Blenders

What about all the other blenders out there?

A turbo blender is your top priority, of all the tools I love and recommend. Start here. Every whole-foods kitchen must have a Blendtec.

Do not pass Go, do not collect $200, until you have the ultimate machine to put your whole-foods lifestyle shift in high gear!

I haven't found any other blender that even comes close to a Blendtec. They're just not powerful enough, with adequate track record as a company to stand behind warranty.

Vitamix is a great option too. Both companies have great customer service. But I've had my VM serviced a dozen times, and the jar has critical design flaws. My Blendtecs just go, go, and go. I've toured every part of the Blendtec plant and it is a total quality organization.

If you're serious about making green smoothies a habit, you'll want to ENJOY your concoctions. That's hard if you're blending "chunkies" that cheap blenders inevitably produce.

So start with your cheapo blender, if you must, but save your money for the REAL deal. The word "blender" doesn't do Blendtec justice, because it's a whole-foods machine, more than a mere "blender."

I use mine five times a day, for kefir shakes, salad dressings, puddings, sauces, soups, pancake batter, fresh raw applesauce, and dozens of other things.

It's a "must have" if you're serious about your health.

So which is the best blender?

I use my Blendtec and Vitamix 3-5 times a day. I think that qualifies me for a new nickname, like maybe blendergirl? I hate to even call it a blender, because these machines are so much more: they grind wheat or flax seed or coffee, they make perfect soups without a stove, they crush ice, juice, and make ice cream (nutritious  GreenSmoothieGirl ice cream, of course).

Robyn’s List of Blendtec/Vitamix Pros & Cons

So here’s what I think—my review of the pros and cons of both power blenders:

Power

BlendTec’s blender motor technically has higher horsepower, and I’m a sucker for faster/bigger/better. However, VitaMix’s blender motor is fantastic, too, though I have burned mine up twice.

Technology

BlendTec is the “smarter” machine, with 17 settings for what you want to do. The smoothie setting alternates high and low to pull greens down into the “blending vortex” centrifugally during the slow cycles. Some people, however, like the VitaMix tamper. I love the VM tamper for really thick blender concoctions—raw frostings, pates made with nuts, etc. BlendTec now has a TWISTER jar, though, see below, which makes the Blendtec choice a no brainer, in my opinion.

Warranty

VM is a really old company with a fantastic reputation. (BlendTec, owned by KTec, is newer. It is still a strong company with years of good track record though, too.) I know people still using their 40-year old VM machine.

BlendTec has a lifetime warranty on the blade so you don’t have to worry about it getting dull. The VM warranty overall, is the best. I’ve sent my VitaMix back to the manufacturer many times--they have been prompt and great about honoring the warranty---but I haven’t needed to repair my BlendTecs.

(I’ve also owned the VM blender longer.) When I do send my VitaMix in, customer support is nothing short of brilliant. Quick, no questions asked. The real issue should be, what’s the likelihood you will need to exercise your warranty?

Size

BlendTec’s base and overall height is shorter and fits under standard countertops (unlike VM, which does not fit without taking the jar off the base). I take my BlendTec when I travel to hotel rooms, condos, anywhere I go, so my family’s nutrition doesn’t suffer on the road—because my BlendTec fits in a suitcase and is less heavy.

BlendTec now has a 96 oz. (3 qt.) blender jar. I wish it were marked all the way to the top (impossible in manufacturing, I’m told, and it’s “rated” for only 44 oz.), but it’s huge and I love it.

Blending Jars/Canisters

Both companies now use a BPA-free blender jar.

BlendTec has the square blender jar design. Sometimes at the beginning of a pour, it flows down the side of the jar instead of where I intend it to go. The VitaMix has a “lip” on the jar so it pours well if you start REALLY slowly. (Otherwise, if you overpour, which is easy to do, it spills, too.)

BlendTec – no need to buy a second canister to blend dry ingredients, for instance, to grind wheat. (That costs extra with the VitaMix. That said, VitaMix says you can use the wet jar to grind wheat—the dry blade is just more efficient.)

The VitaMix jar is narrower and deeper, so I have a hard time scraping thick stuff out of the bottom of the blender with a spatula and get stuff all over my arm. Stuff gets stuck at the narrow part of the bottom of the VitaMix in the blades, and thick mixtures stuck down there go to waste. But again, only VitaMix has a tamper, which many people like.

For thick mixtures, and when something might get stuck while blending, I used to prefer my VitaMix but now BlendTec has the new TWISTER jar.  The TWISTER jar, new to BlendTec in 2012, makes BlendTec the best blender in the world, hands down.  I’m in love with it.  A spinning tine scrapes the small jar as it blends.

A specialized spatula lets you blend anything – of any thickness – without having to stop the blender, use a tamper (which just covers for a design flaw), get food all over your hand and arm trying to get it out, or waste food that’s at the bottom of the jar.  The spinning tines scrape the sides of the shorter jar, as it blends, and the spatula quickly and easily gets every bit of food out.  This accessory, for any BlendTec base, makes thick sauces, pates, spreads, and many other thick concoctions, a breeze to prepare.  It’s a raw-foodist’s dream come true.

Cost

BlendTec is less expensive. You can save a lot by buying a Certified Reconditioned blender!

• Blendtec Certified Refurbished
• Vitamix Certified Reconditioned

Conclusion

So one day I came in from running and started to make a blenderful of green smoothie.   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 post shows a reason I promote Blendtec over Vitamix. My Vitamix has a jar design flaw. I have had mine repaired more than half a dozen times: while blending, the entire base and blade assembly comes apart from the container. I have two friends whose blender does the same thing, requiring repairs from Vitamix every time. You lose whatever you were making, all over the counter, instantly, with a huge mess to clean up. You have to stick your hand deep into the tall, narrow jar (Vitamix recently lost a $24 million lawsuit Blendtec brought for taking their jar design) and get goo all over your arm.

So I told my son to grab the camera so you could at least be entertained by it on my blog. 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 I think  BlendTec is the best blender in the world, hands down.

Buy Your Blender

Nobody who is serious about raw, whole-food nutrition (especially getting greens into the diet) should be without a BlendTec or VitaMix, the best blenders in the world.

Buy Your Blender

Buy a blender through our link and you're entitled to the 12 Steps to Whole Foods Course eBook, a $148.95 value, for free! See blender description for details.