When you set out to buy a mini blender (which is probably more like a mini food processor since it can be used as a fruit juicer or carrot juicer, but the result is the same: well chopped and blended food with minimal effort and time), you will be faced with quite a bit of selection. The basic role of a miniature version of the larger food processor is to do the same thing its greater-capacity counterparts do, just in smaller amounts.
These are convenient products for a number of reasons. For one thing, it is simply easier to use a blender that is the right size for what you are blending. You wouldn’t use an extra large mixing bowl to blend a few teaspoons of dried seasoning. Similarly, you don’t need a 14-cup food processor to blend together a cup of salad dressing.
The by product of using a mini blender for mini tasks is that you are not left to wash huge dishes for a small task. A 1.5 cup blender bowl is much easier to wash out than a 14 cup bowl.
Also size related, a mini blender takes up much less space in your pantry or on your counter. Say you regularly blend up a small batch of salsa or pesto, or a single meal’s worth of salad dressing. It is a pain to constantly lug your full size blender out just for these things, but it also takes up more space on the counter than you’d like for keeping it there all the time. A mini blender works well either way: it takes up minimal counter space, and is easy to take out if you would prefer keeping it in the cupboard.
Another benefit of mini blenders is that they come in a couple different styles. While the mini food processor style is simply a small version of the larger food processor (such as a Braun food processor), the immersion mini blender actually serves a purpose all its own, which larger blenders cannot replicate. It allows you to blend food (namely soups, sauces, and gravies) in the same vessel you cook it in; no need to transfer it to a separate pitcher or bowl, and much easier to clean up!