When I decided to get serious about buying a new blender, I turned to the internet for information. Besides reading reviews from consumers with actual firsthand knowledge of a blender that caught my eye, I also compared one model’s features to another’s in the course of my research.
In the final analysis, after much searching and researching, I had narrowed the field to only two contenders – Vitamix vs Blendtec: These are two blenders that accurately represent the quality of Vitamix and Blendtec Blenders
Now, let me preface this report by saying that neither of these blenders is inexpensive. In fact, they’re both pretty pricey as small kitchen appliances go.
But, I’m tired of paying exorbitant sums for a smoothie, frozen drink or frappuccino at any of the big national chains or small bistro type establishments that have sprung up like mushrooms all across the nation.
I love those drinks!
However, I would love them more and enjoy them more often if I could make my own yummy versions of them here at home at a fraction of the retail price.
Hence, my quest for a blender that would allow me to whip up those scrumptious frozen concoctions on my own, besides handling a few other tasks such as pureeing veggies for soups, and more.
Once it had come down to just two possibilities, I decided to do a comparison of the two blenders to determine which would be most suitable for my needs. Basically, it all boiled down to just a few key points:
Power
Construction
Features
Size of Carafe
Durability and Warranty
Power
The Vita-Mix 5200 Blender is definitely a heavyweight when it comes to power! With a big Swedish built 1500 watt 2 HP variable speed motor, this thing is made for tough jobs. It can go from 11 miles per hour all the way up to a blazing 240 miles per hour, which is a wider range of speed than any other blender currently on the market. The blades and hammermill are built to take on heavy loads such as ice cubes and nuts for butters.
The Blendtec HP3A Blender is no bantam weight, either! Although it draws a little more power than the Vita-Mix, they seem more or less equal in strength. The Blendtec, like the Vita-Mix, can tackle big jobs and turn ice cubes into snow, nuts into butters, and fruits and/or veggies into creamy smoothies.
Construction
The Vita-Mix 5200 Blender is a larger, heavier machine than the Blendtec alternative. It stands 20.5” high with a 64 ounce carafe. The carafe is made from tough BPA Free copolyester material that should make it extremely sturdy and unlikely to crack or break. It has a rather industrial appearance which appeals to some people and not to others.
The Blendtec HP3A Blender is a little more space friendly than the Vita-Mix, measuring just 15.5” high with a 64 ounce carafe container. This means that it will be more likely to fit under the average kitchen cabinets than the taller Vita-Mix, which may or may not be an issue with you. The carafe of the Blendtec is also constructed from BPA Free co polyester, so it should be tough and durable, too.
Features
The Vita-Mix 5200 Blender says that it performs 35 kitchen tasks without any extra accessories. One thing that should be noted about the Vita-Mix is that it comes with a “wet” blade container that is not suitable for dry blending such as is needed for grinding flour. If you want to grind wheat berries, for instance, you will need a separate “dry blade” container. Otherwise, it will grind, chop, blend, liquefy, mix, and much more. According to comparison reviews, the Vita-Mix dry blade container does a better job of grinding grains than the Blendtec.
The Vita-Mix has simple buttons and controls, and offers users complete control over blending times.
The Blendtec HP3A Blender uses one blade container for both wet and dry blending, and is said to do it faster when grinding wheat berries. However, the dry grinding container of a Vita-Mix blender is said to produce a finer, superior flour to that of the Blendtec. Otherwise, grain grinding aside, both models do basically the same things.
The Blendtec has computerized controls with digital display. You can turn it on and walk away.
Size of Carafe
The Vita-Mix 5200 Blender comes with a 64 ounce carafe, which is plenty large enough to let you blend and serve several drinks at once.
The Blendtec HP3A Blender also has a 64 ounce carafe container. So, the two are evenly matched in this area of comparison.
Durability and Warranty
I sifted through a lot of user reviews about the Vita-Mix 5200 Blender and the majority referenced the wonderful durability of this model. Built tough, it is apparently made like the Energizer bunny to keep going and going…..year after year. It seems that the manufacturers believe this is the case, because they back this product with a 7 year warranty!
The Blendtec HP3A Blender also has great reviews from happy users who are thrilled with its durability. It comes with a 3 year warranty, which is obviously not as good as the Vita-Mix 5200, even though it’s still a decent warranty when you stop and consider that HP will only warranty one of their printers for 45 days.
These two blenders run neck and neck in almost every area. The only definite, clear advantage of the Vita-Mix 5200 Blender is the longer warranty period.
What About Price?
Here, too, these blenders are much the same. There is currently about a $50 difference between the two, with the Vita-Mix 5200 Blender being available for $449.99 and the Blendtec HP3A Blender selling for $399.99. Amazon also offers free shipping.
Click Here to See the Blendtec HP3A blender on Amazon
Click Here to See the Vita-Mix blender on Amazon
So who wins vitamix vs blendtec? it seems that both of these two blenders will do what you want done, no matter how large or small the job. If the extra $50 or the longer warranty isn’t a consideration, you could always go with what’s available! You’ll probably be happy with either one!