You can’t buy Ninja’s new waffle maker in the UK yet, but this alternative from Amazon has an almost identical design

by Furnishly | Jul 10, 2025 | Design Inspiration

The Ninja NeverStick Waffle Maker is the latest product from my favourite kitchen appliances brand to only be available in the US for the time being, along with the Ninja Swirl and the Ninja Thirsti.

If you love the look of this clever vertical waffle maker and don’t want to wait until the UK release (which has not yet been announced), then I’ve found just the alternative for you. It’s from CASO Design, which I’ve tried one of the best microwaves from.

You can buy the very similar CASO Design WaffleUP right now on Amazon for £89.99, with it boasting five browning levels and the same space-saving design. Here’s how the two products compare.

The selling point of both of these products the vertical space-saving design – you won’t have to deal with a waffle maker taking up valuable space on your worktop with either of these, which are also much easier to stash in your cupboard.

With both of these products you pour your batter for the waffles into the chamber by pouring from above. This should cut down on spills and mess and means that you should pour the optimum amount too.

Both also have non-stick materials, so you won’t be picking the remnants of your waffle out of the mould.

In terms of cost, while it’s not known how much the Ninja NeverStick will sell for in the UK, it’s available in the US for an RRP of $99.99. The CASO Design equivalent is instead available for £89.99, though we’re hoping that there might be an Amazon Prime Day discount on it coming up.

The only real difference I can see between these two waffle gadgets is that while the Ninja produces squares, the CASO design is circular.

Of course, we’ll keep you updated as soon as we know more about the release of the NeverStick in the UK. Plus, we’re hoping to test one of these vertical waffle makers as soon as wen can to see how they perform. In the mean time, if you’re keen to try one like this, I think the CASO alternative looks like a great buy.

Cuisinart’s soft serve maker is the most impressive alternative to the Ninja Swirl and Slushi I’ve seen – there’s no need to pre-freeze anything

by Furnishly | Jul 8, 2025 | Design Inspiration

If you’re impatiently awaiting the UK drop of the Ninja Swirl, then I’ve found just the alternative for you for the upcoming heatwave. The Cuisinart Frost Fusion, which launched on today, is the all-in-one soft serve and slushie machine maker of dreams and is currently on sale for £249.99 down from £299.99 on Amazon.

I’ve tried an array of the best ice cream makers, from the Ninja Creami Deluxe (as per my review) to Cuisinart’s fantastic under £100 alternative Freeze Wand and I think the Frost Fusion looks like the best all-in-one buy I’ve seen so far for frozen treats. Here’s what it can do.

Six different functions is a huge draw with this machine – rather than buying an ice-cream maker and a slushie maker, you can skip the cost and the space both will hog on your worktop with this offering.

The other huge benefit is the fact that you don’t need to pre-freeze ingredients according to the brand. For the soft serve setting, Cuisinart say that all you need to do is ‘pour, select, churn and serve’. Another claim is that it can churn 1.6 litres in less than 20 minutes.

Given that the product only launched today, I haven’t had time to get my hands on it to verify these claims with testing. But if they’re true, this is a real game changer for ice cream at home.

Especially given that the machine can keep your ice-cream creations cold for up to two hours within the machine and frozen drinks chilled for up to 12 hours. Perfect for hosting a summer party at home!

Like with the Ninja Slushi, this machine also has customisable texture levels and a self-cleaning function.

This isn’t the only frozen treat maker on sale for Amazon Prime Day either (which is running from the 8th to the 11th of July). Here’s a look at the other discounted products that I’ve tried.

Given the weather forecast for the rest of July, now is a better time than ever to invest in one of these frozen treat makers. For gelato, sorbet and soft serve lovers, one is sure to impress!

The Ninja Swirl is finally available to pre order – here’s where you can shop it ahead of time to avoid it selling out

by Furnishly | Jul 7, 2025 | Design Inspiration

The much-anticipated drop of the at-home soft serve machine of the summer is here. Yep, you can finally order the Ninja Swirl via John Lewis for £349.99 and have it arrive at your door (without paying a delivery free) on its launch date on the 25th of July.

With 13 total functions, as discussed in our first look at what the Swirl can do, I predict that this launch from Ninja is going to be a total sellout this summer. It’s already have rave reviews and attention in the US, going far further than the already viral Ninja Creami (which we loved in our five-star review) thanks to the soft serve dispenser element.

Here’s exactly where else you can pre-order the Swirl from if you can’t wait to secure it in your kitchen.

Though you’ll have to wait until the official launch date on Friday, 25th of July to actually try it out, if you want to secure your Swirl ahead of time now is the time to act.

There are different perks to shopping through various retailers with the Swirl. John Lewis are offering free delivery (which would usually set you back £7.95), as well as AO and Currys.

The RRP for the Swirl is set at £349.99 via these retailers, though it hasn’t gone live via Ninja yet, so you’ll need to wait if you want to buy directly there.

Or, if you think £349.99 is a little steep (which is very understandable) and you want to make the most of Amazon Prime Day sales, which are running from the 8th to the 11th of July, you can find a fantastic deal on a soft serve machine we’ve tested instead: the Cuisinart Ice Cream & Soft Serve Maker, which is now £149.99, down from £199.99.

Will you be adding a soft serve maker to your kitchen this summer for endless Mr Whippys?

I’m a Ninja Slushi superfan, but I was surprised by how similar this cheaper alternative from Amazon was when I tried it. Now it’s reduced for Prime Day too

by Furnishly | Jul 5, 2025 | Design Inspiration

Let me tell you, there has never been a better summer to be testing out a frozen drinks maker at home. I’ve been able to turn any occasion into something a little sweeter with the Ninja Slushi, which is plenty expensive for £349.99 via Ninja, but also a very fun addition to my kitchen, as per my first try of it.

If you love the concept of a frozen drinks maker but would rather opt for something a little cheaper, then I’ve been testing a more affordable alternative to see how it measures up. The INOVIVIA 2.6L Slush Machine is currently on sale for £284.99 on Amazon and currently has a 4.7 star rating out of five from the existing user reviews. Plus, the smaller version is even cheaper, with the INOVIVA Slushie Machine for Home, 2.0L version now £265.99 down from £329.99 on Amazon.

Here’s how I thought it measured up when I put it side by side with the Slushi.

My first impressions of the Inoviva machine were positive – though it has a larger capacity to the Ninja, it’s about the same size on my kitchen worktop.

It also comes with the same helpful materials as the Slushi including a recipe booklet packed with recipes for frozen drinks. Like the Slushi it also comes covered in easy-to-peel off stickers which direct you how to set it up and first use it. Helpful for getting your first slush just right.

Side-by-side, you can see there’s not much in it when it comes to the design of these machines. Apart from the square details of the Inoviva rather than the curves of the Slushi, they’re practically identical.

Things that mark this machine as different from the Slushi include the child lock button and the touch screen over simple buttons on the Ninja. There were also more servings available from one mix, which is thanks to the increased capacity.

I began trying the Inoviva using a recipe from the guidebook, a raspberry lemonade. All it takes to operate one of these machines is to place the liquids inside and select your program – this time a ‘Slushie’ for me.

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Testing the Inoviva Slushie machine for the first time at home.

In just half an hour, my first frozen drink was ready with the machine beeping to let me know it was ready to dispense. The recipe was a winner and the result was perfect for a baking summer’s day.

As far as capacity is concerned, I definitely got more out of the Inoviva than the Slushi and kept the machine running through the day, returning for top ups for my household.

I’m not really a fan of the childlock feature, which means you have to unlock the machine every time you want to use it, but for certain households this will likely be a benefit instead.

I also prefer the look of the Slushi, as well as the controls. Overall, though the difference between these products feels negligible and it’s unlikely that either would live on a kitchen worktop full-time – most likely it’ll be relegated to storage until you need to use it.

My biggest takeaway from testing both slushie machines is how much use I’ve actually got out of it. At first I was convinced an at-home frozen drinks maker was a gimmick that would never make it out of storage, but I’ve used it at least once a week for a good few months now. It’s great value when hosting too.

Whether you opt for the Ninja Slushi or the Inoviva Slushie (!), I think this is (surprisingly) an appliance that has a lot of use in it. Could you be tempted to pick one up for your kitchen?