Vitamix Reviews - A Comprehensive Guide to Getting the Best Vitamix Blender
- Vitamix blenders aren’t one-size-fits-all. Shopping for a Vitamix is almost like buying house: It’s all about what you want. You need to buy the one that fits with your current lifestyle while anticipating future changes.
- Vitamix blenders aren’t one-size-fits-all. Shopping for a Vitamix is almost like buying house: It’s all about what you want. You need to buy the one that fits with your current lifestyle while anticipating future changes.
- To this end, the company offers 31(!) different blenders for you to pick the one that’s best for you. There is a dark side to so much variety; analysis paralysis. If you get overwhelmed by all the options then you’ll end up picking nothing.
- And that’s where this guide comes in: We break down the differences and similarities among all the blenders to help you make an educated decision.
1. Commonalities of all Vitamix Blenders
No matter which Vitamix you choose, the company provides the following services:
- Vitamix offers a 5* or 7-year warranty for all of its machines. This warranty states that the company will pay for repairs to your Vitamix for any defect or damage cause by normal use.
- If the machine is determined to be inoperable then they'll send you a new one! FYI: This warranty is transferrable if you give it or sell the blender to a buddy but not if you rent it out.
- The warranty doesn't cover commercial use (which is obviously more strenuous that home use) or repairs for any modifications you might have done.
- And they won't replace it cosmetic reasons (you don't like the color, scratched container from cleaning, etc.).
*All S-Series blenders have a 5 year warranty, C and G-Series models are 7 years except for the New Creations (we'll discuss in more detail later though).
- If you have a still functioning older Vitamix, the company will let you trade it in and give you credit towards a newer one. You can only trade-in only old machine per purchase. And this offer is only available to people in the United States and Canada.
- When you buy a new or used Vitamix you'll also get a getting started DVD, an introductory booklet, and recipe book, and a tamper.
- A tamper is a tool you use to accelerate blending by pushing the ingredients closer to the blades.The lid is designed to prevent your tamper from reaching the blades so its safe for your machine
- Vitamix loves giving you choices and to that end you have several different container options for your blender and they are:
- 20 ounce container(S-Series only)
- 40 ounce container(S only)
- 32 ounce (all Series)
- 32 ounce dry goods jar(All)
- 48 ounce(C and G-Series)
- Compact 48 ounce jar(C and G)
- 64 ounce(C)
- Low-Profile (read: short) 64 ounce (G, only)
- A high-performance blender like a Vitamix is going to be considerable louder than the average kitchen blender (think: Black and Decker or Oster) you can find at a department store.
- An average home telephone ringing is about 80 decibles and a Vitamix is about 90 db. So you probably won’t be waking your neighbors up if you juice at night but if they do complain apologize by giving them fresh juice!
2. Pick The Blender that Matches Your Needs
You're might be thinking that a blender is a blender is a blender, right? Wrong.The Vitamix family is divided into classes (or series as they call them) which are S-Series, C-Series, and G-Series.
In each series there are multiple blenders with different options and features. Before you buy you need to know which one is right for you. Here are the top factors you should consider before you buy a Vitamix.
- New or Reconditioned/Refurbished Vitamix Blender
- As of publication, new blenders of the Vitamix family range from $299 to $689. A "reconditioned" blender is just a fancy term for a used machine that the company refurbished.
- Buying one could save you around 20% to 30%, or $120 to $200, depending on the model. And don't forget that that warranty is transferrable from person to person!
- Some people think: "Yuck, I don't wanna buy a used blender...I don't know where it's been!" Well fret not! Your reconditioned blender is one of those traded-in models we talked about before, or an impulse buy (c'mon we all do it) that was returned during the initial 30-day-money-back guarantee period.
- At any rate, the company has a 17 Point checklist to ensure the appliance is 100% free from defect (legally they can't say that it's "new" since the box was opened) before they resell it at a discount.
- The S-Series blenders are billed as the "personal" blenders, meaning that their the containers are smaller(20-40 ounces) than the C-Series and G-Series (32 to 64 ounces).
- Chances are if you are the only person in the household using it, a smaller size would be ideal for you. On the other hand if you have a significant other, roommates, or kids (who are basically roommates that pester you for allowance) then a bigger blender will help you make more juice for everyone faster.
- Besides juicing, Vitamixes are basically food processors. A soup preset will make your dinner after while you take a shower to wash off the smell of your job (and it will be hot too). This won't matter much if you just use it for juicing.
- The downside to presets is if you aren't always making the same batch of food every time then you won't know when it's totally blended. Depending on what you're blending, you may need to use the tamper to make sure the mix is sufficiently "liquidy" which defeats of the purpose of using presets.
- So now that you know what you’re looking for in a Vitamix, let's look at each series and how they compare up to one another.
3. What type of Vitamix Do you want?
There are two types of Vitamix blenders.
- Vitamix S- series
- Vitamix G- series
- Vitamix C- Series
Vitamix S-Series Reviews:
This is Vitamix's line of "personal blenders". Designed with the individual user in mind, these blenders are sleek and compact. There are three blenders in this group. Here are the commonalities among the S-Series:
- These three are the only dishwasher-safe Vitamixes!
- Come with a 20-ounce to-go cup.
- Unlike the other Series, the blade base is separate which allows you to swap between the 20 and 40 ounce cups whenever you want.
The three in this line are the:
- Vitamix S30
- Vitamix S50
- Vitamix S55
Vitamix S30, S50 & S55 Reviews
Besides the features mentioned above they are almost identical. The S30 and the S50 come in either Black or Red while the S55 only comes in "Brushed Stainless" (read: silver).
- If you want an S-Series this is what you need to think about. The S30 has no programs. The S50 comes with two programs which are power blend and smoothie.
- And what the S55 lacks in color schemes it makes up in programs, coming with four(!): Power Blend, Smoothie, Frozen Desserts, and Dips & Spreads, making it the best choice for food processing in this line.
- Juicing is a long-term investment in your health that much cheaper than a trip the emergency room. So taking budgets into account here are the prices for each blender*.:
*Only the S30 is available reconditioned in this Series.
- Compare Vitamix S50 vs S30 vs S55
You have to ask yourself if food processing is important to you. If so you should look at the S55 or S50. If you just need this for straight juicing an S30 won't let you down.
There are several key differences between the S30 and S50 and S55.
- The biggest edge the S30 has over its brothers (Or is it sisters? We don't know what gender blenders are.) is that it comes equipped with a 20-ounce to-go cup.
- Exclusive only to the S30, you can blend your juice or smoothie, remove the container from the base, put a lid on, and take it with you to work, the gym, or wherever without having to pour the contents into something else.
- Vitamix also knows no one likes warm juice so the to-go cup has cool (pun intended) double-wall construction to retain cold longer. And the airtight lid assures that you can hold the cup upside down all day it won't leak one drop.
- Speaking of cool containers, the Vitamix S30's containers all have magnets as a safety feature: If the magnets aren't aligned correctly with the base, the machine won't start.
- As mentioned earlier the Vitamix S50 and Vitamix S55 boast 2 and 4 presets respectively while the S30 has none. All three have variable speed control and the pulse option.
- So when deciding between the S30, 50, and 55, the decision boils down to if you prefer the convenience of the portable container or do you think you prefer to use programs(and how many programs).
- Comparison with other Vitamix Series - Vitamix S series vs C series vs G Series
- You haven't gotten to other classes yet, but S series is the weakest of the three as it has the smallest motor and the smallest containers meaning its juice yields will be lower too.
- You can make the same things in an Vitamix S-Series blender as a C or a G but you'll just make less of them.
- The 20 and 40-ounce containers of this Vitamix Series won't fit on a C or G and vice versa. All these models have a 5 year warranty, instead of 7, but you can extend it an extra 3 years for $75.
Vitamix C-Series Reviews:
- Vitamix flagship series, the one that started them all, the C, or Classic, Series is far more diverse than the Vitamix S-Series.
- To clear up confusion we won't be discussing in-depth is the Professional Collection. Reason being is that they are basically identical to other Vitamix C-Series models.
- It’s hard to even consider them a distinct model of blenders since the only difference is that they have word “Professional” in their name and they cost more. It’s just marketing fluff.
- Like each series, there are a number of similar features and those are:
- 64-ounce container. By the way, every container for every series is made of BPA-free, heat-resistant, shatter-proof plastic polymer that is exponentially more resilient than glass. FYI: If you go above the max-fill line it can hold about 80-ounces, or 8 cups, of juice.
- These models can be used with the 32-ounce dry grains container. This special container can be used to grind grains into flours and knead dough for making bread. Unfortunately you can't bake the bread in your Vitamix...not yet.
- Standard, no variable speed. Very simple blender that only has a high and low speed control switch. You can find this only the 2-Speed Turboblend. It's from the "Creations" line. With no presets and only 2 speeds this doesn't feel very useful.
- We didn't have this section for the previous Series* because they all have the same motor. In the C-Series there are several different bases and motors.
Here are the blenders that make up this family:
Vitamix 5200 Review
- This is Vitamix’s “flagship” blender. Nearly every other model in this Series has this motor (excluding the Turboblends). These blenders have the high/low switch that allows you get that extra power you need to totally blend your ingredients.
- But the feature that really made Vitamix 5200 a household name was the Variable Speed Dial. As it’s name suggests, the Variable Speed Dial gives you complete control over the blend by adjusting the speed of the blade.
- This revolutionary feature turns your Vitamix from a blender into a food processor by allowing you to puree, grind, chop, dice, and whip nearly any food into any texture you can imagine.
Vitamix 6300 Review
- This subset of the Vitamix C-Class is the lovechild of a 5200 blender and a Vitamix S55 after a torrid one-night stand. Essentially the 6300’s have the variable speed control of the former and the presets of the latter.
- If you have the aspiration (read: delusion) to be a chef in a Michelin-star restaurant but lack the experience, this could help you fool your friends at your next dinner party.
Vitamix 5300 Review
- This blender has the motor of a Vitamix C-Series but the 64 ounce low-profile container that is otherwise exclusive to theVitamix G-Series that we’ll discuss later. It doesn’t have any presets.
- You can only buy this model at Costco and aside from the container, it’s a clone of the flagship Vitamix 5200.
Vitamix Creations Review
- The company released another line of blenders called Vitamix Creations. These are wholly identical to aforementioned Vitamix 5200 but they are exclusive to the shopping channel QVC.
- And the warranties for them are all 5 instead of 7 years. Oddly enough though you can also buy them on vitamix.com but they will be reconditioned and discounted accordingly.
*Fun Fact: The word “series” in S, C, or G-Series, only refers to the motor and the base which is the primary difference between each class of blenders.
- The Vitamix blenders range in price from $299 to $699. As mentioned before, reconditioned one are slightly cheaper than the new counterparts.
- Comparison: Vitamix C- Series vs Vitamix S- Series
- Capacity: If this is a decisive factor for you then there really is no comparison. The containers of the C blenders are all 32 or 64 ounces while the largest Vitamix S-Series contains is a mere 40 ounces, or 37percent smaller. A larger container is give you more juice in every session.
- Size: Even with the low-profile Vitamix 5300, the Vitamix S-Series blenders are considerably smaller, meaning they’re also easier to store in your home. For example, the S55 is 14.6 inches tall and 5.9 inches wide while the classic Vitamix 5200 is 20.5 inches tall and 7.2 inches wide.
- Power: The bigger the blender, the stronger the motor. The stronger the motor the faster the juicing. The Vitamix 5200’s has an impressive 2HP engine that will easily outlast the 7 year warranty.
- But the question is: “Is the Vitamix C-Series really better than the Vitamix S-Series?” The answer is: “It depends.” The better blender is the one that suits your particular lifestyle and juicing habits.
Vitamix G- Series Reviews:
The Vitamix G-Series is Vitamix’s most recent family of blenders. Also called the “Next Generation” because they took customer feedback and made various enhancements to the wildly popular C-Series 5200.
- Changes made in the G-Series
- Noise Dampening: A Vitamix 5200 only about 91 db loud which isn’t very noisy; an average conversation is about 70 bd. But all Vitamix G-Series blenders have a base that muffles about 40 percent of the sound from the motor.
- Power: The Vitamix G-Series blenders have 2.2 HP motors, which are stronger than the 2.0HP you’ll find in the classic Vitamix 5200.
Here are the blenders that make up this family:
Vitamix 7500 Review
- One of the biggest gripes people had about the Vitamix 5200 was that that the 64 ounce container was too tall. Vitamix listened and this blender comes with a low-profile container stock (at 17.5 inches it’s still taller than the Vitamix S30, Vitamix S50, and Vitamix S55).
- Another cool feature in this model is that the size of the stainless steel, lazer-cut, hammer mill blade went from 3 inches to 4 inches. That might not sound like much but the larger surface area of the blade will allow you to blend much faster.
Vitamix 750 Review
- The other main model in this otherwise small (only 6 blenders) series. The 750 one-ups the 7500 by adding 5 nifty presets. These presets are:
- The other main model in this otherwise small (only 6 blenders) series. The 750 one-ups the 7500 by adding 5 nifty presets. These presets are:
- Puree
- Smoothies
- Hot Soups (Fun Fact #2: The blades actually generate heat as they rotate and will heat up cold or lukewarm ingredients.)
- Frozen Desserts
- Self-Cleaning(totally automatic, just add a drop of dishwashing liquid)
- The Vitamix blenders range in price from $299 to $699. As mentioned before, reconditioned one are slightly cheaper than the new counterparts.
- Vitamix G-Series vs Vitamix S-Series Comparison
- Power or Size: If you’re looking for power or size, it’s not even close, Vitamix G-Series wins by a mile. If you’re looking for something more compact or budget-friendly then the S-Series is better.
- Dishwasher: And don’t even think about putting your Vitamix 750 in the dishwasher unless you want an expensive paperweight.Only Vitamix S-Series blenders can be washed that way.
- Price: These are the most expensive of Vitamix’s blender. The cheapest new blenders start at $429.00. But since G-Series blenders are like the C-Series on steroids you definitely get what you pay for.
4. In Conclusion, The Choice is Yours.
- Vitamix offers a wide variety of blenders to the meet the juicing needs of nearly everyone. If you just need something to quickly make your juice everyday before work than a soup-making Vitamix 750 Professional probably shouldn't be on your radar.
- It's easy to get overwhelmed by the variety of features but to make your search as easy and inexpensive as possible, ask yourself: "What do I primarily need my blender for?" If you need a blender to double as a complete food system then you'll need presets like on the Vitamix S55 or the Vitamix 750.
- If you just need it for juicing for one or two people then a S30 or a 5200 would be a safe choice.
- No matter what choice you make, you're guaranteed years of nutritious and delicious juicing for you active lifestyle!