Description
The Nutri Ninja BL642 is the two format Ninja: a full size crushing blender and a single serve extractor sharing one motor base. Ninja records a 2.1 liter capacity, dimensions of 17.5 inches deep by 10 wide by 7 tall, a black color, three speeds, 120 volts, corded electric power, BPA free materials, stainless steel blades, a listed weight of 10.1 pounds, SharkNinja as manufacturer, a China country of origin, model number BL642 and first availability in September 2014. Included are a 1200 watt motor base, a 72 ounce Total Crushing pitcher, 18, 24 and 32 ounce to go cups, three spout lids, a Pro Extractor blade assembly and a recipe book.
What it is and where it fits in a home
The dual format is the whole proposition. A 72 ounce pitcher for family batches, and three cups you blend directly into and drink from, which removes the wash a large pitcher for one drink problem that defines every jug blender including the Ninja BL610.
The published dimensions cannot be right. A 7 inch height is shorter than the 32 ounce cup, let alone the 72 ounce pitcher on a motor base, and the 17.5 inch figure recorded as depth is much more plausible as the assembled height. Read the numbers as transposed and plan on an assembled height around 17 inches, which means it will not fit under a wall cabinet with 15 inches of clearance.
Living with it day to day
Two blade assemblies come in the box and they do different jobs. The Total Crushing assembly in the pitcher is a stacked blade column for ice and frozen fruit. The Pro Extractor assembly for the cups is a different geometry aimed at breaking down whole fruit, seeds and skins in a smaller volume. Swapping between them takes seconds and both are sharp loose assemblies that need care in the sink.
In daily terms the cups get used far more than the pitcher in most households, because a single smoothie is a two minute job with nothing to wash except the cup you drank from. The pitcher comes out for a family batch or a pitcher of frozen drinks.
Three speeds is the fewest of the Ninja machines in this catalog, and it is enough for a crushing blender used in bursts. Anyone wanting graduated control should be looking at a ten speed machine such as the Vitamix VM0197 Explorian.
The 1200 watt figure comes from the included components description as a 1200 watt motor base rather than from a wattage specification field, which is worth knowing when comparing against machines quoting peak wattage. Ninja publishes no decibel rating and this class of machine is loud.
Capacity in everyday terms is the other thing to weigh. The 72 ounce pitcher fills four to six glasses in one run, while the three cups cover a single serving each at 18, 24 and 32 ounces. That range is the practical reason to own this rather than one format or the other: a weekday morning uses a cup, a weekend batch uses the pitcher, and nothing gets washed that did not need to be. The tradeoff is storage, because four vessels, two blade assemblies and four lids all have to live somewhere, and in a small kitchen that cupboard space is a genuine cost a single pitcher machine does not impose.
Controls and what works without an app
Nothing here connects to anything and nothing should. No app, no Wi-Fi, no display, no account. Three speeds and a pulse function on the base are the entire interface, and they will still work identically in ten years.
There are no Auto-iQ preset programs on this model, unlike the Ninja BN701 in the same family, so every blend is a manual choice of speed and duration. That is a simpler machine rather than a worse one, and for a household that uses the same two settings every day it is arguably the better interface. The connected blenders in this catalog, such as the Vitamix A3300, put their electronics into container recognition rather than control, which is a sensible limit for a tool used in thirty second bursts.
Running cost and upkeep
No consumables, no filters, no descaling and nothing on a schedule. Electricity is negligible for an appliance that runs in bursts.
The parts that wear are the two blade assemblies, which eventually dull, the gaskets in the pitcher lid and the cup lids, which are the usual source of leaks, and the drive couplings between the base and each vessel. With two vessel types there are more couplings and more gaskets than on a single format blender, which is the durability cost of the flexibility. All are widely available on a model sold since 2014.
The dishwasher safe parts make the cups practical for daily use, since a cup that goes in the machine gets used and one that needs hand washing does not.
Electrically, Ninja publishes 120 volts, which is more than most small appliance listings in this catalog. It does not publish the amperage, and the 1200 watt figure sits in a component description rather than a rating field, so it should not be used to plan a circuit. The rating plate on the base is the source.
Highlights
- Two formats on one base, so single drinks do not require washing a 72 ounce pitcher.
- Three cup sizes at 18, 24 and 32 ounces, all with spout lids for drinking directly.
- Two different blade geometries for crushing and for whole fruit extraction.
- Voltage is published, and parts are widely available on a model sold since 2014.
- A simple three speed interface with nothing to configure or pair.
Things To Consider
- The published dimensions list a 7 inch height, which is impossible for this machine.
- The 1200 watt figure appears in a component description rather than a wattage field.
- Three speeds is the least graduated control of any Ninja here.
- Two vessel types means more gaskets and couplings that can eventually leak or wear.
- No amperage and no noise figure is published anywhere.
Who it is not for
Anyone who only ever makes single drinks is paying for a pitcher they will not use, and the personal size blender category covers that need more compactly. Anyone making nut butters or hot soup needs a tamper equipped machine rather than a crushing blender. Anyone with limited cabinet clearance should note the real assembled height rather than the published figure. And anyone who wants preset programs should compare against the countertop blender category where several machines offer them.
