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KitchenAid Blade Review

A standard blade model that may be a bit more expensive than many are hoping
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Price:   $50 List | $49 at Amazon
Pros:  Cheaper than a burr model, very little spillage
Cons:  More expensive than many other blade models, inconsistent grinds
Manufacturer:   KitchenAid
By Max Mutter and Michelle Powell  ⋅  Oct 9, 2019
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48
OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#11 of 12
  • Grind Consistency - 35% 3
  • Cleanliness - 25% 6
  • User Friendliness - 25% 6
  • Noise - 15% 5

Our Verdict

Seeing as blade grinders are so much less consistent than burr grinders, they have to be impressively inexpensive in order to justify their existence. While the KitchenAid Blade is cheap, it's not quite as cheap as some other blade models that are on the market. Unfortunately, in our experience it also doesn't endear itself to its user enough in any specific capacity to justify that small extra cost. Therefore, if you're in the market for a blade grinder, we think there are better options out there.

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Our Analysis and Test Results

The KitchenAid Blade is a fairly standard blade grinder that costs a bit more than most comparable models and doesn't stand out in any particular category.


Likes


The major thing we like about the KitchenAid Blade is its price. It is much less expensive than even the most reasonably priced burr grinders on the market. However, this model does tend to sell for a tad more than most other blade grinders, so price alone isn't a reason to go with this machine.

We also found that the Blade's grind cup is easily removable, and small enough that you can conveniently pour your grinds into your brewer without spillage.

The grind cup is easily removable and provides a consistent predictable pour.
The grind cup is easily removable and provides a consistent, predictable pour.

Dislikes


Like all blade models out there, the KitchenAid Blade both fails to produce a consistent grind size, and tends to create different grind size profiles (i.e. the amounts of grinds within different size ranges) each time you grind. This results in a slightly different extraction everytime you make your coffee. This problem arises with every blade grinder, so if you want more consistency you will have to pay more for a burr.

Fine grounds can clump up and be hard to clean.
Fine grounds can clump up and be hard to clean.

The biggest pain we encountered when using this machine was cleaning out the grind cup and the blades themselves. The machine tends to create a lot of fines (coffee dust) that stick to the blades and cup that must be removed with a cloth or brush. This problem gets even worse if you're using particularly oily coffee, as the oil can combine with the fines to create a hard to clean sludge.

The Blade creates a lot of fines and leaves a lot of large chunks as well.
The Blade creates a lot of fines, and leaves a lot of large chunks as well.

Value


In the world of blade grinders, the KitchenAidBlade's cost is slightly above average, but not outrageously so. Most blade grinders are quite similar to one another, and we have seen lower-priced models perform similarly or slightly better than the KitchenAid Blade. Therefore, while we don't think you'd be overpaying if you went with this model, you can save a bit of money without making any performance sacrifices with some of the other models on the market.

Conclusion


The KitchenAid Blade performs about as well as one would expect a blade grinder to at a slightly above average cost. This makes it a slightly less enticing option for those in the market for a blade grinder.

— Max Mutter and Michelle Powell