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VitaMix vs BlendTec


Robyn Openshaw - May 18, 2008 - This Post May Contain Affiliate Links


robyn fixing a vitamix

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.

Posted in: Green Smoothies, Tools & Products

15 thoughts on “VitaMix vs BlendTec”

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Robyn,

    Great site and I love your ideas and opinions. The story about how you cured Asthma is really inspiring – I have had similar experiences.

    Two questions for ya:

    1. The Blendtec site lists a 3 year warranty but you seemed to mention a 7 year warranty. I am confused – is this an extended warranty or something that they upgrade one to…

    2. What is the difference between a Blendtec TotalBlender and a Ktec Champ HP3A. They both seem to be Blendtec no Ktec. Confusing 😉

    thanks!

  2. Anonymous says:

    I just stumbled here on your blog. I was hoping to get a VM (have been hoping for a long time). Today I found the BT at Costco and they are less expensive. My question is, Do you know if anyone has had their unit last past the warrenty? My husband is turned off from purchasing either because of the cost. We’ve never had a blender last past 5 years and he isn’t interested in spending so much more over the walmart brands if he doesn’t think it will last at least equally as long as the cheaper alternatives. We have 5 children and usually try to make smoothies every couple of days. We make our own bread too and the idea that this unit will mill our wheat is very appealing too.

    Thank You!

  3. http:// says:

    I used to go through “Walmart” brands with poor results and eventual motor burnout . . . not worth it. I know people who’ve had theirs quite a few years, not sure if past the warranty.

    If you make your own bread regularly, while the BT will do it as a backup, I do prefer the fine grind I get from a wheat grinder.

    If you get your BT here on GreenSmoothieGirl.com, you get 12 Steps to Whole Foods free.

    Good luck with your decisions,

    Robyn

  4. Anonymous says:

    I have owned a Vita Mix 3600, 4600, 5000, 5200 and a Vita Prep 3 1005. The Vita Mix 5200 is the one they currently sale at Costco. It is only has a 2 horsepower motor. The Vita Prep 3 1005 is a commercial blender, has a 3 horsepower motor at 12.5 amps. It is .5 amp less powerful then the Blendtech hp3a machine and it is not programable. It is a great machine. It is a toss up between the Vita Prep 3 and the Blendtec hp3a machine in my mind. The blendtec hp3a is about $100 cheaper.

    I have also owned a Waring MX1300xt blender. It boasts a 3.5 horsepower motor at 13 amps. The container that comes with the blender is lousy. I ended up buying a 64 ounce Vitamix container to go on it. The blades on the original blender have so much of an angle to them the food spends most of it’s time being tossed up in the air instead of in the blades. The Vitamix container solved this problem. I later found out that the power supply is not built well enough to provide all the power that the blender motor needs so it doesn’t run at 3.5 horsepower.

    Let me tell you about the machine I currently have which I really love. I currently have a Vita mix 36006 machine. It has a 3 horsepower motor and uses 15 amps. I have found that amps are more important than horsepower. This machine absolutely liquifies anything I put in it. It never stalls or bogs down regardless of what I put directly on the blades. It is considerably quieter than all other blenders I have used especially with the sound reducing cover in place. Blendtec has two blenders that are more powerful that use 18 and 20 amps but to use them properly you have to have a 20 amp circuit which I don’t have in my kitchen. The bottom line for me is how smooth the drink is. The Vita mix 36006 blender makes the smoothest drinks I have ever made in a blender. You never find any suprise chunks that did not get blended!

  5. Anonymous says:

    I purchased my BlendTec yesterday from Cosco and I got a 4 year extended warranty with my purchase, to bring the total warrant to 7 yrs. Did have a vita mix for 10yrs before it finally crashed on me but have been very impressed with the Blendtec info and demo’s

  6. Anonymous says:

    I have to say that I have read all of the replies on here so far and it seems as though Blendtec is getting a great review but very little is being said about Vitamix and how great they are.

    I can honestly say after owning a Vitamix for 5 years, I have not had a problem yet with my machine. I havent replaced a single piece on it. It is the single most used piece of equipment in my kitchen.

    I do find that where people go wrong, and not just with a Vitamix but any kitchen appliance, is that they use them wrong because they think it is some sort of miracle machine. They think they can just go home and throw whatever they want in there and expect the food to come out perfect like the demonstrators recipe they tried when they bought the machine. Anyone who does this is going to be sadly dissappointed because those demonstrators use recipes. . . they follow instructions. . . just like they tell you to when you buy one. Its not the machine that sucks, its you.

    Yes the blades can come loose once in a blue moon, however I fid that it only happened after making like 400 soups! All you have to do is call customer service and they will give you the tool to tighten it.

    Remember I am not here to give Blendtec a bad name because lets face it, they are a great machine. However, I find that when it comes to doing the food processing and all of the things that ARENT smoothies, Vitamix takes the prize because there is way more control over how chunky or fine the consistancy is when it comes to salsas or antipastos or even spagetti sauce. I kid you not I havent bought a jar of spagetti sauce in 4 years because of this machine.

    I also have to say that I have not heard a single bad thing about a Vitamix before now and dont forget that Vitamix ownes 80% of the commercial industry. . .world-wide. Why would they use a Vitamix over Blendtec or any other blender out there? The answer is simple, “They are the best”.

    I think everyone has to remember that there is good and bad about anything you buy. I am just glad that both machines are made in America and not China.

  7. Anonymous says:

    Robyn I love your web site……I actually just found you yesterday and I have been making green smoothies for everyone that has come through the door in the last 24 hours. Most of them have been reluctant to take the first sip and due to their reluctance they prematurely decided they didn’t like it. Then with some prodding they all took a second sip and then, WOW…..I now have several green smoothie addicts after one big glass. One person even requested a second and then third glass. I am looking foreward to trying different variations. I made mine out of kale…..which was slightly (only slightly bitter) but thought I would be better off trying the family on spinach. Yum, Yum, Yum!!!!! I can see making this every morning.

    I have a vita mix which I will have to continue with for the time being but my son is getting married and I am thinking of getting him the blend-tec. I am not sure if you ship to Canada or whether that would be a really expensive Shipping and Handling cost.

    Can I ask you one gross question……this is so gross and I can’t get it off my mind. Yesterday I was soaking and cleaning quinoa. I bought 50 lbs. organic quinoa and dry packed it in #10 cans. I am half way through one of the cans. Yesterday (after already having eaten the other half of the can) I found several mice droppings in the quinoa. It has been in a can in my deep freeze……so the droppings came in the quinoa. Do you just throw out your 141$ of Quinoa. I love Quinoa and I have to say this has been a little bit of a turn off! Have you had any similar experiences with grains……organic or not????

  8. http:// says:

    Oh wow, I can’t tell you to keep any product with rodent droppings in it, since Hantavirus is caused by that. How frustrating. I haven’t had that problem, though I’ve had some strange things in some 20-year old wheat I’ve been using (what looks like dried blue clay). Weird. Way to go preaching the Gospel of Green, Bev!!

  9. Anonymous says:

    Hi everyone,

    Thank you for your useful comments. Just want to share my experience Vitamix 5200 vs Blendtec. Two weeks ago I went to Costco and they were demonstrating Vitamix so I purchased it. Didn ´t take it out of the box because I had been too busy. This weekend I went to Cosco again and they were demonstrating Blendtec. I was so impressed about the style of the Blendtec and the shorter design that would fit better in the kitchen and the 3hp I thought I had made the wrong purchase a couple of weeks earlier. So, I bought the Blendtec too and I have spent all Sunday comparing them at home. I will return the one that I like the least.

    They both make great smoothies. The Vitamix tamper helps with the big stuff and you don ´t have to open the lid. The spatula fits the Blendtec better.

    The size of the Vitamix jar is twice as big and that is important for me because I make smoothies for 5 people in my family.

    When making hot soup the Vitamix gave me consistency more to my liking but that is a matter of mastering the Blendtec better I guess. But I don ´t worry as much about the cap blowing off in the Vitamix because the jar is way bigger.

    I made hummus and the Blendtec did fine but I had to open the jar 8 times and use the spatula to get the stuff to go to the center so that it would continue blending. With the Vitamix I didn ´t even have to use the tamper once! That completely sold me on it.

    I small thing that bothered me about the Blendtec was that it has a display that tells you at all times how many times you have used it. I wondered why it would give you that info and I read in some blog that when you reach 10.000 times the warranty will be cancelled and that that is done to prevent commercial use with it.

    Anyway, after thinking that the Blendtec was like the Rolls Royce of blenders I think now that the clunky design of the Vitamix actually has a purpose.

    Anyway, I will be in touch.

    -Monica

  10. Anonymous says:

    Hi Robyn, Thanks for the information. I’m trying to decide between BT and VM… I’m attracted to the extra power of the BT but the recipe book is not as good from what I’ve heard. Also, can you tell me if you can make hot soup in the BT? I have heard from a friend that you can in the VM.

    Thanks!

  11. Anonymous says:

    Did anybody from Singapore manage to buy the Blendtec Blender? It costs nearly $1K to get it from here! I tried asking the ebay vendor but he told me the 110V would ruin the motor, even with a converter. Apparently he had asked Blendtec USA about this and that’s what they said. But aren’t the ones sold here also imported from the US? This is confusing.

    I know for sure it won’t be covered under warranty if we buy it from outside Singapore though… Gosh…

  12. Anonymous says:

    I just brought a Blendtec at Costco for $379.99+tax. My aunt has the Vitamix. After spending 10 mins. researching which one is better, it seems to be the same. It all depends what you want your powerful blender to handle and do. Here’s a quick breakdown I can see.

    Blendtec:

    Pro: 1 container for both wet and dry blending

    Con: No tamper

    Vitamix:

    Pro: Tamper!

    Con: separate containers for wet and dry blending

    I think Blendtec is slightly cheaper. I make ice blended drinks A LOT and frustrated by my cheapie blender that can’t blend ice well. I saw the rep. at Costco demonstrate different blending and I like the option of making my own low fat/low cal. ice cream!

    And to answer “Guy” from 2 posts earlier, yes.. you can blend hot soups with BT.

    I hope I won’t regret this purchase and like my aunt’s Vitamix better! 😀

  13. Anonymous says:

    Actually, just used my aunt’s Vitamix… making the same blended drinks. Sure the tamper is cute but the ice still get stuck at times… and the adjusting speed didn’t help much… I would still say.. between the 2 blender.. they are about the same. I’ll be happy with either. In terms of cleaning.. Blendtec is a little easier. And they are right. The Vitamix is taller/bigger/slight uglier.

  14. hey Robyn,

    I like your blog. You clearly know what you’re doing.

    I figure you are probably networked, and a good person to ask:

    I own the domain name BlenderGuy.com. Do you know anyone who is interested in selling blenders who might be interested in buying the name BlenderGuy.com?

    Brandon

  15. Anonymous says:

    Hi Robyn:

    Thank you for sharing your insights. My family’s idea of vegetables have been french fries and ketchup. So I am really excited about the opportunity to get so much nutritious into us all with the smoothies. I have gone back forth at least five times today as to whether to purchase the VitaMix 5200 or the Blendtec. Just when I thought I would buy the Blendtec, I read a number of comments that its blade design does not bring down and circulate the food as does the VitaMix. Anyone have feedback on this?

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