Go ahead: Order 1 million smoothies. Heck, order 2 million.
“No problem,” says the Quantum®950. “Coming right up.” 
On June 8, 2018, we flipped the switch on a Quantum®950 High-Performance Blender in the lobby of the Hamilton Beach Commercial® headquarters in Richmond, Virginia. Since then, it has been running nonstop for more than 6,000 hours. You can see it for yourself in our livestream.
So, why did we build a high-performance commercial blender capable of making a million drinks? And will it ever quit?
A Look Inside the Quantum®950
No one has yet invented an immortal motor. But Endura™ Motor Technology is as close as we can get.
Hamilton Beach Commercial has always made long-lasting blenders. But even the highest-quality conventional motors eventually stop working, because they rely on an electricity-conducting carbon brush. This brush wears down from friction over time, just like pencil graphite or brake pads. Once it’s worn down entirely, the motor stops working unless the brush is replaced — which isn’t a cost-effective repair for most restaurant operators.
Our longevity-obsessed engineers designed the Quantum®950 differently. This high-performance commercial blender is powered by brushless Endura™ Motor Technology. As a result, the motor is quieter, cooler and 50 percent more efficient than a conventional motor*. It also lasts up to 10 times longer! That’s why the Quantum®950 has a 7-year motor warranty, the best in the industry.
Behind the Scenes of the Quantum® 950 Livestream
Of course, “10 times longer” and “50 percent more efficient” sound good, but what do they really mean? We wanted to show bar owners, chefs, and restaurant operators how the Quantum®950 can effortlessly keep up with high-volume beverage orders, day after day and year after year. So we decided to run it full-time, in full view of the world. A camera streams the blender (and a changing digital background) 24-7.
Nonstop blending presented a few engineering challenges. Although the Endura™ motor had no problem staying cool, the friction of the blades running nonstop would heat the liquid in the container to the boiling point. Arthur Hudgins, Manager of the Engineering Test Lab and Model Shop, devised a way to prevent this. He filled the blender jar with a pink, mineral-oil-based liquid that’s continually circulated through a cooling apparatus (custom-made from an ATV radiator and a fan). Voila — the “smoothie” has stayed steady for months.
With Quiet Blend™ technology and the Quiet Shield™ enclosure, the Quantum®950 emits hardly any sound beyond the low-pitched burble of the liquid whirling in the jar. Amazingly, the whir of the fan in the cooling cabinet is louder than the blender itself.
Don’t believe us? Come see it for yourself! Many curious clients and partners do. They pull up the livestream link on their iPads, then wave at the camera. A few seconds later, there they are. “They appreciate this transparency, this confidence that we’re willing to put something live on our website,” observes Brian O’Flynn, Director of Global Commercial Product Marketing for Hamilton Beach Commercial. After all, it’s a pretty big risk: “If it was to fail on a Friday night, you would have this gooey mess live on our web page,” he points out.
The 6,000-hour milestone is the equivalent of making 1 million drinks. But the Quantum®950 is still going, and there’s no immediate plan to flip the off switch.
“I would think that 10 years from now we wouldn’t have it still running — just because we’d want to put something else there,” O’Flynn says. For him, the finish line is when Hamilton Beach Commercial’s partners begin reporting that their Quantum®950 has hit the million-drink milestone in the field. “I think then, we could say we’re done.”
Interested in putting the Quantum®950 to work in your bar, café or restaurant? Request a demo!
*as compared to HBC model #HBH750
