The Black & Decker ProBlend BL3900 is a dual-purpose blender that comes with two carafes -- a traditional glass carafe and a stainless-steel carafe.

The ProBlend BL3900 is styled in beautiful brushed stainless steel with an elegant gray and black touchpad control panel. We loved the design of the 8-1/10x7-1/2-inch oval base, which has curved edges with a sloped straight-edge front panel. The height of the fully assembled unit is 15-2/5 inches. The die-cast base is heavy enough to sit firmly on the countertop during use but not so heavy as to be unwieldy.

The front panel has seven buttons, including five traditional speeds and two specialty speeds: Pulse and Ice Crush. There is also an Off button to stop blending at any time.

We found the motor to be reasonably quiet, especially on the lowest speeds. Plus, with 550 watts, the ProBlend BL3900 is plenty powerful. It can handle all manner of blending tasks, including easy chores such as mixing instant protein shakes, as well as more difficult chores such as blending frozen daiquiris and fruit smoothies.

Our testers put the unit through its paces with tasks ranging from easy (mixing powdered milk) to extremely difficult (crushing ice). The ProBlend stood up to all our tests without stalling or straining. It even managed the ice crush task without the addition of water; however, we noted a few chunks of ice were not 100 percent chopped. There were also a few scant particles of ice in the finished smoothie, but nothing larger than a pea.

The stainless-steel blade has a dual-edge, four-point, two-plane design. The combination of the tapered jar with the blade creates a whirlpool effect in the blender so that mixtures are pulled in from the center. Even so, it's possible for smaller food pieces and ice particles to dance around the blades and remain unprocessed. Overall, however, we were pleased with the performance.

One especially nice feature of this unit is the inclusion of the extra stainless-steel carafe, which excels at mixing icy cold milkshakes. The stainless-steel carafe has a capacity of 48 ounces (6 cups) and uses the same blade assembly and lid as the glass blending jar. This means you can't use both jars simultaneously unless you first empty one jar, then remove the blade assembly and attach it to the other jar.

The blender's five continuous speeds include Puree, Whip, Mix, Grate, and Blend. The Pulse button is a welcome addition and provides excellent startup mixing, especially when mixing solids and liquids. The touchpad control panel is not only easy to use but also easy to wipe clean after blending is complete.

All in all, the Black & Decker ProBlend BL3900 does an excellent job with a variety of blending tasks. Its powerful motor glides through most chores in just seconds. For the price, this unit is an excellent value.


Pros: Powerful 550-watt motor, 48-ounce glass carafe and 48-ounce stainless-steel carafe, brushed stainless-steel housing, touchpad control panel
Cons: Two jars can't be used simultaneously, smaller ice pieces remain in finished blend

Warranty
1 year, limited