I finally pulled out the Magic Bullet Blender I was given over a year ago, and started using it.  Now I've owned many blenders, from my grandmother's original Waring to a $400 commercial blender like the ones you see at juice bars, and for the most part, they've all just sat on the counter — too much of a hassle to set up and clean for a single protein shake.  The Magic Bullet turns blending on its head — literally.  You load the blending cup from the bottom, screw the blade base on top, invert it and push it down on the compact motor base to start blending.  Screw off the lid, and you're ready to drink right from the blending cup. Rinse the blade assembly in the sink, pull out another of the four blending cups, and you're ready to go again. 

The Magic Bullet isn't magic.  And notice I'm not even calling it the "best blender."  If you do any online review research on the product, you'll find that it's really not going to replace your food processor.  The Bullet falls short on tasks that involve anything short of a full puree, and isn't large enough for large tasks, like soup for a crowd.  But if your primary use for a blender is to make single-serving protein shakes, diet drinks or smoothies, the Magic Bullet is brilliant.  Buy it for about $54 with free shipping from amazon.com. 

If you're looking for a portable/manual protein shaker bottle, check out my post on the Blender Bottle.