About choosing blender

Waring makes several commercial blenders ranging in size with a stainless steel carafe. Durable, easy to clean, and lighter than glass.

Although a Vitamix is expensive, I've spent more than double the cost on cheaper blenders that went bad in my lifetime. And the Vitamix is pretty much unmatched in sheer power over other blenders

Plastic jars are HUGELY better than glass.  They're lighter, stronger and cheaper to replace, they also clean well.  More to the point, plastic or metal is pretty much all that's available for anything other than retro bar blenders anymore.

 

VitaMix is doing some model updating.  You might be able to find one of last year's at a big discount if you do some shopping.  Looking at Williams Sonoma model selection, the least expensive VitaMix "Professional" or "Classic" will probably serve you at least as well as the most expensive. VitaMix "Professional" are home blenders, and not true commercial.  There are better places to find blenders than Williams Sonoma.  Click on over to Blenderworld.  You'll get a better idea of what's available, and the prices are better too.

 

Super powerful blenders like a VitaMix do a few things better than something with half the power and half the price -- but the superiority is almost entirely limited to ice -- like making smoothies, and "snow."   Another thing the VitaMix does extremely well is working with hot liquids.  Because the blender can be ramped up instead of starting at full speed, and because the  lid is vented, the VitaMix doesn't have the same tendency to explode as many other blenders.  

 

A popular belief, but never really true -- or at least not for some time.  VitaMix has had competition from BlendTec, Waring, Hamilton Beach, and others for years.  There are lots of machines with similar or even more power to occupy the same niches.  Competition is a good thing. 

 

VitaMix makes good blenders, and we love ours (Professional CIA which is the same as a Professional 200 but with a different cookbook). ViatMix are expensive but if you can afford it you probably won't regret the extra few bucks -- we don't.  VitaMix's commercial line is called "Vita Prep," and you're probably looking at models 1003 and 1005).  Depending on what you want your blender for, I'd look at something like a Waring BB180 (less than $100), which is plenty powerful for almost everything.  The Waring 1050 is a good blender, and at around $250 is a hugely good deal.  You should also look at the Blend-Tecs and Hamilton Beach HBF 600 as well. 

 

BDL

Edited by boar_d_laze - 9/11/12 at 11:10am

Three or four years ago I went nuts and, impressed by the demo, bought a VitaMix 5200 on sale at Costco for $400. (That was before the stock market slump and I thought I could afford it   ) The list on it is a little over $500, and God knows what W-S charges. VitaMix offers about 40 supposedly different models/mixes of accessories ranging from $360 to the low four figures, so I don't know how to suggest one over another. Mine came with the standard bowl and the push stick, which is a necessity.

 

You want a blender?  Be assured that Model 5200 will blend the complete **** out of just about anything.  I just recently saw a commercial in which they ground up some fruit in a VM, then cleaned the container - which is glass* -  and dropped in....  a cellphone.  Ground it up pretty well, too. Didn't say how they planned to cook it. 

 

The instructions (which are exhaustive-  a couple of cookbooks and a CD) include directions for making hot soup by blending the ingredients for five minutes and letting friction do its job.  Have never tried it, as I haven't felt any need for a totally pureed soup, and I think the stove will do a better and much more economical job with the heating part.

 

*CORRECTION  - it is NOT  glass, it's polycarbonate.  I was away from mine for a few days  and couldn't remember the material. I apologize for the misinformation. Getting old is a drag.     h/t W. C. Fields,  who added "until you consider the alternative..."

 

Looked casually at a Blend-Tec a couple of years ago and noted that it weighed about 1/3 as much as my VM, but is in more or less the same price range.  I'm not impressed; my array of woodworking machinery has convinced me that motor weight is a pretty good indicator of power.

 

Mike

Edited by MikeLM - 9/18/12 at 9:13pm

All these high power blenders use a polycarbonate jar for safety reasons and to keep them light weight

FWIW, I own both the Vitamix 5200 and the Blentec total blender. The Vitamix outperforms the Blendtec even though the Blendtec claims more HP.

Tamper free is a false claim and is a down side of the Blendtec. It needs a tamper at times or you will over heat the motor. The VitaMix tamper is custom made so it will never contact the blades so you can tamp and stir while running . You are left with using a spoon or similar utensil when you need to clear the Blendtec

Effectiveness of a food blender is dependent on three factors, i.e.

 

1. the rotational speed of the blades, which, BTW, is not related to power of the motor.
2. the blender’s motor power to maintain high rotational speed under load.
3. the shape of the jar. The more turbulence the better the blending. If the food rotates at the same speed as the blades, there will be very little blending.

 

Typical home blenders ($100) uses motors under 700 watts of power, rotational speeds under 20 k RPM, and blade assemblies of 2” diameter.

 

High-end blenders ($400 to $1,500) use motors around 1,600 watts of power, rotational speeds as high as 37K RPM and blade assemblies of 4” diameter.

 

2” blade circumference = 6.28”, at 20K RPM = 12,560 feet per minute

 

4” blade circumference = 12.57”, at 37k RPM = 38,757 feet per minute

 

It is the differential speed of the blade tip and the food that makes effective blending. The numbers explain why you need a high end blender to make real smooties. Unfortunately not too many blenders give you all the technical information you need to make your selection.

 

Also, a very important consideration, noise. Some blenders may be way too noisy for your liking.

 

A tip:

 

Buy an extra jar/blades for your blender, which may not be too expensive for low end blenders. Blenders do not use very good blade metal and gets very dull quickly. Sharpen one jar’s blades to razor sharp and use that jar only for making smoothie type of blending.

 

dcarch

At this highest end of the blender market there is no rational basis for choosing more power, they're all so much way beyond adequate. 

 

Vitamix model numbers are confusing.  The same base with different pitchers gets different model numbers.  The same base with the same pitchers and different cookbooks gets different model numbers. 

 

The new top of the line highest priced Vitamix blenders includes a "soup" cycle.  Other new, "higher end" Vitamix have some "pre-programmed" cycles.  In a word, these are useless.  Forget about the 500 series. 

 

FWIW, the old 5200 "Classic" series blenders can be found here.  Also look at the identical  "Professional CIA," "Professional 200," and "Professional 300" designations.  A Professional CIA is a 5200 which is a Professional 200.  The differences are cosmetic and packaging.  For instance, the CIA has a slightly larger dial, a choice of colors, and a different cookbook.

 

Blenders with the old packaging can be found at a substantial discount if you search the web.  If price matters, look around.  Don't settle for Vitamix or Amazon. Through a series of adventures and misadventures -- not to mention my professional discount -- we ended up paying $300 at Sur La Table for a brand new, stainless, "CIA" model which Vitamix still lists at $529. 

 

While I doubt you'll be that lucky, you should be able to find a new, similar Vitamix for ~$400.  For instance, QVC has the "Creations" Vitamix for $439, not to mention the Blendtec Total 90 for $375.  But, KaTom has the Vita Prep 1002 (Vitamix's actual professional "Professional 200," but with different feet, no cookbook, and available in a choice of "any color so long as it is black") for $376.  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand just in case "ridiculously over-powered" isn't enough because you want to mill flour for your family, your neighborhood, all of your acquaintances, and most of your geographical region KaTom also has the "beyond ridiculously over-powered" Vita Prep 1005 for $482.

 

In case you're not already super-confused, consider the Waring XTX 1200 for $350 from BlenderPlace.com.  Why not?  It will do everything the Vitamixes and Blendtecs can, and for the same price.

 

My understanding is that Vitamix's new, square, low-profile, 64 oz jar, has a better "vortex" and out performs the older taller jar for a few tasks, like milkshakes.  It should, as Vitamix copied it from Blendtec and ended up losing more than $20 million for patent infringement.  Is it better enough to pay [gasp] retail?  I doubt it.  If you want the square pitcher forsake the variable speed, offend Vitamix and buy a Blendtec.  (Apologies to Shakespeare and Waring.)

 

If you've decided that nothing less than a Vitamix, Blendtec, or other super-powered, super expensive blender will do, and frequently use your blender to puree a lot of hot food, I recommend Vitamix or Waring for their variable speed controls which allow slow starts, and especially Vitamix (and Vita-Prep) for the vented pitcher caps. 

 

Otherwise, if you're still undecided spend a few hours looking for the best prices and buy on that basis and on appearance.  There's no valid reason to allow the choice to become an obsession.  At the end of the day, they're just blenders.  In the $350 - $375 range, the Vita Prep 1002, Waring XTX 1200, and Blendtec Total 90 Total look equally attractive.

 

BDL

Edited by boar_d_laze - 9/15/12 at 6:47pm