Review: Russell Hobbs Mix & Go

The whole world appears to be going smoothie-mad at the moment, and it seems that it's infectious. Working in London, it's impossible to walk 3 metres down the street without passing a sleek and slender individual who happens to be carrying a brightly coloured and almost impossibly fresh concoction of fruit and vegetables that would cause Del Monte to go green with envy.

The Backstory

[You could probably skip this if you have no interest in my life and just want to know how the product fares.]

As someone who often has to start work at 0730am [no, I can't quite fathom how I do it either], breakfast can be a bit of a chore. In days of old, I would have skipped it altogether, and just allowed my stomach to provide what sounded like a loud and intrusive percussion solo until lunch, when I'd finally settle down for something to eat. However, after a few years of "growing up", and with the occasional nag from my mother, I've come to realise that breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day. Over the past months, I've been continuously buying Nature Valley granola bars, and would scoff these, albeit hurriedly, on the way to work.

Sadly, while these bars taste rather nice, I'm sure one of them could potentially soak up the entire Atlantic Ocean if it was left there long enough. Sick to death of breakfast-induced cotton-mouth, and desperately searching for some way to get my 5 a day, one of my colleagues came to the rescue. Long story short, after seeing them whipping up some heavenly and hunger-killing concoctions with the company blender [yes, I do have a blender where I work, and yes, you should be jealous], I've been bitten by the smoothie bug, hence why I've purchased the Russell Hobbs Mix and Go.

What does it do?

The Russell Hobbs Mix and Go truly is one of those "does what it says on the tin" types of products. It allows you to blend smoothies, juices, and even cocktails quickly. The product's USP [which isn't so unique - but we'll get on to that later] is that you blend drinks directly in the bottles you'll drink them out of. This means no faffing about with extra attachments, no more using giant jugs, and it also means (thank the Lord) less washing up! 

In the box, you receive two blending/drinking bottles with two drinking lids, one 'blending' lid [with blades to blend the fruit] and the actual blending unit itself, which plugs into a wall socket and does the actual blending.

In order to make a smoothie [or juice, or cocktail], you just put your ingredients in the bottle, put the 'blending' lid on the bottle, turn it upside down and align it with the arrow on the blending unit, and push down to activate the spinning motor. For a hands-free blending experience, you can twist the bottle clockwise to ensure the motor spins without you pushing down. 

Once you take a look at the unit, it doesn't take an engineering graduate to understand that the little plastic nubs on the outside of the blending lid lock with the grooves on the blending unit to spin the blades inside the bottle. And before you know it, your smoothie's made in front of your eyes.

As soon as you feel your drink is smooth enough, take the bottle off of the blending unit, unscrew the 'blending' lid off the bottle, replace it with the drinking lid, and sip to your heart's content.

So how does it do?

This blender is quite a specialist machine... and that's a polite way of saying that it's a one trick pony. This machine is purely for liquid, and is about as useful as a chocolate ashtray for blending mostly solid items. This means that most of your smoothies will have to be quite watery, and finding the right liquid-to-solid ratio is incredibly infuriating over the first few uses.

Since this is mostly a trial-and-error process, expect to be screwing and unscrewing the 'blending' lid several times while you make your smoothie - be careful, though. Sometimes it can become cross threaded and attempt to unscrew itself when you next blend with it, spraying copious amounts of bright, fruity liquid absolutely everywhere. [Fun fact, I once got a smoothie splash on my forehead and managed to go the entire day without noticing. Wait, I probably shouldn't have told you that...].

Be afraid... be BERRY afraid... of your
frozen stuff sticking to the bottle!

At the same time, frozen ingredients [such as frozen berries - which take the hassle out of getting an ice cold yet healthy drink] tend to stick to the sides of the bottle quite well, so a long spoon to prod these free always comes in handy if you're in a pinch and don't want a tonne of solids at the bottom of your bottle. On that note, it's worth mentioning that your smoothies will never truly be 100% solid free - I've found that seeds in berries tend to survive the blending process, and you'll probably want to carry a personal supply of toothpicks if these become your fruits of choice.

Despite the scientific trials and tribulations in what state you'd like your smoothie to finally become, the portability of the bottles means that you will forgive any shortcomings during the blending process. Other than the blades in the 'blending' lid, there's nothing to wash up until you've finished your beverage, which is definitely music to my ears. But a word of warning: when you do go to clean the bottle, you'll need to invest in a bottle brush, as unless you're the child of a Borrower and a Hobbit, you'll struggle to get your hand into the long, narrow bottle. The crevices in the 'drinking' lid can become a bit annoying when it comes to tiny pieces of fruit residue, so a scourer might come in handy, too.

The lid itself is leak proof, and hasn't let me down over the past month - no awkward moments on the tube where I have bright pink liquid seeping out of my bag... which is... handy.

"Ravi, I made a pact never to buy a Russell Hobbs product ever again, but I like the sound of this product."

Fear not. The Breville Blend-Active does pretty much exactly the same thing in exactly the same way. However, some online reviews have stated that the blending unit can develop some issues in some cases - so be vigilant!

Summary

All in all, the Russell Hobbs Mix & Go is a nifty little product for those who are already smoothie-fanatics, or those who want to start getting their fruit in a more convenient way. While it's a bit of a one-trick-pony, it does what it does reasonably well, with the occasional hiccup.

Rating: 7/10

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Healthcare Hypocrisy

"You dirty thieves! You dirty thieves! You dirty thieves!"

How things have changed since Obama's election over a year ago. A public, which, then, could never be more together, has slowly turned into a public that could never be more apart. An electorate which, then, voted Obama in for healthcare reform, has silently been wishing to impeach him on the same issue. A country, which, then, was proud to be making history, has become a country of regret.

Obama, to Americans, was an inspiration, a whirlwind, and a star. But recently, views have changed. Rather unfairly, in my opinion, Americans are turning their back on the president, and- even more importantly- the health care reform that was a key point in the election. Even in Texas, where many children are unprotected by the existing health insurance scheme, as well as the rest of the country, where insurance companies are well renowned for turning down claims, there is high opposition for a universal healthcare system, which could, potentially, save the lives of millions.

There are various points that those in denial of the proposal are using to back up their staunch opposition. One of these, is the fact that they see the NHS (which has been used as a big example) as a shambolic excuse for a healthcare system. Although we Brits do complain about the National Health Service, I think we can all admit that we are extremely lucky to have it; instead of being in a position of having to pay extra, and letting capitalism decide our health. I'll admit that it's not perfect- but what is? Even those with private healthcare have a lot to complain about, and there are various NHS sucess stories.

Americans (as you may see from the quote at the start of the post) do not want to have their money taken from their wages. Although this is extremely understandable in the current economic climate, I'm going to end this post with one question to you:

If you're so opposed to paying for a service that'd help millions; why are you not so concerned about paying for an illegal war that kills millions?

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