Vitamix or Blendtec Blender?

[ToodlesRN]

I am a Vitamix owner myself and did months of research between Vitamix and Blendtec, even narrowing it down to one and then changing my mind over and over. Bottom line: You will absolutely love whichever one you choose.

I chose the Vitamix in the end for a few reasons. I did not want preprogrammed timers such as "Smoothie", or "Ice Cream" because in reviews (watch YouTube reviews of both!) they only work well if you use the exact same ratio of ingredients every time. One day I may be adding more frozen fruit than usual and the timed setting isn't long enough that day so you end up having to do a second timed cycle. I would rather have total control over how long I blend on a lower speed, then work my way up...or even go faster and slower several times. I wanted the personal control of the Vitamix.

Second, the Blendtec has a sexy electronic control panel, while the Vitamix has a plain mechanical switch control system. Hands down the Blendtec is prettier, no contest, but the Vitamix controls will certainly last much longer. Simplicity wins in this case. Electronic controls will fail for certain...not saying it's not a quality blender, it is, but it just won't last as many years as a Vitamix without needing parts. Deal breaker? No, but something to consider.

Third, the tamper. Some folks don't want to have to tamp. It ends up being a bonus in my opinion. If your ratio is off in the Blendtec, you'll still need to scrape your pitcher. With the Vitamix, you have the tamper which doesn't require you to remove the lid. You don't have to use the tamper, but it shoves the food down into the blades making it faster and pulverized fruit seeds, etc with no problem. It's convenient. It's awesome if you make any purées, like butternut squash or sweet potato.

One final thought is that I chose the Vitamix Pro 300 because it can fit under standard cabinets and it also came with a giant pitcher (64oz). I think the Blendtec does also but I don't remember for sure. I love the way liquids pour from the Vitamix pitcher, but can't compare to the Blendter since I haven't physically held one.

Ultimately they are incredibly similar so you will love either. There are small differences which may lead you one way or another. Think hard before deciding like I did and really research. I changed my mind several times and I know I made the correct choice. We use our Vitamix almost daily for green smoothies, Grand Marnier slushies (Epcot), purées, paleo brownie bites (which involves chopping nuts and dates into a dough-like consistency), etc. I did make muffin batter in it once but found it a bigger pain than mixing by hand which is why I wouldn't bother making pizza dough in it either but some people love it for that.

Thanks for the wonderful review! I am off work for the next 5 days and will do some more intensive reviews then what I've already done.

I don't like the idea of the preprogramed timers on the Blendtec as my husband likes his smoothies thicker and I like mine not so thick, so having the option to blend the way we like it without an timer is a plus!

Thanks to those of you who have the Ninja and chimed in! Someone mentioned it doesn't make soups, and were a huge soup making family in the winter so the Ninja may not work for us, but the prices are nice!

Again thanks to all! Im heading to a tax free state in 2 weeks and plan on buying the blender while visiting some friends, least it gives me more time to do research and make a decision as I want the new blender to last a long time!!

 

[mombrontrent]

I own the Blentec and just want to mention you do not have to use the pre-programmed buttons if you don't want to. You can use the pulse button to control the blending, which I do often if I just want to quickly whiz something. I do love the pre-programmed buttons though. It has different ones for things like, smoothie, ice crush, milkshake, soup, sauce ect. and they work very well.

 

[rebeccamay]

Both Vitamix and Blendtec are amazing blenders. I've personally had a Vitamix for years, but several of my friends have Blendtec's. Both are super powerful and both come with great warranties. Honestly, I think it's a matter of personal style.

That being said, I definitely think it's worth looking into reconditioned models. They're typically $100's cheaper, practically brand new (with new containers, etc), and still come with a 5+ year warranty. You'll have to order directly from the factory (or online), but you can get free shipping (and sometimes other special deals) using a promo code from someone like boozysmoothies.com/blendtec-promo-code or rawblends.com/vitamix-blender.

 

[manning]

I got a Vitamix

After 43 years the wifeamix didn't want to mix anymore.

 

[gigicnm]

I splurged on my VitaMix right after we got married and my husband splurged on an expensive extention ladder. I'm happy to say that both the ladder and VitaMix are going strong 18 years later! That was the end of the big household splurges though

Seriously, I love my VitaMix and use it all the time. My 13 year old is underweight and is on a high protein diet. He makes smoothies using frozen fruit and Kefir probably 4-5 times per week. It's so easy to use and clean.

 

[ToodlesRN]

I got a Vitamix

After 43 years the wifeamix didn't want to mix anymore.

 

[OceanAnnie]

DH really wanted the Vitamix, but I didn't see the use. Finally, we bought it at Costco knowing their fabulous return policy. Well, that was 7 years ago and I LOVE our Vitamix! I'm on a restricted diet due to gastro issues and I cannot eat any whole seeds or nuts or skins on fruits and veggies. No worries with the Vitamix. If I accidentally buy the wrong kind of canned tomatoes, for example, I just put it in the Vitamix and the seeds and skins are gone! I make my own nut butters and hummus. We've made soups, dips, frozen treats. My recent favorite is homemade Vietnamese boba tea.

It is super easy to clean, too! The tamper is what tipped the scales to the Vitamix from the Blendtec for us. Sometimes you really do need to tamper down food or ice.

We have a vitamix too and I absolutely love it! It's a power horse! Blends in seconds. Consistent. Easy to use and clean.

Could you share your Vietnamese boba tea recipe? I have the tapioca balls and the straws. I just haven't found a recipe that jumps out at me.

ETA: I want to get the dry container. I'd like to make my own pizza dough and experiment with some other things like nuts. Waiting to find a good sale. Anyone seen a sale on vitamix dry containers?

 

[100AcreWood]

Sorry to hijack your thread but I'm also curious about the vitamix. We saw a demonstration tonight at Costco and while I'm super intrigued I'm worried we will get tired of it and it will be another appliance sitting around collecting dust.

So my questions are: 1. do you find yourself eating healthier foods because of the vitamix? 2. can you make actual juice consistency drinks vs. smoothies? and 3. is it easy to clean?

Thanks!

 

[manning]

Sorry to hijack your thread but I'm also curious about the vitamix. We saw a demonstration tonight at Costco and while I'm super intrigued I'm worried we will get tired of it and it will be another appliance sitting around collecting dust.

So my questions are: 1. do you find yourself eating healthier foods because of the vitamix? 2. can you make actual juice consistency drinks vs. smoothies? and 3. is it easy to clean?

Thanks!

Is it easy to clean? As easy as they did it in the demo at Costco. Water and soap in the container, blend for seconds and rinse. It's clean.

 

[mguilford1]

I managed a restaurant for 5 years. It was a brand new busy place and we had both a vitamix and blendtec. They both worked the same and both were going strong when I left. They both clean the same very easy! I have a vitamix at home. Depending on the model our Blendtec was quieter. You cant go wrong either way they crush ice great...they are both in lots of very busy bars!!!!

 

[mguilford1]

Sorry to hijack your thread but I'm also curious about the vitamix. We saw a demonstration tonight at Costco and while I'm super intrigued I'm worried we will get tired of it and it will be another appliance sitting around collecting dust.

So my questions are: 1. do you find yourself eating healthier foods because of the vitamix? 2. can you make actual juice consistency drinks vs. smoothies? and 3. is it easy to clean?

Thanks!

No I dont eat healthier...we just have more shakes and smoothies! What do you mean Juice consistency drinks...tell me what you want to do to make these drinks (I have a juicer to make fresh juice). At the restaurant we mixed lots of different things in this. Very easy to clean and never a worry that they might break like a regular blender. And I have noticed that you can get different expensive "parts" at William Sonoma for the Vitamix.
.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

I've used both. Both are great. I bought the Blendtec because I like the look better, it's shorter so it fits under my cabinets sitting on the counter, and I like the small twister jar for making thick stuff (mostly use it to make peanut butter and it fits the perfect amount and cleans up easily.) I also had a coupon for a free wide mouth jar when we purchased it at Sam's Club and that made the decision for me because I wanted to big jars so I could use one exclusively for grinding grains in case it marked it up (but it hasn't even marked it up in the 6 months of use yet.)

 

[JandJ]

So my questions are: 1. do you find yourself eating healthier foods because of the vitamix? 2. can you make actual juice consistency drinks vs. smoothies? and 3. is it easy to clean?

Thanks!

We eat hardly any prepared or processed foods and the Vitamix is great for making fresh veggie soups, whole fruit ice cream, fresh hummus, nut butters, Indian raita, salsa, guacamole. So, if you want to get away from processed foods like that, then it works very well. Recently I needed tomato sauce for a recipe and only had 2 cans of organic diced tomatoes in the house. I just ran them through the Vitamix and I got tomato sauce - no seeds and no skins!

It will not completely liquefy things, for example, it won't make carrot juice. It comes out a little too frothy. You can strain it and let it sit and then it's more like a juice, but I think you'd need a juicer for that.

It's incredibly easy to clean! Put a couple of drops of dish detergent in, add water, and blend. Rinse and air dry.

If you can get it at Costco, I'd recommend that. We saw several demos at different places and then saw a demo at Costco and bought it there because of their amazing return policy. DH's parents got their Vitamix at Costco, too.

 

[lucyem]

Sorry to hijack your thread but I'm also curious about the vitamix. We saw a demonstration tonight at Costco and while I'm super intrigued I'm worried we will get tired of it and it will be another appliance sitting around collecting dust. So my questions are: 1. do you find yourself eating healthier foods because of the vitamix? 2. can you make actual juice consistency drinks vs. smoothies? and 3. is it easy to clean? Thanks!

We don't eat any healthier with the vitamix per se. But then again if I offer up a fruit smoothie before school the kids will happily drink it down even with any protein powder or chia or flax in it. So in a way they eat healthier.

We have never tried to make juice. Just smoothies, milkshakes, soups, etc.

Easy to clean except for chia seeds. Those seem to stick and I do have to use a sponge to get them off the sides. But otherwise as people have said you put a drop of dish soap, add hot water, blend, rinse and air dry. Easy.

 

[a742246]

We went with the vitamix, they have been around for ages.

 

[OceanAnnie]

We have a Vitamix. Love it! I really want the dry container but I missed an opportunity to get one at a great price. QVC had a sale on them for I think it was $69. Darn. So I'm looking for a similar sale.

I think I'll use it a lot more in the Fall for bread and pizza dough, so I'm waiting it out for another sale.

 

[Svhadden]

Thanks for the wonderful review! I am off work for the next 5 days and will do some more intensive reviews then what I've already done. I don't like the idea of the preprogramed timers on the Blendtec as my husband likes his smoothies thicker and I like mine not so thick, so having the option to blend the way we like it without an timer is a plus! Thanks to those of you who have the Ninja and chimed in! Someone mentioned it doesn't make soups, and were a huge soup making family in the winter so the Ninja may not work for us, but the prices are nice! Again thanks to all! Im heading to a tax free state in 2 weeks and plan on buying the blender while visiting some friends, least it gives me more time to do research and make a decision as I want the new blender to last a long time!!

Happy Blendtec owners here. We bought ours a few yrs ago (3-4???), and use it daily, often multiple times a day. We make green smoothies every day, nut butters, almond milk, you name it. It's a purchase we haven't regretted at all. Because it's quite an investment ($400+), we also did quite a bit of research before deciding. But I do want to clarify a couple of points. Yes, there are programmed settings, but there are also buttons that let you manually control the speed, up or down. You don't have to use the programmed settings. In fact, I never use a program when making almond milk--I control the speed. Regarding the absence of a tamper, I can honestly say that in thousands of uses, I've never, ever opened the lid to scrape down my Blendtec. Never been necessary. I'd have to ask my husband, but I know I've never seen him scrape it down. It's just so powerful that scraping isn't required. Also, I do know that my husband uses the Smoothie setting when he makes a green smoothie, and despite the specific ratios of ingredients, they come out smooth and fully blended. He frequently substitutes and changes ingredients, and we've never been dissatisfied with the consistency of the blend. Perfect every time! I do completely agree that it comes down to personal preference in regard to the differences between the two. I don't think you'd regret the purchase, either way.

 

[100AcreWood]

So we bought a vitamix two weeks ago from Costco. So far I'm surprised at how much we use it. The only thing I hate about it is how loud it is. Good grief it's the loudest appliance I have ever owned. It's like a lawn mower in the kitchen!

On the positive side, I have found myself eating less and less desserts. I'm really happy about that part.

 

[Racemom17]

We have a Ninja and a Vitamix...since getting the vitamix we only use it...so much better than the Ninja.

We make smoothies almost daily, not to mention blending stuff for soups, dips, etc.

 

[janetkay272]

If you are a baker I find the blendtec to be a better wheat grinder than the vitamix