Our blender is dying a slow death; it groans when we make our morning smoothie.
We make a big batch of smoothie almost daily for the family so we're in the market for a good blender. I also use it for cooking and baking.
Do you use a ninja or Vitamix or other? Which model do you have and how much did you pay?
Thanks!
grapefruit / 4089 posts
Ugh, I have such an appliance crush on the Vitamix but it's too damn expensive for me to make the purchase!
grapefruit / 4988 posts
We have a Blendtec and we love it. We were debating between that or a Vitamix, but I found a refurbished one from the Blendtec website and it was significantly less expensive than a Vitamix. It was less than $300 (worth it to us since we had already gone through two cheaper blenders in a year...we also make smoothies almost every day).
cantaloupe / 6059 posts
We had a Ninja and hated it so I don't recommend them. It was really impossible to clean - it had nooks and crannies for food to get stuck in and got disgusting quickly.
We now have a Vitamix and I love it! Definitely expensive, but worth it. We were lucky though - my grandma bought it for us. 
hostess / wonderful apple seed / 16729 posts
I got a reconditioned Vitamix on Zulilly for $299. It comes with a 5 year warranty, too.
grapefruit / 4681 posts
Vitamix
We got ours as a TSV on QVC so it came with extras and a lower price tag
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
We have a Vitamix and it makes such a huge difference for smoothies than our previous cheapy blender. I haven't used a blendtec so I can't compare, and it took years to splurge on the Vitamix but it was well worth it!
olive / 72 posts
We got a Vitamix because if we didn't, we figured we'd spend more replacing lesser blenders over time. Ours was a wedding gift though.
pomegranate / 3375 posts
Vitamix!!! We had the Ninja, but it just didn't get things blended enough.
We bought a reconditioned, certified Vitamix from Amazon ... I think it was about $350. Totally worth it!!
pear / 1697 posts
We have a Blendtec. I was price stalking both Blendtecs and Vitamixes without any real preference between them. Blendtec happened to have a really great deal for refurbished ones on Overstock.
We also have a Breville stick blender that we still use a lot in addition to the Blendtec. Blendtec mostly gets used for smoothies, hummus, nut butters. Stick blender gets used for soups and whipping things.
wonderful olive / 19353 posts
I've heard raving reviews from friends that have the Vitamix and prefer it over the Ninja. However, it's $$$$$
pomelo / 5228 posts
I've been wanting our blender to break so I could justify a vitamix! Still going strong 
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts
We got a blendtec for 400ish about 5 years ago.
Haven't had any problems so far and it still works great!
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
Wow!!! I didn't realize the Vitamix was so $$$!!! I thought it was comparable to the ninja.
Were they factory refurbished and if so what kind of warranty does it come with?
@lilyofthewest: @littlejoy:
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@bluestriped bee: what does the warranty include?
pomegranate / 3375 posts
@regberadaisy: It comes with a full 5 year warranty. It seemed brand new when we received it. It was in new packaging, all wrapped, clean, etc. Most of the time, the only "used" part you are getting is the motor. It came with the product guide and warranty card.
The difference is crazy! I wish I had photos to share. We make cashew cream every week (kind of like sour cream), and with the Ninja, it was grainy and runny. With the Vitamix, it's the consistency of sour cream. With smoothies, I could never get the greens to break down with the Ninja. With the Vitamix, everything breaks down.
pear / 1696 posts
Vitamix for sure! They are amazing! I used the Ninja at my brothers house and didn't like it at all, my smoothie was chunky
grapefruit / 4056 posts
Vitamix!
Here's the thing. Yes, it is a huge upfront investment, BUT they last FOREVER and over time you will break even or win compared to cheap blenders that all end up dying. I really love ours and I use it for tons of stuff other than smoothies (I have done almond milk, coconut and oat flour, soups etc)
honeydew / 7091 posts
Vitamix! $329 from Costco.
Yes, expensive, but customer service is amazing. I spent a weekend making a TON of almond butter, and my machine was a little tired. No questions asked they sent me a shipping label and sent me a whole new machine, completely free of charge!
Once my 7 year warranty is coming to a close I'm going to go on another almond butter spree and try to kill it so I can get a new one again... haha
clementine / 806 posts
Certified reconditioned Vitamix -- LOVE it!! Also use it to make food for my 7 month old.
grape / 89 posts
We have a Vitamix and I love it! When my husband proposed getting one I thought it was ridiculous, but it's honestly one of the best purchases we've ever made. I use it all the time--you can do so much with it!
pomegranate / 3375 posts
You can get 6 months with no interest from Amazon if that works for you.
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
We have a breville. I was debating really splurging on a vitamix but this one got great reviews, and so far, no complaints other than it can get a bit stuck when I put too much frozen stuff and not enough liquid in a smoothie. I've only used it for smoothies- not sure it could handle a weekend of almond butter.
kiwi / 735 posts
My parents are big into smoothies and they swear by the blendtech. It has a really good warranty, the canisters on theirs was stained from all their greens after a couple of years and blendtech replaced them with no hassle.
pear / 1697 posts
My refurb Blendtec comes with the full 7yr warranty.
Oh, and if you wanted to have a spare pitcher or two but not spend $75+ on them, you can purchase them on eBay for much cheaper. They're generally gently used from restaurants or other commercial kitchens that closed.
honeydew / 7917 posts
I have a vitamix and love it! Blendtec is also another great brand. I bought mine at Costco, knowing that if anything goes wrong I can easily return it.
blogger / nectarine / 2608 posts
We have a Vitamix 5200 and I am engaged to her. She is amazing. No lumps. Veggies that even my children will eat (especially because they don't know that they are in there half the time). I love it for velvety soups--one favorite is a butternut squash soup with spinach and Italian sausage. I agree with many of the previous posters in that if you use a blender often for smoothies or "tough" tasks, the investment will pay off in a fairly short span of time since you won't have to buy blender after blender when they keep breaking on you. I always look for Amazon deals on things, and you had better believe that if there was some fugly neon green one for $100 cheaper it would be on my kitchen counter as we speak. Sometimes color plays a role in price, though there isn't much variation with Vitamix, and I've had good luck in the past with refurbished small appliances.
pomegranate / 3329 posts
My parents still have the Vitamix they got as a wedding gift, 42 years ago. We're going to be buying one soon!
cantaloupe / 6131 posts
Vitamix from Costco. Was under $400 and works amazing. I sorta want the new smaller version to make personal smoothies.
pineapple / 12234 posts
Vitamix from Costco!! It's less expensive there but it's still the new model. I use it every day! It also has a 7 year warranty.
pineapple / 12053 posts
i have a ninja (costco) because we couldn't pull the trigger on spending the $$$ for the vitamix. but i know DH would LOVE one because he loves smoothies! maybe for christmas this year. we had a cheap drink blender before so the ninja is definitely a step up from that!
nectarine / 2631 posts
Vitamix- my husband is a chef and when I asked for a new blender for Christmas he gave me a huge upgrade. He used his chef discount at William Sonoma.
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