Ninja BN801 vs SS401 Comparison & Review: Which Is The Better Blender & Food Processor For Daily Use?

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What if I told you that you can get more power but you don’t have to spend as much money? Between the Ninja BN801 vs SS401, the Ninja SS401 is surprisingly more powerful (1,600W motor) with more automatic programs to use than the BN801.

While both the Ninja BN801 vs SS401 are smart home blenders with multiple blending capacities, the latter is more equipped at handling versatile blending tasks. It can also chop, slice, shred, and grate ingredients on top of blending.

The good thing about using these Ninja blenders is that they are not too expensive. And yet you can use them for hundreds of recipes without any hassle. With a few more automatic blending modes, the Ninja SS401 is the better opponent.

Ninja BN801 vs SS401: Comparision Chart

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Ninja BN801 vs SS401: Differences

The Ninja SS401 wins 2 – 1 against the BN801. They are both blenders and food processors with multiple blending jars and blades. But the SS401 comes with more programmability and motor power. It is also better-equipped at handling meal preps which is something that most enthusiastic cooks want.

1. Blending Performance

The Winner: Ninja SS401

Ninja SS401 Blending Performance
Ninja SS401 Blending Performance

+Motor Power

The Ninja SS401 is equipped with more power and versatility than the BN801. It functions like a beast, users say. With a 1,600W motor, it does the job of a blender, food processor, grater, chopper, slicer, mixer, and lots more.

The Ninja BN801, on the other hand, features a 1,400W motor. It’s just as powerful for enhanced and consistent blending. The 1,400W motor capacity can easily crush ice, chop veggies, puree fruits, and do lots more that standard blenders cannot do.

So if the goal is to find a powerful blender that can do perform a variety of tasks without overloading or overheating, then Ninja SS401 is more equipped for it.

 Even more so because I find that the SS401 has the SmartTorque feature that uses higher speed to ensure that the blades can cut through anything.

+Blades

The Ninja SS401’s package has more blades and discs for its users than the BN801.

The BN801 features 4 blades that are designed to carry out a variety of tasks. Starting with processing different types of food, including chopping and pureeing. Next, it can extract maximum nutrients from smoothies and fruit juices. It has a separate blade for mixing dough and making butter.

In total, these 4 blades can do everything from liquefying fruits and vegetables, crushing ice, making dough, churning butter, chopping, and blending smoothies, sauces, etc.

The SS401, on the other hand, is far more versatile and multi-functional. It has 5 different blades with 2 grating/slicing discs. The blades are sturdy enough to perform the same functions as the BN801: chopping, dough, blending, mixing, pureeing, and crushing.

But the 2 easy-to-remove and clean discs are new. With them, you can grate cheese, slice, and expertly shred ingredients automatically. This is of big help during meal prep. You can shred, slice, and grate directly into the large pitcher. This creates less of a mess on the kitchen counter. Another serious advantage for those of you who have loads of meal prep to do on a regular basis.

+Cost

The cost of the Ninja SS401, despite it having more power and programmability than the Ninja BN801 is more affordable. Though the difference is not very significant between both Ninja blenders, it is the more comfortable option for some buyers out there.

The Ninja BN801 costs around $200 while the SS401 costs $180. Both feature the same warranty period so to extend to more years, you pay more for the BN801 than the SS401. This gives the SS401 an advantage for buyers looking for a budget-friendly kitchen blender/food processor.

2. Controls / Settings

The Winner: Ninja SS401

Ninja SS401 Controls
Ninja SS401 Controls

+Pre-Programmed Blending Modes

The Ninja BN801 features 5 program settings with icons for achieving specific textures. These program settings have their own unique speed. So you don’t have to manually control the speed if you want to make say a smoothie or chop veggies.

When it comes to doing something delicate like chopping vegetables, you can make the mistake of amping up the speed and turning the veggies into mush in a matter of seconds. But thanks to the pre-programmed settings, this takes away the guesswork.

With the BN801, you can make smoothies, crush ice, make nutrient-dense fruit juices, chop vegetables and fruits, and finally, mix batter for dough at the touch of a button. Each blending mode has a delicious icon that you need to press on.

Below it, you have the variable speeds from low, medium, high, and pulse. That’s for direct but manual control. It definitely adds more versatility.

On the SS401, not only is the control panel different from the BN801, it also has 2 more program settings. The SS401 can perform more pre-programmed functions than the BN801.

It has different default speed settings for spreads, smoothie bowls, nutrient-dense extractions, fruit smoothies, chopping, and dough. It also has a special mode for when you want to use the grating/slicing/shredding disc.

On top of that, you can adjust the speed, length of the blend, and even change the speed midway with the help of the rotary dial. It’s more intricately programmed than the BN801, that’s for sure.

3. Utilities

The Winner: Ninja BN801

Ninja BN801 Utilities
Ninja BN801 Utilities

+Food Processing Bowl

The Ninja BN801 functions both as a blender and a food processor. The same goes for the SS401 but the BN801 comes with a wide processing bowl and the SS401 does not.

The blending capacity for the food processor bowl (in the BN801) is 64 ounces. While it features a taller pitcher for smoothies and sauces up to 72 ounces.

The SS401 features a single pitcher for smoothies and a food processor of 72 ounces. And two smaller extractor cups with lids of 24 ounces. So it is one container short when compared to the BN801 which offers a separate pitcher for smoothies and a separate processor bowl for chopping veggies.

Ninja BN801 vs SS401: Similarities

1. Variable Speed

Ninja Variable Speed
Ninja Variable Speed

Both blenders come with variable speeds along with 5-7 pre-programmed functions. The variable speeds allow you to control the texture of the blend more accurately. Which is a good thing considering that you can make a wide variety of recipes from just a single kitchen appliance.

Speed automation and versatility are impressive in both the Ninja blenders. It works as a blender to make smoothies, sauces, dips, salad dressings. But it also works as a chopper, masher, and crusher.

The 24-ounce smoothie cups allow you to make a single-person smoothie and take it to work, a café, or a dinner party. The cups come with to-go lids that seal the smoothie in tight preventing air from getting in and the smoothie from leaking out.

2. Ice

Both blenders crush ice in a matter of seconds. According to my tests, the Ninja took about 45 seconds to crush up to 2 cups of ice. I can adjust the speed using the variable speed controls to change the texture of the crushed ice. Making it larger or smaller according to my personal preference.

Now, with Auto-IQ technology, on both the Ninja BN801 vs SS401, I can select the pre-programmed ‘Ice Crush’ mode. This allows me to crush ice immediately without second-guessing the speed. You can also amp up the blender to the highest speed and it’ll get done in less than 30 seconds.

3. Cleaning

Ninja Cleaning
Ninja Cleaning

The clean-up after using the Ninja blenders is a breeze. Both blenders completely disassemble after use, including the jars and lids, making it relatively easier to clean than bulkier kitchen appliances.

Since all the blender jars and lids are made of BPA-free plastics, I don’t have to worry about toxic chemicals getting in my food. Nor do I have to worry about the see-through plastic shell staining or attracting strong food odors.

I can simply place them in a dishwasher and it cleans really well. Both blenders have a sturdy motor base with wider containers that clean automatically. I also appreciate that the blades are removable so I don’t have to use a thin spoon to scoop the remains from under the blades while pouring.

Quick Rundown of Ninja SS401

No products found.

Pros
  • Blender is powerful and consistent for daily use.
  • Premium-grade blender with an affordable price tag.
  • Smooth and polished design with light indicator.
  • It comes with removable discs for slicing, grating, and shredding.
  • The pulse feature is strong (1,600W).
  • Motor stays cool and has auto turn-off.
  • Built-in tamper for mixing blends.
  • Dishwasher-safe parts and sturdy motor base.
Cons
  • No separate food processor bowl like the BN801.
  • It is a loud blender.

Quick Rundow of Ninja BN801

No products found.

Pros
  • It makes smoothies in a very short time.
  • Plenty of power for crushing ice and chopping vegetables.
  • Multiple blender jars: 64-ounce, 72-ounce, and 24-ounces.
  • Easy to take apart for cleaning.
  • 5 blending presets with default settings.
  • All the jars have sturdy handles on them.
  • Control panel is very responsive and quick to clean.
Cons
  • It is a loud blender.
  • No grating or shredding discs like the SS401.    

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References

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