Ninja blenders feature a unique "stacked blade" assembly consisting of multiple sharp blades mounted at different heights inside the container—or "Total Crushing Technology" as the company calls it. Many Ninja blenders do perform very well overall in Consumer Reports' blender tests. The drawback is that the knife-like assembly isn't anchored in any way to the container, raising the risk of laceration. That's led to the announcement from Ninja that, in accordance with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, it is recalling a dozen blender models, following 53 reports of injury.
This recall is different from most in that Ninja isn't actually telling consumers to stop using their blenders, nor is it issuing a stop sale with retailers. Instead, it's giving customers a revised safety warning.
Specifically, Ninja owners are being told to "empty the blender's pitcher through the locked lid's pour spout, or by removing both the lid and the stacked blade assembly from the pitcher before pouring."
Every Ninja blender we've tested features the same stacked-blade assembly, including the Ninja Professional NJ600 blender not listed in the recall. A company representative told to us that manuals for all models will eventually be updated with the same safety warning.
Ninja is the only manufacturer we know of that uses a blade assembly that isn't locked into the container during use. Its blades are also sharper than many other blenders, especially those with a blunt blade assembly that's designed to pulverize food by spinning at high speeds, rather than slicing through it.
That being said, all blenders can cause injury. Indeed, blender injuries result in thousands of emergency-room visits each year. Many of these injuries occur during washing.
With Ninja blenders, it's best to use a dishwashing utensil to avoid direct hand contact with the blades; do the same with blenders with removable blade assemblies. When the blade assembly can't be removed, we advise adding soapy water to the container and running the blender until the container and blades are clean, instead of washing by hand.
