Breville BBL920BST Super Q Blender for Kitchens, Black Stainless Steel

Why it's worth it

The Super Q wraps an 1800-watt motor in a sound enclosure that drops it from leaf-blower territory to something closer to a loud conversation. It's the answer if a roommate, a neighbor or a sleeping toddler is the reason you don't blend in the morning.

Noise is the main reason people stop using a high-performance blender, and the Super Q is the only machine here that takes it seriously. The integrated sound enclosure knocks roughly 15 decibels off what an open-jar blender puts out — the difference between something you hear two rooms away and something you mostly notice in the kitchen. Owners who chose it specifically over a Vitamix for this reason say it was the right call.

The motor is not a compromise made in exchange for quiet. At 1800 watts with high blade-tip speed under load, it handles kale, chard and frozen fruit without complaint, and published reviews rank its smoothie texture right behind the Vitamix machines. There are 12 speeds and five one-touch programs, including two smoothie cycles that ramp slowly before going to full speed — which is exactly the sequence that keeps green flecks out of the glass.

From our review of 5 countertop blenders for smoothies, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +Noise is the main reason people stop using a high-performance blender, and the Super Q is the only machine here that takes it seriously
• +The motor is not a compromise made in exchange for quiet
• +You also get a personal blender attachment in the box, and the base recognizes which container is attached and adjusts accordingly
• +The Breville is the best-looking machine in this guide, for whatever that's worth to you

What to know

• –The two-year warranty is the problem
• –The enclosure that buys you quiet also eats your counter
• –Not everyone finds it as quiet as advertised