Sage The Super Q review: perfect for smoothies and (perhaps) soup

Sage The Super Q review in a sentence: A versatile blender that’s easy to use but feels like a quality purchase that’ll munch through anything.

I’m always keen to try out anything new from the Sage product portfolio and that’s largely down to the quality you get, but also the ease of use. Despite there being no shortage when it comes to the best blender options out there, I’m therefore chuffed to have been trying out Sage The Super Q, a very cool appliance that can produce smoothies and soups with ease. It can actually do a lot more besides.

This isn’t a juice extractor, it’s a full-on blender cum liquidiser, which is perfect if you like to make smoothies. I love the ease with which it can make soup too, but Sage The Super Q is also brilliant in assisting with food preparation. It can pulverise all sorts of foodstuffs, such as nuts of all shapes and sizes if you’re looking for help with healthier breakfasts or if you bake regularly. It’s awesome for crushing ice too by the way. Read on to hear about just how good it is below…

Sage The Super Q review: Price and availability

You can buy Sage The Super Q Blender SBL920BSS right now. I got mine from UK Juicers where it’s got a RRP of £599.95 but can currently be purchased for just £429.95. However, it’s also more widely available from the likes of Amazon and other online outlets.

It’s also worth noting that this appliance is compatible with Sage’s The Vac Q pump, which is available separately and can be used for vacuum blending. What that means is you can suck out all the air from the ingredients jug, which results in no oxygen and therefore smoothies and other stuff lasts longer. I think it’s worth considering.

Sage The Super Q review: What is it?

Sage The Super Q is a versatile blender that features plenty of power thanks to a 2400 Watt ‘ultrapower’ motor that boasts three horsepower. It’s therefore more than capable of tackling tough fruit and veg along with all manner of nuts and chunks of ice too.

It’s built around a fairly minimalist design, which features a selection of no-nonsense controls on the front of the appliance. It’s topped off with a 2-litre plastic jar on top, supplemented by 700ml personal blender cup for anyone who needs a smaller amount of blended liquid.

One of the best things about Sage The Super Q’s look is its simple but effective vibe. The brushed stainless steel finish works really well and can be easily wiped over. The same goes for the one-touch controls, which barely require the manual in order to understand. There are five pre-programmed options that cover smoothie, green smoothie, frozen fruit ice cream and a cold to hot soup setting. All this is augmented with auto-pulse and auto clean buttons.

If you prefer to go manual, there are 12 speed settings on the dial along with a timer to regulate the amount of blend time. As mentioned earlier, it's also possible to use Sage The Super Q in tandem with the Vac Q vacuum attachment, if you’re time poor and need to make larger blended liquids and keep them for a while.

Sage The Super Q review: Is it any good?

Any kitchen appliance that’s quick and easy to use is a winner in my book and I’m pleased to reveal that Sage The Super Q gets top marks for that. There’s very little effort involved in getting it out of the box and setup. I did the customary wash down of water-friendly parts first – not the motor part obviously – and had the appliance setup up in about ten minutes.

Once powered up, Sage The Super Q needs little in the way of manual reading to get the best from it. Sage has a nice line in menu systems and this appliance is no different. I’m a little surprised that the blender comes with a plastic jug though as I personally prefer glass. Granted, this is a lighter option but I’m a little worried about durability over time. Nevertheless, there are measurement increments in red up the side and it feels sturdy enough, so it’s not really enough to put anyone off.

Adding ingredients into the wide opening is easy, as is pouring things out thanks to a nicely designed lip. The lid, which features a handy measuring section in the centre, fixes to the jar snugly so you never feel nervous about anything ingredients escaping. As I found with the initial wash of the jug and other parts, Sage The Super Q is one of the easiest models I’ve used to get clean again. Some models can be a real pain, so this for me is a real blessing.

Sage The Super Q review: Performance

The first thing I decided to do with Sage The Super Q was make a fruit smoothie using some very ripe bananas that needed to be used up. Admittedly, they were pretty mushy anyway, but the blender tackled those with ease. I like the versatility of the speed options going down the manual route. In fact, this is perhaps more to my liking than the presets, which it has to be said are pretty brutal.

That was even more apparent when I tried the soup option from the preset program menu. Take it from me, you don’t need to do much in the way of prep; simply chuck everything in, seal up the top and press ‘Soup’. From there, you get around 5 minutes of very high speed cold to hot action, which pretty much destroys any solids and culminates with a hot liquid that is super smooth and creamy. The best thing about this is the speed, as you’re done and dusted in no time.

Sage The Super Q review: Verdict

I like Sage The Super Q as a very quick way of blending and liquidising things. It’s undoubtedly brilliant for smoothies and what not, although I’m less convinced about the soup preset as it’s rather too over the top for my liking. If you prefer your soup to have a little bit of texture you may prefer a model that takes its time and doesn’t destroy any chunkiness. The speed factor will be a bonus to time poor folks, but if I’m not in a hurry, I think I’d like my soup to have a bit more body.

Nevertheless, Sage The Super Q is a brilliant machine and the Auto Clean function makes light work of the eventual clean-up. The controls feel very precise and those menus on the LCD display are crisp and clear, just as they are on all Sage appliances. So it’s largely a thumb’s up from me. My only reservation is Sage The Super Q isn’t quite as subtle and nuanced as other models I’ve tried when it comes to the preset programs. Handle with care!

Sage The Super Q review: Alternatives to consider

There are plenty of options when it comes to buying a blender. If you’re on a budget and aren’t too fussed about versatility, then pretty much any old budget brand will probably suffice. However, if you’re looking for a machine with power and versatility, it’s a good idea to head in the direction of quality brands, including the likes of KitchenAid, Nutribullet, Vitamix, Smeg and AEG. Oh, and if you want something more portable, take a look at the Smeg PBF01 Personal Blender, which is fab.

If you’re in need of more specialised blending it’s a good idea to take a deep dive into our guides for the best portable blender, the best NutriBullet blender, as well as the best KitchenAid mixers. Of course, it depends what you want to do with your appliance, but we’ve got something to suit all requirements lurking in there somewhere.