Blenders

[msommers]

In the market for a blender to make smoothies in the morning. I've look at the higher stuff like the Vitamix or Blendtec and while they're solid, they're also $500! But at the same time I don't want to buy something that won't do a good job or burn out.

Basically I want something that can make smoothies with frozen grapes, berries. kale, broccoli and/or spinach. And also be able to make almond milk and carrot juice. The hot soup idea I see on some videos from the expensive brands is cool but truthfully I'd use that feature fairly seldom.

Are their reliable alternatives to the expensive blenders or at the end of the day, are they worth having around?

[rvd]

Bite the bullet and cough up the dough for the vitamix, you won't be disappointed. Only other suggestion is an Oster Versa ($260) at half the price or try and find a blendtec at costco for $360.

[Disoblige]

After owning several blenders from the $30-$100 range, I'm really excited to buy a Vitamix in the near future. It's not that the cheapo blenders break or anything, it's just they don't perform as well (particularly with lots of ice) and they're heavier and harder to wash (glass).

[Darell_n]

Breville units are solid. My wife uses ours daily.

[Clever]

I'm in the market as well, I think Costco is doing a promo all week , $360 for the Blendtec and comes with an 8 year warranty.

[msommers]

Hmm. Is that in store only?

[project240]

Spend the money for a blendtec or vitamix. We hav had our blendtec for a couple years now and it's awesome. I used it for smoothies daily and also stuff like making peanut or almond butter, Nutella, etc.

It's expensive, but well worth it

[403ep3]

I just bought a vitamin a week ago during costcos roadshow.. I've used it every morning and use it to make watermelon juice.

Best 570 you'll spend! (for a blender)

[jdmXSI]

I could never justify $500 on a blender... I usually buy oster blenders every 2-3 years for $50-60 and they works just fine for my daily smoothie of frozen strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blue berries. For a blendtec or vitamix to be worth while, it would have to last at minimum 20 years to be worth it financially. Not sure that'll help but its my .02.

[guessboi]

My wife is still waiting for the newest Vitamix model from the road show during Stampede.

$628.95 all in. It has been 2 months with the delay and she is getting a $100 refund back and a free dry container at no charge. Product finally been shipped today.

[RY213]

I have a ninja blender. It's almost as good as a vitamix but for 1/3 the price. It destroys ice!

[Penguin_Racecar]

Originally posted by RY213
I have a ninja blender. It's almost as good as a vitamix but for 1/3 the price. It destroys ice!

I just came in to post this exact same comment. Love my ninja blender.

[msommers]

Where do you find those? Have you tried any kale in it?

I keep reading that the veggies and seeded fruits like raspberries and strawberries are the hardest to get completely smooth with anything less than the vitamix/blendtec. You should do a smoothie test with your Ninja!

[The_Rural_Juror]

I went through about 4 blenders (probably spent about $500 on them combined), including the top of the line Breville before I got my entry level vitamix a few years back after a lot of research so I have a litle bit more control on making certain stuff. Maybe you might be interested?

No comparison to the others I have used. Only downside is that these are much louder than the cheaper brands.

These are the only three brands I would consider.

Ninja is the budget choice. Great reviews for so much less. But that's all I know about it.

Vitamix is what you see in most professional kitchens next to the robot-coupe. Study, strong, good warranty. People have reportedly owned these for 20+ years with no issues.
Pros: Very well built.
Cons: Heavy (could be a pro because it won't skid like the blendtec). Traditionally tall jugs are hard to store.

Blendtec:
Pros: 3hp vs Vitamix at just over 2hp. Can blend Ipads (youtube it). Cheaper than vitamix. Digital display with more presets and a couple more safety controls.

Cons: Lighter, so may skid. 2 blades vs 4 blades. A tough louder. Minimum rpm is not as low as the vitamix (you would only care about this if you're using this to make certain things).

[sputnik]

I bought a Blendtec Designer Series.



Best. Blender. Ever.

The main problem with the Vitamix is how tall it is. So you are stuck taking it apart to store it and it wont fit on the counter top under upper cabinets.

[Clever]

Originally posted by msommers
Hmm. Is that in store only?

I think so, when I went home to check the details on the Costco website, it was a $100 more on their website.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I have a Ninja 1200KS, Magic Bullet, and a Nutri Bullet.

The Nutri Bullet gets by far the most use. It's a much better version of the magic bullet, with 3 times the power. I make smoothies of basically exactly what you describe (frozen berries, juice, greek yogurt, almonds, flax seed, protein powder, apple, kale/spinach). It is awesome and only $100. Honestly most blenders are such a pain in the ass to clean, this solves that problem too.

The Ninja 1200KS is awesome (similar to vitamix power) but the blades aren't at the bottom, they go up the length of the cup. It's not as good for making juice and such as blenders which have the blades at the bottom. It will, however, turn ice cubes into a fine snow with zero water - it is the ultimate margarita maker, ice crusher, etc. Good for large smoothies as well. Canadian Tire has the full system with both jugs, several blades, etc. on sale regularly for $140. It has suction cups to lock it to the counter as well, but you need to keep them clean.

The magic bullet sucks balls. The original bullet had a 350W motor, and they dropped it to 200W or something like that later on, so if you don't have the original one it will be even worse. It was OK for a while but it's a struggle to crush some frozen berries and everything else unless you use a ton of liquid.

Vitamix is awesome, but cleaning them is a pain compared to the Nutri Bullet. For that reason I wouldn't use it nearly as often, so I decided against it. The Nutri Bullet EASILY crushes all the things I listed above into a perfectly portioned smoothie, quick rinse of the blades and your cup after and you're good to go for next time.

If you google "Blendtec vs Vitamix" you can read all day long. Both are good, but much less convenient to use than the bullet style blenders. If I needed a full size blender, I would buy one of these two, but I've learned that the one I use all the time is the one that is most convenient, and it still does the job just fine.

[msommers]

Hmm sounds like that Nutribullet might be a decent alternative.

Sputnik, Vitamix makes a newer more compact version called the Pro 300. Unfortunately it's quite a bit more than the blendtec. I can order a refurbished blendtec off their website for ~$380 with a 7 year warranty which is kind of tempting. But $100 for that Nutribullet sounds even nicer! Ahh fuck I don't know what to do.

[benyl]

Originally posted by The_Rural_Juror

Blendtec:
Pros: 3hp vs Vitamix at just over 2hp. Can blend Ipads (youtube it). Cheaper than vitamix. Digital display with more presets and a couple more safety controls.

Cons: Lighter, so may skid. 2 blades vs 4 blades. A tough louder. Minimum rpm is not as low as the vitamix (you would only care about this if you're using this to make certain things).

2 blads is so much easier to clean. Also the blades are blunt so you don't get cut the fuck up when you clean it.

Originally posted by msommers
Hmm sounds like that Nutribullet might be a decent alternative.

Sputnik, Vitamix makes a newer more compact version called the Pro 300. Unfortunately it's quite a bit more than the blendtec. I can order a refurbished blendtec off their website for ~$380 with a 7 year warranty which is kind of tempting. But $100 for that Nutribullet sounds even nicer! Ahh fuck I don't know what to do.

I think the Blendtec is $350 or $360 for a new one with an 8 year warranty at Costco.

We have a blendtec. Before that we had a baby bullet (for the kid), magic bullet, some random blender. All ended up burning out. The Blentec is built like a fucking tank.

If it doesn't last at least 8 years, I can just return it to costco.

[timdog]

i have had a vitamix for almost 2 years, have used it literally every single day and it still works as well as the day I bought it. its under warranty for another 5 years still and we will see if i need to utilize that. so far so good. i wont comment on how good it is or what it can do, since you already know that. i thought i'd just weigh in on the quality and durability.
cant comment on the ninja. I have a friend with a blendtec and it still holds up and seems to work pretty much just as well as the vitamix, but she uses it much less often than we use our vitamix so it's not a really a perfect comparison.
the main thing with the vitamix is the construction/durability which is backed by a 7 year warranty. just looking at the ninja up close, it doesnt seem like it would last as long but who knows.