So, since the summer, I have been getting into smoothies, drinking them almost daily. And my blender has been holding up, despite the several cups of greens I make it chew through every time. That said, lately said blender has been coughing a bit. Let’s face it, it’s seven years old, and went from maybe weekly use to near-daily use.
So, as you can guess, I have been eyeing this:
The thing is, a Vita-Mix is a major enough purchase that I need lots of opinions, so I am going to ask you lots of questions and hope you leave answers in the comments. You see, I can only really see the benefits of the Vita-mix, but I want to really do my research.
But before I ask you all my questions, though, I have to tell you that Chocolate-Covered Katie is doing a Vita-mix giveaway. You should totally click over there and enter. But please come back here.
The odds of winning said giveaway are low, so here are my questions for Vita-mix owners or other informed parties- remember, I am totally sold on how good it is, and how worth it is, but I want to make sure that I know all my facts upfront:
1. Where did you purchase your Vita-mix? How was the customer service?
2. Has your Vita-mix ever broken? How was the customer service then?
3. Do you think it’s worth it to buy the additional jars or just buy a basic Vita-mix?
4. Did you purchase a reconditioned Vita-Mix? Has it held up ok?
5. What is one thing you wish you had known about the Vita-Mix before purchasing it?
6. Did you think of buying a Blendtec? What swayed you towards the Vita-Mix?
Thank you in advance!
General Disclosures & Disclaimers
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I don't currently have a Vita-Nix, but have asked for one for my birthday in March. My grandmother has one and just loves hers. Several of my favorite chefs love theirs. I'm pretty excited.
My in-laws have a Vita-Mix and the mother-in-law loves it. Hers was rather noisy, but I think it's about 20 years old, so that's to be expected (and points for durability). My Cuisinart has been holding up fairly well, so I haven't really done any more research than that, though…
I bought my VitaMix on eBay this fall. It's an *old* ('97ish) model, and I run it on a transformer on Korean wiring. I have to be pretty careful about how I use it–can't turn it above "6" on the variable setting–or it blows a fuse in the transformer or automatically shuts off temporarily (a built in safety feature). Because I've only ever used it here, I don't know if the sensitivity is because it's old or because it's on Korean wiring. If it's still so touchy when I get home to the States this fall, I'm going to try to find a way to buy a new one, because if I love this puppy at half power…wow. I know mine is a unique situation, but I hope this helps.
Diane Cesa over at everything yoga bought a NOT Vita Mix.
I can't remember the brand but she did all this research and saved some big money and is totally happy with it. You could ask her…
Hey honey! I just responded to your comment (whilst I pack to leave haha) but here is a great review my pal Kristen did on both her blendtec and vitamix. Hope this helps in the meantime whilst I answer your questions! http://kristensraw.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-review-for-blendtec-blender.html
I bought my vita mix 9 years ago directly from the company and I bought the refurbished one. It has held up marvelously! Never a need for service. I did not buy the extra containers. I figured that if I eventually wanted to use them, I would order them later.
I have never heard of the Blendtec.
I hope this helps.
love.
Hah– I was just going to comment that my mother has a 20-year-old VitaMixer that's incredibly loud but has never needed a single repair–and then I noticed that my sister-in-law beat me to it! So there. My mom primarily uses it to grind coffee beans en masse, but it has endless other uses too.