Blenders

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Lt.Spears

500 Dollar blender?

Some people have too much money.

a 500 dollar blender that you only have to buy once every 10-15 years isn't a big deal if you use it once a week.

My parents fall victim to the cheaper now = better scam all the time. Me, I like to buy things once and then never again.

I can absolutely attest to the awesome build quality of the vitamix.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Lt.Spears

500 Dollar blender?

Some people have too much money.

yeah, $500 now for the next decade of use of a quality product, or $200 every 2 years for a crappy blender that does a mediocre job.

For us, we use it every single day....it was a no brainer in investing in something that does a great job, and won't crap out from over use. Long-term thinking FTW.

[Stormchaser]

This is all you need my friend. Mine is over 35 years old and will outlast all the other junk currently for sale. Btw - its a vitamix 3600 plus!

[cmyden]

I wanted the same thing, a blender that was awesome at crushing ice.

Vitamix came up a lot during my search, but all signs eventually pointed to this one for the $ ...

Oster BPST02-B Professional Series Blender
http://www.amazon.com/Oster-BPST02-B...pr_product_top

I'm not sure if you can get it here in Canada. I had a friend pick one up for me down in the States at Sam's Club for under $50.

It has worked amazingly well for crushing ice and is definitely powerful. It only has one speed, it's either off or jet engine noise.

[Bork]

The Vitamix can also make ice cream, frozen yogurt, and soup with no special attachments. If you're making soup, just leave it in there for a while and the friction of the blades heats it up so that it's ready to serve. I'm unsure whether or not other blenders do that too.

[gargamel]

I have a ninja and like it a lot. It's easy to clean and has worked well with frozen fruit (though I usually put it the fruit the fridge the night before) and ice. I'm sure the Vitamix is better, but since I've never used it, I don't know what I'm missing. I'm ok with that.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Lt.Spears

500 Dollar blender?

Some people have too much money.

$500 is a bargain if it is a lifetime blender.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

get a Waring Blender. Super powerful motor. We've use them in the lab to grind up rats.

Those must taste terrible.

[albertGQ]

Bump. Thinking of betting my wife a Vitamix for Christmas. She's been wanting one for awhile but I've been reluctant to cave due to the cost and the fact we have a magic bullet.

People still recommend the Vitamix or is there a better blender out there? If a Vitamix lasts ~10 years, I think that's pretty good value.

Gonna pick up the one at Costco. Not sure what model that is though. But I think they mentioned that model is only available at Costco.

[TurdFerguson]

we just picked up one of these juicer/blender combos. http://www.amazon.ca/Breville-BREBJB.../dp/B0043EWFAW

i really didnt care about the blender because we already had one...but its a really good blender. powerful and quite.

[Nyah]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

Bump. Thinking of betting my wife a Vitamix for Christmas. She's been wanting one for awhile but I've been reluctant to cave due to the cost and the fact we have a magic bullet.

People still recommend the Vitamix or is there a better blender out there? If a Vitamix lasts ~10 years, I think that's pretty good value.

Gonna pick up the one at Costco. Not sure what model that is though. But I think they mentioned that model is only available at Costco.

+1 for Vitamix. I've had mine for 6+ years, I use it everyday and it still works just as good as the day I got it. Well worth the money if you figure she'll use it a lot. I make smoothies, soup, pasta sauces, hummus and various other things in it. I love it.

[tete]

We have a Vitamix and I love it (though I've had to really resist the urge of just turning it onto high all the time, I've pureed stuff into oblivion accidentally due to this). I've heard good things about the Blendtec machines as well, I believe they are a touch bit cheaper than the Vitamix, but with these types of machines, I find they go on discount pretty often.

[Table 5]

Yep, just get the Vitamix. They not only work better than other blenders, they are built of higher-quality parts that last longer. Every other blender I've had started leaking after a few months or in some cases, the motor died. We've had our Vitamix for a few years now, use it every day, and it's running like a champ.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

I have a ninja. It's a very powerful blender, and never has any difficulty destroying ice or other thick stuff (no need to stir). But I have literally no clue how to remove the lid. Which should be the most basic function imaginable. There's a hinged flap that opens to insert stuff to blend and pour out of, but it's a good thing I only ever use it to make drinks or I'd be pretty frustrated.

[Burninator]

I have been happy with my Ninja blender. I really like that it has smoothie cups. Easier to clean than the larger jug. It has gnarly blades. You could fill it with ice and it will turn it to snow no problem.

I use to have this Oyster blender and it was a POS. It would only blend what was in the vicinity of the blades and everything else in the jug wouldn't move. My mother had the same model and hers burn out and I gave mine away.

Realistically the Ninja is a better buy than your average sub $100 blender, most of which just make noise. I don't know much about Vitamix but I am sure it's in another class. For what it's worth I am a big fan of Americas Test Kitchen and they recommend the Vitamix 5200 as the best blender and this Breville as a best buy (it's cheaper than amazon.com right now at $170 vs $195).

[peter12]

I have my mom's Osterizer from the 60's, and it is a beast! It can rip through anything, and the whole thing is made from stainless steel. These new Kitchenaids are 90% plastic, and the components fall apart after a year or so. Then, you have to troop on down to some skeezy mall parts store to get an o-ring made to your blender's specifications for $15.

Treat your moms right! They have great blenders!

[DoubleF]

Cost per use.

If the majority of the time the blender will collect dust, grab a magic bullet because that'll probably be like $50 over 5 years vs $500 over 5 years (I use the magic bullet because it was a gift and I rarely use blenders or need a full sized blender).

If you will use one daily, then paying $500 over 10 years, that's $50 a year. It's a better option than cheaping out and paying $30 every 6 months where you're "paying more" (ignoring TVM and other costs of replacing every 6 months).

My personal rule is the best tech is not based on specs, but how often you use the tech. Afterwards, it's the costs "to play" over an average time period of let's say 3-5 years.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by Table 5

yeah, $500 now for the next decade of use of a quality product, or $200 every 2 years for a crappy blender that does a mediocre job.

For us, we use it every single day....it was a no brainer in investing in something that does a great job, and won't crap out from over use. Long-term thinking FTW.

Exactly. Buy once, cry once. If it's worth the money, it's a no brainer to buy. And usually these expensive options come with a solid warranty. A good chunk of the reason I bought a Dyson. A bit more up front for sure but has a hell of a warranty and really does do a much better job than a $300 vacuum.

[schooner]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

Bump. Thinking of betting my wife a Vitamix for Christmas. She's been wanting one for awhile but I've been reluctant to cave due to the cost and the fact we have a magic bullet.

People still recommend the Vitamix or is there a better blender out there? If a Vitamix lasts ~10 years, I think that's pretty good value.

Gonna pick up the one at Costco. Not sure what model that is though. But I think they mentioned that model is only available at Costco.

To echo, the Vitamix is a great blender. In my university days I worked in a restaurant and the Vitamix is the only way to go. And not just for smoothies, with anything where texture is an issue (sauces, soups) it works better than just about anything else.

Just remember that the core across all their models is basically the same (blade, power, durability etc). So when you are looking at different models you are really just comparing features.

Definitely a bit pricey. I finally bought one for myself at home using reward points, but well worth it.

[heep223]

+1 for the ninja. Go to Canadian Tire and buy the highest quality/priced ninja they have. It's comparable to a vitamix at half the price.

That being said - we've only had it for about a year, so I can't really comment on longevity. Thing is a beast though, terrifies my dogs haha.