
News + Trends
IFA: Ninja announces slush machine for the home
by Lorenz Keller
"Brain freeze" guaranteed! The hyped Ninja Slushi will be launched in Switzerland in July at the earliest - and is likely to be on sale soon. Imitations such as the Klamer slush machine are already available. Is it as good as the original?
This brings back childhood memories: Whole batteries of «Granita» in all colours and flavours were available for the tourist children on holiday in Ticino. And with a little persuasion, I always got a cup of my favourite flavour of cola. Sweet, sticky and cold. Incredibly cold. So cold that your brain freezes when you drink it quickly. Only with the pungent «Brain Freeze» were the summer holidays a hit.
Today, the semi-frozen liquids are usually called slush or slushie. They are produced using large professional machines that cost thousands of francs.
Last summer, kitchen appliance specialist SharkNinja launched its slushie machine on the US market for the first time, an iced drink machine for private use that works in exactly the same way as commercial appliances. All I have to do is pour in the drink, after which the machine automatically cools down and churns the liquid. Adding crushed ice or pre-freezing in the freezer is not necessary.
The concept is generating hype. The Ninja Slushi machine is always on sale and the manufacturer can barely keep up with production. Although the drinks machine was unveiled in Europe last autumn at IFA Berlin, the launch has been delayed time and again.
In markets such as Germany and France, the device has been available since April - but often only with weeks-long delivery times. In Switzerland, the Ninja Slushi is expected to launch in mid-July. Here, too, demand is likely to be greater than supply.
This success is naturally also attracting competition. A slush machine that looks suspiciously similar to the Ninja Slushi is now available from German manufacturer Klamer.
In fact, the two devices are designed and operated identically. The price of the imitation is also based on the original. Klamer's big advantage is that the German manufacturer's slushie machine is readily available.
But can the clone also keep up in terms of performance? Does the Klamer slush machine make equally good iced drinks - or is it worth waiting for the Ninja Slushi? You can find the answers to this question in my video test at the top of this article.
By the way: thanks to the Slushi machine, I actually had another «Brain Freeze».
As soon as the Ninja Slushi is available in sufficient quantities, a detailed product test will follow. If you have any questions about the device or would like to have individual functions or recipes tested, please let me know in the comments!
Gadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.