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Emmie says August 8, 2021
This was a super helpful review, way more detailed than any I’ve found as I’m deciding on which premium blender to buy. Thanks!
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- The Breville Q Blender – What Is It About This Breville Premium Blender?
The Breville Q Blender – What Is It About This Breville Premium Blender?
Small appliance maker Breville has introduced some new premium blenders to the market recently, and one of them is “the Q”, a very powerful 1,800-watt blender, 68-ounce blender jar, and four automatic modes.
Credit: Breville USA
This Breville blender is similar to the Breville Super Q Blender, the same motor, and blender jar as the Super Q but the Q is simpler and doesn’t include a separate personal blending cup and blade set. It is also a lot less expensive.
If you’re in a hurry and just want to see the Breville Q pricing and shipping options on Amazon, you can see it here. New Kitchen Life is reader-supported and when you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
And, if you want to skip to any part of this review that most interests you, use the table of contents below to choose where you want to go.
Contents
- What Is Breville And Where Is It Based?
- So What Is The Breville Q?
- How To Operate The Breville Q?
- Blending Ideas For The Q
- What Is The Difference Between The Breville Q And The Super Q?
- What Is The Operating Horsepower Of The Breville Q?
- How To Clean The Breville Q & Is It Dishwasher Safe?
- What About The Q’s Warranty?
- What Are The Q’s Specifications & What’s In The Box?
- What Do We Recommend About The Breville Q?
What Is Breville And Where Is It Based?
Breville is a small appliance manufacturer based in Sydney, Australia. It was founded in 1932 when Breville’s two founders, Bill O’Brien and Harry Norville combined each of their names to create the Breville name and brand. Breville started selling radios and eventually televisions before moving on to other small appliances.
There are three generations of Bill O’Brien in Breville’s history. Bill’s son John and grandaughter Barbara worked at Breville through most of its history. John started Breville’s research and development division in the 1960s to help create new products and in the process, Breville has been awarded over 100 patents and received 40 international awards. John’s daughter Barbara was in charge of marketing at Breville during the 1990s.
Breville became famous with its debut of the “toastie” sandwich maker in 1974. The toastie became a big hit and led to Breville expanding beyond Australia.
Breville reached the USA and Canada in the early 2000s and is now a well-known innovative manufacturer in many appliance categories like countertop ovens. You can see our review of the Breville Smart Oven Air countertop oven here and compare it with other Breville models and models by other manufacturers in this best countertop oven review and even some espresso machines here and here.
You can see our review of the other premium Breville blender, the Breville Super Q blender here, and also see the Super Q reviewed with other blenders in this review. We have also reviewed the Breville Fresh & Furious blender here if you’d like to see a lower-priced model and even lower-priced, Breville’s personal blender, the Breville Boss To Go Sport here.
So What Is The Breville Q?
The Breville Q (model BBL820SHY1BUS1), is one of Breville’s latest premium blenders, with its most powerful, 1,800-watt motor, large 68-ounce blender jar, four automatic modes, five-speed settings, a self-clean function, is designed to work with Breville’s Vac Q system (sold separately) and also includes Breville’s signature innovative design features. The Q only comes in one color, unlike the Super Q with comes in seven.
Credit: Breville USA
The Q’s very powerful motor is more powerful, at least as measured by operating horsepower (see the section below), than the Vitamix 750, and is the same motor as in the Super Q (you can see our review of the Super Q here). The Q’s motor powers four automatic modes (Smoothie, Green Smoothie, Auto Pulse | Ice Crush, and Soup) and five different manually-operated speeds. So it’s a great option if you don’t need all of what the Super Q has in additional automatic modes and separate blender cups but want the same power at a lower price.
The Q’s blender jar is also designed to be shatter- and impact-resistant and is BPA-free copolyester and 68 ounces (2 liters), same as the Super Q and larger than the 64-ounce Vitamix 750 blender jar as well as almost every other premium blender jar.
Breville is known for designing a lot of innovative features into their products, like the Breville Assist™ ring pull on the blender lid pictured below. The ring pull helps you to pull your lid off the blender, especially when it’s made a vacuum for itself while blending and is otherwise hard to get off. Breville also incorporates this innovative ring pull into the Q’s electrical plug to make it easier to pull out of the socket.
Credit: Breville USA
The Super Q can also work with the Vac Q vacuum pump that is designed to work with the Q and Super Q blenders and make smoothies and other foods creamier, with more flavor and color while sucking the air out of the blender jar. The Vac Q is a small pump that fits on top of the blender lid, where the inner ring and measuring cup is located. It will pull air out of the blender jar before blending and then automatically shut off.
Credit: Breville USA
The Vac Q is sold separately and if you’re interested you can see it on Amazon here.
How To Operate The Breville Q?
The Q can be used manually with a choice of five speeds or through four automatic modes.
To operate manually, you just have to press one of the five buttons on the bottom of the control panel. The speeds, starting with the lowest, or “1” are also named by Breville. The lowest speed is “1” and the highest is “5”. They are also labeled, starting with the slowest on the left side as “MIX”, “CHOP”, “BLEND”, “PUREE”, and “MILL”, with “MILL” being the highest speed.
Once you start blending in manual mode, the LCD screen on the top right will start counting how long you’ve been blending. The blender will automatically stop blending after 6 minutes to prevent the blender motor from overheating and becoming permanently damaged.
To use the automatic modes, just press one of the four preset buttons on the top of the control panel. The LCD screen will show a countdown timer when you are using any of the four automatic modes and count down how much time is left for whichever mode you’ve chosen.
Credit: Breville USA
Auto Pulse | Ice Crush – The Auto Pulse | Ice Crush mode uses the pulse of the Q at its highest speed to mince food and crush ice into uniform bits.
Smoothie – The Smoothie mode alternates between high and low speeds and pulses to chop frozen fruits and other foods into a drink while also giving it a creamy, smooth texture.
Green Smoothie – The Green Smoothie mode uses the Q’s highest speed to break down whole fruits and vegetables into a smooth drink. Have your included tamper ready in this mode for any bits that get stuck.
Soup – The Soup mode makes hot soup from cold soup ingredients. As the blender blades blend the soup ingredients in whatever broth you choose, the friction from the blender blades naturally heats the liquid over the duration of the Soup cycle to produce hot soup. The Q will slow down to a slow stir at the end of the Soup mode to remove any steam bubbles.
Note that the LCD screen on the control panel will automatically shut off after two minutes if it’s not being used, and the ON | OFF button will flash red. If the Q isn’t used for five minutes, then the blender will turn itself off. To reactivate it, just press the ON | OFF button.
Blending Ideas For The Q
These ideas are not meant to describe everything that you can do with your Q blender. They are just meant to show you the variety of options you have with it.
Make Flour Out Of Grains, Dried Beans, Corn & Other Seeds – Starting with about 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups of seeds or grains, select Mill speed and blend for 30 to 60 seconds. Use your flour to make pizza, bread, dough, muffins, cake, etc. with your own homemade flour.
Make Ground Spice – Starting with 1/4 cup at least of whole spices, select Mill speed and blend for 20 to 30 seconds. For cinnamon sticks use the same speed and time but break them in half first, and you can use up to 16 cinnamon sticks.
Make Nut Meal – Start with raw nuts of your choice, load anywhere from 1/2 cup to 2 1/2 cups into your blender jar, and blend for 8 to 15 seconds at Mill speed to get the consistency that you prefer. Use your nut meal in muffins, cookies, cakes, etc.
Make Nut Butters From Toasted Nuts – Start with toasted nuts of your choice, anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 cups, and select Puree speed and blend for 60 seconds while using the tamper. You may need to add some oil to some kinds of nuts.
Make Powdered Sugar – Starting with 1 to 2 cups of granulated sugar, blend at Mill speed for 15 to 30, depending on your preferred consistency, to make powdered sugar.
Prep Raw Vegetables – Starting with about 8 ounces of cubed and peeled raw vegetables ( to about 3/4 inch squares) select Chop speed and blend for 4 to 6 seconds depending on how fine you want them to be.
Make Pie Crusts – Starting with about 8 ounces of cookies or graham crackers, break in half and use Auto Pulse | Ice Crush speed for 20 to 30 seconds to make crumbs. You can use the crumbs for pie crust, cheesecakes, other cakes, or really anything else.
Make Bread Crumbs – Starting with up to five crustless slices of bread cut into cubes of about 1-inch, use Mix speed to blend for 20 to 30 seconds, again depending on how finely chopped you want your breadcrumbs to be. Use the breadcrumbs for stuffing, meatballs, or for any other recipe that requires them.
Mayonnaise – Starting with up to egg yolks (up to 4), lemon juice or vinegar, and mustard, select Mix speed and blend for 90 seconds. While blending, slowly add up to 2 cups of oil through the opening of the blender lid’s inner ring (where the measuring cup is) until your homemade mayonnaise reaches your desired consistency.
Grate Hard Cheeses Like Pecorino and Parmesan – Starting cubes rough cut to about 1 1/2 inches, select the Chop speed and blend for 15 to 25 seconds, again depending on how finely you want your cheese grated. Use the shredded cheese to make creamy sauces or pasta dishes, or just for food prep.
Make Whipped Cream – Start with cream (and also vanilla and sugar if you prefer), anywhere from 1 to 2 1/2 cups and select Chop speed and blend for 25 to 60 seconds, or until you see to firm peaks.
When you are blending dry ingredients like coffee, grains, spices, nuts, and sugar they will eventually cloud your blender jar through the oils and other residues inside those ingredients. You may want to buy a separate blender jar just for dry ingredients if you know that you will be using a lot of dry ingredients with your blender so you can keep your other blender jar clean for everything else.
What Is The Difference Between The Breville Q And The Super Q?
The Q and the Super Q Breville blenders each have the same 1,800-watt motor, the same 68-ounce blender jar, and lid, they are both compatible with the Breville Vac Q vacuum motor and they even have the same tamper.
The Super Q however, has an additional 24-ounce blender cup and lid, including its own blender blade assembly for making small-batch smoothies in a cup that you can take with you. It also has twelve manual speeds to choose from while the Q has five and all of the same automatic modes that the Q has plus another, the Frozen Dessert mode. The Super Q is also designed to run quieter than most other premium blenders, including the Q.
Another significant difference between the Q and the Super Q is in their warranty periods. The Q has a 7-year warranty (see the Warranty section below) while the Super Q has a 10-year warranty.
The Q only comes in one color, Smoked Hickory. The Super Q also comes in Smoked Hickory but also has six other colors to choose from: Brushed Stainless Steel, Black Truffle, Sea Salt, Royal Champagne, Damson Blue, and Oyster Shell.
Maybe the biggest difference between the Q and the Super Q is their price, the Q is a lot less expensive than the Super Q, scroll down to the bottom of the page for pricing options.
What Is The Operating Horsepower Of The Breville Q?
Breville doesn’t mention the horsepower of the Q, instead, they describe the power of the Q blender in Watts. The Q has 1,8000 Watts.
Since it takes 746 watts to make one horsepower, then the horsepower of the Q is 1,800 watts divided by 746 watts or 2.4 horsepower. That’s a lot of horsepower. The operating power of the line Vitamix 750 and a lot of other premium blenders is 1.93 horsepower.
How To Clean The Breville Q & Is It Dishwasher Safe?
The small black button Clean button on the bottom right side of the control panel (see the image above) is the Q’s self-cleaning function. Add about 4 cups of warm water (but not hot) and one or two drops of liquid detergent. Press the Clean button and the Q will run through its cycle and stop when it is finished.
Credit: Breville USA
To sanitize your blender jar, you can add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of liquid bleach instead of detergent.
You can put the blender jar, tamper, and the lid in a dishwasher on a standard wash cycle. Use the bottom tray or drawer of your dishwasher for the blender jar and the top drawer or tray for the lid.
What About The Q’s Warranty?
The 7-year warranty that Breville includes with the Q blender is a long warranty, as long as the Vitamix 750 but not quite as long as the Super Q 10-year warranty. Premium blenders generally have warranties from 5 to 10 years and only a very few have 10-year warranties.
The warranty covers defects, but not normal wear and tear, and does not cover you if you’re using it in a retail shop or for any non-home use.
Breville will repair, replace, or reimburse you for the blender’s value at the time of its failure (California residents have additional options – see warranty) when you use your warranty.
With this 7-year warranty, you don’t need to buy an extended warranty.
What Are The Q’s Specifications & What’s In The Box?
Dimensions With The 68 Oz Blender Jar: 8.2″ wide x 10.6″ deep x 18.1″ high
Container Material: BPA-Free hardened copolyester
Electrical: 120 V, 15 Amps, 1,800 watts
Color: Smoked Hickory
Weight: 14.8 lbs
Included In The Box: Motor Base, 68-ounce Blender Jar with 4 Stainless Steel Blending Blades and Two-Part Lid, a Tamper, and Instruction Manual.
What Do We Recommend About The Breville Q?
The Q is a really powerful blender for the price, more powerful than a Vitamix 750 by horsepower and includes plenty of automatic blending modes and manual speed options with a 68-ounce blender jar – almost every other premium blender only has a 64-ounce blender jar.
Included in the Breville Q are some of Breville’s design innovations like the lid pull assist design and even another one for the power plug.
Satisfied customers like the Q’s power and compare it favorably to other blenders they’ve had, even the Vitamix, and really like the price.
The Breville Q also has a 7-year standard warranty, so you don’t need to buy an extended warranty, 7-years is long enough.
So if you don’t need every possible automatic function or a separate blender cup and just want a really powerful blender that has a lot of capacity and a long warranty, the Q is about the best-priced premium blender on the market.
You can see the Breville Q BBL820 on Amazon here with the latest pricing, free shipping, and any discounts.
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About the Author Sabrina
Sabrina is our head writer and expert researcher. She spends countless hours of research on each topic or product she writes about. She also tests products and recipes when she can and is known as a kitchen appliance junkie who is always trying new gadgets. Plus, she's a fairly decent cook above all else!