Does The KitchenAid Pro Line Blender Really Have 3.5 Horsepower?

The KitchenAid Pro Line Blender may be advertised with a higher horsepower than the appliance is actually capable of.

The KitchenAid Pro Line Blender is marketed as “the most powerful blender and the ultimate tool for making healthy, nutritious eating easy”. The blender includes a double walled thermal control jar that allows the contents to remain cool or warm. With all of these features, the MSRP for the blender is a whopping $779.99.

KitchenAid’s website described their Pro Line Blender as follows: “Our blender’s 3.5 peak HP motor quickly and easily blends everything from fruit and vegetable smoothies to silky, smooth soups, juices, nut butters, dressings and more.” However, consumer advocates say these representations may not be accurate.

KitchenAid includes the following disclaimer with their statement about the blender’s horsepower: “When testing the actual blender power output at the blade using a dynamometer, a machine laboratories use to measure mechanical power, this KitchenAid blender with its heavy duty motor and advanced motor control board, produces more power than the leading competitors.”

Horsepower is a unit of measurement developed in the late 18th century as an attempt to compare the output of steam engines to the more traditional power of draft horses. Since the unit’s development, it has been applied to engineering and machinery – including the electric motor used in blenders.

According to How Stuff Works, horsepower ratings in all blenders typically indicate the amount of power generated by the appliance. Devices with higher horsepower ratings and better wattage will typically cost more because they will generally be more effective.

Although many consumers rely on representations when purchasing KitchenAid Pro Line Blenders and other appliances, company depictions of horsepower may reflect peak horsepower instead of the actual horsepower.

Peak horsepower is the amount of horsepower generated by the blender when the appliance motor reaches resistance. This power allows the blender to power through the initial blending of food, but the horsepower reportedly drops soon after.

Since peak horsepower is only in effect for a short period of time, this measurement of power may give consumers the wrong impression. These representations may be misleading, as peak horsepower does not represent the horsepower put out by the appliance for the majority of the device’s use.

To get a ballpark range of the actual horsepower given by blenders such as the KitchenAid Pro Line Blender, consumers can do some simple calculations.

One horsepower is equal to 746 watts, meaning that the actual horsepower can be determined based on the wattage of the blender. For example, a blender advertised with 3 HP and 1,560 watts would only have an operating horsepower in the neighborhood of 2.09 HP.

Although this isn’t a concrete rule for horsepower in blenders, as performance will depend on a variety of factors, this quick calculation may be able to help consumers make sure they are getting a good deal without falling victim to deceptive marketing practices.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.