Can anyone recommend a good blender for the pureed stage - something that's not expensive like the vitamix but still works well?

I like the Nutra Family- I have a Nutribullet and use it almost every day.

I'm thinking maybe my kitchen has too many gadgets. Here's a run down of different gadgets:

Food processor: It really blends and chops well. I've used it to puree vegetables and meat for recipes and it would do very well with puree stage, but unless you are blending/chopping in bulk or get a small capacity food processor, this is probably not the best choice. Besides, it's big and bulky and I hate cleaning all the different parts in the lid.

Magic Bullet: It does well with protein shakes and anything with liquid. I think I have even used it to grind spices to a fine powder. It blends to puree consistency well and mine had 2 sizes of cups (4oz and 8 oz) that are easily portable. It's compact and easy to clean. I had some trouble with the silicone gasket coming off during blending. It would wind around the blade and/or get chopped up a bit. I eventually solved this, but not before I lost several to the blade and had to order spares. It's easy to clean, but all those darn cups were a pain to store. I suppose that if someone didn't have other options (like the others mentioned) and was making a new purchase for their bariatric diet transitions, I would recommend purchasing The Magic Bullet or something similar like the Nutribullet or Ninja bullet.

Stick blender: It does well with protein shakes and puddings, etc (even if you put ice cubes in it). It CAN puree, but it takes a little longer than some of the others. I primarily used this during my transitions after having the sleeve because of the convenience. It's easy to store, use, and clean.

Vitamix: to me, this is the KING of blenders. I bought it when I was on a smoothie kick and boy does it do well with frozen fruits and vegetables. It turned everything I threw in there into a smooth, delicious concoction. They say that if you leave it run long enough it will warm your food into soup, although I never tried it. Cons: it is heavy and bulky. It's not HARD to clean per se, but those blades are sharp and I have to be careful when wiping it out to avoid the blade. The blending container is also big, probably not best for someone making small portions. Besides, it's rather expensive. There are other, similar blenders that would do just as well at a lower cost.

I used my Black and Decker food processor and it worked just fine. I have had it for several years and bought it on eBay for about $20.00. I also used my 35 year old Oster blender for shakes and it worked well.

For the early post op a nice stick blender will do for the tiny portions

Ninja blender