If there is one kitchen gadget that is indispensable in this house it is hands down a high speed blender. Over the years I used many different blenders and they could pretty much be summed up in one word…crap. Anytime you tried to blend something with a little substance they would get jammed up, they would blend unevenly leaving chunks of ice in a smoothie for instance, and generally I just never met a blender I liked. That all changed about 4 years ago when I went into a Costco in Arizona and saw a demonstration table for Vita-Mix blenders. I stood mesmerized for about 2 hours (not kidding) sampling smoothies, soups, ice cream, lemonade, salsa, and much more.., all made right in front of me in minutes with this miracle machine. On that day I fell in love…with a blender, LOL. It did not go unnoticed by my mom (who was with me) and I walked out of Costco that day with my Vita-Mix, courtesy of her.
Now this could be one of those tales where I bought the pricey blender and rarely if ever used it. It would make sense since I had a blender already and did never use IT. But no, over the past 2.5 years I have used my Vita-Mix on average 2-3 times a day…EVERY day. I have made ice cream, sorbets, soups, salsa, pie crust, cookie dough, pie filling, puddings, salad dressings, pizza crust, Popsicle filling, hundreds of smoothies, and much more. My mom loves the fact that something she bought for me has been so well received and adored.
So what makes the Vita-Mix such a kick butt blender? The number one thing is that it makes healthy eating so much easier. Want a green smoothie? No problem. Not in the mood for store bought salsa…make your own with fresh ingredients in just 60 seconds. While your at it grind up some flax seeds, tomatoes, celery, a little lime, and cilantro and then spread the resulting pulp mixture onto a dehydrator tray or oven tray for homemade Mexican style crackers. Want some fresh juice? Throw the entire fruit or veggie in there skin, seeds, and all watch it get pulverized into juice. Want sorbet? Throw some frozen raspberries and some spinach in the blender and in 2-3 minutes you have a healthy, yummy sorbet. See? Healthy eating made easy.
I use it at least 2 times a week to blend soups and make them creamier, eliminating the need to add flour or cornstarch. I make green smoothies every morning and I blend fruit (and sometimes veggies) to make homemade Popsicles all summer long. I use it ALL the time if you haven’t guessed. And yes I own one of those nifty hand mixers and a food processor… they sit untouched most of the time… go figure.
Secondly, the Vita-Mix 5200 is built to outperform and outlast any other kitchen appliance on the market. This bad boy has some serious power with a powerful 2 peak HP motor that works with precision-crafted stainless steel blades. I have never put anything in this blender that it could not make mince meat of in mere seconds. In our house it replaces a food processor and a juicer too….so those are expensive gadgets you won’t need to buy anymore.
Up until recently I only had experience with the Vita-Mix 5000. So how does my newer Vita-Mix 5200 model compare with the 5000? There are some impressive improvements and the number one being IMO that the blending container is now made of Eastman Triton copolyester making it a BPA free blender!! No need to worry about BPA leaching into the smoothies or hot soups anymore.
The container has a sleek new design with a new soft grip handle…love that feature. It makes it much easier to hold on to when it is heavy with delicious smoothie. The lid now has two clamps that secure it to the container so no more pushing hard to get the lid to fit tightly. The plug is also easier to remove when needed so that you use the tamper. Except I have not needed to use the tamper at all because it also has a new two peak HP motor. I thought my 5000 was powerful but the 5200 packs some serious power. My green smoothies blend in like 15 seconds now.
Another change is that the switches and dial are now soft grip. That change is okay I guess but I did not find it to be very important. And as before the blender comes with a DVD and a very nice cookbook with recipes. You can also get a dry container so you can ground your own flour.
Oh and did I mention that Vita-Mix offers a FULL 7 year warranty?! That is an incredible benefit but one you likely won’t even need as I know one gal that has had her Vita-Mix for 11 years now and it is still going strong.
My first test drive of the Vita-Mix 5200 was of course going to be a green smoothie. I put in three cups of baby spinach, some Vita Mineral Green, a ripe banana, a small handful of frozen cherries, 4-5 frozen strawberries, and about a cup of water.
It took about 15-20 seconds to make and the kids LOVED it…they always do. It is a great way to get kids to drink their greens and we make all sorts of variations. Perhaps we will make a Kale smoothie later!
If and when you want to purchase a Vita-Mix you can go to Vita-Mix.com and use code: 06-002324 for FREE standard shipping (if it isn’t already tabulated). Is it worth the $450 price tag? Absolutely, hands down, for sure, you betcha! ;)
You can also buy an older model on Amazon. Enjoy!
I would like to try one of these someday. I love drinking V-8 juice and would love to try to make my own.
I got the VitaMix 5000 last year as a wedding present and love it too:) It is truly amazing all the different things that you can make with it in just seconds. So it wasn’t clear to me or not in your post, but does the 5000 model have BPA? You mentioned how fabulous the 5200 model is, but I don’t have the money to buy a new one, so is the 5000 really that bad? Just curious!! Thank you in advance and have a sweet day!!
It is a new perk that the 5200 has no BPA due to consumer demand. I would not replace the blender on that issue alone unless you are really concerned about BPA or you use it alot for “hot” things. For first time buyers though that is a nice perk. ;)
Okay, I see!! I have heard that VitaMix has great customer service, so maybe I could get another blender because I would think that the 5000 and 5200 models would be the same size, you know. I could just let them know that the BPA is a concern for me, which it is in my opinion and see what they can do. I will let you know. Thanks and that picture of your little girls is just too precious.
I have heard of this blender before from my cousin, but that was when she didn’t have one. This blender really does sound awesome! Thankfully tax time is around the corner! My husband can get to making salsa with a real blender!
Is it silly that I got all teary-eyed reading your post?
I could’ve written an exact same post, our love for Vita-Mix is almost overwhelming! It’s hard to imagine how one kitchen appliance can change so much in one’s family cooking, but it does. We are big veggie and fruit eaters, but for some reason our 2.5 year old son refuses to even taste anything that resembles a vegetable or fruit (he even spits out tiny pieces of strawberries in a home made jam). When I first poured a ‘green monster’ into his cup and saw him gulp it down in seconds, I had to turn away and cry quietly with happy tears. Then he asked for 2 more cups of smoothie. That first batch of green smoothie was the most vegetables he had had in his first 2.5 years of life! Six months later he still loves his smoothies. His choice of food is still anything white, but when it comes to smoothies, he will drink ANYTHING. We’ve also had success in feeding him our soups that normally would be chunky. Just throw a cup or two of soup in the blender and in 15 seconds it’s nice and creamy with no recognizible veggies in it :) Same with pasta sauces, which we make with raw vegetables and greens.
This is just one of the examples of how Vita-Mix has transformed our cooking!
I have a cheapo blender I’ve been using for smoothies and a food processor for most anything else (nut butters, hummus, etc). Does a high speed blender really make much of a difference? Does it blend smooth all the seeds? In my cheapo, I still have blackberry or strawberry seeds I strain through my teeth. I’d really like to have those lumps gone, especially since my hubby only likes seedless jams, and it is a huge chore to strain the seeds out for jams and jellies. I had heard the vita mix doesn’t do nut butters very well? And I was disappointed that the “dough” function was so runny. I would get one if it really did offer me an advantage over my cheapo products. I would add that I also have a grain grinder so I wouldn’t need that function either. So, how smooth does the vita mix actually get the food?
I grew up watching the VitaMix demo at the fair. I knew I wanted one when I got married. My parents got one about a year before I got married and the summer after I got engaged, my dad took me to the fair to get my Vitamix. I saved it until after the wedding perfect in its glorious box. I am such an advocate for this thing! You would not believe how smooth everything can be that you blend. From perfectly smooth hummus, to soups, frozen drinks and smoothies, it is awesome. You can make peanut butter and grind grain. I have used it to grind coffee when I forget to do it at the store. I also made a fine oatmeal powder for my husband to mix in protien drinks because the one he bought was not a fine enough grain. You will not regret buying a Vita-Mix. It is wonderful!
Haven’t gotten around to the smoothie drinks yet for the family. But have been thinking I will soon. Our daughter is 4 and our son 1/12. But its probably me who could use the help in getting those daily servings of fruit and vegetables. The Vita-mix sounds fabulous, and although I know you say the price tag is worth it. Just another sacrifice we have to make with a stay-at-home mom. But hopefully someday :)
Lemontree,
Completely smooth. I can blend almonds to make almond milk and not need to strain it. Check out this link with 50 uses for a Vita-Mix:
http://www.vitamix.com/household/products/super5000/maxnut.asp
I am singing the praises of my high-powered blender, too! Mine is a Blendtec, not a VitaMix, but still….like yours, it’s a kick-butt blender. And I totally agree with you, it DOES make healthy eating SO much easier. We are high-raw all-vegan, there’s 7 of us, and this blender is hard-working over here! My crappy old blender recently died and I replaced it with the Blendtec (which I lusted after for years), and our daily groovy green smoothies have never been better! Groovy green mustaches and all :)
So I ended up caling Vitamix to see if I could exchange the old blender/container that I have (5000 model) with the new BPA free one (5200), but the person I talked to said I would have to pay for a new one. Kind of a bummer especially when I have told so many people about this product and have given them business. A new one with shipping and tax is about $48. Maybe I should call back and ask to speak with a supervisor or something. I remember when the company Nalgene got rid of all their plastic water bottles because it contained BPA and they gave their customer a refund, well you had to call and ask for it, so bascially I don’t see why Vitamix would not do that as well. I mean I took the time to call about a concern I have. Just don’t understand! Thanks for listening:) Have a wonderful day!!
just in case you bought your VitaMix at Costco, you can return it at any time you want, even a couple of years later. It doesn’t even have to be broken or anything.
Yes, leave it to someone to take advantage of Costco’s generous return policy, intended for customer satisfaction, not cheapskates who are looking to take advantage.
It is for customer satisfaction. Who wants poisons in their food…
Oh, I wish I could say that I got it there, but I didn’t. If I could go back, I would have definitely purchased it from Costco because I love that place and their customer service is amazing.
Hi Julie et al:
You do bring up a salient point regarding the safety issue with the older model 5000 vs. 5200 and BPA. Perhaps if enough owners would “flood” VitaMix customer service via write-ins as well as calls, maybe they’d reconsider. It would sure be a sound P.R. move on their behalf…similar to an automobile defect recall.
Carolyne:
You make a very good point, but I just don’t know how many people would go through with contacting Vitamix about this issue. And I only have one other friend that has one, so at my end it wouldn’t do much good. but I am staying positive and hopefully something good does work out. Thank you for your input!!
Oh I am so hungry now and very jealous! I just wonder if we would use it enough to justify that hefty price tag. The thought of my two year old eating greens is to much to handle. Those kitchen aide mixers are priced about the same…which would I use more??? I cant wait to read your green smoothie recipes. I am also thinking I need to incorporate more raw foods into our diet. I better surf through your old posts to read up on that topic. I just love your website! I visit it just about daily…am I a blog stalker? Thanks for all the research you do.
Thx for all the warm fuzzies Michelle! Glad it is appreciated :)
Thx for sharing your experience Julie. As much as it sucks that they won’t replace it. It is nice to know that the container is compatible with the new blender and can be purchased in a pinch.
Am I doing something wrong? I got my vitamix (I am not sure if it is 500 or 5200) about a year ago and I can not get it to do anything like they showed at the demonstration! I always seem to have to add more water/liquid an constantly scrape the sides down. For me it doesn’t work any better than a blender. I didn’t buy it at costco, I got it at a home show so I can’t return it. I am so annoyed by this I think I am just going to sell it on ebay or something. Especially now that it dawned on me that it probably had BPA in it and use it mainly for pureed vegetables for my babies. Am I just doing something completely wrong?
We bought a Jack Lalane blender, worn out two ‘blades” in 9 months and found that cleanup after using it for anything is a big mess with allot of unused “pulp” to dispose of. After your post and research we are going to buy a 5200. BPA leaching is much more than you really know due to the heat that is generated for certain tasks (soup) during the processing which is why we will buy a 5200.
Hi, I’ve heard that the vitamix is EXTREMELY loud. What is your opinion?
S, it is louder than a regular blender. It has a more powerful motor but it is not so loud that I would hesitate from using it. ;)
I just got a vitamix last Friday and I LOVE IT. I’ve already made soups, ice cream, juice, chocolate syrup, sorbet, it’s the one thing that was missing from my life lol :)
It now has an 8 year warranty too :D
Does anyone know how much quieter the 5200 is compared to the 5000?
I think they are both equally loud. Never been a problem for me though.
I can’t decide whether to buy a refurbished 5200 from Vitamix for 399 with some freebies (one more year warranty, cutting boards and spatulas OR a smoothie cup) — free shipping
or
wait until this weekend and buy it for 350 at Costco
After reading and seeing the VM, I’ve convinced it would be a good investment. Our Oster blender of 20 years (!!!) just bit the dust and we’ve been smoothie-less for a week :(.
Any thoughts?
DW, well if you are like me you can’t wait for your new one and will get it at Costco. If you can wait though that sounds like and awesome deal from buying direct. If you click on the banner on my site… right side… it has an embedded coupon for free shipping. Just FYI.
Hi Everyone. I saw a vitamix 5000 at our costco here a couple of moths ago. I was really excited about it, but when I had made up my mind the road show was finished…..
I researched on the web, as here like so many people we had never seen the likes of the power before! Thats when i saw the new 5200 model and became aware of the BPA issue…. so disappointed that VM apparently have no plans to introduce the new model over here. so I am looking into the Blendtec ( of ‘will it Blend?’ fame) which is already here with no BPA’s in their container. Sooo disappointed as I love the guarentee that costco offer. and more than a little annoyed ;( that VM appears to be off loading their old stock of the 5000 in Europe. had a look at the Wikipedia info re BPA- makes pretty scarey reading…..
Costco in the States does at least 2 roadshows a year for the VM. You may catch it another time for the 5200
You can get the vitamix on the costco.com website. I actually bought the vitamix XL (around $1800) because it has a HUGE and I mean HUGE container, and has 4 hp and is even more phenomenol. It’s actually for business use, which I plan to use it for eventually, but right now, at home, it pulverizes anything. BPA free too. I had to get it online though. But Costco.com is a good way to go for those who can’t get it locally.
Hello, I am thinking of ordering the Vitamix 5200 and have a few questions I thought you might be able to answer.
I was deciding between this and a juicer and am leaning towards the Vitamix. Have you made rice milk in it? I know you can make nut milks but we have allergies and I am looking for an easy way to prepare rice milk.
Also, it seems that the small container, 32 oz. would be a great accessory without spending $200 more for the deluxe model but it’s $119 without a lid! If I ever ordered additional containers, would they all fit at the base? Does the lid for the large container fit on the small one?
How long does shipping usually take?
Thanks! I enjoy the site.
Lisa C
Lisa C, I have a Vita-Mix and a juicer and use the Vita-Mix far more. I rarely use the juicer because I like the fiber and pulp in my smoothies.
The VM also makes killer rice milk… it pulverizes the rice so well you may not even have to strain.
As for the other acessories.. I do not know. I only have the wet container, standard size and it does all I need. I use it for wet and dry stuff.
Thanks, Tiffany. I ordered the VitaMix using your free shipping code. I am very excited and can’t wait to make all kinds of goodies. I have a bag or sprouted organic pumpkin seeds waiting to be turned into butter!
Enjoy it Lisa!
Excellent review. We have had a Vitamix for 3 or 4 years now, and I am still raving about how it is the best appliance in the house. I have a great, raw, “green smoothie” recipe. My wife and I have been drinking these every morning since we got the Vitamix. And now my year old daughter is joining in. She has been drinking the “green juice” since 6 months old.
Would you post your green smoothie recipe? I am always looking for a great smoothie recipe!
I want one! Great overview … :)
We have one, have had it for over 10 yrs and it’s like new and still going strong.. our favorite drink contains, Pineapple, Banana, Green Grapes, Spinach it is soooooooooooo amazing.. Love your blog,
It sounds like you can forgo a food processor too, would you agree or do you need both? Thank you:-)
We have both but very rarely use the food processor anymore.
I’ve had the 5200 for some time now and I love it. I mostly use it for green smoothies, and the occasional blended ice cream/blended salad. It is by far the best blender on the market and has reviews to show that.
Can you post your cracker recipe please!?!? I just want to get the quantities correct and it sounds amazing! Do you preform the crackers or just roll them out on a paraflex sheet, slice and then dehydrate?
Can you post some of your recipes? Thanks.