units tend to last a long time, often outliving even the blade assemblies.
Tribest sells replacement blade assemblies on their website, but oftentimes, even with daily use, customers don’t need these until around 6-10 years after purchase.
Care and Cleaning
That’s right, you know I’m happy about this: The blending cups and lids are top shelf dishwasher safe.
While the blade bases can be tossed in the washer too, it’s not a bad idea to hand wash them to keep the blades sharp.
The motor unit and power cord only need to be wiped down with a damp cloth when needed.
Techniques, Tips, and Tricks
For best results, don’t put anything hot in these cups to blend. The individual screw-on blender lids have one severe downside: they suction themselves closed if you try to process warm liquids.
As someone who has definitely tried to puree “cooled” soups, I’ve struggled to screw off the blade assembly. To date, the best method I’ve found for pureeing soup is the immersion blender.
For anything that’s room temperature or cooler, this product works incredibly well. The best results come when the blending jars are only filled about 2/3 full, and the mixture of ingredients includes a good portion of liquid.
I don’t care for runny smoothies, but I’ve noticed the PB-250 blends the frozen bits so well that the added almond milk doesn’t affect the consistency as much as I expected. I absolutely love that!
The Next Best Thing
Tribest offers the same motor unit in two other packages, but I don’t believe these provide as much value as the PB-250. However, I want to be certain you have all options presented to you so you can make the best informed decision, so here are the other available options:
Tribest Personal Blender PB-150 Package available on Amazon
The Tribest PB-150 Compact Blender Package offers the same 200-watt motor base, but it includes only one blade assembly and two 16-ounce blending cups.
I do acknowledge that fewer components take up less kitchen space, an important factor to keep in mind for those living in apartments, dorms, and small vacation homes. But the downside here is that it loses its multi-functionality as a grinding tool, and it’s more difficult to make multiple smoothies in one go.
Tribest PB-250XL-A Personal Blender Package with Extra-Large Cups available on Amazon
The Tribest PB-250XL-A pakage includes everything that comes with the PB-250, plus two jumbo 23-ounce BPA-free polycarbonate blending cups. Larger cups are generally appreciated, so this is something to consider if you’re looking to blend larger quantities to grab and go.
Compare and Contrast: Tribest Personal Blender PB-250 vs. Nutribullet Pro 900 Series
Perhaps you’re thinking the 200-watt motor might not have enough oomph to meet your smoothie needs. If you expect to be a little hard on your blender, I’d like to point you to a close competitor: the NutriBullet Pro 900 Series.
NutriBullet Pro 900 available from Amazon
The NutriBullet 900 is specifically designed to pulverize fruits (both frozen and fresh), vegetables, and ice to turn out beautiful smoothies and protein shakes. In addition to many similar package components, this competitor also offers no-spill travel lids. To learn more about the NutriBullet 900, read our full review of it here.
Foodal’s Rating
- Power
- Performance
- Settings
- Build Quality
- Warranty
- Future Proofing
- Value
Summary
Although it's not most powerful personal blender on the market, this little machine deserves a look, thanks to its low price point. If you need a device to crank out smoothies and single-serving mixed drinks, then the Tribest may be a good fit. The Tribest is a solid option if lightweight travel options fit your lifestyle, or you want to store a small blender in drawer or cabinet rather than leaving it out on the counter. It's not as powerful as the Nutribullet 900 – if you need something with more ooomph, then that's the model I'd recommend.
Before You Go…
For the option to make a variety of smoothies at once alongside other uses like spice grinding, the Tribest PB-250 Personal Blender is a great kitchen appliance. It’s lightweight, functional, and portable, which makes it a very attractive choice for active households. It may be small, but it can turn out big results!
Click here to check prices and read customer reviews on Amazon now
Do you have any questions about personal blenders we can answer for you? Give us a shout in the comments below. And make sure to check out Foodal’s Personal Blenders Buying Guide for more product options (coming soon!).
Photos by Mike Quinn, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Additional isolated photos courtesy of Tribest.
About Taylor Shaw-Hamp
Taylor Shaw-Hamp has loved food ever since she can remember. The more she grew, the more she discovered, and the more she had to know. Now she loves to write about her food adventures through recipes, product reviews, and blog posts. She can be found at local coffee shops across the world, so if you see her, stop by the table and say hi!
I am wanting a personal blender to make sauces and dressings using cashews and almonds in the mix do you recommend a tribest pb250 or nutribullet?
Caution this blender motor runs in a direction that loosens the lid and contents leak out