# Blenders?



## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

Well, the old Osterizer is about to give up the ghost. So it looks like I'm in the market for a new blender.

Been so long, though, that I haven't a clue what's available in terms of makes & models; features, power, pricetags, etc. 

So, in a word: Help!!!

Any suggestions, recommendations, references, etc. cheerfully accepted. 

Thanks.


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

Years ago I bought a commercial waring blernder at a professional kitchen ware store. The thing is built like a Mack truck and could probably make short work of a typical SUV. No frills, nothing fancy - just power, durability, and a cavernous, stainless steel bowl thing.

I've also heard of, and have seen in operation, something called a Belville blender. That's something I'd look at were I to be considering a new, fancy-frilly blender. 

Shel


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## even stephen (Oct 10, 2005)

vita mix!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! black model with variable speed control dial.
Has an automatic shut off switch to prevent burning out motor.


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## odi3 (Oct 12, 2007)

Vitamix is a good blender, although there is better. its called K-Tec!

I bought one 1 year ago and its a 3HP monster!

heres a demo!

Will It Blend? | Presented By Blendtec


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Another fine UTAH company.


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## harpua (May 4, 2005)

Vitamix is great, but I have a Waring pro. It's nice. Vitamix is better.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

I'd love a Vitamix. But I don't use a blender near enough to justify the $400 pricetag. 

After listening to advice, researching the internet, etc. I went shopping. Narrowed it down to two: What is now called the Oster Kitchen Center---which has no resemblence to the original of that name, and the Krupps 7200. 

Decided that the Oster, even though is was a little less pricey, came with too many bells & whistles that would just be something else to store away. So went with the Krupps. 

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions.


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## smalltruck (Sep 27, 2007)

I had a K-TEC, the ex left home with it. On the other hand it would shred just about anything you could think of putting in it. Nice but spendy.
George


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

KYHeirloomer;192201 said:


> After listening to advice, researching the internet, etc. I went shopping. [...] So went with the Krupps 7200.
> 
> 
> > Great! Glad you found one that suits your needs and pocketbook.
> ...


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## foodnfoto (Jan 1, 2001)

I used to have a Vita-Mix back in the '70s. That thing was a truck! and would blend anything. However, the lights would all dim a little when we used it.

Does anyone know of a good quality stick blender that doesn't weigh 5 pounds?
I've always wondered why emmersion blender haven't gotten more market penetration. I love to use them, but the brauns, krups and cuisinarts seem to wear out really fast.


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

Hand (Immersion) Blenders-Updated-Equipment Ratings-Cook's Illustrated*3/2006

Frankly, it looks like CI was testing some low to mid-range consumer blenders, but this may be a start.

I have heard from some cooks and at least one well-known chef that Waring makes some heavy duty blenders of this type. They are spendy and somewhat heavy, but you might want to check 'em out if for no other reason than having a point of reference.

Shel


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## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

A few years ago my wife developed something close to an addiction to Starbucks' Frappuchinos, and I was headed to the poorhouse. I decided to make them at home to save money, and headed to a restaurant supply house for a capable blender. I was directed to a display of the _Margarita Master._ I was assured that a row of eight of them graced the backbar of every Hooters in the land.

I walked over and was kind of stunned at the $250 price tag. I settled for a Waring model in the $100 range, and we've made out pretty well with that ever since. According to the UL label, the MM had a motor more powerful than my Delta table saw. :crazy:

Mike


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## stir it up (Oct 15, 2007)

Consumer Reports recently tested blenders. Vita-Mix came out #1. The only thing they knocked it for was price, and its noise was in the "fair" category. It beat the K-Tec (also now called BlendTec. The K-tec might boast higher HP (peak HP is always a little bit BS by the way)

For a cheap blender the Best Buy was a Braun PowerMax MX2050, but IMO anyone with a job should get a Vita-Mix and not screw around with these wimply little domestic blenders that will burn out or break or provide lesser blending. A Vitamix is in a whole other league from a standard home blender. VitaMix has great customer service and warranty too, K-Tec has issues with the blender separating at the base, and they took that out of the warranty so they don't cover it. K-tec is noisier, and has these computer programs to run it (more things to potentially go wrong, and not my cup of tea), where the VitaMix is simple, a switch and a manual speed control knob. 

If you're getting a home Vitamix, make sure you get the model with the variable speed control.

Costco gets Vitamix occasionally on a "roadshow" for a week at a time at a good price. (about $350).

Vitamix has a seven year full warranty. Made in USA!:smiles:


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

>but IMO anyone with a job should get a Vita-Mix and not screw around <

By that sort of reasoning, anyone with a kitchen should have a fully dressed Montegue.

Alright. Everybody! Stand up if you have _anything _made by Montegue in your home kitchen. Hmmmmph. Everybody stayed seated. Go figure.

In the real world, price and suitability for the purpose determine value. And for most people, even those who use their blenders far more than I do, a Vita-Mix is not fair value, because it's far more blender than they need.

My Oster, which I just replaced, cost me something like 29 bucks when I bought it more than 20 years ago. Nothing wimpy about that. The Krupps I bought, which more than meets my needs, cost only about one quarter of the Vita-Mix. If it turns out I have to replace it every 2-3 years (which I don't expect to happen), I'm still ahead of the game, moneywise.


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## shakeandbake (Feb 24, 2007)

After suffering through cheap(er) blenders over the years, I finally broke down and purchased a VitaMix at CostCo earlier this year. Money well spent if you ask me, and you're friends will love you for it at your next margarita party!


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## mannlicher (Jan 8, 2006)

I guess it really depends on what you use the appliance for. I have been getting by with an old Cuisinart blender for probably 10 years now. I use it often for smoothies, making hot sauce, and other chores.


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## stir it up (Oct 15, 2007)

LOL, OK, I was a little facetious and extreme with that offhand remark. Point taken.

But I've got to say how much I love having a Vitamix at home. I put it off because of the price, then finally getting one, I don't know how I ever went without one.

It will grind whole grains into flour in a snap, which adds greatly to your breadbaking. It will puree soups and sauces to such a velvety consistency you wouldn't get with other devices. It will even juice a carrot into smooth carrot juice. This year when the flood of heirloom tomatoes came on, my husband made sauce and paste by blending the whole tomatoes skins and all, and you would have no idea. He blended in other veggies and herbs for flavor too. I made a nice apple and raspberry jam, skins on the apples and all, it came out a beautiful color, I didn't need to add pectin, and the raspberry seeds disappeared completely. I regularly make flavorful soup broths in there by putting in raw veggies like tomatoes, celery, onions, carrots, sweet peppers, herbs, etc., and blending to a smooth consistency. 

I find as everything is made cheaper and cheaper, it's rare to find a sturdy well made simple appliance that has power and durability. This one's made in USA, a simple design, and a seven year full warranty to back it up. When I thought I burned mine out, forcing sprouted wheat into the blades with almost no liquid, and the protector switch disabled it, I called the company to say I thought I wrecked the blender, and they offered to send a courier to pick it up and courier another machine to me, but advised me that it's probably just been protected by the overload switch (which it was). I have a blender graveyard of old blenders burned out (including my Cuisinart one), you get the sense with the Vitamix that you're set, and won't have to buy more new blenders down the road. 

I think of it as another appliance in the kitchen, stove, food processor, dishwasher, etc. to justify the cost, it does more than replace a basic blender. But if all someone needs is a basic blender, then the Consumer Reports best buy one I mentioned is about $50, and sounds like you got a great one that meets your needs KYheirloomer. The Vitamix showed me "needs" I didn't even know I had before I got it, and I love that darned machine!


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## juniperhome (Nov 13, 2008)

Bump for a great product in the VitaMix. 


You can't beat homemade baby food.


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## amazingrace (Jul 28, 2006)

Well, back the original theme of the thread. I recently purchased the Oster fusion blender, and I highly recommend it for anyone wanting a moderately priced, but well-made product. For some functions, it is self-reversing, so the blades are less likely to get jammed with food. I use it for a variety of things, especially fruit smoothies. I like its streamlined black features too.


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## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

Yeah, I encountered the VitaMix roadshow while visiting our son in Reno, and, in a fit of extravagance, bought one and lugged it back to Chicago on the plane. (That was just before the stock market completely tanked.) Wouldn't do it now.

That thing is awesome. I'm planning to blend a coconut sometime soon - without peeling it. 

My wife had a spasm when I told her what I had paid, but after three or four awesome frozen daiquiris, she calmed down. (Passed out, actually.)

I'm a lifelong tool nut, whether kitchen or woodshop, and I think I've got a tool in the VitaMix that will last me the rest of my life.

Mike


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

We don't have a Vita-Mix but we do have a commercial blender, and the difference between commercial and residential -- even the pretend commercial blenders -- is pretty big. 

There's some sort of practical reality based on need. Not that I'm particularly practical or feel much of a tug from reality. But you might. Maybe. If you're serious about difficult tasks like frozen daiquris, worth the extra $50. A residential won't make a slush without melting half the ice. If all you're going to use it for is simple purees, stick with the residential models.

BDL


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## chefhow (Oct 16, 2008)

Ive got a Vita Mix(have always wanted to do one of their print ads) and a Waring Pro and the Waring sits in the cabinet. I got my Vitamix about 8 years ago when I ordered one for my restaurant and the one they sent was a refurb, called the company to complain and they sent me a new one and told me to keep the other. I have used it religiously at work and home since. It is a tank and has never shut down on me.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

All y'all would make great casket salesmen. You make it sound like I positively _need _the solid bronze one.

I'm mean, why do I need a VitaMix? So, among other things, I can use it to grind my own grain, mix frozen daiquiries, and turn soup into perfect puree.

For those of you rolling in money, if you feel it's worth 400 bucks to accomplish those tasks, God bless you. I don't grind my own grain (and if I did, I'd get a grain mill, not use a blender) nor am I a bartender. And, as for the perfect pureed soup, if my food processor, immersion blender, or "cheap" stand blender doesn't do it, that's what we have strainers and chinois for.

For me a blender is a secondary tool. I probably use my meat grinder more often. So for me to spend that sort of money on a little-used tool would, depending on how kind you wish to be, range from being profligate to stupid. Even if I got it at the "bargain" price of $350.


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

I'm with KY. We got a Cuisinart blender 8 years ago as a wedding present; I think it cost about $85 then, and is maybe $110 now. It did burn out once, because I did something stupid, and they asked no questions and just had us send back the base -- and then they sent us a whole new one, so now I have two blender jars, which is handy every once in a long while.

I can see that if I used a blender more than once a week, every week, and wanted to use it for a lot of heavy stuff, the investment in a VitaMix would be worthwhile, but otherwise, I just can't see it. I have made frozen daiquiris in the Cuisinart, which has a special "ice chop" feature, and it worked fine.

The only thing I can think of that I would really want to do in a blender and can't is make crab or lobster bisque enrichment by grinding the shells to near-puree. Poach, strain super-fine, use liquid for flavoring. Good for crustacean butter, too, but you can do that in a stand mixer. But in any event, how often can I really afford (in whatever sense) to make crab or lobster bisque?


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## amazingrace (Jul 28, 2006)

I remember a Jackie Gleason "Honeymooners" episode in which Kramden's newest money scheme was an appliance called the "the Vegivita--something-something" (a spoof on the Vitamixer)He and Norton were doing a TV commercial. Norton asks "but can it core a apple, OH chef of the future?". Of course, Kramden's answer was "yes, it can core a apple". :lol: 

I think the Vita Mix is a fine product. Most people who own one are very pleased with their purchase, and probably would replace it in kind if it were to wear out. It's not my thing, though. I like what I have. I like that it didn't cost much. And I especially like that if my dear daughter covets it, I can simply give it to her and go buy another one.


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