Pros and cons of a Vitamix? - YouLookFab Forum

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Pros and cons of a Vitamix?

Joyce B

Veteran

I am feeling like I “need” a Vitamix on Cyber Monday. If you own one or don’t own one and can share your reasons, can you please do so? I am tempted but of course the main negative is the price.
How well does it last through the years?
Does it break easily?
Thank you for any input.

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25 replies

Latest reply was from Joyce B

carter

Veteran

I love my Vitamix! I had a Ninja before that was fine for smoothies, but I didn't find it sufficient for much else. With the Vitamix, I can throw in a bunch of veggies and some broth and have hot soup in a few minutes. I make salad dressings, gravies, cauliflower alfredo, cauliflower cheese, all kinds of sauces that start with chunks of ginger, garlic, onions, etc. I use it at least half a dozen times/week. The Ninja is packed up for one of my kids. I still pull out the food processor for things like almond butter, hummus, cauliflower rice, etc., but the Vitamix lives on the counter. I've only had the Vitamix for about a year, so I can't comment on longevity. If you get one, be sure to use a 20% off coupon at BB&B!

Joyce B

Veteran

Thank you Carter, those are such good uses and so much time saving with your Vitamix!
I was ready to buy a Vitamix until I found out that the container is made of plastic :-(. I was hoping it was glass but I am getting tempted again by your review. The B&B coupon reminder is also a very good thing

rachylou

Veteran

Wow. If it lives on your counter, that’s a good recommendation. I could replace my old fashioned blender, hmm.

rachylou

Veteran

Ok. Hey. There are A LOT of models. Which are you interested in, Joyce? And which do you have, Carter?

Alexandra

(website)

Veteran

I hope you bought one. And I second everything carter said (except we don’t make gravy in this vegetarian household). We’ve had ours for several years, kept the box for our many moves so the blender survives them without any harm. And yes, it lives on the counter, right next to the food processor. (We have a tiny kitchen with minimal counter space - even DH’s French press has to live in a cabinet.) Once you try the super smooth texture of something made in a Vitamix, it’s hard to go back to any other blender, even the really good ones.

Anonymous

I have both, and use both. I am so thankful I have a Vitamix though , and can't imagine being without it. Expensive, but SO worth it. I use it for more than just smoothies, and have yet to have a problem with it. Mine's probably 5 years old by now. It's big and ugly though, and I don't have a big enough kitchen to have it sit out anyways It lives in a tall cupboard with easy access.

carter

Veteran

Rachylou, I want to say mine is a 5300 low profile, but I'm not finding it online at the moment. We get back in town late tonight. I'll check the box then. I will say that the low profile part was very important to me so it would fit easily and be usable on the counter with upper cabinets above.

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rachylou

Veteran

That’s a lot of positive feedback. I’m impressed. The low profile sounds a real plus. They have so many models...

Joyce B

Veteran

Rachy, I was looking at the 5200 but it may be a bit tall (17”) for under my countertops and now the price went up... The low profile that Carter mentioned may work but I need to scout a better price.
Thank you Alexandra and Lisa, after your good reviews I think the Vitamix is worth getting.
Thank you Rachy for the useful questions.

cindysmith

Veteran

I don't use a blender very often except in summer. DH & I like to take frozen fruits, some nuts, and some cinnamon, and toss it into a blender and chop it up until it's in little pieces like Dippin Dots ice cream and eat it with a spoon for a light dinner or a dessert when it's hot outside. We use a Ninja, because it has that blade that winds up through the whole pitcher; it really handles up on even frozen strawberries (our regular blender just would not chop up frozen strawberries, not even a little bit). We call this concoction "stuff", as in "man that's some good stuff", because we're silly like that LOL

We made some of this "stuff" concoction for some friends visiting from Seattle, and they bought a Ninja when they got home even though they already had a vitamix. I'm guessing that the Ninja's blade is more effective for the rough chop required to get the "stuff" just so, and that the vitamix is their primary blender for everything else.

I don't know how helpful that was, but it's my experience with a Ninja FWIW

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Joyce B

Veteran

Thank you Cindy! That “stuff” looks good! So far I am thinking of making veg smoothies, ice cream and soups.
The Ninja is definitely worth checking if one wants smaller batches which is a good thing. The Vitamix can make warm soup which sounds crazy and I am interested in that as well for the Winter.
Did you also put dipping dots in your “stuff” or is that all from frozen fruit?

carter

Veteran

Joyce, one thing I should add. If you're making soup (or anything else in the Vitamix) don't mix red and green veggies. My first Vitamix soup was yummy, but it was a very unappealing shade of brown ;-).

Joyce B

Veteran

Thank you Carter. Can you swish some baking soda in a cycle? Maybe that will help remove the stain.

carter

Veteran

Sorry, Joyce. I wasn't clear. It was the soup that turned out brown, not the Vitamix.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I'm too late to comment (and hoping you bought one). I have an ancient one that I inherited from my brother who wasn't using it. It must be 20 years old now and still going strong.

Diana

Veteran

I have one and I love it, although I don't think I use it to its best potential. I mostly use it to make smoothies, sauces, and cold soups (gazpacho is a staple in our household in the summer months and the vitamin makes it a breeze.)

Pros: it's very powerful, fast, and blends very smoothly. Easy to clean (I usually just run it with some soapy water and then rinse out the canister.) The tamper thingy is very useful for getting everything in contact with the blades, and it's extremely well designed.

Cons: as others have mentioned, it's very large and heavy. Also, sometimes it's TOO powerful. Do not try to make potato soup in it, you will end up with glue. (Speaking from experience).

elpgal

Veteran

On the same wavelength as you Joyce. I am considering one of the smaller ones with the 48 oz container.

Vitamix owners: does it handle raw veg like carrots and beets? Or just the softer stuff?

Thistle

Veteran

I use my Vitamix every single day.

Yes, it was very expensive, but I have loved it. It makes smoothies smooth and creamy, even if you toss in veggies.

I've used it for other things, and I would never go back.

We've had ours on daily use for over three years, still going strong.

Yeah, it's kinda ugly, but I don't care. It gets a place on my counter because I use it so much!

Alexandra

(website)

Veteran

Elpgal, it handles raw veggies like it’s no big deal. I make soup in it - water, raw veggies, and let it run. Comes out piping hot and smooooooth. Yum! Oh, and I don’t bother to cut the veggies other than to take out seeds, stems, or whatever. No pre-chopping. The Vitamix takes care of all that.

rachylou

Veteran

Do they all make soup? I mean heat it too?

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

WOW. This was a fun read, Vitamixers! I didn't know the Vitamix heated too. Impressive. I feel clued up on how many others cook and eat. Fascinating to me.

We don't eat/drink smoothies, gravy or juice, so I guess I don't need one. I make soup on the stove the old fashioned way, and LOVE my food processor and hand liquidizer. My food processor makes fabulous nut butters. Does it sound like I'm sorted or do you see a cooking hole?

Alexandra

(website)

Veteran

My understanding is that the heat is generated by friction (?) from the high-speed blending. There’s no actual heating element. A smoothie or dressing take a minute. Soup takes 5-7 minutes. That’s plenty of time to work up some serious heat.

Sal

Veteran

Interesting - here I think it is called a Thermo mix that does the cooking and chopping (for soups and sauces) and a vitamix is a high speed quality blender.

I have a Nutri bullet. My son loves smoothies but I rarely have them. Good for making banana buckwheat pancake mix though.

I have a mid range food processor and use it for chopping onions, slaw, pesto, hummus, pastry, and chopping nuts. I was without a processor for a couple of months while I decided what to replace my broken one with and I really missed owning one.

rebekahphoto

Veteran

LOVE my vitamix! just like the many fabbers, mine is right on the counter.

Literally just made a spinach/pineapple/parsley smoothy for dinner.
Could not imagine being without it...its is great and plenty powerful for carrot/cucumber & all the other veggies we have tossed in.

Its great for a creamy soup: saute/steam the veggies a bit, then add liquid of choice (almond milk, cow etc) put in the vitamix and whizzzz its done!

Joyce B

Veteran

Thank you all for the great replies. Now I think I really need one but it may take a while until I decide on the right one.
I definitely want it to not be too tall and I am very interested in the soup making function.
Carter, I am glad it was the soup that turned brown and not the container, that would have been much worse.
It is great to hear that the Vitamix works so well for all of you.