| When the blending button is pushed on the Smart-Touch technology digital touchpad, a preprogrammed cycle automatically speeds up and slows down to draw ingredients into the 29,000 rpm blade and thoroughly blend all the ingredients. It shuts off when the cycle is complete, so recipes will turn out perfect every time. The blending jar is our famous patented square jar design, just like our professional models used in U.S. coffee, juice, and restaurant chains, with a 64-ounce capacity and a one-year warranty. The patented two-prong stainless-steel blade carries a lifetime warranty. The blender has a powerful commercial-quality, 1,560 watt 3 HP direct-drive motor (model number E3) and comes with an ice-crushing guarantee and a three-year warranty on the motor and base. The Total Blender replaces these other kitchen appliances: Grain mill, juicer, bread machine, ice-cream maker, smoothie maker, blender, milkshake maker, coffee grinder, ice crusher. And it does the job better than the individual products, for a fraction of the cost. Material used : BPA free Copolyester. |
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 Great blender, but buy hearing protection to go with it! |
| Review Date: February 6, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Shopperholic, Copiague, NY United States |
This is an awesome blender. It blends stuff like you've never seen before and I am really pleased with it. But holy cow is it LOUD!! The cat hates me. I got a pair of earmuffs from the shooting supply place to wear while using it. Maybe overkill, but I think that using it twice a day without them would result in hearing damage eventually. I wish they sold an enclosure for this one like they do for the commercial ones....I'd definitely buy one.
I bought this because I had a juicer and liked it. But I felt that tossing all that pulp and fiber had to be making me miss out on a lot of health benefits. And just trying to spoon some of it back into the juice doesn't work, it's gross. This blender blends whole fruits and vegetables wonderfully, I can still get the fiber and in a drinkable form.
After I bought this, I read a webpage where they talked about blending an avocado WITH the pit, and I tried it. It works, I ended up with an amazingly smooth mousse-like creamy pudding. Not something I'd do every day, but it was very interesting. I have been making kale banana blueberry smoothies for breakfast and it blends everything into one homogenous shake. No bits of leaves, chunks of stuff, etc. I'm enjoying it. I just wish it wasn't so loud. |
Vegetarian's Best Friend
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| Review Date: March 16, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Eco Mama's Guide To Living Green, |
I purchased this blender after reading THE CHINA STUDY, EAT TO LIVE, and GREEN FOR LIFE (all Highly recommended and if you are buying this blender you'd be missing out if you didn't read these books, particularly GREEN FOR LIFE).
All three books really drive home the importance of eating Greens (Swiss Chard, Kale, etc.)on a daily basis. For me, this was a challenge. The only way I could tolerate kale was to slather it with olive oil or butter and salt and cook it, thereby destroying most of the benefits. Even then I ate it dutifully and without pleasure. Then I read GREEN FOR LIFE and got the idea to blend up raw greens with bananas and other fruit into nutrient dense green smoothies.
You need the high power blender for this sort of thing, other blenders can't handle it. Thank goodness the Blendtec was mentioned in reviews for GFL, or I would have never even known about it. I ordered it with fingers crossed. It was a lot of money to plunk down for a blender and I was a little scared I wouldn't be able to drink the green stuff.
Not only did the blender perform like a dream, it makes a killer green smoothie--no taste of kale! The cost of the blender is worth it for this reason alone. Now I can get my daily intake of greens without having to endure it. It's actually delicious and gives you a buzz of energy way better than coffee.
I'm telling you all this because I think that Blendtec has missed a major market demographic. The recipie book that comes with the blender can be discarded for this demographic. A lot of people need these blenders for a vegan or raw food and greens lifestyle and I think most of them end up with a Vita-mix because of the way they are marketed.
I have had a Vita Mix and can tell you this is Way better. One thing not mentioned in the specs is that the blendtec is only about 15 inches tall (unlike the Vitamix which is 20). That means it fits on your counter under your cabinets--very important for an appliance you might be using every day. Mine now occupies the space where the coffee pot used to be and I use it at least twice a day.
You can make nut butters, various flours, breads, soup....etc. It's so powerful I think the motor could fly a small plane.
You can walk away from this blender and it knows when to shut itself off, it is not as loud as the Vitamix even though it is more powerful, and the clean-up is a cinch. This is the single best appliance I've ever purchased. The only thing I wish it had is a retractable cord and better customer service.
If you are on the fence about this--buy it! |
The Blendtec vs. Vita-Mix dilemma
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| Review Date: April 7, 2009 |
| Reviewer: SmoothieGirl, Hawaii, USA |
I must give you a little bit of history before reviewing the Blendtec . . .
Our local Costco was having a Vita-Mix road show and i bought it knowing that I really liked everything I had ever read about a Blendtec. A couple of my friends raved about the Vita-Mix, so I felt I needed to pay a little attention. A large purchase like this deserved a little research so that I wouldn't have any regrets. I watched the demo, was impressed and took home the Vita-Mix that day. I was anxious to make a smoothie with it because I had been using the Magic Bullet for five months. I made my first smoothie with it, and it turned out great but the "honeymon" didn't last very long. I did not like the sheer size of the Vita-Mix! It sat VERY high on my counter, wouldn't fit under the cabinet and it looked like it belonged in a commercial-sized kitchen, not mine. I absolutely disliked everything about the lid, except the ability to drizzle liquids in from the opening. The lid was not easy to put on nor remove. And the tamper!!! A good machine should not require a tamper to push the food around. The blender canister has these decorative grooves on the sides and oh what difficulty to "get every last bit out" with a a rubber scraper. I felt like I was wasting food! Then, I made a vegetable pate and the 4-pronged blade made it extremely difficult to get the food hiding below the blade. By this time, I had had enough and was only too happy to take it back to Costco.
That same night, I ordered my Blendtec. It arrived promptly and have LOVED everything about it since Day One! It is so-o-o-o easy to "get every last bit out" because the sides of the blender doesn't have the unnecessary decorative grooves on the side. It makes a big difference if you're the type that doesn't like to waste. I feel that the Vita-Mix and Blendtec are equally noisy, but it does its job so quickly and efficiently that it really isn't on for very long. It is so efficient and powerful that it doesn't need a silly tamper to get everything blended well. It fits under my cabinet where I like to keep it and it is just perfect in every way. I make whole fruit and/or leafy green smoothies, sometimes twice a day, and it's always smooth and perfectly blended. As long as you add the proper amount of liquid, that "vortex" forms and everything gets pulled downwards. Everything i make just comes out absolutely perfect. I just can't say enough good things about this machine. |
A blender with a lawnmower motor?
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| Review Date: May 29, 2008 |
| Reviewer: KD, Bay Area, CA |
I am a smoothie person who drinks at least one smoothie a day. I got tired of spending ten minutes a day making smoothie with one of the cheap blenders, so I decided to buy a more high powered blender.
The Breville 550 was my first choice for its reasonable price/power and great looks. Unfortunately, my first smoothie was a disaster. I filled the smoothie 2/3 with fruits and ice, and I stood there pushing the smoothie button three consecutive times to no avail. Then I smelled something burning and figured it was the motor. After spending 10 minutes getting the thing to make smoothie, the result was no better than my old cheap Cuisinart blender. Apparently, 610 watts is just not enough if you want to make thick, smooth smoothie.
I promptly returned the Breville. I then went on a mission to research for a real blender. Apparently, when it comes down to power and industrial strength blenders, it comes down to either a Vita-Mix or a Blendtec. A Costco near me had a demo for Blendtec so I decided to buy one there to try out.
Wow! Now this is a blender! This thing sucked the fruits and ice down into its vortex amazingly well. With the "Whole Fruits" button, I had great smoothie in 50 seconds or less. I usually just hit the button and go the bathroom. By the time I get back, I got instant smoothie! I've tried the the ice crush button and this mode literally makes snow; not just crushed ice, but snow!
There is a con though. Without a tamper, sometimes the fruits do get stuck and doesn't go down. When that happens, I take the jar out and shakes it a couple times and blend again. It works every time. It's an extra step, but it sure beats standing there and holding a tamper to push the fruits down for entire blending time. Many reviewers here claim that they wished they had a tamper, but I think it may be due to their preference and how they've always done it with their Vita-mix. It isn't wrong, but there are more than one way to skin a cat, and for me, shaking it is much easier than using a tamper.
It's also very easy to clean. Instead of disassembling the jar like the Breville and other blenders in its class, I just put a dash of detergent, fill it 1/3 with water, and pulse it for 5 secs. I then wash it out further with water, no dishwasher needed.
Since I bought this at Costco, I got a full 7 year warranty. It's a lot of money, but since there are no alternatives at a cheaper price, it does make my decision easier. Considering the Breville blender probably would've smoked and blown within 6 months of the abuse I'd subject it to, a $400 blender that lasts a minimum of 7 years is not a bad deal. So far after a week of use, I've blended a total of 38 times (the LCD displays the # of uses on its front.). I think I may just keep it.
Pros: It blends virtually anything!
Lots of power. Doesn't smoke when it gets stuck.
Easy to clean.
It doesn't require you to stand there with a tamper.
Great warranty.
Makes amazing smoothies and margaritas and mixed drinks.
Cons: Occasionally requires a good shake to loosen things up.
Expensive.
Loud. (although with a 3HP motor, it's actually quiet compared
to my lawnmower. LOL)
Have to buy it at Costco for the 7 year warranty. |
Power and Simplicity
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| Review Date: May 22, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Anonymous, CT USA |
This is the most amazing tool for my kitchen. Flour from wheat grains in two minutes!! Try tossing a few tomatoes,a stalk of celery, half an onion, and whatever else you like with a little coconut milk, whip it up for a minute and you have a hot cream of tomato soup not to be believed.
I use it 4 or 5 times a day, have retired my stick blender and juicer as this does the job better and faster.
I like that I can push just one button, one time, and let it do its thing without supervision. I can hide spinach in banana bread and no one has a clue. It takes some experimenting to learn just how much more flavor some things have when liquified - a clove of garlic has a lot more impact when liquifed than when merely minced, for example - but with a little practice I am now winging it with very nice results.
My sense is that having the veggies broken down so completely allows
more nutrition from each piece of food than simply chewing would yield. So not only am I ingesting more fruits and vegetables than I did before because it's so fast and easy, but I'm getting more benefit from each bit. It's not costing me any less, but I'm finally getting my value from the foods where it counts.
I have diverticular problems, but now I don't have to worry about raspberry seeds in my smoothies because they disappear, flax seeds are now safe for me as are many other similar foods.
I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that I feel this to be the best money I ever spent on my health and my palate as a delicious, nutritious liquid is only 45 seconds away; a minute or two if I want it warmed. |
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