Worth it though. Got one for my wife two x-mas ago and she uses it at least twice a week. More in the spring/summer.

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Rick, "Retired" hobbyist athlete
Trying to come back slowly from acute A-Fib

I use the magic bullet, works well, I think it was 99 bucks

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mrdanwatson.blogspot.com

Blendtec Still not cheap but a couple hundred bucks less and just as powerful.

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Rodney
TrainingPeaks | Altra Running | RAD Roller
http://www.goinglong.ca

Very nice try, but nobody here will admit to buying the WTC-branded blender...

You can save some money on the refurb models. I was hesitant to go that route, but the warranty is 5 years and it came looking new (the container/blades are new). This might be an option to save some bucks.

IMO, Blendtec is better than Vitamix. They are both great, but there's a reason that Blendtec gets the nod by most expert reviewers. It's still not cheap.

Really surprised nobody mentioned the Ninja yet http://www.amazon.com/...lender/dp/B003VWXXXK

Got the Ninja Ultima from Bed Bath and Beyond. It has the 2.5 hp motor and you can use a 20% coupon. With their no questions asked return policy you cant go wrong. Had it a few months, use it daily and have zero complaints

I still don't get why someone would spend that much money on a blender. I bought one at Costco for $50 3-4 years ago and its been able to handle everything I throw at it. Yes, sometimes I need to help it out a bit cause the top doesn't blend, but is that really worth an extra $400 bucks?

I'd rather use that for when I get a power meter.

In short... yes :)

I can't speak for how much better a Vitamix is better than a Ninja or Blendtec... but compared to a blender, worth every penny. Of course, this depends greatly on your intended use. If a banana protein smoothie is what you like to use it for, a blender will do just fine.

Another vote for Ninja - it does everything we needed it to do -- Bed Bath and Beyond coupon helps.

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Graham Wilson
USAT Level III Elite Coach
http://www.thewilsongroup.biz

Another Ninja vote. I think they took the wood chipper from movie Fargo and just made it smaller, pretty sure it would chew up a human body pretty good.

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The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

I can't speak to the Vitamix, but I recently bought a NutriBullet. It's a bigger more heavy duty version of the Magic Bullet. My wife and I were on a 10 day fruits/veggie clense last month and it took everything I threw at it and turned it into a smoothie with no chunks whatsoever. Again, I don't know exactly what a Vitamix does, but I strongly reccomend the Nutribullet for doing smoothies.

Take a look at their factory certified options. They are just as good as the new one and come with 7-year warranty.
Both blendtec and vitamix will give you great blend power but I personally love the Blendtec for many reasons.

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SmartBikeTrainers.com || YouTube || My Twitter

+1 for the Ninja. My law partner has both a Vitamix & Ninja and told me to get the Ninja for the cost savings in that the blending difference between the two is negligible. Got the Ninja a few months ago and no complaints by either myself or the Missus. We use it ~3-4/week.

I went with a refurbished Vitamix from the website. Didn't pay the big bucks for a new one, came with a brand new recipe book too. Had a slight problem with it (was noisier than my old one) and Vitamix took it back and gave me a new refurbished one. Excellent customer service and love the blender!

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Candice Turner
CEO
XLAB - Aerodynamic Triathlon Accessories
Dawn to Dusk - Off-road Specific Storage Accessories
http://www.XLAB-USA.com http://www.dawntodusk.bike

Eat a banana, then do http://www.thesufferfest.com/...sufferfests/blender/

BlendTec is cheaper (by $50). And better. But there's nothing that really comes close to either at a lesser price.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

You are on a tri site asking if something cheaper is better? The irony ;-)

As mentioned, other then Blendtec which is a bit cheaper, the others are just imitators.

I'd splurge for the Vitamix, know that it will never break and can blend up your used car parts if you become iron deficient ;-) My wife really loves making hot soup with the thing, but I have to leave the room since the thing is louder than my Harley!

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Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

a vitamix would pretty much blend a ninja.

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Rattlesnake Blake
With the "Venom Enom"

I have a Ninja and am not thrilled with it. I have made "smoothies" with it for a couple of months. It doesn't liquify everything like the vitamix does. My fiancee calls them "chunkies" instead of smoothies because of all the chunks, she won't drink them. We recently purchase a Nutri-bullet, it works much better. I don't know how long it will last, but at $99, it was worth the gamble. I would still like to own a Vitamix for the volume. The Nutri-bullet only does one smoothie at a time.

i have had a vita mixer for 14 years, i use it a lot. still works great.

The answer to this question can be found in a review of juicers in this month's Consumer Reports. (hint, hint.....nothing compares to the vitamix in volume of output)

CC

I read a lot of reviews before I decided on a Breville. I am not a blender expert but I love it. Use it several times per week. Crushes and blends everything (or at least everything I have put in it so far)

I have a ninja and it works well for what I want it to do. I think I paid $120 at the time, and I would easily say it's 5x better than a $30 blender...which I have tried.

My parents have a blendtec. It works really well, but not 3x better than the ninja for my uses.

we have a Magimix le blender at work and its fantastic. We also have a Biochef at home which we picked up for AU$300. Both make fantastic smoothies.

At first I thought the Vitamix was crazy expensive….but I figured I would use it a bunch. I use it at least twice a day, 3-4 timers per day on the weekends. I use it more than the microwave, stove, oven…….so if you think about cost per use, it isn't that bad. I have had a couple of the $50 and $100 models mentioned here and burned them up….literally. If it broke tomorrow, I would buy another one the same day.

I went with the model that will store on the back of my counter (under the cabinets)…some models do not, and I am glad I purchased on that does….thought I would pass that along to keep in mind when deciding which model.

the trick is to look for the one that has 2-3hp motor and +1000w

anything less and it will not be strong enough to be used daily.

I have the original Nutri Bullet and use it daily. Works well. There is also a new, higher power, Nutri Bullet out which is bigger and I would try if/when mine burns out.

Cooksillustrated rated this as well as vitamix at half the cost, have been using it for a couple years works great.

http://www.amazon.com/...rds=Breville+blender

~

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Eric - "Train Smart, Race Smart, Finish Strong"

After killing 3 $80 blenders in 18 months, i broke down and bought a Blendtec. I will never, ever go back. Totally worth the price tag.

Agree on the Ninja. Have been using one for about a year now. Thought I would save some money and that it would be just as good, if not better than the Vitamix (that infomercial dude is persuasive). Now every time I make a shake, I long for a Vitamix.

I just purchased the Kitcheaid Diamond Vortex..... $149.99 brand new.... Not as strong as the Vitamix but it can demolish an entire orange in a few seconds (with peel)..... It's very powerful.....

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Hook Em' Horns

I bought my wife a vitamix 750 for christmas (it's what she wanted) and she loves it and it makes great smoothes and soups, it was worth the money in my opinion.

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ishi no ue ni san nen | Perseverance will win in the end. | Blog | @nebmot | Strava | Instagram |

another Ninja vote. Use it daily with no complaints. Think I paid $99

Ninja works great for everything we use it for. Unless you're planning on opening up a Smoothie King franchise it will work out just fine for 99% of most consumers.

Both the Vitamix and the Blendtec can make nut butter from regular nuts in less than 1 minute. Is that a useful feature? I think it is.

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Ian

Horsepower is just another unit of measurement for power.

1hp=745.7w

I make almond butter once a week with my Blendtec (BTW: Blendtec has a special Twister jar for nut butter which works great). Almond butter cost about $10 for a good brand. Say you buy 40 of these per year, that's $400 for you. you can buy a huge bag of raw almond butter from Costco for about $20 that will last you for over a month.
That's by itself justified the price for me. Plus, I know exactly what's in my nut butter.

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SmartBikeTrainers.com || YouTube || My Twitter

My wife has a Magic Bullet and loves it, but it does not measure up to the BlendTec. It is incredible what that BlendTec can do, but man it is loud.

We were in the same situation as you. We got a Breville BBL605XL Hemisphere Control Blender for about $200. We've had it a year and use in several times a week w/ frozen fruit, etc. Very good experience.

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

Vitamix are great- Had one for 20 years- Wife broke it 2 days before a trip to Boise 70.3. Ordered a 3 blenders.com model and they delivered it the same day!.

I've had it for 2 years now and love it. Can't say if it will last as long as the Vitamix but has better features IMO. Plus its only $279.-http://www.3blenders.com/

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Mike

I REALLY wanted to register for a Vita Mix when my wife and I got married 2 years ago. We figured nobody would buy it for us, so we registered for a Ninja.

Right now I wish we hadn't registered for either and had just bought the damn Vita Mix. I find myself wanting to make a smoothie and not because I know what is going to come out of the Ninja.

I recommend getting a Stages PM instead of a Quarq and spending the rest on your Vita Mix!

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/kj

http://kjmcawesome.tumblr.com/

RollHard wrote:

450 bucks is a lot for a blender. I know the are nice, but is there anything out there that is almost as nice?

$450 for a Blender, you're kidding me!

I use this at least once a day, blends straight into a travel mug so I can just Blend and Go. Cuts through ice, frozen fruit and anything else I've put in it. never had an issue. £40 in the UK.
http://www.kenwoodworld.com/en-INT/All-products/Blenders-Mixers-and-Meat-Grinders/Smoothie-makers/Smoothie2GO-SB054-0WSB054001/

If you are only making a few smoothies a week, sure. If you are making vegan/raw recipes every day it's worth every penny. On average we use our Vitamix 4x a day (fresh nut milk, smoothies, veg dips, nut butter) but if we are making raw meals or emulsifying food to put in the dehydrator, the Vitamix is being used for virtually 2-3 hours straight. I had the same feelings as a lot of you folks until we ran through several cheapo $99 blenders. Depends on what you're using it for. Jo-blow average triathlete dude can probably get by with a bargain blender.

Apples and oranges, we use the vitamix more because it does more. Smoothies, ice cream, nut butters, coffee grounds, wheat, you name it. I'm 30 years old, $400 for a blender that will probably last me for the rest of my life, not all that expensive. We eat better because of it.

A power meter isn't a lifetime investment, but hey knock yourself out.

"I wish I wouldn't have bought my Vitamix"

Said no one ever.