In the last 20 years I’ve owned no fewer than 5 different blenders – some better than others, but not one of them worthy of a good review. The last one was this KitchenAid KSB1570SL 5-Speed Blender with 56-Ounce BPA-Free Pitcher - Silver which I was reasonably pleased with until the pitcher started leaking. So I bought a replacement pitcher and eventually it sprung a leak too.

I’ve easily spent more than $600 on assorted blenders over the years, so I decided it was time to get off the porch and run with the big dogs. I chose to take a trip to the top and get a Vitamix, and I’m so happy I did. This blender has all I need, and I’m still discovering the myriad other ways I can put it to use. I immediately fell in love with homemade peanut butter, and I have finally been able to turn my favorite tomato soup recipe into a velvet-like purée, seeds and all. It's so easy to use and easy to clean - this blender is as good as it gets.

My adult children accused me of buying an expensive blender well beyond my needs, and I can’t tell you how satisfying it has been to prove them both wrong. I refuse to lend it to them (they’ve both asked), and both are saving their money to get their own.

With a 7-year warranty, I envision getting more use out of the blender than all the others combined - I should have done this years ago. Color me happy.

This isn't just a blender. That's what you have to tell yourself to actually spend the money on one of these things. I know there is that age old debate about Vitamix vs Blendtech but I've never tried a Blendtech because our Vitamix has been a work horse for years of daily use and still keeps going! It's what my parents had, it's what everyone in my family has and they all love it as much as we do. I guess it's kinda like Ford vs Chevy. ;)

Anyway, I'm going to make this short and sweet. Our 3 year old son has autism and severe sensory issues making him the pickiest eater on the face of the planet. That being said, he will drink just about anything we put in his cup as long as it passes the look, smell and texture tests. If it weren't for the Vitamix I don't know how we would've fed our child and made sure he got the protein, fresh fruits and vegetables etc. that his little growing mind and body need. We can sneak ANYTHING into his smoothies and he has no idea because the Vitamix works so incredibly well at blending everything flawlessly. No chunks, no pulp, no fuss! Smooth and creamy and delicious no matter what we throw in there!

Not only do we use this every day for his "dinner", but I use it every day for my green smoothies and my husband uses it for his protein shakes. This thing has taken a lot of abuse and gets a pretty intense daily work out of frozen fruits and ice cubes etc. and it still works like it did when we bought it FIVE YEARS AGO. We haven't had to replace parts or have any maintenance done. Just regular cleaning and care. Boom. This is so much more than a blender, it's a way of life.

After 5 years of considering the purchase of a Vita-mix I finally took the plunge after seeing it at a Costco "roadshow". I am not a big smoothie person, but I was motivated by my constant efforts to get more greens into my kids. Green smoothies sounded like a great way to do this painlessly. Also, I was enraptured by the demo of the tortilla soup, one of my favorites. I justified the price (yikes!) with the thought that this was going to be great for our ongoing efforts to get more veggies into our daily lives.

If smoothies are the only thing that you are thinking about making... or other concoctions that are thin and slide easily on their own out of the blender jar, then go for this product. If you are going to be making anything that requires you to coax it out, then think again. I expanded my useage of my Vita-mix to include making Hummus, nut butters, bean dips and pureed dates for use in other raw snack recipes. The amount of frustration that I experienced trying to fish out the contents was very aggravating. I had to purchase a special spatula to get past the blades and even then I lost about 1/4th of every batch of whatever I made due to not being able to get it out of the jar. The ridges up and down the sides make it very difficult to scrape anything out as well. Since I am now using my Vita-mix just as much for these types of recipes as I do smoothies, I wish I got another brand with a more user friendly jar. The Blendtec perhaps? I am attracted to their square, smooth-sided jars.

Another deficit is the unbalanced way the blender jar sits on the base. I always feel compelled to hold onto the jar when I am blending chunks of frozen fruit. When the motor/blades are working really hard it has a tendency to rotate on the base just a little until it is stopped by the square rubber holder. This doesn't seem very secure. Also, the fact that the jar is narrow at the base and gets wider as it gets taller makes it feel top heavy and prone to easy tipping. I always felt that I couldn't step away from it while it was on because it might topple over.

When making thick concoctions, it is hard to get it clean under the blades. This is what happens when I make pureed dried fruit or nut butters. I end up wasting a lot of food this way.

One of my biggest complaints about the operation of the Vita-mix is the necessity of having to use the tamper. 98% of everything I make in this blender requires me to use the tamper. This seems like a design flaw. I have to work really hard to get everything down into the blades and even then the bottom items are much better blended that the stuff at the top. When switching to the high speed setting the blades just rotate extremely fast while nothing gets blended, unless I am forcing everything into place with the tamper.

These experiences have made me not want to use the Vita-mix for anything but what will easily pour out of the jar. This defeats the purpose of such an expensive and powerful machine. I will be returning my Vita-mix because of this.

As for how it makes smoothies... FANTASTIC! It blends anything to a smooth consistency (as long as you use the tamper!) The fruit and spinach smoothies (with added walnuts and flax meal) are a big hit with my kids. SUCCESS! Also, I make the best banana walnut "ice cream" in the Vita-mix. You will not be disappointed if this is your primary use.

Just to clarify juicing vs blending for other reviewers... They are VERY DIFFERENT. You will be discarding pulp when you juice because the point is NOT to have fiber. This makes the nutrients in the juice instantly absorbed into your body, which is the goal...as opposed to blending, which keeps the fiber of the food items and demands digestion to break down the food to make the nutrients available to your body...a much longer, slower process. One is not is better than the other...just entirely different.

I am going to purchase the BlendTech blender when I return my Vita-mix. I hope I am not disappointed. Perhaps my expectations are too high for a small kitchen appliance.

Bon Appetite!

UPDATE! I purchased (and then promptly returned) the Blendtec. I returned it within a week. I put it through the same paces as above with the Vita-mix. It failed the same tests. The straight sides of the Blendtec did not make it unnecessary to use a tamper, as was implied in their sales pitch. It did make it easier to scrape thicker recipes out of the jar though. I had to stop the machine and use a spatula to incorporate the heavier recipes I was making to make sure it was all blended together well. I won't go into any more detail except to say that for my purposes, the Blendtec was not an acceptable alternative to the Vita-mix. So, what was I to do? I really wanted a high power blender! Due to its reputation and longstanding high quality reputation, I went back to researching the Vita-mix. If only they had a different jar!!! Well, guess what?!! They DO! I purchased the Vita-mix Professional Series 750. It cost me a pretty penny more, but I can say without a doubt that it is absolutely worth it! I LOVE THIS MACHINE! The jar is shorter and wider, the sides are so accessible to scraping EVERYTHING out. I can honestly say that I can get all of the food out with a narrow spatula with no extra effort. Smoothies are a breeze and don't need the tamper most of the time. One of the features on the Blendtec that I loved was the automatic settings. This Vita-mix has it! I just dial the setting I need for what I am making and flip the start switch. I can go about my business in the kitchen and the thing turns off when it is finished blending. 95% of the time is is perfect. Pretty good percentage! I could go on and on about the different settings make this so much more functional, how the shorter jar is so much easier to use, that there is no rotation or instability of the jar and I am not afraid it will tip over,how it is way quieter than any other blender, etc... but the bottom line is, I found my blender! I have had it for over a month now. I use it everyday. Smoothies in the morning, prep cook in the evening. I blend, chop, puree... it can do everything I need except shred. I am so happy I bought it and have the piece of mind of buying a trusted, quality product with a great track record and exceptional warranty. (the Blendtec was questionable to me in this area. Also, it felt cheaply made...I didn't have confidence in its' construction and it was LOUD!! My kids would cringe when I pulled it out of the pantry. Not a good sign!)

I hope this helps! Happy Blending

March 2013 UPDATE I still LOVE my 750. I am adding this update for those of you who have asked how I still like it. I DO STILL LOVE IT. I rarely have to use the tamper, but when do it is totally appropriate for the items in jar and not because something isn't blending as it "should". When loaded correctly, making smoothies NEVER need any tamper encouragement. I find the sides extremely easy to remove food from. You have to have a small spatula for this to be easy, but just go buy the right size and you will have no problems scraping everything out of this jar. I am so happy with this purchase and continue to find new things to love about it. I AM NOT A VITAMIX Employee! Just a happy vegan mom of two, always on the lookout for ways to make cooking healthy easier!