In my mind there are two categories of blenders to choose from: pro or economical. The pro blenders will allow you to grind up virtually anything you’d like to drink…including iPads or golf balls… 
The economical will unfortunately regulate you to softer fruits and veggies.
Professional Blenders
Cash flow permitting, this category consists of two amazing blenders: Vitamix and BlendTec. I have tried both over the years and honestly, the differences are negligible. They both rock.
Vitamix ($499) - The “original” pro blender.
BlendTec ($399) - This blender looks cool. It’s super powerful. It’s popular and has more friends than you on social networking sites such as YouTube and Twitter.
I use a BlendTec simply because I think it looks better and they’ve persuaded me with their killer YouTube marketing campaign.
Economical Blenders
You have to start somewhere, right? Many of us can’t initially justify spending so much money on one of the pro models until we wrestle with trying to get a cheaper model to do our bidding. I know, I tried for years.
Oster ($59) – Looks nice and it’s rated the best in the sub $100 category.
I’ve tried many blenders over the years for my green smoothie needs and these 3 are not only my top blender choices but are widely recognized as the best among a variety of sources.
What blender do you use for your green drinks?
Have anything to add? Questions? Comments? (add)
The Euro-pro Ninja Prep blender works very well.
…and it’s rather cheap too (price wise).
Yes it does! I have one and love it! I highly recommend this amazing blender.
OMG!!! That video was sickening to watch. Wheww! How will I erase that from my memory… bound to have nightmares!!!
I have used a Vita-Mix for years. It is an extraordinary blender!
Ha! Brings new meaning to blending apple juice.
Love the Vita-mix, one of best purchases I’ve ever made. Use it multiple times a day. Great machine, great company, great warranty. The “economical” blenders aren’t worth the money if you’re a regular smoothie drinker – they don’t work well and die before their time.
I completely agree. I used one for years until I made the switch to Blendtec. No difference in quality, warranty, etc. The only two I’ll ever use.
I love the Vita-mix, it really is worth the extra cost. I haven’t tried the BlendTec but I starting to get persuaded by their creative YouTube campaign.
Guilty. *points to self*
I love them both.
Nothing compares to the power and ease of the Vitamix – I recommend this to my clients all the time!
…except Blendtec, right?
I loooove my Vitamix and use it several times a day. I just got it about a month ago. However, I have to say my little inexpensive Osterizer rocked as well. It pulverized kale for me for months until I got the Vitamix. Now it sits on the floor in the corner of the kitchen looking dejected. I can’t bring myself to give it away.
My Oster is in the cupboard above the Blendtec collecting dust. Sometimes I take it out and let it watch as the Blendtec destroys 3 pounds of fruits and veggies in the blink of an eye.
Maybe he could blend up your oster blender if you send it to him.
Canniblenderism?
I’m dying to get a Vitamix. I have an old cheapie one that still works, so I just can’t justify it yet. I’ve started to make smoothies daily for me & kids, so maybe if I use it enough, then it will finally give up and THEN I can go get my Vitamix! Here’s hoping for a quick end to my Sunbeam!
Ice. Lots of ice, make that Sunbeam WORK! It’ll tire out soon enough.
Ha! Just found you via Twitter. And funnily enough, just also posted a guest post on a friend’s raw food website comparing Vitamix and Blendtec. See http://www.beautifulheartrawkitchen.wordpress.com/blog. And Blendtec came out on top for me, for pretty much the same reasons as you say.
Loving your work!
Thank, Bo. I’m on smoothie 962 this morning with my Blendtec. I love that it keeps track.
I had a VitaMix for years and recently swapped it out for a BlendTec. Overall I like the BlendTec better. It takes up less space (height in kitchen and I really like the pre-programmed buttons.
One thing the VItamix has over the BlendTec is the tamper . I could make some really good Sorbet (rivalling Haagen-Dazs) with the Vitamix. When you have a consistency so thick, you need the tamper to overcome the cavitation effect
Agreed. Just make sure it’s not 5am and you’re still half asleep…because then you’ll put the tamper in before the top and tiny plastic pieces negate the healthy effects of green drinks.
I never did that, just sayin’
I love the Vitamix I had mine since 1996 still running strong. I been making smoothies before they became popular you don’t need to use a tamper to make them. The tamper is for very, very thick stiff recipes like making peanut butter, thick ice cream and sorbet ect. The tamper is just a tool to expand
versatility.
Most times that’s true. However, when using whole fruits (like a whole apple) you definitely need it.
I just got my new blender 2 days ago, works great and was cheaper than a Vitamix. Bought it on amazon.com with free shipping. Waring Pro MX1000 Commercial 3.5 HP blender
Just checked the Waring Pro out after I read your post, fyi your Waring Pro only has a 2-year warranty plus one of the reviews on Amazon said Waring’s customer service is just awful!
Blender choice was very simple for me, 7 year warranty (Vitamix) versus a 3 year warranty (BlendTec). Very obvious which company stands behind their product the most. FYI, at Vitamix.com they have their 5200 reconditioned blender for $379 (with books, dvd and tamper) with free shipping, they charge tax but at $410 total and a 7 year warranty I kept the extra hundred bucks or so in my pocket.
So glad I found this site, I will be a regular visitor throughout the year!
Hi Gary,
Where do you see the 3 year warranty for Blendtec? Mine came with a 7 year which is what is advertised on their site. They do offer a 3 year *extended* warranty which gives you 10 years total.
Either way, they are both great machines.
Thanks for stopping by!
I just purchased the Waring Pro MX1000 commercial 3.5 hp blender. It is fabulous! Makes Starbucks-style frappaccinos, but best yet is it’s ability to liquify greens for my green smoothies (my reason for purchasing a powerful blender). Cost was $307 (new) with free shipping. I purchased it on amazon.com. It was about half the cost of the comparable Vitamix. I just couldn’t shell out the money for Vitamix.
Wonderful! If it works for what you need it to do, that’s all that matters. Thanks for stopping by, Wendy.
I have multiple chemical sensitivities and am very sensitive to plastics. I tried out a Vitamix at a friend’s house, and got sick from the smell of the plastic blender housing as the motor heated up while chugging away on a green smoothie. I think she had an older Vitamix, so at least the food-containing cannister was still stainless steel instead of plastic, unlike the newer versions of both the Vitamix and Blendtec. As someone who can taste the plastic in foods stored in plastic containers, I am concerned about having my veggies whirring around a plastic blender jar at speeds high enough to warm the food.
Also, I am very noise sensitive, and found her Vitamix excruciatingly loud. Do you know of any blender that can handle vegetables that is both quiet, and has a glass cannister and metal housing?
If its motor isn’t strong enough to handle the harder vegetables like carrots, would it work to grind them up in a food processor first? Ideally, the food processor would be in a single-machine combo with the blender. Again, I’d need one of those that was both quiet and non-plastic. Any recommendations?