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I've been juicing for the last 6 months with a Breville juicer, i'm starting to dislike the watery taste and texture of the juicer and am thinking of giving a blender a try. i have a small cheap smoothy machine but theres no way it will blend things like carrots,apples and other hard bodied vegetables.
Any recommendations on a blender that can handle everything the Breville juicer can handle but in smoothie mode? in other words a vegetable smoothie maker, While the Vitamix 5200 seems to be the top of the line $500 is a bit out of my price range so i'm looking for something preferably under $200.
Thanks
Based on my experience I'd say that anything less than a Blendtec or a Vitamix is likely to disappoint you. The high power and high speed of these machines is what is needed to break down the cellulosic matrix in fruits and vegetables so the juices and nutrients are released. And they need to be able to run for a couple of minutes at a time without overheating. Only running them long enough to liquify and blend the ingredients is not enough.
I've used both professionally and personally, and I prefer the Blendtec, for a number of reasons. The pre-programmed cycles on the Blendtec allow throwing the ingredients into the jar and walking away while it processes, with no need to stand over it with a tamper, poking the kale leaves (or whatever) down, because it sucks everything down automatically with its speed up/slow down cycling. The jar is better designed, and the entire unit is more compact, allowing it to fit under a standard kitchen counter. It's good old American made (in Utah). But I saved the best for last... it's more rugged. Working in a raw food kitchen with a juice bar we burned out Vitamix blenders way too often. Yes, they provided warranty service, but it takes time, so we'd have to buy another to use while that one was in transit, and soon we had twice as many machines as we had work station, just to cover the rotation when they broke. That never happened to the Blendtec machines.
What about ninja and bullet types? In my experience they are ok for mixing protein powder drinks, but don't pulverize fruits and veggies the way the more expensive ones do, and they're typically cheaply made Chinese products that burn out quickly in heavy use.
I started with a Vitamix, which are heavily marketed, and used them for years, but eventually converted to Blendtec, which are better made and perform better. Since budget is a concern, look for their specials on demos or factory returns. When available they can be a good buy.
I would try to set aside money in order to purchase the Vitamixer, could you put say $50.00 a month aside toward the purchase? My first one ran for 10 years with heavy use, needed just one part which they sent free since it was still within the 7 year warranty. I have had the new one for about two years. We tried to find something cheaper and none would do it so we wasted money. Whatever you decide on, search the internet for reviews and read through them seeing what the common problems are. A lot of things just quit after a short warranty period.
I am seconding the Blendtec - I know it is pricey, and I won one so that wasn't a consideration for me, but now it is on the list for everyone who has tried it (family and friends).
I never would have went with something so expensive for myself since I didn't use a blender too terribly often, but now that I have actually used one I can say for sure it is amazing, can duplicate many other appliances I owned and have passed along to others and I now consider it a staple in my kitchen and will replace it when it dies, definitely worth it to me.
While i see the logic behind buying a $350 to $500 blender i'd like to start off with something much cheaper just in case my passion for smoothies is short lived and this top of the line machine ends up collecting dust in a cupboard.
What about a hand blender also from Breville? I have one and I am happy with it.
Easy to use, easy to clean. Crush ice. Doesn't splash, and it comes with a container just perfect to blend your stuff.
We have a Vitamix blender and a Ninja. While there is no argument that the Vitamix blends better and faster, the Ninja has been a real workhorse and still going strong after years of daily use and does a much better then average job at blending. I know they offer several new models and the prices have changed but we are working on our 5th year with the Ninja and I think we paid $49.00 at a Sam's Club.
While i see the logic behind buying a $350 to $500 blender i'd like to start off with something much cheaper just in case my passion for smoothies is short lived and this top of the line machine ends up collecting dust in a cupboard.
I understand that concern, but honestly, a lower powered machine will not give you the same results as a 3 horsepower Blendtec or a 2 horsepower Vitamix. That power, and very high speeds are what you need to pulverize raw food on the cellular level.
I also have a regular blender, a really good $100 Breville, that I use as a bar blender when entertaining outside. It makes great margaritas.
Side by side you can really see (and feel, and taste) the difference when trying to make, say, green juices from tough items like kale. The results are distinctly different. The Brevile, like any good standard blender, will finely chop fruits and veggies and mix them with yogurt and protein powder, if that's what you're after. But if you want to really pulverize the raw food so the cell walls are broken and all the juice becomes available to your body then Blendtec or Vitamix are your key choices.
But until and unless you can justify the purchase of one of the high-power machines, I suggest you buy fresh blended juices from a juice bar so you know well what the real thing is like. And buy an inexpensive machine to use at home and compare the results. That way you can decide if a high powered blender is something you want to commit to having at home. Maybe not.
Good luck!
Last edited by OpenD; 08-29-2013 at 01:28 PM..
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