VitaMix vs BlendTec
So I came in from running and started to make a blenderful of GS. Sometimes if my BlendTec is full of something else, or my kids put the container somewhere that I can’t find, I use the VitaMix instead of the BlendTec.
This photo shows another reason why I promote BlendTec over VitaMix. This is the third time this has happened to me in the past few years with my VitaMix: while blending, for no good reason, the entire base and blade assembly comes apart from the container. I had to pull the container off the base and quickly dump it into my other container (losing some all over the counter in the process). I had to stick my hand into the container of green goo and fish out the blade assembly.
So I told my son to grab the camera so you could at least be entertained by it. Don’t get me wrong–VM is a good machine, makes awesome smoothies, and they honor their warranty well (I’ve burned up a couple of their machines). But you can read my 6 reasons (besides this design flaw) why I choose to promote BlendTec, by clicking here.
Bought a Blend Tech 2 years ago and the bearings in the blade wore out quickly. Talked to a corprate guy for Jamba Juice they said that is why they only use Vita-Mix, longer lifetime, better customer service by far, and it just circulates so much better than a BT. Got a Vita-Mix now and we use it every single day. If you want to make ice coffee or shakes a BT is great and easy, but if you want to make soups, nut butters, and use whole foods like apples, the Vita-Mix is hands down so much better. Talked to a guy with Little Giant ladder named Lyndon who used to be Blend Techs Show manager and he had so many negative things to say about Blend Tech. No wonder Vita-Mix gets all the best ratings in Consumer Reports, Cooks Illustrated, Maxim, etc. I hardly ever see Belnd Tech used commercialy. They just don’t hold up. I watch a Costco demo and the guy kept having to shake the container and run extra cycles, to bad he didn’t have a tamper stick ha ha
I’ll be surprise if this one gets posted!
THANK YOU – I respect, applaud Robyn for inspiring so many of our human family to better nutrition and health.
My main CONCERN it that no one seemed to asking what to me seems to address the cause and probably the obvious questions and solutions to loose blade issue:
1) does Robyn provide proof that she owns the recommended tightening tool? – No!
2) Does Robyn provide proof that she tightens the Vitamix blade to the recommended torque? – No!
Robyn says, “I’ve burned up a couple of their machines.” (referring to the VM) yet no facts are given for how many years she has used both the Blendtec and Vitamix. So ,say she has used the VM for 5 years and the BT for 2 years, than it is an obvious unequal contest and comparison.
FYI: I sell both machines and they both have their major and minor advantages and disadvantages. I replied because I simply detest misrepresentation of either and want the record set straight on what is suppose to be the main reason for Robyn posting this blog.
Roland Brown…
Question about your Vitamix 36006
Can you make nut cheeses, thick sauces, ice creams, peanut butter and other thick foods other than drinks in the Vita Mix 36006? Or does it only do drinks? I thought it was just for drinks, and if that is it’s only use then it wouldn’t be able to do as much as the Blendtec or other Vitamix blenders with tampers right???
Would love to know if it can do those things before buying one. Thanks
You are all going to laugh but I still have and use a vitamix from at least 20 or more years ago. It still has the little spout on it!! And, it blends fine!
Hi guys! I just wanted to say that my parents bought a VM back in 1992, and they are extrememely happy with theirs. It still works great!
I have had the misfortune of losing a batch due to the base falling off of the VM, and it was MESSY indeed! And yes it is difficult to clean the base. And yes, we have had spinach and other leafy greens get stuck in the base and cause the machine to smoke.
But all in all . . . its a fine piece of machinery.
So now that I am moved out and setting my place up, I am looking, at blenders and am seriously considering the BT.
If I buy a BT, I think I will miss the ability to just throw whole fruit in there . . . because its nice being lazy. But truly, I was always annoyed at having to tamp my food down there, which led to me adding more water to let everything blend without tamping . . . yet another lazy trait.
But . . . what if I just cut the food once or twice, will it blend without interruption?
Thank you for all your posts.
I put whole food into my BT **all the time.**
But yes, cut it once or twice and you can still be lazy and use the BT.
VM is a good machine too.
Hi from another Robin. LOL. Well let me share my latest escapade.
I have been eying the Blendtec since I first saw it at Costco. This was about a year ago. I had a Vitamix but returned it because it had an electrical smell to it. I saw the “will it blend” videos and were amazed. Well last Monday I bought the Blendtec on their website for 3 payments which helped my budget.
I have to say that I’m thoroughly happy with it. I even made oat milk by blending oats into flour and then adding water and sweetener. I’ve since made amazing smoothies and yes added whole pieces of fruit.
It grinds grain very well.
Hi folks, I posted a story from my iphone but for some reason it didnt show up. I just wanted to say that I bought a Blendtec and was happy to find this website. I have put whole food into my Blendtec but I have noticed that you must not crowd it or it will have a hard time.
I was glad to find the Blendtec on the website after wanting one for awhile. I first saw it at Costco. I did have a Vitamix but had to return it.
oops…….just saw my comment above…….me bad.
Vitamix vs Blendtec
Pure physics!! you need a tamper to do WHOLE FOODS. If you see a blend tec demonstration they do not ever fill it to the top of container.VM demo stuffs it full . If BT did you would still need something. to push a whole apple to the blade. Blendtec cannot blend 64 oz. thats why the container is not as big. BT has a push button timer keypad. If you dont fill it to the exact quantity as the demonstrators do the machiine will shut off before its done blending. VM easier to use. Shut it of when you are done instead of hittingpulse over and over. BT is very noise!!
VM warranty is FULL 7 YEARS PERIOD!!!! No gimicks scams anything. shipping labor and parts EVERYTHING!!
BT is 3 years and only one container. Then they say life time on blade and cuppling… duh its just a peice of metal. seems like a sales gimming.
Look what the professionals on TV food network channel use and the major consumer magazines recommend. Let them do the work. Vitamix si always #1. Dont listen to a lady who is criticizing a machine and doesnt know how to use it. The blade isnt ever suppose to come off. I would think someone representing such helath claims and statements of consumer confidence would learn how to use the machine sh is talking about.. obviously not.
Go with Vitamix. The original since 1937.. not a gimmick or copy!!
I am soooo confused! I saw the BT demo at Sams wanted it bad. Now I’ve read abt the VM and I’m confussed. they are both alot of money so I sure want the right one. help please! there are pros and cons to both do I need more help deciding if that’s possible.
I just got a Blendtec today and have a question about which program works best for making a GS. I’ve read Ch. 1 and watched the video, but it’s not specific to the newest control panel for the Total Blender Home HP3A.
It seems like the smoothie setting might be a bit short, although I could run it three times. I think tomorrow I’m going to try the “Whole Juice” setting and see how that works. Despite my fumbling around, I was quite impressed with how creamy my collard greens turned out.
What program do other people use? And do you find that you need to process the greens first before the fruit?
Hello Robyn, I was scouring the net for quinoa issues and read about your finding mouse droppings in your product. I can help if you can let me know what the markings are on the bag of quinoa. It is very rare that quinoa would come with mouse droppings- usually you can see this easily since the droppings are black and the rest of the quinoa is white. Also a good cleaning facility for quinoa uses optical selectors to catch things like this. Let me know! In any case you should ask for a refund from whomever sold you this.
Hi. I purchased a Vitamix Super 3600 blender container and done from ebay. Silly me, I didn’t realize that it didn’t have the base. Now I can’t figure out which base woudl fit. Would it be the 6 sided prong or the prong with the”teeth”. Help! Thanks so much, Katie
Hey Katie,
If your container has the black rubber around the nut then it is from a 3600 with the six sided base. Now, if you have a container with no rubber around the nut; then it is from a 3600 plus or a 4000 model and it has the 12 point star.
I bought an old Vita Mix 3600. Is there a difference in the new ones now? Like the 5200? Is it more powerful? Mine has a metal container.
I have the Vitamix 4500. Does anyone have any idea how it chops up vegetables? Speed settings/times? I was hoping to replace my food processor. The directions in the Vitamix manual are not very clear on this.
I just ordered a VM, I am supposed to get it sometimes next week. I don’t know anything about this machine, however, I have a friend that told me she had one for 30 years and she loved it. My daughter has a BT. As far as I know VT is made in sweden, because I have a super fast slow cooker that can make a roast in 15 min., and is made in Switzerland and is fantastic, anything is made in Germany, Switzerland, Swiden etc., are very good quality items and never had a bad experience with those. The difference between BT and VM is that VM has a cooling system while blending that keeps the machine cool, on the other hand BT does not have.
I will keep you all informed.
Hope this helps anyone that has already done there due diligence and choose the BT. I was unclear about a couple things after I finally choose the blendtec I called the company. 1.) The difference between the HP3A Model and the total blender is the user interface, same moter n everything. The buttons and cycle options are different.
The TB has a total of 9 buttons 6 Preset cycles pulse and hi n low speed buttons. The HP3A has 25 preset cycles you have to scroll down the menu via the lcd display to find and select which one you want but then it also has 4 seperate preset buttons that are seperate and you don’t have to scroll down 25 menu options to find what you want. Those preset buttons can be reprogrammed like your car radio preset buttons. to what ever you use the most which when I think about it would be like the 6 seperate cycle buttons on the TB but you’ll only have 4 which is finr with me.
The TB direct from BT retails at 439.99 plus a standard ground shipping of $22 When you can get the HP3A through an online dealer for as low as I’ve seen $429 but am still searching for the lowest price or even a rebate. Plus many sites offer a bonus like robyn with her ebook offer or free Shipping, ect.
So the final difference is the “HP3A” is only sold through online dealers/affiliate while the “Total Blender” you can only get directly from Blendtec. oh yeah they both also have the speed settings and the pulse. I’ll be searching online for the best deal for me whether it be a bonus free Shipping, ect. I only wish they would come to a sams or costco near me but thats not going to happen anytime soon so I’m going with there latest Model(HP3A) through and online dealer. Good luch to you all…
I look forward to getting mine and hope it’s even more that I expect. It was a really hard decision as My Mother swears by the VM and didn’t even know what the BT was until I told her about it.
I know it’s been a while since you posted this. I was wondering if you had tried any of the newer vm models? vitamix vitaprep 3 with older jar more HP or,… CIA pro series 500 with the new presets? I’ve been trying to find anybody with something to say about the CIA professional series 200 or 500 and so far nobody comments on the 200 but there has been some excitement over the new 500 with the pulse option and presets. Just wondering how these models hold up compared to the other vm models and whether the little bit extra money is worth it for more horsepower or presets.
I love your sight Robyn!!!
I actually had the same problem with my vitamix. But fortunately for me my blender wasn’t full of green smoothies! I was shockd because my blender was pretty new. I will say though, that i got right on the phone with vitamix and they immediatly sent out a free blender wrench that fits perfectly into the bottom of your blender to tighten it. I did it to all three of my pitchers and have never had any more issues.
Just my two cents
Hi Robyn.
I am about to invest in a BT. I have a VM and will leave it at our Saladmaster Kitchen (we do Cancer Project Food For Life Classes and others).
I am used to the dial of VM… love the machine but am always ok with different products having different strengths…. and you have my interest. My question: I have never made ‘soup’ in the VM as I am with the understanding that it’s a lot of oxidation with all of that blending. I know the cells walls need to be opened up for better assimilation…. but how much is too much? What are your comments? Thanks!!
We begin our cooking classes with a Smoothie. My favorite is from The Cancer Project Book: You probably do something like it….
Tons of Kale (I love me some Kale!)
Frozen red and green grapes
1 peeled orange
1 whole pear or apple
1 cup vanilla almond milk (coconut milk rocks too!)
(all organic esp the grapes – ‘clean 15′)
After reading all of the shared stories I thought that I’d share mine and hopefully add some useful information to the conversation. About a year ago I was recruited by BT to sell their blenders at road shows. Having been in the road show industry for a few years I had seen both presentations multiple times. I decided to look in to the opportunity and also explore the pros and cons for working for Blendtec and Vitamix.
With commission structures, expenses, etc. being only a negligible difference, it ultimately came down to which company provided what in my opinion was the better product. With that being said, you will very likely be happy with either machine however there are a few key differences that stood out in my mind when making the decision.
1) Longevity of product. After attending several road shows for both products and also speaking with owners in the crowd there were owners of both products that were very happy with their purchases. However I personally only spoke with Vitamix owners that had owned their blenders for in excess of 10 and 20 years. The majority of the Blendtec customers had only purchased with in the last 2-5 years.
2) Tamper (Mashing rod). I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. It adds another level of convenience and eliminates one of my frustrations with cheaper blenders.
3) Manual Control. My decision was made up the first time I heard a BT customer ask a demonstrator what the preset was for a certain recipe. With manual control there is no forgetting. Presets are designed to blend a specific amount of food to a desired consistency. The problem with that is that if you deviate from the serving size volume you can find your cycle finished and your meal or shake still not to the desired consistency. Then you are forced to run another cycle or manually turn it on.
4) Noise Level. The Vitamix is noticeably quieter.
5) Commercial Use. I think it speaks very highly of the product when companies like Jamba Juice rely solely on Vitamix. Blendtec demonstrators mentioned theirs is used around the world and their website claims a strong market in the Far East and U.K. but I’ve never heard any specifics.
6) Warranty Program. Until recently the Blendtec warranty was only 3 years. They have been competing against Vitamix for decades and only offered a 7 year restrictive warranty at Costco. Vitamix’s consumer reports rating is #1 and I’ve never heard a negative thing about it.
7) Advertising. I’ve always been very selective in the products I chose to sell. I feel that Blendtec has an amazing marketing campaign but the features it presents are somewhat misleading.
-All Blendtec road shows advertise 3hp vs 2hp of the Vitamix when in actuality it is 1560 watts vs 1380 watts, much closer than they would make it seem (3hp is 2,237 watts–2hp is 1,495 watts)
-Blendtec does an amazing job of grinding Iphones, golf balls, etc. Fortunately for the consumer we don’t eat those things. This is great advertising but in reality both machines are powerful enough to meet consumer needs.
After taking everything into consideration I chose to work for Vitamix. I truly feel that the company tries to do right by its contractors and its customers. I have never worked with a company with such a positive customer base over several decades. Two-thirds of my sales or more of my sales are from customer referrals. But if you’re still on the fence— try it out. With return policies at all major vendors, see if it lives up to expectation.
I am considering getting a VM or Blendtec, mostly for whole juicing.
I have a centrifugal juicer, but want the nutritional benefits of the pulp. Also I seldom cook and don’t like throwing the nutrition of the pulp away, and have only a small refrigerator freezer, but generate massive quantities of pulp.
The BT 1100 is available at Costco right now for $329.00.
VM will be coming to the Costco near me next week.
The YouTube demos seem to have mixed results in comparisons.
What I really want to know, is the whole juice really drinkable, or is it more like
applesauce.
I consider green and fruit smoothies from Naked Juice, or Odwalla to
be quite drinkable, how do whole veggie or whole fruit juices from VM and BT compare with the Naked and Odwalla juices?
I got the blendtec, I use it for a week now and loved it..
After searching so long for a reliable blender for my health problem I was glad i decided on getting the Blendtec as it is just the right size for my kitchen. Someone recommended this online retailer http://HealthyLifestyleSingapore.com Thank you for sharing.