Vitamix? Worth it? Alternatives?

[chaos_pie]

I have been looking at VitaMix blenders. Crazy expensive. But after seeing my sis's work, it makes my old, cheap blender even more annoying to me.

So what do you say. Are they worth the expense? Any thing else as good? Do you know any deals?

TIA

[shoes]

Originally Posted by chaos_pie

I have been looking at VitaMix blenders. Crazy expensive. But after seeing my sis's work, it makes my old, cheap blender even more annoying to me.

So what do you say. Are they worth the expense? Any thing else as good? Do you know any deals?

TIA

I LOVE my vitamix blender. I totally think they are worth the cost (if you use a blender a lot) Our blender is going on 10 years old this year and just needed some repairs for the first time. (We shipped it in for repairs) Before we had it, it was used in a coffee shop that went under for their blended coffee drinks and we use ours typically everyday, so it has taken a beating!. It is a workhorse!!!!!
I think they sell refurbished blenders on there site too for a slight discount. I've seen some on craigslist before when little coffee shops go under. That's how we got ours. They are usually the commercial blenders though and so still really pricey.
Of course don't ever buy anything you can't afford, but if you can afford the price and use a blender frequently, I would say it is absolutely worth the price!!!!

[Sara Badger]

It has totally been worth it! I make smoothies with veggies all the time without a complaint from my kids. I make rice and oat milk for dh! Ice cream in minutes! We plan on getting the part to make flour this next year too! My friends have theirs from 1974 that is what sold me!:

[Oztok5]

I got a refurbished 5200 from the website, and I love it! It comes with a long warranty, but I haven't heard of many people having to use them.

[Leta]

I'll be the lone voice of dissent here. VitaMix are the best, if you are looking for a bar blender. Personally, I don't like bar blenders. I think immersion blenders (a.k.a. "stick" blenders) are much more versitile, useful, and easy to clean. They are also smaller, if space is an issue, and less likely to sit on the counter, left plugged in all the time, as electricity vampires.

If you want an immersion blender, I'd go for the ($$$) professional Kitchen Aid. These are a fraction of the price of the VitaMix, but the most expensive immersion blenders I've seen. But even my low end Cuisinart does a fine job crushing ice and pureeing raw veggies.

Since our toaster oven died (we've been grilling bread rather than toasting it, and just let me say, I'm never going back- sooo tasty), we are down to five plug-in kitchen appliances: the immersion blender, the Kitchen Aid mixer, the Cuisinart food processor, the Crock Pot, and the dual sided grinder (spices/coffee). I'm planning on replacing the grinders with a moartar and pestle and a hand coffee mill. The Crock Pot I'll let go when we remodel our kitchen and get an oven that never goes cold.

But the Kitchen Aid, the Cuisinart, and the immersion blender? Those you will pry from my cold, dead hands.

[karne]

My parents have an older model and love it. I have been looking at them as well, and I am pretty sold on it. I saw a demo, and had the chance to taste smoothies made with fruits/veggies w/ skin on (I would only use washed, organic for this), and they were very tasty and not "grainy". I have a good Kitche Aid, but it doesn't compare to the Vita Mix.

[PlayaMama]

i had a high end kitchen aid and i splurged on my vita-mix for my mother's day/birthday/solsitce gift and it is amazing.

i can put kale in smoothies and it goes unnoticed

i also use it to make nut butters. i get organic raw cashews for 3.85 per pound through a co-op. cashew butter usually costs $12 per jar at the store. i also make peanut butter with no worries of contamination with anything

the soups are okay but i prefer chunky soups so i don't make them very often. we do "ice creams" with ice, cocoa powder, maple syrup, and rice milk. the kids love it and it's healthy.

they also have a seven year warranty. you can check on ebay and craigslist for them. i got mine through a co-op.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

I don't have one, but I have several really nice high end kitchen appliances. If you use it all the time, it's totally worth it to spend the money. I my $350 cuisinart food processor. I use it at least once a week, often more, especially during canning season. It purees, slices, shreds, and even has a bread hook. It is the finest piece of machinery I own. I got it as a wedding gift, and the picture of me receiving it at my shower is almost as happy looking as the actual marriage to my husband. Now, if I could just convince said husband that this year what I really need is a kitchenaid stand mixer...

[Raene]

I have a Blendtec which is pretty much the same thing. Starbucks and other places used to use Vitamix and upgraded to Blendtec

Anyway, I LOVE it. I'm really frugal and on a budget but I bought one over a year ago b/c we make smoothies so much. TOTALLY worth it...I've never regretted the investment!

And no, I don't find cheaper alternatives to be comparable.

[Dandelionkid]

Well- I have been using my bosch blender (attached to my bosch mixer) for green smoothies this past week. I am really impressed with it. It may take a bit longer than a vitamix to get smooth (I leave it on for 1+ mins) and is really noisy but it blends lots of spinach (3+ cups), ice, pineapple, orange, frozen whole banana etc with no problem and very smooth (think booster juice consistency).

[Usually Curious]

Totally worth it, but I got mine for FREE! My mom lives next door to my bro so she just goes and uses his to grind flour occasionally and sent me hers - woot!

[cristeen]

I think ultimately the question is, what are you going to be using it for? And is that worth the expense? IOW, is it just a toy to have and a cheaper blender would still be able to make what you're using it for, or are you really going to utilize the power it has?

When you're looking at expensive gadgets like that, that's the most important question to ask, IMO.

[Ruthiegirl]

Is that really a $400 blender? I understand you can get them refurbished for less, but not a whole lot less. That just seems like a lot of money for a blender.

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

I'm going to have to agree with Ruth.

But after seeing my sis's work, it makes my old, cheap blender even more annoying to me.

It seems like there are a lot of less-annoying options between your old cheap blender and a $400 VitaMix.

Unless you are operating a business where that VitaMix will make you money, I'd look for something that will meet your home needs for less money. You would have to do A LOT of blending to justify that cost.

[FillingMyQuiver]

Actually, it's not *just* a blender. When used w/ the dry container, it can grind grains, coffee, spices. It can blend whole fruits, like oranges including the white film AND the pips, berries w/ seeds to where you can't tell the seeds are in there, etc. It will also blend AND heat soup right in the container b/c when set to a certain level, the blades move so fast it creates the heat needed to cook the soup. It will blend greens to where you can't detect the fibrous pieces.

We waffle back and forth about getting a VitaMix b/c of the cost. My parents have 1 and I use it frequently, believe me, it's more than *just* a blender.

[Ruthiegirl]

Originally Posted by Ruthiegirl

Is that really a $400 blender? I understand you can get them refurbished for less, but not a whole lot less. That just seems like a lot of money for a blender.

You know -- I take back this post.

I have been eyeing a very spendy espresso maker for years now. It costs a fortune and it is out of my price range right now, but when I have the money for it, I will buy one.

Seriously hypocritical of me to be able to justify one expensive item over another. Apologies.

[midwestmom]

It is so worth it. I use it every single day. It does so much more than a reg blender as others have mentioned.

[Usually Curious]

Originally Posted by Ruthiegirl

You know -- I take back this post.

I have been eyeing a very spendy espresso maker for years now. It costs a fortune and it is out of my price range right now, but when I have the money for it, I will buy one.

Seriously hypocritical of me to be able to justify one expensive item over another. Apologies.

when you get your espresso maker buy a vitamix, too and you can have yummy frappacinos!

[chiromamma]

We bought our Vitamix 11 years ago. We've had to replace 1 part and the company sent it to us free of charge. I think it has a lifetime warranty. I use mine every day, often several times. It's totally worth the money.

[sunnysandiegan]

It is definitely more than *just* a blender!

I use it for quick and nutritious soups (I place chunky veggies in my personal bowl; DH & DD prefer smooth soups), peanut butter (again, I prefer a bit chunky and remove mine early and then create a super smooth version for DH & DD), flours, powdered sugar, ice cream, pancake batter (mmm...banana oat pancakes), syrup/fruit sauce, pasta sauce, and so much more than smoothies. Yes, I do make smoothies, too, but rarely.

My DD got hand, foot, and mouth disease a few years ago and refused to eat one thing because her poor little mouth was filled with awful blisters. She is already thin and the doctor was concerned. I sent out an email to our playgroup asking for ideas. One of the moms told me she would put her Vitamix and all the books and ingredients she had right then into a laundry basket on her front porch for me to pick up within the hour. I got it and went to work. DD drank EVERYTHING I made! (Her doctor was VERY pleased.) DH & I had fun creating recipes, etc. We had that thing for two weeks and reluctantly gave it back. I had made copies of our favorite recipes and tried to duplicate them with our food processor and blender (one base shared between the two). Um, no. There was no comparison. We planned to wait until our county fair since our friends (the one who let us borrow hers and others) had gotten refurbished ones there for less than the website offers them. I happened to be in Costco when Vitamix was doing a roadshow there and the price was comparable, especially since I knew I wanted the dry container and the fair didn't offer that at a discount. I didn't buy it right then, but brought DH back that night or the next day. He ate some ice cream that had cabbage in it and couldn't taste a thing. Really, though, it was the ultra smooth peanut butter that did it. It was the month before the fair, but we had been saving and planning to buy it anyway so we were prepared. It is sooooo worth it!!!!