If we could only get one shaker bottle, it would be the Blender Bottle Pro Stack. It checks nearly every single box for what’s important with a shaker bottle, including having a storage container, mixing well, and being durable.
We find that all Blender Bottles mix very well and have all of the basics covered, but the Pro Stack edition does what most bottles don’t. And that is, include storage for protein powder.
Comes with dry storage for protein powder and vitamins
The Blender Bottle Pro Stack is best for busy individuals. You finish your workout, shower, and head straight to work. You still want your protein though, and this brings up a common conundrum. You have a few options:
– Buy a protein shake (not economical)
– Throw a scoop in your bottle, but don’t add water until after the workout (works fine, but then you’re carting around multiple bottles)
– Make your shake before your workout (beverage gets warm and tastes gross)
– Put protein in a plastic lunch bag (really inconvenient)
– Keep protein in your car (worst case scenario)
Obviously, none of these are ideal, which is the reason that Blender Bottle created the Pro Stack series of bottles.
The Blender Bottle Pro Stack is your best bet overall
Blender Bottle makes a few different bundles, but the most popular seems to be the double stack version that you can find on Amazon. This includes:
– Bottle (22 oz)
– Stainless steel blender ball
– 150 cc dry storage jar
– 100 cc dry storage jar
– Pill organizer
The only downside that’s unique to this bottle is that its capacity is rather small at only 22 ounces. The standard Blender Bottles are 28 ounces, which means more delicious post-workout protein shake.
Beyond that, it really is the complete package. It mixes well. It’s durable. It’s dishwasher safe. And it’s really affordable.
| Item | Blender Bottle Pro Stack | Blender Bottle Classic | Blender Bottle Radian | Blender Bottle Pro45 | Contigo Shake & Go |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $ | $ | $$ | $ | $ |
| Capacity | 22 oz | 28 oz | 26 oz | 45 oz | 28 oz |
| BPA-Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mixes well | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not really |
| Leak-proof | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Top-rack dishwasher safe | Yes | Yes | Lid only | Yes | Yes |
| Easy to hand wash | Yes | Yes | Somewhat | Yes | Yes |
| Side measurements | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dry storage container | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Carrying loop | Yes | Yes | Yes, detachable | Yes | Yes |
| Insulated | No | No | Yes | No | No |
This is the OG mixer bottle. It’s been around for over 15 years and is by far the most popular shaker bottle out there.
Hard to beat the Classic
There’s not much to dwell on with the Blender Bottle Classic. It’s basically the normal size version of the Pro Stack series of bottles, only it’s not compatible with Pro Stack containers.
It’s BPA-free, durable, leak-proof, dishwasher safe, mixes well, and is very affordable. You can check pricing and availability on Amazon.
Just so you know, typically, the price is under $10 for this bottle, unless you’re buying it at 24 Hour Fitness, in which case it will be like $12 because everything costs more there.
We bought this one for $6 at TJ Maxx
This bottle also comes in about two dozen color options and you can even find novelty versions such as super heroes and sports teams.
The biggest reason to get the Blender Bottle Classic is that it works well. It’s tried and true and probably won’t ever go away.
There’s nothing fancy about it, but it’s really affordable and is sold at dang near every store nationwide. Every gym-goer should have at least two of these laying around their house.
SEE ALSO: How to Get Cheap Home Gym Equipment
The Blender Bottle Radian is half Hydro Flask or Yeti Bottle and half mixer bottle. As such, as you might have expected, it’s more expensive than your standard Blender Bottle.
The Radian has an MSRP of $30, however, we see it in the $25 range quite often. You can check pricing and availability on Amazon.
It’s designed for people that are really concerned with their beverage getting warm. The Radian is double-walled with vacuum insulation and is made of stainless steel. It’s therefore durable, but also really good at insulating.
Stainless steel, insulated construction
In our test, the Radian was able to keep our beverage cold for over four hours, which is way better than what you’d get with a standard mixer bottle.
Even so, it mixes your regular protein shakes very well since the blender whisk is included. The only thing is that shaking the bottle is louder since stainless steel is hitting stainless steel.
It’s like a Hydro Flask, only built for protein shakes and smoothies
The Radian is also BPA-free with a leak-proof lid that has a detachable loop for carrying. As an FYI, the lid is top-rack dishwasher safe, but the bottle itself needs to be hand washed.
Unfortunately, the Radian is not compatible with Blender Bottle Pro Stack containers, but it does such a good job of insulating that you might not even need those. You can just make your protein shake before you workout and (unless you spend all day at the gym) it should still be cold.
We don’t see the Radian as a must-have, but it definitely will be a nice bottle for a select group of people.
SEE ALSO: Today’s Best Protein Deals & More
This is probably the most rare Blender Bottle to see, but it’s a true sign of a serious gym addict—it’s not 28 ounces, it’s 45 ounces. And it’s still affordable. It has an MSRP of $15, but we see it on Amazon for $13 regularly.
Pro45 vs Classic
The Pro45 is just a giant Blender Bottle. It’s more hefty, more durable, and just plain more. It even comes with a thicker gauge blender whisk for mixing up those really thick protein shakes.
The mac daddy of them all
Also, at 45 ounces it’s a body builder’s dream. You can fit so much BCAA powder in this thing that it will make your head spin.
Despite the fact that we think Blender Bottle is the undisputed best brand for shaker bottles, we wanted to throw in a different brand just to mix this up (pun intended).
Looks like a Blender Bottle, but it’s not
The Contigo Mix & Go bottle is very similar to the Blender Bottle Classic, only Contigo uses a worse (and heavier) mixing ball. It’s not as efficient at mixing up your protein shake, although it does get the job done.
There’s really not a lot to discuss with this bottle other than that it covers most of the basics and is very affordable (generally under $10).
Blender Bottle vs Contigo
To be honest, there’s no compelling reason to get this bottle over a Blender Bottle. It’s just the best of the non-Blender Bottles out there. It’s better than the screens; it’s better than the jacks; and it’s better than the twist agitators. But it’s not better than a standard Blender Bottle.
SEE ALSO: Today’s 100 Hottest Deals
There are several factors that go into making a quality shaker bottle. This is some pretty intuitive stuff, but we’ll cover it nonetheless.
– Mixes well: The bottle has to be able to quickly and efficiently mix your protein shake. No brainer.
– BPA-Free: Most bottles are, but double check.
– Cleaning: The bottle and/or the lid should be dishwasher safe. These things start to smell after time.
– Price: Keep it under $30. No reason to spend more than you have to.
– Measurements: You should expect the bottle to have volume measurements on the side.
– Dry storage: This is really the x-factor. It’s nice to have a bottle that includes separate dry storage.
– Loop: There should be some sort of loop or hook so that you can easily carry your bottle.
You can’t beat Blender Bottle for a number of reasons. You can find them everywhere. They’re really affordable such that there’s no reason to try anything else. They work well. They’re durable. They’re dishwasher safe and fairly easy to clean. They’re BPA-free. They have side measurements. The list goes on.
There are plenty of other brands out there, but why switch when there’s no compelling reason to do so? Most of the new mixing technologies are just gimmicks and don’t work nearly as well as the faithful mixing whisk.
We think they’re solving a relatively small issue. Blender Bottles do just fine with mixing your protein shakes. There’s no real reason to spend $40+ on a fancy electric mixer bottle when a $8 bottle does just fine. Sure, they’re better for creating a thicker, more viscous shake, but the fast majority of people are just trying to thrown down the protein shake—they don’t really care if the shake has more froth. Having said all of that, if you’re sold on an electric mixer bottles, the most popular seems to be the PROMiXX 2.0 [see on Amazon]. This is a cordless, USB-rechargeable bottle. It creates a vortex to blend together your shake.
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