What is all this love for VitaMix?...I must have been under a rock....

[jerseygirl07067]

I keep seeing all the VitaMix threads and have ignored them...until now. What does this VitaMix do that a regular blender can't? I have a $100 KitchenAid blender that does a good job with smoothies. I sometimes have to give it some help if there is a big chunk of something stuck, but overall, I'm used to it.

Do you find that the price of the VitaMix was worth it? It seems so expensive, but I was reading you can use it to make ice cream and bread?

Tell me this is not something I need or want, lol.....but I am a bit curious now.

[TwinFoxes]

OP, I'm the first one to want a random expensive gadget, but I don't get the sudden groundswell either! I can't get past that the first place I saw them was at the Del Mar Fair when I was a kid...next to,the Shamwow and the $10 jewelry cleaner that's convinced was dish soap,and water

[KpbS]

I don't have one either and I'm not on the verge of buying one, ;).

[Rainbows&Roses]

There was a great deal on QVC a few weeks ago that got people talking about it again.

[wellyes]

It is a word of mouth kind of product, so, it's natural that when a few people use it and love it, this is the kind of place where interest swells.

[geochick]

I'll let you know. Mine just shipped yesterday. LOL

[OKKiddo]

We made delicious smoothies for before dinner snack yesterday (out of pure fruit with a smidge of fat free milk) and then we made ice cream after dinner. For both, it was made in less than 5 minutes, was ultra smooth (it had blackberries in it!!) and my texture-averted-autistic son drank it down like someone was going to steal it at any second. :)

That's just our first day. I can't wait for more experimenting.

[smilequeen]

If you search the old threads you'll find lots of reasons why people love them. It's different for everyone.

The ultra smooth, smoothies. The ability to put anything in and have it come out smooth. My kitchenaid blender could not properly do frozen berries, the vitamix does it like it's nothing :) We love to use frozen berries for smoothies. The ability to make soup...that's the second biggest thing I do and I don't need to steam the veggies first, awesome! The ability to grind dry foods. It replaced my blender and my food processer.

[geochick]

And don't forget the warranty. I've lived in this house for 8 years. In that time I've burned through 3 nice blender motors.

If I'd purchased a Vitamix at the beginning, my warranty would have just expired.

[mypa]

Aside from what everyone already said, one of the most important feature of Vitamix (or Blendtec) is that they are a sealed system (certified). Meaning you can just rinse/wash them out after use. All other systems are not sealed and the jar/blade system has to be dismantled for thorough cleaning.

I had to do this with my old blender and it was so cumbersome and annoying, many times the gasket was off center and it would leak, I was always afraid I would cut myself on the blade etc. so I would stop using it.

With either Vitamix or Blendtec, all you have to do is wash out the container, no disassembly/assembly required. The blades are not sharp, you can stick your hand in there to clean without cutting yourself. Lightweight jars also makes for easy cleaning and pouring.

If something is not easy to use and easy to clean, I know I will not use it.

[LD92599]

I'm waiting for the upcoming Costco roadshow next week to check them out in person but I just learned our local chef store accepts their 20% off coupon on VitaMix so now i'm really comparing models/features and costs to see which is truly the best deal!

[Kindra178]

I am going to bite the bullet at some point. The ease of cleaning is what has convinced me.

[TwinFoxes]

Aside from what everyone already said, one of the most important feature of Vitamix (or Blendtec) is that they are a sealed system (certified). Meaning you can just rinse/wash them out after use. All other systems are not sealed and the jar/blade system has to be dismantled for thorough cleaning.

I had to do this with my old blender and it was so cumbersome and annoying, many times the gasket was off center and it would leak, I was always afraid I would cut myself on the blade etc. so I would stop using it.

With either Vitamix or Blendtec, all you have to do is wash out the container, no disassembly/assembly required. The blades are not sharp, you can stick your hand in there to clean without cutting yourself. Lightweight jars also makes for easy cleaning and pouring.

If something is not easy to use and easy to clean, I know I will not use it.

This more than ANYthing explains it's appeal! I just couldn't fathom a blender that was worth the hassle of washing it daily or more! Seriously, this makes it appealing to me now. I never use our blender, which works really well, because the whole taking it apart and trying not to slice my fingers is such a pain.

[elbenn]

This more than ANYthing explains it's appeal! I just couldn't fathom a blender that was worth the hassle of washing it daily or more! Seriously, this makes it appealing to me now. I never use our blender, which works really well, because the whole taking it apart and trying not to slice my fingers is such a pain.

I also have wondered why Vitamixes are so popular but can see the appeal if they are that much easier to clean.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

This more than ANYthing explains it's appeal! I just couldn't fathom a blender that was worth the hassle of washing it daily or more! Seriously, this makes it appealing to me now. I never use our blender, which works really well, because the whole taking it apart and trying not to slice my fingers is such a pain.

Yes, this is a HUGE selling point of the Vitamix. the motor is so powerful all you have to do is add some water, tad of dishsoap, then you run it as if it were a smoothie.. it's powerful enough to clean the inside of it so all you do is rinse it out. the roadshow guy said "it's its own dishwasher." LOL.

if weren't for the ease of cleaning, i wouldn't have got it bc i would have known what a PITA it is to clean blenders, and that would have discouraged me from using it.

[AnnieW625]

We don't have a take apart blender (Waring Bar Blender), but I love cold smoothies and for convenience we use a lot frozen fruit and my blender starts to stink because there doesn't seem to be enough power to get the thing going with full ice cubes so that is the main reason I am thinking of getting a VitaMix because I know it has no problem handling frozen fruit or large regular sized ice cubes.

I actually tried washing my blender the way they do the Vitamixes and it worked out okay, but I still needed to scrub the sizes of the glass jar after washing.

[jerseygirl07067]

Interesting....so just curious, where is it made? Is it made in China or is it made somewhere else? I tend to have hard time paying super high prices for MIC, from a social standpoint. But that's another thread, lol.

I will check QVC and see when the next demo is. Maybe I shouldn't but I am curious about this thing! My mom is a gadget junkie and I know if I told her I wanted one, she'd probably buy it for me or give me money toward part of it. She is constantly wanting to buy me small kitchen appliances and gadgets to which I always say emphatically...no!!! I still don't think I would pay that much for it, but I will have to learn more and see if it's worth it.

I have gotten used to cleaning my blender and it is pretty easy to clean, esp if I just rinse it out right after, it's no work at all really. And the smoothies may not be totally smooth but they are close. The kids seem fine with it, they know no other way. But this ice cream thing....intriguing....we spend a lot on that...hmmmm.....

[AnnieW625]

It is MIUSA. The next QVC demo is from 5 to 6 cst on Friday March 22nd. I looked quickly on my work computer earlier, but will check their site again later at home.

[jerseygirl07067]

MIUSA?? Wow....my mom will even like that! She feels the same way about MIC as I do.... I may have to invite her over for the next QVC showing....I'll get the popcorn ready, lol!

[TwinFoxes]

Our Costco roadshow was last week...how often do they happen? Now I want one! Mypa, you should get a commission!

[rin]

OMG ours arrived today and I'm in love with it. We've used it twice; once for a smoothie with cucumber, kale, swiss chard, spinach, an orange, some bananas, a slice of lemon, and an apple (DD drank three glasses and begged for more) and then I made another smoothie for dessert (cabbage, yellow squash, an orange, and some mangoes w/a bit of fresh ginger) which was awesome.

The ease of cleaning is huge for me. I never used our old blender because it was such a pain to disassemble, clean, and reassemble. This took a few seconds to clean out (drop of dishsoap, water, and run on high for a few seconds, then rinse) and no disassembly/reassembly issues.

I'm pretty sure this is going to change how we eat. I think I hear DH making himself a smoothie right now.

[jerseygirl07067]

OMG ours arrived today and I'm in love with it. We've used it twice; once for a smoothie with cucumber, kale, swiss chard, spinach, an orange, some bananas, a slice of lemon, and an apple (DD drank three glasses and begged for more) and then I made another smoothie for dessert (cabbage, yellow squash, an orange, and some mangoes w/a bit of fresh ginger) which was awesome.

The ease of cleaning is huge for me. I never used our old blender because it was such a pain to disassemble, clean, and reassemble. This took a few seconds to clean out (drop of dishsoap, water, and run on high for a few seconds, then rinse) and no disassembly/reassembly issues.

I'm pretty sure this is going to change how we eat. I think I hear DH making himself a smoothie right now.

Ok, smoothies with those greens and they're really undetectable? I can really see the advantage since I'm not sure my kitchenaid would hide them well enough....I haven't tried to put the greens in smoothies yet. My kids like them and I'm afraid of messing with a good thing.

Our fave is blueberries, raspberries, almonds and protein powder but last night I did one with mango, stawberries, and bananas. I haven't gotten super sneaky yet with the greens.

Yep, the QVC date is March 22, 6-7 pm, it is on the calendar!

[TxCat]

Ok, I've been ignoring all the Vitamix love on here for weeks/months now, but I think I may be falling... They have a roadshow at Whole Foods this weekend. I tried a few samples while I was waiting at the fish counter... very good, and very smooth. And then she demo'd the cleaning by just running the machine with soapy water. I'm taking DH to check it out on Saturday... but I have a feeling the Vitamix is coming home with us this weekend.

[pastrygirl]

I gave away my Kitchenaid blender for the Vitamix. It blends ice and fruit seeds completely, unlike the KA.

And DOUBLE YES to the cleanup!! I LOVE IT for that reason alone!

[pastrygirl]

Our fave is blueberries, raspberries, almonds and protein powder but last night I did one with mango, stawberries, and bananas. I haven't gotten super sneaky yet with the greens. Whole raw almonds? That sounds yummy!

I tried spinach for the first time a few days ago, total flop. But I think it just didn't work with the rest of the formula, which is yogurt, water, and fruit. I need to try again without yogurt and water. I want to start incorporating protein powder and chia seeds.

[Gena]

I guess I've been under a rock too. But honestly, I just can't get into the whole smoothie thing. I love fruits and veggies and eat a lot of them. Part of what I love is the different flavors and textures they have. Mixing them all together and making them the same consistency really has no appeal to me (quite the opposite, in fact). DS eats tons of fruit and veggies too, so that's not an issue for us either.

I'm glad smoothies work for some families, I just don't think it's for us.

[minnie-zb]

Mine arrives today and I'm pretty excited. :yay:

I'm hoping to do a Costco run later to pick up some supplies for smoothies.

[kbud]

I just picked up a Ninja yesterday at Kohl's. With the sale and a 30% off coupon it was $70 plus I got $10 kohl's cash. I love it! It does not compare at all to any blender I have previously had. Clean up is so easy with it too! I must say I can't imagine what additionally the Vitamix can do for over $300 more.

Now I just need to figure out the smoothie recipes. Last nights were ok but nothing great. I did make a good one this morning. Too bad my kids will have nothing to do with smoothies:(