Vitamix Professional Series 750

(Image credit: Amazon) Is a $450 blender worth the money? It is if you choose the right one, says Consumer Reports. But you can also pay far less and get top performance. The magazine rated both personal blenders that make smoothies and premium mega-blenders that can cost hundreds of dollars.

Real Simple gave 52 blenders a whirl. These five crushed (then frappéd and liquefied) the competition.

Midpriced blenders good for smoothies, frozen drinks, more Midpriced blenders should crush ice with ease, obliterate frozen fruit and whip up a mean margarita -making them the perfect model for most users. Finding a good midpriced blender that meets these criteria has been no easy feat.

In Consumer Reports' latest blender Ratings, featuring a dozen new models and a slightly revised scoring system, a $60 blender and one costing $450 are tied for first place, ahead of eleven other recommended models. We also reveal a number of duds, including one from Food Network celeb Sandra Lee that sets a new low for underachievement.