Are you trying to find a blender that can be used for pretty much any culinary purpose? Ninja makes several wonderful and flexible options, such as the BL770 and BL494.
However, it’s not easy to tell what the differences are between them at a glance. In this article, we’ll compare and contrast the Ninja BL770 vs. BL494, giving you an overview of their qualities before diving into their differences and similarities.
By the end of this guide, you should have a clearer idea of which is best for you. Let’s take a closer look.
Ninja BL770 vs. BL494 Summary
The Ninja BL770 is one of Ninja’s most versatile models. With a traditional blender, food processing, and single-serve attachments, you can use it in a huge variety of recipes. To top that all off, it has a mighty 1500-watt motor that can chew up the toughest ingredients without breaking a sweat.
If the BL770 can be called flexible, you’ll be impressed by the increased versatility of the Ninja BL494. It also has a blending pitcher, personal-sized cups, and a food processor. Furthermore, it has an extra blend setting and a timer that promotes consistency in everything you make.
It’s hard to pick between these two wonderful blenders, but if we had to, we’d go with the BL494.
You’re sacrificing a little bit of power when you choose it, but you’re gaining more accuracy and flexibility. The timer will help you make consistently good dishes each time, and the addition of the puree setting and boost button gives you more options to play with.
Want to read more about Ninja blenders? Use this link to navigate to our post on the best Ninja blender.
Related Article: Ninja BL660 vs. Nutribullet Pro: Which One is Better for You?
Best For Versatility And Accuracy
Ninja BL494
- It has multiple attachments to use for many culinary uses.
- The fairly strong motor can power through just about any ingredient.
- The auto IQ boost button lets you customize the fineness of your blend.
Great Value
Ninja BL770
- A few attachments for versatile uses, including to-go cups, a food processor, and a standard blender pitcher
- The amazing 1500-watt motor can chew through the toughest ingredients.
- Suction cup feet keep it firmly in place on your counter.
Similarities
Auto IQ Settings
If you’re new to blenders, you’ll love how easy the BL770 and BL494 are to incorporate into your daily routine. This is because they both have Auto IQ settings.
What does that mean? It just means that instead of just having numbers or dials, the blend settings are neatly labeled. Each is meticulously designed for a specific recipe, such as dough, frozen drinks, or purees.
It’s important to mention, though, that while they both have Auto IQ settings, the specific settings they have to vary. The BL770 has dough, blend, crush, single-serve, and pulse controls. On the other hand, the BL494 has puree, extract, dough, smoothie, frozen drink, and pulse settings.
Pitcher Capacity
Have you ever had to prepare food for a larger number of people in an appliance that couldn’t make enough at once? We know we have, and there’s something uniquely frustrating about having to make multiple batches. At the very least, it’s time-consuming, and you can’t always guarantee consistency between batches.
Both the BL770 and BL494 have a solution for this problem: large blending pitchers. With a 72-ounce capacity (and 64-ounce liquid capacity), either one of them can blend more than enough to serve your friends and family. Having to make multiple batches will be nothing more than a distant memory.
Stacked Blades
Most blenders have blades nestled in the bottom of the blending pitcher. One of the flaws with this setup is that chunks are often left behind because the blades don’t reach high up enough.
This is why even some of the most expensive and powerful blenders end up needing tampers. A tamper pushes any errant chunks down to a level that can be reached by the ring of blades on the bottom.
The good news is you won’t need a tamper with the BL770 or BL494. Their blades go up a tower in the middle of the pitcher instead of being stuck to the bottom. Because of this, they’re able to reach all of your ingredients, slicing through any lingering pieces.
Food Processing Bowl
Another thing both these blenders come with is a food processing bowl. It gives you tons more uses for your blender.
Rather than just being limited to making an occasional smoothie or drink, you can bring out the food processor for anything that needs blending or mixing. We’re impressed that you can even make the dough in it.
Recipe Guides
We know as well as anyone else that sometimes, your ideas are thin on the ground. When you’re feeling uninspired, both the BL770 and BL494 can stir up some creativity.
They both come with 30-recipe inspiration guides. If you find that you’re not sure what to do with your Ninja, flip through the recipe guide for some delicious suggestions.
Suction Cup Bases
Knocking it over is a potential issue with any appliance that gets as tall as a blender. And if you have kids or curious cats, you can rest assured your blender will get bumped at some point.
Even if you don’t have kids or cats, it’s easy to run into things in small kitchens. Your BL770 or BL494 is prepared for this eventuality with the suction cups on their base.
Either blender can adhere to your countertop, keeping them firmly in place. Bumping into them won’t send them clattering to the floor, spraying your smoothies everywhere.
Pour Spouts
Pour out smoothies, sauces, and purees can get messy if you’re not careful. The mixtures can run down the side of the pitcher or splatter on your floors and counter.
These Ninjas aren’t just powerful – they’re friendly to your counters, too. Their built-in pour spouts mean you can quickly and easily serve your recipes without making a mess.
Recommended Article: Ninja BL770 vs. BL660: Which One Should You Pick?
Differences
Motor Power
While both these blenders are strong, there is a difference in power level. The BL770 wins in terms of power with its 1500-watt motor.
This is one of the most powerful Ninja blenders you can find. It can pulverize just about anything you need to blend, including traditionally difficult ingredients like ice.
In comparison, the BL494 has a 1200-watt motor. This is still stronger than the average blender, and you shouldn’t find yourself struggling with day-to-day blending on it.
Single-Serve Cup Sizes
These blenders include single-serve cups that are perfect for small frozen drinks and smoothies. The difference comes down to how large those cups are.
The BL770 comes with two 16-ounce cups. To put that into perspective, that’s about as large as a medium-sized coffee in many national chains.
In comparison, the BL494 includes 24-ounce personal cups. This is about the size of a large coffee in national chains. If you’re looking for something filling, a smoothie in one of these cups should do the trick nicely.
Number of Blend Settings
While either blender has Auto IQ settings, there is a difference in the number of available settings between the blenders. The BL770 has a maximum of five blend settings to choose from: dough, blend, crush, single-serve, and pulse.
The BL494 has one extra setting and a couple of others that are different. You can choose from puree, extract, smoothie, frozen drink, dough, and pulse. It also has an extra Auto IQ boost button, which helps blend your ingredients more finely.
These additional settings give you some more flexibility. The more flexible your blender is, the more you can use it.
Ninja BL494 Timer
The BL494 has a built-in timer with the Auto IQ system that shows how long the blender has been running. When the timer is done, the blender automatically stops.
It’s nice to see the length of time you’ve been blending for because it helps you ensure consistent quality. After making it the first time, you’ll always know exactly how long a particular recipe should be blended for.
Further Reading: Ninja BL770 vs. BL771: Which One Should You Pick?
Which One Should You Choose?
So, how do you know which one to choose? While these blenders are quite similar, there are certainly differences between them that you can home in on.
First, consider the power. If you want the greatest amount of power, then you’ll want to choose the BL770 because it has 300 more watts in its motor than the BL494. This might be important to you if you’re planning to blend tricky ingredients like ice and frozen fruit frequently.
But the more versatile of the two blenders are the BL494. This is the one to go with if you want something you’ll be able to use more frequently. Its extra blend settings naturally give it more possible uses.
Furthermore, the timer on the BL494 makes it great for guaranteeing equally tasty results every single time. You’ll always know how long something is blended for, giving you a higher level of accuracy.
Which one is our recommendation? We prefer the Ninja BL494. The increased flexibility and precision could help us make constantly delicious recipes time after time.
Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
