The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: Jeremy E. on July 15, 2015, 10:42:31 AM
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Vitamix standard certified refurbished blender: $250
Blendtec 570: $250
Nutribullet Rx: $180
Experiences? Suggestions?
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I am firmly in the Vitamix camp. Love it and use it multiple times a day and eat healthier because of it. It has become so easy to make my own salsa, sauces, plant-based milks, nut butters, smoothies, hummus . . . the list goes on.
I bought mine new (pre-MMM), and would do so again. From all I have heard, the refurbished models are just as good as brand new and have the same warranty. I would happily hand over $250 for this machine and consider it a steal.
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Also a satisfied Vitamix owner. Have not used other brands so can't compare.
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+1 Vitamix
I used my last roommates blendtec and it had some major issues. The nutribullet is a good basic blender but it doesn't take it to the next level like vitamix does.
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Another happy Vitamix user (almost daily). I bought my refurbished.
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What are you looking to make? I discovered my Cuisenart food processor makes excellent smoothies (including crushing ice or frozen fruit) and hummus. My mother cobbled it together from a mixed lot on Ebay and it's been a real workhorse in the kitchen.
Mainly smoothies and almond milk, but wouldn't mind the ability to make almond butter, soups, ice cream, instant pancake batter, etc.
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What are you looking to make? I discovered my Cuisenart food processor makes excellent smoothies (including crushing ice or frozen fruit) and hummus. My mother cobbled it together from a mixed lot on Ebay and it's been a real workhorse in the kitchen.
Mainly smoothies and almond milk, but wouldn't mind the ability to make almond butter, soups, ice cream, instant pancake batter, etc.
Smoothies and nut milk are not issue in the food processor. It can do nut butters and "cream of" soups without an issue, though the blades aren't going to heat it up for you the way it does on those vitamix ads. I don't understand instant pancake batter. I make pancake batter by dumping all the ingredients in a bowl and whisking it. How does a mixer make it more instant? It can't do ice cream, though my stand mixer came with an ice cream maker bowl and I've used it once in five years of owning it.
I read that it works great for batters, so I assume pancake and cake batter when I hear that, and just assume it mixes them quicker while I can be more lazy, basically the opposite of this post
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/12/05/muscle-over-motor/
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+1 vitamix
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I am firmly in the Vitamix camp. Love it and use it multiple times a day and eat healthier because of it.
+1!
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I've never owned a Vitamix, but I have a Blendtec, and I love it! Got it for my birthday years ago, still going strong.
I chose it based on a review of someone who had both.
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Very happy blendtec user here. I'm sure the vitamix is also very good. I suspect the other one is not quite in the same class as those two.
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We have the Nutribullet Magic Bullet (not the RX) and I like it quite a bit, but it's definitely not in the same class as a Vitamix. It's great for the little smoothies I make for myself and a nearby little kid. I've also used it for hummus and similar. It works fine, but it's more of a single-serving kind of contraption. Great if you are on a green smoothie diet, but it has limits.
Also, we've had it two years and the base just died and the blade is starting to detach from it's base thingie. You can order replacements, but I'm sure Vitamix is higher quality and probably has a decent warranty.
If I was a bachelor and didn't want to make an Investment, I would just order the Magic Bullet (~$90).
If I was feeding a family or I was a super-triathlete type and I was willing to make an Investment, Vitamix.
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We've got a 15+ year old, $35 Oster that just works fine. Just saying.
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We've got a 15+ year old, $35 Oster that just works fine. Just saying.
It just depends on what you want to do. I wasn't a believer till I bought a Blendtec. I don't think the power outputs are comparable - you just just a better consistency.
If it is something you use often, I don't think it's a bad purchase. I have had my Blendtec for years. I like it and it's a bit more visually pleasing than the Vitamix (moot point if you don't keep it on the counter) AND a bit shorter which makes it easier to store.
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Vitamix for us. It's a wonderful machine.
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We've got a 15+ year old, $35 Oster that just works fine. Just saying.
It just depends on what you want to do. I wasn't a believer till I bought a Blendtec. I don't think the power outputs are comparable - you just just a better consistency.
If it is something you use often, I don't think it's a bad purchase. I have had my Blendtec for years. I like it and it's a bit more visually pleasing than the Vitamix (moot point if you don't keep it on the counter) AND a bit shorter which makes it easier to store.
I still don't get it.
I have access to a consumer reports login... so I went that direction to see if I could see the difference. The models suggested by the OP were not reviewed. It does look like if you are willing to shell out the money for the $500+ models -- Consumer Reports does rate the various Vitamix/Blendtech models really high. Under that, they seem pretty closely rated to "less premium" brands that are significantly (sometimes hundreds of dollars) less.
They only reviewed 2 Nutribullet models (and not the one listed by OP). They ddn't like them at all.
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I have paid 10x over for my Vitamix in what it would have cost me to buy baby food and almond milk if I did not make it.
+1 for vitamix.
And my 5 year old is in love with banana ice cream.
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+1 for the vitamix, but I will say that sometimes I find it inconvenient to use because of the space it takes up and the loudness. But I do love it!
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We have a top-line Blendtech, and my parents have a top-line Vitamix. IMO, the Blendtech is significantly better in terms of not needing intervention; the plunger on the Vitamix is a PITA.
Never used the lower end models or the bullet.
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I've got a Hamilton Beach that I think was in the $25-$35 range and has served me well for 6 or 7 years. I use it pretty heavily and grind up a bunch of ice in it every morning. Of course, I quickly burned through the motors on 2 or 3 other cheap blenders this way before I found this one. I made gazpacho the other night and I've mixed up cupcake batter in it in the past. (I didn't even know that was a thing. I just decided to try it out of laziness one time. Seemed to work fine and it poured into the cupcake papers neatly.) I even pureed gallons of raw apples once in an extremely laborious, but delicious, apple cider making operation; but mostly I use it for smoothies and blended iced coffee.
I'm not convinced these expensive blenders are worth it.
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We have a Blendtec (and the specialty twister jar, which is a big help for thick things like hummus, peanut butter, etc). Either the Blendtec or a Vitamix will be a huge advantage over a standard blender - of course, this depends greatly on what you want to use it for, and how often. My wife and I thought it would be crazy to spend $400 for a blender, but then we borrowed a friend's for a week.
You can achieve similar consistency/results with a lower end model, but there are two main reasons we went with a high end: processing time and cleanup. What would take me 5+ minutes in an Oster, we can do in 30 seconds or less in the Blendtec. Cleaning is very, very easy, and important for us. If it's hard to clean well, that's a major barrier to use, especially when strapped for time. Cleaning is the big reason we chose the Blendtec over the Vitamix. Blendtec uses a dull blade design whereas the Vitamix uses a sharp blade. For the times when a simple rinse/blend with soap and water isn't enough, I don't worry about slicing my hand with the Blendtec.
The Blendtec has an LED counter on the front to show the minutes used. We bough ours in Nov 2013. We're currently at a bit over 1100 minutes, so we use it on average about 2 minutes a day. We have limited counter space. The Blendtec and the coffee maker are the only appliances that sit out.
If you can borrow from a friend to test any of those models out, I'd highly recommend it if you're not familiar with them.
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Forgot one thing - based on what we used a food processor for, the Blendtec also replaced our KitchenAid food processor, which frees up a lot of space (and it was rarely used, since a 60 sec processing operation would take 5 minutes of clean up at least).
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I wish I knew how to add polls to a post... But anyway, so far we have
9.5 votes Vitamix
5 votes Blendtec
1 vote Hamilton Beach
1 vote Ninja
1 vote Cuisenart food processor
.5 votes for nutribullet
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My mom has vitamx, and I found it's very hard to clean. I got little bits and pieces stuck underneath the blade. How do you guys clean the thing?
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I love my Blendtec. It's very easy to clean (a cup of water and a drop or two of soap and run it for 15 seconds).
I haven't used a Vitamix, but I doubt you can go wrong either way. I feel people are going to vote for what they own, not necessarily for which is the better blender. ;)
To anyone with a $30 blender who thinks it's the same, it's not. :P
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I would marry my Blendtec if I could marry a kitchen appliance. I also shelled out the money for the twister jar last year, and that really upped the versatility factor. It's now really easy to make hummus, almond butter, tahini and coconut butter. It's also nice to have the smaller jar for making small batch things like mayo and salad dressing. With the bigger jars, you need several ounces to get the ingredients up to the level of the blade, but with the Twister jar I can do a 1-egg batch of mayo.
Mine came with the regular jar when I bought it, but then the company offered a Wildside jar for the cost of shipping. So now I have a spare jar, and plan to use it for non-food things, such as making my own lotions and things, so its utility is going to increase again. This fall I plan to use it to grind my homegrown Bloody Butcher corn into cornmeal.
CostCo has Blendtec with the Wildside jar on sale right now for $250, IIRC. Might be better than a refurb at the same price. At least when I bought mine there, it included an 8-year unconditional warranty (oh, you cut the power cord off? We'll fix that for you), vs. a 7-year conditional warranty. If it dies after 8 years and one day, I will replace it in a heartbeat. Mine has over 1,100 cycles on it after about 3 years of ownership.
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My mom has vitamx, and I found it's very hard to clean. I got little bits and pieces stuck underneath the blade. How do you guys clean the thing?
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Fill to 3/4 with warm water
Add a drop of dish soap
Turn it on and let it whirl for a minute or so
Rinse
This has always worked for me.
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My mom has vitamx, and I found it's very hard to clean. I got little bits and pieces stuck underneath the blade. How do you guys clean the thing?
Fill to 3/4 with warm water
Add a drop of dish soap
Turn it on and let it whirl for a minute or so
Rinse
This has always worked for me.
...and this pretty much works with any brand/model.
Alternate method for almost any model:
1. Take apart
2. place in dishwasher
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I think some expensive models are not worth it. I have a 15 year old Hamilton beach cheap model and it works just fine. There's never been anything it hasn't been able to chop up. And I make home made cat food with chicken thighs with the bone regularly.
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The vitamix is a really bad-ass machine - tons of power for doing things like 2 lbs. of nut butter at a time. It is pretty amazing. Even for things like hummus, my Cuisinart simply can't compare - they both make hummus easily, but the texture is really different.
The alternatives out there copying the Vitamix might have caught up, but read the specs to make sure you are comparing apples to apples.
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The vitamix is a really bad-ass machine - tons of power for doing things like 2 lbs. of nut butter at a time. It is pretty amazing. Even for things like hummus, my Cuisinart simply can't compare - they both make hummus easily, but the texture is really different.
The alternatives out there copying the Vitamix might have caught up, but read the specs to make sure you are comparing apples to apples.
I think blendtec is their main competition and although Vitamix is older, it seems Vitamix is the one copying Blendtec, as Blendtec sued Vitamix recently for copying the design of their wildside jar
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Vitamix camp here. Fiance got it, kind of on a whim. If she hadn't, we'd still be using the Oster.
The Oster works. It does everything it needs to do without fail.
The Vitamix excels. It does everything it needs to do, without fail, and does it better than the Oster. Then it does more.
The Oster is like a good low-cost index fund. The Vitamix is like a high-cost actively managed fund that ALWAYS outperforms the market without fail, and the end result after fees is a tiny bit better than the Vanguard index fund--and they give you a coupon for free ice cream once a year.
If this was me, I'd still be rocking the Oster, even after experiencing the Vitamix. But it is something I am damn glad that I have. If it ever breaks, I will repair it, or else put it on the Christmas wish list.
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Adding to the choices: Ninja.
http://gotgreensrevolution.com/blendtec-vs-ninja/
I don't even own a blender (I'd like one) but would find it hard to justify a multi-hundred dollar purchase for something I use once in a blue moon. Ninja might be enough.
Forgot one thing - based on what we used a food processor for, the Blendtec also replaced our KitchenAid food processor, which frees up a lot of space (and it was rarely used, since a 60 sec processing operation would take 5 minutes of clean up at least).
That's largely why I got rid of the food processor too: cleanup time.
+0.5 for Ninja. We had one (the "professional") for about 3-4 years, before it broke. A $100-something model. To be fair be usually made 2x smoothies every weekday (me+wife). The spinning wheel thing on the base got all torn up for some reason, and I found no way to repair it. Searching around I ended back on the Ninja brand, despite being pissed that it broke. I cannot justify a $300+ blender, and the $30 seem like POS that will break soon anyway.
What finalized it for me was that if you order through the ninja website they have a deal where you get a lifetime warranty. At least for the $200 model.
http://direct.ninjakitchen.com/products/nutri-ninja-ninja-blender-duo-bl640//4/microsite/nutri-ninja-auto-iq/?_ga=1.8869558.2078537718.1396544486
Figured if it breaks again I'll just get a new one! I made 1lb+ of almond butter the other day and it was no problem. So as far as I can tell it does the job.
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I caved and went for the $260 shipped Vitamix 6300/Pro 500 today (refurbished, 5 year warranty.) I have a Ninja Pulse for daily breakfast smoothies, and it works... but it makes funny noises if you do more than a few quick pulses, especially if there are blueberry peels on the blade. I worry about longevity, and plan to use the Vitamix for as long as possible. (I also have a Hamilton Beach travel blender at my fiancee's place for smoothies. In some ways I like it better than the more expensive Pulse - slightly more space in the "16 oz" container and seems to stand up better to fruit. But the lid has started to crack and leak after about 18 months of use.)
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I caved and went for the $260 shipped Vitamix 6300/Pro 500 today (refurbished, 5 year warranty.) I have a Ninja Pulse for daily breakfast smoothies, and it works... but it makes funny noises if you do more than a few quick pulses, especially if there are blueberry peels on the blade. I worry about longevity, and plan to use the Vitamix for as long as possible. (I also have a Hamilton Beach travel blender at my fiancee's place for smoothies. In some ways I like it better than the more expensive Pulse - slightly more space in the "16 oz" container and seems to stand up better to fruit. But the lid has started to crack and leak after about 18 months of use.)
That's the Vitamix I'm looking at, I'm also looking at the Blendtec 570 from Costco,
But I think I've decided I'll wait and look for a deal on a Blendtec that comes with a Wildside+ jar, which is the 90 oz jar. I might even try to find one that comes with a wildside+ jar and a twist jar.
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Another happy Vitamix owner here. Ours can handle anything we throw in it. If you really stress it out, it will shut itself off automatically to cool down so the motor doesn't burn out. But I think you'd have to be doing some seriously hardcore shit for that to happen. I use it to blend up batches of liver for baby/toddler food, crush macadamia nuts, you name it.
We did need to think about it for quite a while because it was a big investment and we felt at the time that it was a bit of an indulgence. In the end, we paid around $550 for a new-in-box Vitamix 750 on ebay (with full warranty, I think 10 years).
Not everyone would get the use out of it to justify the cost though. If you just want to make smoothies or chop up some salad then I don't think you don't need a Vitamix - a much cheaper blender or food processor would probably be fine.
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We've got a 15+ year old, $35 Oster that just works fine. Just saying.
Yup. Love my Oster that I bought from Costco for $27. We use it for smoothies every morning.
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http://m.aliexpress.com/item/32395453398.html
Found a Vitamix knockoff, should I try it?
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http://m.aliexpress.com/item/32395453398.html
Found a Vitamix knockoff, should I try it?
For ~$120 more I'd get a refurb Blendtec with a 7yr warranty.
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http://m.aliexpress.com/item/32395453398.html
Found a Vitamix knockoff, should I try it?
For ~$120 more I'd get a refurb Blendtec with a 7yr warranty.
for $120 more I could get a new Blendtec with an 8yr warranty via Costco
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http://m.aliexpress.com/item/32395453398.html
Found a Vitamix knockoff, should I try it?
For ~$120 more I'd get a refurb Blendtec with a 7yr warranty.
for $120 more I could get a new Blendtec with an 8yr warranty via Costco
Okay, or that. My point is I wouldn't spend over $100 on a no-name unknown Chinese blender.
The Costco price is for a Blendtec 570 (http://www.costco.com/Blendtec%C2%AE-Classic-570-Performance-Blender.product.100137930.html), which is a Costco-only model. The refurb prices have gone up slightly ($280 now for a Blendtec Total Blender). The difference might not matter for most people.
Blendtec Total Classic3.0 peak horsepower motor
10 incremental speeds + Pulse
Molded plastic finish
Colors: Black, Red, White
Touchpad interface for easy cleaning
Preprogrammed cycles: Smoothie, Batters, Hot Soup, Whole Juice, Ice Cream, Ice Crush
Illuminated LCD timer displays remaining time on blends
Dimensions: 7" wide x 15" tall x 8" deep
Weight: 7.28 lbs
13 amps, 120 volts
7-year warranty
5703.0 peak horsepower motor
3 speeds + Pulse
Molded plastic finish
Colors: Black, Pomegranate
Touchpad interface for easy cleaning
Preprogrammed cycles: Smoothie, Hot
Illuminated LCD timer displays remaining time on blends
Dimensions: 7" wide x 15" tall x 8" deep
Weight: 7.28 lbs
13 amps, 120 volts
8 Year Warranty
I'm sure you'd be happy with either one. As for the knockoff, do you feel lucky? :P
As for the year warranty difference - if it fails after a decade, I'll just buy another one - but this thing is a tank. Splined steel shaft drive (none of this rubber wedgy-thing you see on cheap blenders), massive motor - it's overbuilt to hell and back.
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http://m.aliexpress.com/item/32395453398.html
Found a Vitamix knockoff, should I try it?
For ~$120 more I'd get a refurb Blendtec with a 7yr warranty.
for $120 more I could get a new Blendtec with an 8yr warranty via Costco
Okay, or that. My point is I wouldn't spend over $100 on a no-name unknown Chinese blender.
No kidding.
If anyone needs more convincing, I strongly suggest they read the book "Poorly Made in China."
TL;DR? This video is chilling:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keaE7QTKTYE
On something with spinning blades and a powerful electric motor, I wouldn't skimp on quality.
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I've told my husband that if he leaves, he leaves the Blendtec. It's fantastic. Easy to clean, which means it is used often. We do smoothies almost every night, so it generally just gets a rinse, with a dishwasher cycle once a week or so. The blades aren't sharp, so no being poked when cleaning it on the rare occasions you need to dislodge something.
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I've told my husband that if he leaves, he leaves the Blendtec. It's fantastic. Easy to clean, which means it is used often. We do smoothies almost every night, so it generally just gets a rinse, with a dishwasher cycle once a week or so. The blades aren't sharp, so no being poked when cleaning it on the rare occasions you need to dislodge something.
I heard that the Blendtec self cleaned and the dishwasher was unnecessary? Did I hear incorrectly?
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I never put mine through the dishwasher, but I suppose a person could, if they felt it was getting some build-up or something. Part of what sold me on it was the water and a drop of soap, then hit the pulse button a couple times and rinse it out. That works for pretty much everything except say, a bunch of nut butter or something else really gunky. I make bulletproof coffee (buttered coffee) in mine most mornings and usually just rinse, maybe do soap every 3rd day, and it seems to stay clean, or maybe I have low cleanliness standards.
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Vitamix for sure. I did tons of research about 2 years ago, and I am super happy with my Vitamix. My neighbors have the blendtec and there is definitely some jealousy when they come over.
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Not one of the choices, but I impulse bought a Dash blender in my pre-mustachian days. It was clearanced for $300. Although a week later I went back and it was marked down to $100. I got Shopko to give me the difference.
Anyway, I love the thing. I've had to replace the jar once, but that only cost $17. I've done hummus, smoothies, soups... all the things. Except grind wheat. I need to try that still. I think it was well worth the $300, and definitely worth the $100. If it dies, I'll look at getting another super blender. They are worth the cost for me.
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Nutribullet worked really well for me Blendtec broke after 6 months. If you want some video reviews I highly recommend discountjuicers(username)on youtube
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10 year Vitamix owner here. Good stuff.
re: batters - Don't do it, especially to your pancakes.
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I felt guilty buying a Vitamix around 8 months ago, but I don't anymore. I bought refurbished and used gift money for part of it. It's been great. I use it not quite daily, but almost. It can't do EVERYTHING, but pretty darn close. I agonize over purchases like this and then usually go the cheap route, and then I regret it, so I'm glad I didn't do that this time. If you think you'll use it a lot, I say shell out the cash and get you one!
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This is really interesting to me. IS there some kind of a confirmation bias about buying a very expensive blender? Sounds to me like for the price of one of these Vitamix blenders, I can buy 20 Osters.
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This is really interesting to me. IS there some kind of a confirmation bias about buying a very expensive blender? Sounds to me like for the price of one of these Vitamix blenders, I can buy 20 Osters.
You can also buy 20 bicycles for the price of a motorcycle
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This is really interesting to me. IS there some kind of a confirmation bias about buying a very expensive blender? Sounds to me like for the price of one of these Vitamix blenders, I can buy 20 Osters.
You can also buy 20 bicycles for the price of a motorcycle
Yes, I know what a motorcycle does that a bicycle doesn't do.
Those of us with "blenders" don't understand what a Cadillac blender does that a Hyundai blender doesn't also do. Feel free to explain. I freely admit that I don't understand.
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i don't have one yet, but I've drank smoothies made from a nutribullet Rx, and they are 100% smooth after 30 seconds of blending. My blender I blend for 3 minutes and there is still chunks, seeds, etc. I've dried making almond milk with my blender and it does such a poor after trying to crush the almonds for 5 minutes that half the almonds can't make it through the nutbag still. I've tried grinding coffee beans with my blender and it sucks.
Although I haven't tried those things (other than the smoothie) with a "Cadillac Blender" from what I hear they work great. Also allowing almond butter, ice cream, hot soup etc. Also not breaking, and if for some reason they do, having a warranty to replace them that lasts more than 1-2 years.
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I'm a very happy owner of a refurbished Vitamix. I bought it with gift cards I received. I felt very spendy when I bought it, but I don't think that anymore. Before I bought the Vitamix I went through three $50 blenders in a year and a half. Two years into using my Vitamix and it hasn't had a hiccup.
- I think the Blendtec is a very solid choice too, although I still prefer the Vitamix. I'm suspicious of the Nutribullet.
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I'm a very happy owner of a refurbished Vitamix. I bought it with gift cards I received. I felt very spendy when I bought it, but I don't think that anymore. Before I bought the Vitamix I went through three $50 blenders in a year and a half. Two years into using my Vitamix and it hasn't had a hiccup.
- I think the Blendtec is a very solid choice too, although I still prefer the Vitamix. I'm suspicious of the Nutribullet.
I agree that the Vitamix and Blendtec are really the only choice for top of the line blenders, Nutribullet Rx has about the same capabilities of those other blenders, but they only offer a standard 4 year warranty compared to the 8 year warranty of the blendtec, even the refurbished Vitamix has a longer warranty at 5 years. Although I think companies that sell "extended warranties" are just ripping you off, I respect companies with long "standard" warranties that don't cost extra.
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This is really interesting to me. IS there some kind of a confirmation bias about buying a very expensive blender? Sounds to me like for the price of one of these Vitamix blenders, I can buy 20 Osters.
You can also buy 20 bicycles for the price of a motorcycle
Yes, I know what a motorcycle does that a bicycle doesn't do.
Those of us with "blenders" don't understand what a Cadillac blender does that a Hyundai blender doesn't also do. Feel free to explain. I freely admit that I don't understand.
This is really interesting to me. IS there some kind of a confirmation bias about buying a very expensive blender? Sounds to me like for the price of one of these Vitamix blenders, I can buy 20 Osters.
I understand... it took a long time for me to justify buying one and I bought it from Costco where I figured I could return it if I felt that it was useless. I do also have an older Black & Decker or whatever blender laying around.
The more expensive blenders just tend to be able to do more things (soups, etc.) and daily smoothies are much easier because 1) motor is more powerful 2) you can add more items at once and not worry about the blender clogging or slowing down 3) the consistency of your product becomes much, much finer. I always felt that the B&D blender left things a bit... thick. And it also has trouble with crushing ice.
I guess if it comes down to it, it's an issue of convenience and preference? Maybe a "luxury is a weakness" type of thing? :O
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Vitamix here.
- We killed multiple cheap blenders.
-I do veggies in my smoothie, and cheap blenders = chunks.
I would have gotten the blendtec if it had been cheaper, they seemed equally good, but I got a deal on a vitamix.
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You can't lump all blenders that's are under $200 into this 'cheap' category. My blender was probably $30 new and its 15 years old. It's Hamilton beach and when people say cheap blenders can't crush ice or veggies I think it's a total joke. Maybe a bottom of the line cheap blender can't blend well or has a motor that wears out quickly. But my quality cheapo turns chicken thigh bones into liquid with ease.
I think that's about as tough as you need
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You can't lump all blenders that's are under $200 into this 'cheap' category. My blender was probably $30 new and its 15 years old. It's Hamilton beach and when people say cheap blenders can't crush ice or veggies I think it's a total joke. Maybe a bottom of the line cheap blender can't blend well or has a motor that wears out quickly. But my quality cheapo turns chicken thigh bones into liquid with ease.
I think that's about as tough as you need
What you need and what I want are different things. I like overkill and knowing I will likely never have to replace my blender. My last cheap one broke - I'm quite confident that this guy will last practically forever. You also can't buy 15 year old blenders right now, so be happy you got a cheap one while they were still decent!
Check out the Will It Blend series on Youtube to see the ridiculous stuff that a Blendtec will power through, example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XNSKIzDPtg
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We have a Ninja; not sure which model.
He have no trouble whatsoever making smooth smoothies; ice is no problem. Soups are a piece of cake. We haven't tried anything more complex like nut butters, and all that other stuff mentioned here. We have a food processor which we typically use for that.
We have had the Ninja for 3 years, not a problem so far. My Mom has a Vitamix and raves about it; we did wan't to shell out the $500, and went with the Ninja. So far, based on what we use it for I 100% say don't get the Vitamix. However, if you want to frequently use to for more complicated uses, then I'd have to research more.
Vitamix standard certified refurbished blender: $250
Blendtec 570: $250
Nutribullet Rx: $180
Experiences? Suggestions?
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It turns out Oster actually makes a blender very similar to the look of a Vitamix, called the Oster Versa, with similar power. It costs $200, so even the brand that people refer to as a replacement to vitamix or blendtec costs just about as much when they make it similarly.
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It turns out Oster actually makes a blender very similar to the look of a Vitamix, called the Oster Versa, with similar power. It costs $200, so even the brand that people refer to as a replacement to vitamix or blendtec costs just about as much when they make it similarly.
They have multiple Versas at varying prices. And the cheaper Versas get better Consumer Reports ratings than the $300 Versas. The whole blender market really seems to be sort of odd -- with uber expensive models and relatively inexpensive models getting similar ratings. It seems really tied to "coolness" -- which is just really strange to me.
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I don't really want to turn this into an argument. Smoothies are awesome. I have one every morning. I don't know if they would be twice as awesome if my smoothies were creamier. The thing to remember is the Tiny Details Exaggeration Syndrome.
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I don't really want to turn this into an argument. Smoothies are awesome. I have one every morning. I don't know if they would be twice as awesome if my smoothies were creamier. The thing to remember is the Tiny Details Exaggeration Syndrome.
However, I can say it's a well known fact that the blenders that have the model name written in Courier font are notably superior.
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If my Vitamix broke today I would buy another one tomorrow. I have used the warranty once when I noticed a small crack in the hard plastic blending container. They sent me a new one without a problem and didn't even ask for the old one back.
I have used the Ninja and would not recommend that blender. I have made margaritas with the Blend Tec and the Vitamix and felt the Vitamix made it smoother but the difference was negligible.
I don't think you can go wrong with either one.
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In my opinion go for either one of two. Both of them are made for heavy duty work and are durable. Had complication with ninja warranty had to pay few extra bucks. Using Blendtec for more than 4 years and there are no issues. It does what is it made up for.
I usually use it for smoothies, sometimes use for grinding meat and pork and bang.
The only difference I see is the price tag of these blenders.
Comparison and review: http://www.blenderbabes.com/blender-babes-101/blender-reviews/blendtec-vs-vitamix/#cost
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You just pulled up an 8 month old thread, but let's go ahead and revitalize this bad boy.
We bought the Vitamix solely for green smoothies (though we use it now for much more). We drink them daily and the cheap blenders just don't cut it.
The difference between Vitamix, Blendtec, and other high end blenders vs. the cheap Osters and Hamilton Beaches is consistency. Making a green smoothie in a cheap blender leaves lots of little chunks. If that doesn't bother you, then go ahead with the cheap blenders. My wife and I could not choke down a green smoothie with little chunks of hard scratchy kale in it.
We paid over $400 for a refurb 4-5 years ago (you can get them for under $300 now) and it was probably the best money we've ever spent. We use it more than the range, microwave, and various other more expensive appliances in the house.
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I looked up the Consumer Reports recommendations (at the library :) and this past holiday season they recommended Vitamix for higher end and Nutri Ninja Pro (900 watts) for more budget conscious. I bought the Ninja (when it finally went to the best sale price) and and am very impressed with its power and design for the lower price point. Far superior to the Bullet I previously used.
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OP here, I ended up buying a used nutribullet for $50 and it has treated me well. I only make smoothies for myself and my girlfriend, so the 32 oz cup is more than enough, even the 24 oz cup is plenty. If you were making smoothies for 4+ people something with a bigger container might be good. It also works good for grinding coffee beans and making almond milk, however I tried to do almond butter once and it wasn't very successful. Almond butter is the only thing that it hasn't been able to do very well. The smoothies are completely smooth the same as the smoothies from a nutribullet RX, which is equivelant to blendtec or vitamix
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You just pulled up an 8 month old thread, but let's go ahead and revitalize this bad boy.
We bought the Vitamix solely for green smoothies (though we use it now for much more). We drink them daily and the cheap blenders just don't cut it.
The difference between Vitamix, Blendtec, and other high end blenders vs. the cheap Osters and Hamilton Beaches is consistency. Making a green smoothie in a cheap blender leaves lots of little chunks. If that doesn't bother you, then go ahead with the cheap blenders. My wife and I could not choke down a green smoothie with little chunks of hard scratchy kale in it.
We paid over $400 for a refurb 4-5 years ago (you can get them for under $300 now) and it was probably the best money we've ever spent. We use it more than the range, microwave, and various other more expensive appliances in the house.
I will second the consistency issues with cheaper blenders. The cheap blenders reminded me of if someone got a shredder or something or put the kale through it, then mixed it into a fruit smoothy. It was "liquidy" but still in small pieces with a gnarly texture. The blendtec made it a "smoothie" rather than a "chunky". If you just make strawberry and banana smoothies, there's no reason to get an expensive blender.
In related news, the seal on the bottom of my blendtec pitcher blew out yesterday. The odometer said it's just under 1000 uses since I got it. I called them up, and they sent a new pitcher immediately. I bought it a little over 3 years ago with a bed bath and beyond coupon, probably cost ~$400.
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+1 for Ninja. Only $59.99 new at Target, and I've been happily using mine for 5 years now. It's always either in use or drying in the dishrack, I use it so often it rarely gets put "away"
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OP here, I ended up buying a used nutribullet for $50 and it has treated me well. I only make smoothies for myself and my girlfriend, so the 32 oz cup is more than enough, even the 24 oz cup is plenty. If you were making smoothies for 4+ people something with a bigger container might be good. It also works good for grinding coffee beans and making almond milk, however I tried to do almond butter once and it wasn't very successful. Almond butter is the only thing that it hasn't been able to do very well. The smoothies are completely smooth the same as the smoothies from a nutribullet RX, which is equivelant to blendtec or vitamix
I've heard good things about the nutribullet. It just doesn't have a large enough capacity for my family.
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About 95% of what any blender is, is the motor. So +1 to the folks who've identified "big ass motor" as the distinguishing feature of these high-end blenders; it makes a huge difference. When in doubt, compare motor specs.
I recently found a Vitamix commercial smoothie blender in a dumpster and took it apart in an attempt to fix the motor (the rest of the unit was fine, but when running it produced copious amounts of horrible PVC smoke). This bad boy has a 15 amp motor with carbon brushes. You could probably use it to power a go kart. The rest of the internals are singularly unimpressive, though... nice use of hot glue! Besides the motor it's mostly empty space.
(Sadly there's a short in the winding and I may end up having to scrap this $800 blender.)
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Does anyone know of any of these good blenders that have a glass container instead of plastic? I have concerns about too much plastic contact, especially with hot liquids (like blended soups). We have a blender with a glass container which is great, but it doesn't work very well as a blender (creates a bubble at the blades then doesn't blend).
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Does anyone know of any of these good blenders that have a glass container instead of plastic? I have concerns about too much plastic contact, especially with hot liquids (like blended soups). We have a blender with a glass container which is great, but it doesn't work very well as a blender (creates a bubble at the blades then doesn't blend).
I know that the standard nutribullet uses a plastic container, not sure about the others
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Does anyone know of any of these good blenders that have a glass container instead of plastic? I have concerns about too much plastic contact, especially with hot liquids (like blended soups). We have a blender with a glass container which is great, but it doesn't work very well as a blender (creates a bubble at the blades then doesn't blend).
I think Breville makes one. The main issue you'll run into is durability, glass is generally more fragile than plastic. I'd suggest looking up some reviews before buying one (or searching XXXX Blender glass breaking). It'll be heavier than plastic too. This will probably be more pronounced with a higher powered blender. Also keep in mind your seals that keep everything inside the pitcher from leaking out the bottom will most likely not be glass or metal.