REVIEWS AND OPINIONS
by Bruce W. Chenoweth

As a die-hard Vitamix® owner, demonstrator, retailer and affiliate marketer, this admission has been slow to come, and difficult to admit. Fair is fair, though. In my opinion, Blendtec® is now at least tied for the titles of "World's Best Blender" and "Most Valuable Kitchen Tool." In some ways, they have even kicked VitaMix's butt

Not that Vitamix isn't still a fantastic, wonderful unit! If you have one, there is no need to toss it and get a Blendtec®—unless you did as we did and wore your Vitamix out. (Not an easy thing to do, by the way! It took us many years of every day use.)  Once you see the Blendtec® in action, you will likely want  one, even if your Vitamix® still works perfectly.

But, I digressed. This review is about how amazing and effective the Blendtec® is. So amazing that ABCompany now affiliate markets for Blendtec® as well. Back on point ...

By now you must have seen some of Blendtec®'s brilliantly clever "Will It Blend?" viral marketing videos. A couple of the better ones are embedded at the end of this review for your entertainment, but this article is not about how well a blender can grind a jar full of cubic zirconiums into dust or pulverize toilet flush thingies—it is about how well wholesome, healthy foods can be processed and blended into forms that will de-light our palates while re-lighting our health—perfectly and naturally. Here are some of the brilliant engineering innovations found in the Blendtec® which help accomplish that:

3 HP, 1,560 watt motors. While Vitamix protests that only 2 HP is needed for a kitchen appliance, that extra power is very much appreciated!)

"Smart-touch" controls for most blending tasks produces perfect results while you do other things.

Easy-clean touch panel (no knobs or switches to wipe around and under).

Low profile fits under wall cabinets while assembled.

Unbelievably durable, as demonstrated in "Will It Blend" videos.

300 mph blade tip speed pulverizes almost anything.

Innovative blade design greatly improves effectiveness.

For me, personally, if I had to choose between the Vitamix® and the Blendtec®, I wouldn't. Now that I know both machines, I choose to have one of each. For the beginner who must choose only one, I recommend the Blendtec because perfect blending results are only a pushbutton away.

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And, JUST for your amusement ...
(Don't try these at home!)

Reviews Blendtec vs. Vitamix

Side-by-Side Comparison Blendtec vs. Vitamix

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Get Yours Now: Payment Plans Available Blendtec: $200—$500 below MSRP Vitamix: Great Price Plus Free shipping

 

REVIEWS AND OPINIONS
by Bruce W. Chenoweth

There has been a Vitamix® in my household since the early 1980's, and my family has considered it to be the most indispensible of all kitchen tools since that time. Our first was the 3600, then we gave that one to one of our children and upgraded to the 4000. When the 5000 came out, we were one of the first to get one. We still have that unit in our kitchen, even though we have used it extensively nearly every day for all those years.

I believe that we hold the distinction to be one of the few--if not the only ones--to have burned up a motor in a Vitamix®. My wife is not one for understanding overload stresses, and many times I entered the kitchen to hear the poor Vitamix® groaning from attempting to churn putty-like consistencies. One of those times was just too much for it to handle.

I vividly remember the incredulous response from the Vitamix® operator when I told her that our unit needed repair because we had burned up the motor. Her response was "I don't think so! What exactly is it doing to make you think that?"

When I told her that it was filling our kitchen with black smoke when we turned it on, she exclaimed "Oh, my gosh! I have never heard of that happening in all the years I have worked here!"

I see on their web site now that they are now using a different motor--one that they get from Sweden that they say runs cooler. Maybe my motor was the motivation for that ...

What astounded me about Vitamix® resulting from that experience was the speed at which we received the unit back from repair. I over-nighted it to them because I couldn't bear the idea of being without it. A day later Airborne came to the door with the box I had returned it to them in. I was initially angry because I thought they had screwed up and brought the defective unit back to me. The driver assured me that it had come from Vitamix®, so I opened it to find a brand-new base inside. Since I had over-nighted it to them, they over-nighted it back. Amazing customer service. I wonder if they still do that ...

I don't have any experience with the new 5200, but I can tell you confidently that the 5000 will do everything that the Blendtec® will do. It may not run quite as fast, as automatically, or as 'cool-looking," but it will definitely get the job done, and it will continue to do so for many years.

We choose to eat mostly raw foods, so our super-blender is put into play several times every day. In all those years we have worn out two sets of blade bearings (and destroyed the motor as previously mentioned) but other than that it has been there for every use and abuse that we have given it. The motor and one blade set were covered under warranty, so the first significant maintenance issue we have had is the second blade set.

In attempting to purchase a new blade set, the web site advised me that they were out of stock. This continued over a few weeks. Meanwhile, I destroyed two theoretically ice-crushing Oster® blenders that I purchased to hold us over until I could get a new blade assembly for the Vitamix®. Faced with the apparent choice of buying a whole new unit, I decided to take the recommendation of a friend who has both a Vitamix® 5200 and a Blendtec®. He told me that he prefers his Blendtec®. The Blendtec was also less expensive, so I bought one. I must admit, I prefer the Blendtec® also, but I am keeping the Vitamix® in case (1) blade assemblies ever become available again, and (2) the Blendtec® turns out to be less reliable than a Vitamix®. With only a 3-year warranty on the Blendtec® and a 7 year warranty on the Vitamix®, that could make all the difference in the world.

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