Vita-Mix

[Bunny Hugger]

I'm really seriously thinking about getting vita-mix
http://vitamix.com/
dose anyone here own one, and dose it work as well as it claims?

I'd just like to hear what you have to say before I make my mom spend all that money

[remilard]

Save yourself a lot of money and get a Waring PBB, which gives you comparable performance (my opinion based on seeing the vita-mix demonstrated in person several times and owning the waring for a few years), a non porous (glass) jar, and no o-ring to replace. Last I checked vita-mix wants like $45 for an o-ring and you have to replace those every 3 years roughly. Check reviews for the waring on epinions.com, watch food network and count the warings you see (a lot) vs the vita-mix you see (none).

Waring PBB goes for $130 roughly.

[renaissancesun]

I would not buy a new one, if you do. The company has gone down-hill in recent years since they started selling them at the big warehouse stores, etc. They used to stand up for thier product, and the older ones tend to keep going, while the newer ones are more likely to have troubles. My mom has one that is about 20 years old that she and her companion use regularly, so my aunt bought a new one and is not as impressed with it as she is with my mom's. I have a vita-mix drink machine (or something like that) that I bought for 10 or 15 bucks at a garage sale and I love it, but if it goes bad, it will not be a huge loss for me.

The stuff about it making hot soup, etc. is over-rated. It works if you like lukewarm soup.

I would just get another really nice blender. They (most of them) also have the added benefit of not being so danged U-G-L-Y.

[remilard]

http://www.surlatable.com/common/products/product_details.cfm?dmode=browse&StartRow=1&CRPCGNBR=29&CGRFNBR=73&PRRFNBR=24

[Joe]

This thread is a bit like deja vu.

I have a Vita Mix I inherited from my parents. It was bought sometime in the 1970s, and still works fine. (See comments about newer models being of lesser quality.) I don't own a blender, so can't compare it. My main problem with the Vita-Mix is that the motor is too powerful. Even on the lowest setting, if you try to puree vegetables for a soup, the soup gets blasted to the top of the machine. I've had to put a plastic bag over the top, press down with one hand, and still use the "pulse" control to prevent it from blasting spray all over the kitchen.

I just haven't used it that much. My Dad used to use it to make crushed ice drinks like daquiris. <sp?> It certainly has power to spare.

I guess I should try juicing carrots and stuff like that, but I'm just not that ambitious. I have a chef friend who has a commercial model Vita-Mix; I should ask her what use she has made of it.

I guess I think you might be safer buying a more conventional blender rather than a Vita-Mix.

[renaissancesun]

I've had to put a plastic bag over the top, press down with one hand, and still use the "pulse" control to prevent it from blasting spray all over the kitchen.


I hate that. Mine only has one speed, too, so it is extra violent that way. I just hold a folded dish towel over it if it is something extra splashy. Mostly I use mine for smoothies and it is great for that.

[Michael]

Uh... Doesn't the thing come with a lid or have you both just lost yours?

[renaissancesun]

Yeah, it has a lid, but the force of the contents can actually pop the seal and the little plastic clear part that goes in the hole in the middle is not exactly sealed off, so contents come shooting out.

Some of them are made with variable speed so you can start out slow and avoid this problem, but I think they started making many of those post thier "high quality days".

My husband tried to blend something a couple of weeks ago and he did start it without the lid on. The silly man got mad at the BLENDER. :lol:!

[remilard]

So if it doesn't have a low speed, how do you prevent cavitation when you make thick smoothies?

[renaissancesun]

Sometimes it does that and I just turn it off and poke the smoothie with a wooden spoon. It has to get really thick before it is much of a problem (about like soft-serve ice cream), I think due to the shape of the pitcher or something. I have noticed it happening more when I am making a smaller amount than usual, as if there is not enough weight to keep things pushed down there. ?

Just speculatin'. :)

[jlbrown122]

My husband bought me a Vita-Mix for Christmas last year. I have wanted one for a long time. I love it and have really gotten our money's worth from it. I don't know how the old ones were, but the new ones have a variable speed dial so you can adjust the speed. It is so super powerful that I don't think there is anything it can't blend. We save money by making so much of our own stuff. They send you a big recipe book and a video with the Vita-Mix. We also bought the dry container for grinding grains and making our own whole wheat flour. We like knowing what goes into our foods and this keeps us from eating so many pre-made foods.

[Irizary]

It's a high speed, 2 HP blender - a normal blender cannot do what this machine can do. But it really depends on your use for it if it's worth it. You can put vegetables in and turn them to liquid - doesn't taste good and gets all foamy - but if you're after this level of processing of raw foods, it can do it.

There's also another one that is similar to the Vitamix - another brand that specializes in the high speed blender like Vitamix - if you ask at Vegsource someone there might know it.

You should not have a problem with splashing out the top. That's what the lid is for. If it's doing that, you would need to return/exchange it as faulty, or not overload it.