Vitamix - which one? page

[sbhikes]

I'm considering getting a vitamix. I have burned up too many blenders in my life. I've heard the vitamix can handle just about anything. Does it matter which vitamix you get if you want to use it on things more difficult to process than soft fruits and vegetables? I'm thinking of things like:

- grinding dried beef for pemmican (my regular blender handled it well, but had some worry)
- grinding nuts for nut butters
- making my own coconut butter (apparently this requires 15 minutes of processing.)
- grinding other dehydrated, hard items, such as dried sweet potatoes, into powder

They have an entry-level machine. The only difference I can see on the site is what kinds of buttons and accessories it comes with. The accessories aren't important to me. Is the machine as durable and strong as the other models?

[Lily Marie]

The vitamix needs liquid to blend. It heats up and cooks food if left on for too long(which isn't that long at all). It's a great blender that can blend just about anything to a smooth consistancy - but it can't be too dry, it must have enough liquid to keep it moving. Not ideal for nut butters or grinding dry meats.

[vb66]

I don't have anything to add except I'm jealous you're getting a Vitamix

[silverfox]

I've ground nut butters, made flour, and even ground up bones in a blendtec. I think it's 4 years old now and is still going strong. It does heat stuff up slightly the longer it's in there though.

[sbhikes]

Is the blendec a food processor or a blender? I was thinking since I heard such good things about vitamix and have found that among our appliances, only our crappy blender does anything close to a decent job (it was the only thing that could grind up my dried beef), that the vitamix would probably work well. I thought I might purchase my own blender because I get sideways glances when I try to make my boyfriend's blender do things it wasn't made for.

[LoydAviles]

I'm jealous you're getting a Vitamix

[palebluedots]

I have the 5200 and it's awesome. If I were to buy one today, I'd get the new pro version from Williams Sonoma because it looks better, and because the switches are laid out in a more user friendly fashion. I also went through blender after blender until I got my vitamix, and I have to say, it's a sturdy and powerful little machine! The one reason I chose vitamix over blendtec is that I read somewhere that blendtec has a counter that keeps track of the number of uses, and buried somewhere in their warranty is a limit on the number of uses. Whereas the Vitamix warranty is just a straight number of years. But I'm sure you'd be thrilled with either blender.

[palebluedots]

Oh, and I would suggest getting the smaller carafe (32 oz) as well as the larger one that comes with it. Unless you have a really high sink faucet, it can be tough to clean the bigger carafe. Plus, the smaller carafe is fantastic for making salad dressings and sauces.

[pbbrown61]

I've had my vitamix for 10+ years and it is still going strong. I make my nut butters all the time in it and have no problem. there is a dry blade carafe you can use for the non-wet stuff.