Performance Comparison
Puree Quality
The puree quality of the BELLA Baby Rocket Blender leaves much to be desired when compared to the
Sage Spoonfuls Puree and Blend and the
Kidco Electric Food Mill. We ran into trouble with the BELLA right off the bat when attempting to blend anything fibrous or hard. This difficulty applied to blending grains as well. We often found ourselves opening the blender lid to push down pieces of the food we were trying to blend. For such a startlingly loud and powerful motor, we were unimpressed. We also tested the blending cups and ran into similar problems with consistency. Overall, the purees produced by this machine lagged behind the other blenders. We gave it the second lowest puree score out of all the products we tested, a 6/10.
A close up of our mango and yogurt puree.
Ease of Use
Using the BELLA is actually quite easy. It assembles quickly so parents can get right to work. One of our biggest complaints though, was the lack of an on/off switch. We did not like the fact that powering the machine on and off is done by plugging it into an outlet and unplugging it.
Ease of Cleaning
Cleaning the Bella proved to be a bit of a challenge. Getting between the blades was difficult, they're quite sharp (watch those fingers!). Most of the parts are dishwasher safe on the top rack, but we wouldn't risk it due to the smaller size of many of the parts. We gave it a score of 5/10.
Capacity
The BELLA has two different capacities: the blender can produce up to 3 cups of pureed food, and the included cups can produce up to 2/3 cup. We found about 2 cups of prepared food to be the sweet spot for the blender and filling the blender cups near capacity ensured they pureed food well. While this machine is capable of pureeing more food than the Kidco and the Sage Spoonfuls, it rarely did so successfully.
2/3 cup of mangos and plain greek yogurt, about to be pureed in one of the blending cups of the BELLA. We liked having the option to blend smaller portions of food, but found the device inconsistent in how well it blended and really, really noisy.
Durability
The BELLA comes across as durable. The plastic is fairly thick and the blades seem to be made well and remained sharp throughout the testing period. In our research we did notice a number of owners complain about the durability of their machines, citing short lifespan of the motor, and dull blades. Some parents reported cracking of the plastic after running the bowls and blades through their dishwasher on the top rack. We did not test the durability of the BELLA in our dishwasher for fear of rendering it useless. We did not experience this but found it noteable.
Portability
The BELLA is fine for keeping stationary in the kitchen, but it is a pain to move about. The number of accessories make it cumbersome to take on the road. To be fair, none of the blenders scored well in this category. We gave it a 5/10 because it could get away with being portable, but it really isn't designed to leave the kitchen.
Best Applications
The BELLA appears to be just a smaller version of your typical household blender.
The best application for the BELLA is strictly for its use as a blender of soft foods, such as well cooked vegetables, juicy meats, and soft fruits. We think you'd run the risk of burning out the motor should you try anything remotely course or challenging to blend. In truth, to us, this machine felt just like a miniature version of your household blender, dressed up to look like a product to be used for children.
Value
The BELLA lands on the lower end of price, costing about $39.00 at the time of this review. That does keep it affordable for families who are seeking a simple blender to make food for their baby and want something that looks child oriented, but we'd rather not settle.
Conclusion
While we did find some value in this machine, it is definitely not one we'd find ourselves recommending. This blending unit is extremely loud (louder than most household blenders), it lacks an on/off switch and it's just not as effective at blending as its counterparts, the Kidco Electric Food Mill or the Sage Spoonfuls Puree and Blend . While this unit is cute and offers a plethora of accessories, in the end, we do not think they are worth it. We think parents out there seeking to make food for their baby are better off spending the same amount of money (or less) on a higher performing product such as the Sage Spoonfuls, or the Kidco Electric Food Mill.
Other versions and accessories
The BELLA Baby Rocket Blender comes with the following accessories: Batch bowl with locking lid, two baby rocket blending cups, two baby rocket blending cup lids, one sippy cup lid with handles, three baby rocket 2 oz storage/feeding cups with lids, batch tray with lid, grinding blade, blending blade. The BELLA system does offer addition accessories on their website.
