New Blender, Which One Do I Choose?

VitaMix, Blendtec, Omniblender……. 

                    Decisions, decisions, decisions.

So the dilemma… I am in the market for a new blender, but which one???  This is a question that usually comes up at every class or presentation that I have done.

First off, I narrowed it down to these three because a high speed blender will pay for itself over time and is invaluable, especially if you are having a smoothie every day or even every other day, or in my case, making a lot of raw food soups, sauces, cheezzcakes and so on.   A high speed blender will liquefy the contents in a minute or 2.  Making smoothies in a regular household blender is doable, but it does take some extra time to blend and the result is not always a smoothie, sometimes it is a lumpy or crunchy.  Household blenders just do not have the power or the stamina to hold up to a lot of use over time.  They slow down, they burn out, they break.

I have an Omniblender for home use.  Now that Baba’s Raw Kitchen has become a reality, I am looking for another blender to use exclusively for that.  

So here are my thoughts about the 3 blenders and what was the final criteria that helped me make my choice.

Base:  all 3 seem to be hardworking, make a lot of noise (although the VitaMix has a new noise reduction feature).  VitaMix and Omniblender both have preprogramed times as well as on/off buttons, Blendtec just has the preprogrammed times. 

Jug:  Omniblender and Blendtec both have square jugs that seems to get a better flow of the contents when it is on.  It is much easier to remove the food at the base of the Omni or Bendtec.  VitaMix jugs are rounder and narrower at the bottom, so food is harder to scrape out.  I found that there is more food wastage because of this with the VitaMix.

Warranty:  The warranty I have on the Omniblender was only for 1 year.  They have changed that and there is now a 7 year warranty for the Omniblender.  VitaMix also has a 7 year warranty as does the Blendtec

Price:  Omni comes in around $280, Blendtec $380, and VitaMix $560

I have worked with all three blenders at one time or another.  Omni at home for the past3+ years, the Blendtec and VitaMix during the Raw Chef Certification program.  After using all 3, I can honestly say that there isn’t a difference that I have noticed.  All blend equally well and if one is a few seconds faster, I didn’t notice it.

So, with all that I chose….. the Blendtec.   I prefer to get out as much food as I can, as quickly as I can, with as little fuss as possible.  If I can reduce frustration in the kitchen, well, so much the better for all of us.  ;)