The “diamond” refers to Kitchenaid’s new pitcher design at the bottom of the pitcher which is supposed to improve blending results. It has a relatively heavy, sturdy base that is still compact enough for easy storage. Clean design and simple controls with light-up indicators to show what blending function you are using.

KitchenAid is a brand that has combined an attractive design in a good range of color options with sturdy robust parts that get the job done, and this blender is no different. To test for leakage, we filled the KitchenAid K400 to max capacity with water and blended it at full speed. We’re pleased to say there was no leaking at all. The blender doesn’t have adjustable speeds but it does offer seven buttons for stir, chop, mix, puree, liquefy, crush ice, and pulse which allow you to adapt it to what you are making. The Pro Line is KitchenAid’s most powerful blender designed to compete with top brands like Vitamix. It has been on the market for about 4 years.

A robust blender that looks great and works well

The K400 is designed with a powerful 1.5 HP motor that outperforms Kitchenaid’s lower priced diamond blade blender series (see review below). This model features a unique blade design and heavy-duty build quality. It is designed to be able to puree any smoothie or drink that you dream up. Offering reliability, power and functionality without a high-end price tag, the Diamond Blender could be a cook’s best friend. For a more affordable option the Diamond blender is a decent performer but keep in mind that it isn’t the most powerful blender in its price range. FAQ’s : Footprint-wise, the machine is relatively compact compared to most, but it’s tall to accommodate the capacity of the jug, meaning it may have to live on a worktop instead of in a cupboard, unless it’s disassembled. It weighs an average 4.5kg, so moving it around isn’t too arduous. The ProLine series features 2 main blender models: The KSB8270 and KSB7068. We focus on the KSB8270 in this review as the added benefits of the KSB8270 vs KSB7068 are the special thermal jar for making hot soups and the added preset blending functions for making soups, smoothies, and juice.

Overall Opinion: A powerful blender that is perfect for any serious smoothie enthusiast. Less powerful than the more expensive KitchenAid Proline blender but the K400 is plenty for most consumers. The K400 KitchenAid blender offers a nice balance of features and performance for the price compared to other KitcheAid blenders below. There’s no denying that there are lots of blenders on the market, but there are far few that are as well thought out and robust as this one. Rather than a one-speed-fits-all approach, the Diamond’s tailored programmes take the guesswork out of daily food preparation – essential if you’re keen to achieve effortlessly smooth results every time. A host of design features make it easy to use, plus there are some elements, such as its leak-preventing one-piece pitcher and its snugly fitting lid, that ensure it’ll still be blitzing through food in years to come. A: Same blender just slightly different control panel design. Both blenders offer same functionality. The KSB1575 comes with a 60oz soft grip diamond shaped container and the KSB1570 comes with the 56oz round bottom container. Called the Diamond for its durability as well as its faceted jug, this blender has inherited some design features from the Artisan blender, but most are new additions.

Our Verdict

The KSB560 is similar to the KSB1575 Diamond blender above but more affordable. It comes with the round bottom 56 ounce BPA-free jar (rather than the Diamond jar design) with the same gear coupling design as the KSB1575 blending jar mentioned above. This blender uses a 60 ounce BPA-free container with a 0.9 horsepower (550 watts according to Manufacturer) motor which weaker compared to other full-size blenders that use a 60 ounce container. The blade is built into the pitcher and uses a gear on the bottom of the pitcher to connect to the motor base. KitchenAid is a well respected appliance brand and their blender always have a nice design and feel. We recommend the K400 if you want the strength of a high-powered blender without the high price tag of the Proline model. You cannot use the KitchenAid Diamond to blend hot ingredients, but the blade’s movement can create enough friction to make hot soup from scratch. Also, the blender would not pass as a juice extractor, but it can make whole juice and not milk from any nuts or seeds.

This affordable hand blender from KitchenAid offers simple features and does the job. It won’t replicate the performance of any of the above countertop blenders but this hand blender is great if you just want to make small batches. Negatives: While this blender has a lot of power, testers found that it didn’t offer quite the same blending performance as Vitamix or Blendtec and the KitchenAid ProLine required more use of the tamper for even blending. Not sure if the performance difference is due to Kitchenaid’s blade or jar design versus Vitamix and Blendtec’s. The overall performance of the blender is impressive, and all you need to do to make it better is blend for a little longer time, but also don’t forget to take breaks in between to avoid overheating. Positives: Heavy-duty blender with a clean look and easy to use controls. Designed to compete against other high-performance blenders. Kitchenaid offers a 10 year hassle-free replacement warranty on their ProLine blenders which is similar to competing premium brands.Positives: Attractive blender with many color choices and solid metal die-cast base. Performs well with ice and blending smoothies. The Intelli-Speed Motor Control works pretty well throughout the entire blending process. Easy to use and clean design. While there isn’t a recipe book included, there are plenty of tips for getting the best results from different foods – such as making baby food or pancake batter – in the instructions. Negatives: Less power than more expensive models.Not designed to perform the same blending functions as a countertop blender. The blender features a three-part blending system that combines the ribbed jug design with an asymmetric blade and Intelli-Speed motor control which senses contents and maintains optimal speed and power; these features all work in harmony for efficient blending.

This blender is very simple to use and we tested it first by trying out the preset smoothie program. It pulverized leafy spinach and fibrous pineapple into the rest of the smoothie ingredients to create a very smooth, nicely aerated smoothie with absolutely no bits. Nothing was left trapped under the blades and because smoothie making is a preset program, it stops automatically when it’s done. The blender reached a noise level of 84dB, which is average for this type of appliance, and the jug has a good pouring lip which worked well without dripping. Positives: In general it is a nice looking blender with a sturdy feel, clean design, and simple controls. We’ve used this model for years and find that it blends frozen fruit, ice, raw vegetables, and soft items quite easily. We started by using the Chop function on carrots. While dropping them in intermittently worked at first, the Diamond chops finely and the prepared carrots began to clump, holding onto larger chunks that had spun away from the blades. Starting with a larger amount and scraping between uses gave a better result, although it wasn’t as consistent as a food processor.Simple to use variable speed dial and 3 preset recipe programs (Ice Crushing, Icy Drinks, and Smoothie). This model also uses KitchenAid’s soft start motor which helps to pull ingredients into the center at the beginning for better blending results. Positives:Powerful motor with features like Soft Start and Intell-speed to improve blending. Blends smoothies very well with useful preset blending functions. Can puree difficult ingredients like raw vegetables, fibrous greens, and seeds.