Best Portable Blender Overall: Ninja Blast Max

Does this not jibe with your past experience with cordless blenders? Reader, I agree. It's a young technology, and most past (and current!) cordless blenders are a disappointment, especially compared to the best blenders that plug into the wall—which are often as much as a hundred times more powerful. But I found that our two top cordless blenders were far superior to the rest, after testing eight of the most promising contenders for battery life, ice crushing, smoothie and milkshake consistency, and all-round blender vortexing.

That said, it's worth considering whether you actually need a cordless blender for blending on the go—or just a small personal blender that performs much better and whose blending chamber can transform magically into a drinking cup to go. WIRED has been testing personal blenders for years, and our top pick, the Nutribullet Ultra ($164), just might be the high-powered, sippy-cup ...