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#344429 - 21/04/2011 08:42 Blenders!
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
At Bruno's request, I'm starting a thread about my quest for a new blender.

For three years now, we've had a KitchenAid model, and it's never really done a very good job at...well...blending. Ice get broken down, but you'll still get a smoothie with chunks of ice in it. Not big ones, but pebble size - large enough that you feel like chewing it more than swallowing, you know? It does its job bad enough that now that it leaks, instead of simply buying a new carafe, I'd like to replace the whole thing.

My first inclination was to check out the Blendtec blender from the "Will it Blend?" videos, which means they've done a great marketing job, at least to geeks like us. But naturally I wanted to know how it would do with bananas and frozen blueberries more than an iPhone smile

I happened to see a demonstration at Costco that pretty much sold me (as they're designed and set up to do, I know). The guy blended up a handful of spinach, pineapple slices with the core, banana, and water. The result was delicious and completely devoid of any sort of chewy pulp. My blender would merely create a disgusting, undrinkable mess smile

The only problem, of course, is the price. The model I'd like is the version with the larger carafe in addition to the regular carafe, which runs $489. This is insane to me, but I can see the use of such a device, so I think I'm going to save up a while and go for it.

I also looked at the Vita-Mix blender, which most people seem to put out there as the main competitor to the Blendtec. My primary reason for turning this one down was the size, because it simply won't fit under my cabinets like the Blendtec would. I also don't like the design at all, aesthetically or practically. It looks like an outboard motor, and the carafe has a ton of edges that would make it hard to scrape stuff out.

So that's my story so far. Any other blender aficionados out there?
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#344431 - 21/04/2011 09:49 Re: Blenders! [Re: Dignan]
Cris
pooh-bah

Registered: 06/02/2002
Posts: 1904
Loc: Leeds, UK
Originally Posted By: Dignan
My first inclination was to check out the Blendtec blender from the "Will it Blend?" videos, which means they've done a great marketing job, at least to geeks like us. But naturally I wanted to know how it would do with bananas and frozen blueberries more than an iPhone smile


That's a real product! Blimey, I don't think their marketing is that good, I assumed it was some kind of spoof.

The price doesn't sound too crazy to me, I mean it should last for years and years ???

Cheers

Cris

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#344433 - 21/04/2011 11:29 Re: Blenders! [Re: Cris]
larry818
old hand

Registered: 01/10/2002
Posts: 1039
Loc: Fullerton, Calif.
For that money, get the Vita-Mix. We use ours all the time, it's awesome. 2hp! yeah!

Since it's so ugly, get the red one.

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#344434 - 21/04/2011 11:42 Re: Blenders! [Re: larry818]
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
The larger carafe on the BlendTec will make an enormous difference in blending performance, and not only because it has a 4" blade. I've noticed when blending things in the past that a narrow carafe causes larger food items to simply float or bounce around above the blade. A larger base, especially with corners, will allow the food to fall next to the blade, and also help it get stuck, at least momentarily. Giving the blade a chance to cut through it.

Matt, you could always go whole-hog and get one of the commercial BlendTec products with a 3 year warranty. $1200. Zing. Available all the way up to 2400 watts and 20 amps!

I've personally used a Vita-Mix many times and I quite liked them. But if I were to buy something today, it would probably be a BlendTec with the Wildside carafe.

The bottom edge of my upper cabinets is also only about 17" off the counter top (due to a valence), but that wouldn't be a big issue anyway. I'd probably set up a pedestal near the foyer to show off such a blender anyway. wink
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#344436 - 21/04/2011 13:02 Re: Blenders! [Re: Dignan]
tanstaafl.
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/07/1999
Posts: 5549
Loc: Ajijic, Mexico
Originally Posted By: Dignan
and the [Vita-Mix] carafe has a ton of edges that would make it hard to scrape stuff out.
100% correct. It is quite difficult to clean, and Vita-Mix says that the carafe is not dishwasher safe. They say the way to clean it is to put some hot water in the carafe along with a few drops of dish washing soap, and spin it up for half a minute or so. That works, not as well as my Bosch dishwasher would do, but adequate.

Ebay has 13 new BlendTec HP3A blenders at $399 with free shipping...

tanstaafl.
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#344437 - 21/04/2011 13:34 Re: Blenders! [Re: tanstaafl.]
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
I just noticed that in the eBay auctions they claim you can grate cheese.. In a blender. Hmm. Whipped cheese is not grated cheese.

I love the "It makes xxxx and xxxx" claims on all small kitchen appliances. Well, it actually doesn't make anything. It just blends. It's the person behind the tool that does all the making.

I'm also not sure how someone would use a blender to make a cappuccino as claimed in the auction. wink
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Bruno
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#344438 - 21/04/2011 14:09 Re: Blenders! [Re: hybrid8]
Robotic
pooh-bah

Registered: 06/04/2005
Posts: 2026
Loc: Seattle transplant
Originally Posted By: hybrid8
I love the "It makes xxxx and xxxx" claims on all small kitchen appliances.

Whoa! Where do *you* shop for appliances?!?

/nyuk nyuk
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#344439 - 21/04/2011 14:23 Re: Blenders! [Re: Dignan]
Robotic
pooh-bah

Registered: 06/04/2005
Posts: 2026
Loc: Seattle transplant
I have an old Krups that works just fine. It makes fruit-enhanced power shakes most days. I haven't done ice in it for years, though, but as I recall it didn't do so bad a job with it.

My brother went for the Blendtec machine. He is simply enchanted by it and continually dreams up more uses for it. I had no idea they cost that much! Jeepers!

I think my Krups was about $100 or so. The first one was a gift from a college girlfriend- an accomplished Austrian pastry chef. She knew her way around a kitchen, for sure.
The first one died a horrible death when the idiot I sublet my apartment to one summer decided he'd make hummus with it, but didn't cook the beans.
*facepalm*
When I got back in September I found the motor burned up and had to go buy a duplicate. Been in service for better than 10 years now.
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#344441 - 21/04/2011 15:07 Re: Blenders! [Re: Robotic]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
Originally Posted By: larry818
For that money, get the Vita-Mix. We use ours all the time, it's awesome. 2hp! yeah!

If that's all you're going by, I'm sorry to say that the Blendtec beats it smile I'm pretty sure it's 3hp. Besides, the Vita-Mix is out purely based on its size. I simply don't have anywhere to put that in our already-cluttered kitchen frown

Originally Posted By: hybrid8
The larger carafe on the BlendTec will make an enormous difference in blending performance, and not only because it has a 4" blade. I've noticed when blending things in the past that a narrow carafe causes larger food items to simply float or bounce around above the blade. A larger base, especially with corners, will allow the food to fall next to the blade, and also help it get stuck, at least momentarily. Giving the blade a chance to cut through it.

This is the only valuable thing I've gotten out of comparison videos on Youtube. It's astonishing how much more efficient the wider carafe is at breaking stuff down. It's also nice, of course, to have more capacity.

Quote:
Matt, you could always go whole-hog and get one of the commercial BlendTec products with a 3 year warranty. $1200. Zing. Available all the way up to 2400 watts and 20 amps!

Ha! Yeah, I don't think that would make it past the wife smile

Quote:
I've personally used a Vita-Mix many times and I quite liked them. But if I were to buy something today, it would probably be a BlendTec with the Wildside carafe.

Good to know, since I settled pretty early on that exact configuration. Actually, I could save some money by going with the model that only comes with the "Wildside," but I'd like to have an extra carafe on hand if I need to make two things with the blender. I have limited storage, but because those instances should be rare, I can store the extra carafe in the back of a corner cabinet.

Quote:
I'd probably set up a pedestal near the foyer to show off such a blender anyway. wink

That's how much I'm anticipating liking this thing as well smile

Originally Posted By: tanstaafl.
It is quite difficult to clean, and Vita-Mix says that the carafe is not dishwasher safe. They say the way to clean it is to put some hot water in the carafe along with a few drops of dish washing soap, and spin it up for half a minute or so. That works, not as well as my Bosch dishwasher would do, but adequate.

Thanks so much for this info. One of the first things I checked out was whether the carafes on these blenders were dishwasher safe, and it appears that not a single one is. This didn't bother me too terribly when I read about that water/soap trick, but I'd also heard that it wasn't completely effective and that I'd have to hand wash every few times. Oh well, that's a sacrifice I can make. My current blender's carafe is glass, so that was fine in the dishwasher, but the glass got chipped and now it leaks, so it I suppose it wasn't happy with the dishwasher process either smile

Quote:
Ebay has 13 new BlendTec HP3A blenders at $399 with free shipping...

Eh...I'm just not an ebay guy. I simply don't trust the sellers there in most cases, at least not enough to bother going there to save $30 on the non-combo model. The model with the two carafes isn't going for any less on ebay. And I get free two-day shipping from Amazon Prime anyway.

Originally Posted By: hybrid8
I just noticed that in the eBay auctions they claim you can grate cheese.. In a blender. Hmm. Whipped cheese is not grated cheese.

Yeah, I heard that briefly in a demonstration video, but I haven't been able to find anything else out about it. I agree, I don't see how these things would produce anything I'd called "shredded" cheese. I'd be slightly more willing to believe "grated," but that's still a stretch. I can't seem to find anything online about how it exactly goes about doing this. I'm assuming there's a preset somewhere in the system, and that it spins the blades at a slower speed?

I did watch a cool video of a guy making peanut butter. That looked amazing, and he didn't add a single thing to the blender other than peanuts. It was NUTS I tell you! Sorry.

Originally Posted By: Robotic
I have an old Krups that works just fine.

Do you have a link to the model, or perhaps the updated version of the model? I'd at least be curious to read up on it...
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#344442 - 21/04/2011 15:43 Re: Blenders! [Re: Dignan]
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
Originally Posted By: Dignan
One of the first things I checked out was whether the carafes on these blenders were dishwasher safe, and it appears that not a single one is.


Have you found any information on why they're not dishwasher safe? My impression is that it would be because of the heat (heating element) at the bottom of a traditional dishwasher - and for the same reasons why other plastic products claim only "top rack safe."

My recommendation in that case is to get a Fisher and Paykel DishDrawer (or one of the private-labeled products from Kitchenaid or Kenmore). You can put top-rack-only items anywhere in it. There are no exposed heating elements inside the washing compartment and the drying portion of the cycle uses only a fan to blow air around, not a method comparable to the bake setting on an oven. wink
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Twisted Melon : Fine Mac OS Software

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#344443 - 21/04/2011 15:52 Re: Blenders! [Re: hybrid8]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
I'd love the have dishwasher drawers, but I'm already committed to a $500 blender, I don't have enough for a brand new set of dishwashers! smile Besides, ours is only a couple years old and works fine (aside from the issue in my other thread smile ).

You're correct, I meant to say that all the carafes are top-drawer safe, but clearly they aren't going to fit into most top drawer. I could fold down all the tines I want and adjust the drawer height, but it still wouldn't fit too well. Would they fit into a drawer washer?


Edited by Dignan (21/04/2011 15:53)
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#344444 - 21/04/2011 16:08 Re: Blenders! [Re: Dignan]
canuckInOR
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/02/2002
Posts: 3212
Loc: Portland, OR
Originally Posted By: Dignan
I could save some money by going with the model that only comes with the "Wildside," but I'd like to have an extra carafe on hand if I need to make two things with the blender. I have limited storage, but because those instances should be rare, I can store the extra carafe in the back of a corner cabinet.

If it's so rare that you'll be storing the extra carafe in the back of a corner cabinet, then why not just go with the single carafe, and just wash it out when you need to make two things with the blender?

I have a KitchenAid model. It does ice just fine, if you put it on a fast-enough speed, but I like the little ice pebbles. smile

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#344446 - 21/04/2011 16:20 Re: Blenders! [Re: canuckInOR]
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
Originally Posted By: canuckInOR

If it's so rare that you'll be storing the extra carafe in the back of a corner cabinet, then why not just go with the single carafe, and just wash it out when you need to make two things with the blender?


Insanity! What if you want to serve two delicious carafe-fulls of two different smooth beverages?

Hmm.. OMG. What if we need to serve three? Damn, I'd better call my friends at Sesame Street to help me figure out what to do. Gordon!
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Bruno
Twisted Melon : Fine Mac OS Software

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#344447 - 21/04/2011 16:40 Re: Blenders! [Re: hybrid8]
matthew_k
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/02/2002
Posts: 2298
Loc: Berkeley, California
I'd recommend looking for an old VitaMix on craigslist for around $150. I love the vitamix 3600, and IMHO it's a much nicer design than the current ones. From what I've heard the new ones are quieter, but the actual blending experience is about the same.

it's tall, but there's no reason you have to store the carafe on the blender when you're not using it, and when you are using it you can just pull it out in front of the cabinets.

You could also work on building yourself a time machine and going back a couple weeks.

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#344454 - 21/04/2011 19:18 Re: Blenders! [Re: Dignan]
Robotic
pooh-bah

Registered: 06/04/2005
Posts: 2026
Loc: Seattle transplant
Originally Posted By: Dignan
Originally Posted By: Robotic
I have an old Krups that works just fine.

Do you have a link to the model, or perhaps the updated version of the model? I'd at least be curious to read up on it...


I couldn't easily find the model on krups' site- it must be long gone.
Here's a site that has some simple reviews, the "Krups 243-70 Power X Plus Combi Blender" is included (about half-way down the page).
It's nothing special, but it does the job, parts are easy to find for the washable bits, and the carafe is glass.

http://www.housewarereviews.com/Kitchen/Appliance/Blender/Blender_9.html
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#344455 - 21/04/2011 19:40 Re: Blenders! [Re: Robotic]
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
Blendtec's Wildside container made them $24 MILLION at Vita-Mix's expense (patent infringement):

http://www.prweb.com/releases/blendtec/lawsuit/prweb5013304.htm

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Bruno
Twisted Melon : Fine Mac OS Software

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#344456 - 21/04/2011 19:55 Re: Blenders! [Re: matthew_k]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
"But your honor, it's DARK GREY! Don't you see the difference??"

Holy cow, that might be the worst offense of ripping off another company's product that I've ever seen! How did they think they'd get away with that? It even has the same five-sided design (for those of you unfamiliar with the "Wildside" carafes, the corner by the handle is flat).

Now I'm even more swayed to the Blendtec, if that's how Vita-Mix "innovates."

Originally Posted By: matthew_k

DAMN! That sucks that I missed that! How is that even REAL? It's $230 off Amazon's price! Crap...
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Matt

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#344457 - 21/04/2011 20:06 Re: Blenders! [Re: Dignan]
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
The secret to infringing someone else's patent is to improve on it, filing one of your own, and citing the original as previous art. Bam!


Now I want one of those Blendtecs. Damn you Matt. Which also reminds me I need to get my Bamix hand-blender serviced.
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Bruno
Twisted Melon : Fine Mac OS Software

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#344459 - 21/04/2011 20:57 Re: Blenders! [Re: hybrid8]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31600
Loc: Seattle, WA
Originally Posted By: hybrid8
Blendtec's Wildside container made them $24 MILLION at Vita-Mix's expense (patent infringement):

http://www.prweb.com/releases/blendtec/lawsuit/prweb5013304.htm



Holy cow.
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Tony Fabris

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#344460 - 21/04/2011 20:58 Re: Blenders! [Re: Dignan]
tanstaafl.
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/07/1999
Posts: 5549
Loc: Ajijic, Mexico
Originally Posted By: Dignan
How is that even REAL? It's $230 off Amazon's price! Crap...
Used, i.e., factory refurbished.

My guess is that the factory "refurbisher" plugs it in, spins it up, says "Yep. It works," and boxes it up with a shiny new carafe for shipment.

tanstaafl.
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#344461 - 21/04/2011 21:06 Re: Blenders! [Re: tanstaafl.]
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
Yeah, like the RMA ReadyNAS I just got this week. The bloody thing just reboots non-stop while re-syncing (building/initializing). Second RMA in one week. Lovely.
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Bruno
Twisted Melon : Fine Mac OS Software

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#344462 - 22/04/2011 01:28 Re: Blenders! [Re: hybrid8]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
Ah, should have realized it was a refurb. It's really hit or miss with those refurbs...
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#346868 - 10/08/2011 19:36 Re: Blenders! [Re: Dignan]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
I just wanted to add an update.

I did get around to purchasing the Blendtec, and it's pretty fantastic. It puts our old KitchenAid blender to shame, that's for certain. No matter what, our old blender never got all the ice we'd put into it, and every time we'd end up with tons of tiny chunks of ice. The BlendTec gets every single bit of it.

I've tried a bunch of the recipes in the book that comes with it, and frankly those are very hit or miss. Some of the smoothie recipes are just plain weird and don't taste good at all. So far, my favorite is the following:

2 cups white grapes
3/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 banana (I just eat the other half)
2 cups ice (I actually do one cup ice one cup water)

That's it, and the BlendTec does a fantastic job on the grape and blueberry skins, which is pretty difficult.

I've also made batter for waffles, and that went really well. There's some things I'd still do with a food processor, but this is easier to use (fewer parts) and has more capacity, I think.

So far I've been thrilled by how easy it is to use. It really is as easy to clean as filling it about 1/3 of the way with water and putting a drop of dish soap** in. I then repeat that without the soap to rinse it and I'm done.

I'm extremely happy with the end results.

FYI, I ended up buying the BlendTec at Bed Bath & Beyond! They don't sell it in their brick and mortar stores, but they do sell it on their website. The great thing is, you can use one of those dozens of 20%-off coupons they send all year, and bring it into the store to order things from their website. I ended up getting $80 off, which made up for the purchase of an additional Wildside carafe which I highly recommend.

**tip for anyone thinking of getting one of these: when you pulse with the water/soap combination, HOLD THE LID! I didn't yesterday and ended up with an explosion of soapy water all over the countertop, stove, cabinets, and floor!


Attachments
IMG_20110613_102401.jpg


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#346870 - 10/08/2011 20:26 Re: Blenders! [Re: Dignan]
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
Matt, have you tried putting in the whole banana into that recipe? Just curious, since I love using bananas in all sorts of smoothies. Great taste and great binder to help with consistency.
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Bruno
Twisted Melon : Fine Mac OS Software

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#346873 - 10/08/2011 20:42 Re: Blenders! [Re: hybrid8]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
Originally Posted By: hybrid8
Matt, have you tried putting in the whole banana into that recipe? Just curious, since I love using bananas in all sorts of smoothies. Great taste and great binder to help with consistency.

Not in that recipe, but naturally I always love putting bananas in pretty much every smoothie. 90% of the recipes out there seem to call for it anyway.
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#353080 - 06/07/2012 21:47 Re: Blenders! [Re: Dignan]
Phoenix42
veteran

Registered: 21/03/2002
Posts: 1424
Loc: MA but Irish born
Matt,
One year in, how is the BlecdTec going? Is it really worth the cost? And are you just using the standard jar, or did you get the Wildside jar as well?
Thanks

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#353092 - 07/07/2012 18:21 Re: Blenders! [Re: Phoenix42]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
Great question, and if my wife weren't pulling me out the door to go to a wedding, I'd answer it. laugh

Sorry, I'll get back to you tonight or tomorrow morning smile
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#353110 - 08/07/2012 17:00 Re: Blenders! [Re: Dignan]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
Okay, I have a few spare minutes (it's been a crazy weekend).

The long and short of it is this: the Blendtec is not the magical device that the internet and Costco displays make it out to be, but it's still a damned fine blender.

I do use the "Wildside" jar instead of the regular jar, which probably isn't necessary for most of our purposes. If I blend up about 2/3rds of the Wildside jar for smoothies, It's far more than my wife and I want.

Smoothies are a cinch for this thing. My basic recipe is to throw in half a banana, a few frozen strawberries, a handful of frozen blueberries, and about a cup of frozen peaches. Then I fill about half-way up the fruit mixture with water and blend on "Smoothie" mode, which makes quick work of it and does a complete job at liquefying all the fruit. You still tend to get the strawberry seeds and some blueberry skins, but that's pretty tough to get rid of, though a second cycle might do it.

We've used the blender for other things, but I haven't done enough experimenting. For a few things, I just prefer a real food processor, especially dry stuff. But we use it to make dressings and sauces pretty often.

We don't tend to use it for soups because we have an immersion blender which is a better tool for that job.

All in all, I'm very happy with the purchase. Like I said, I need to do some more experimenting. I still think it's a little overpriced, but with that Bed Bath and Beyond coupon the price was much more manageable. I'd highly recommend the Blendtec.

ps- oh, and I've made milkshakes and they're awesome smile
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#353113 - 08/07/2012 17:17 Re: Blenders! [Re: Dignan]
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
I'm assuming it makes quick work of regular sized ice cubes as well, right Matt?

Can you use these BB&B coupons for online orders as well? I'll have to keep an eye out for a good deal, because I've wanted a really good blender for a few years.
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Bruno
Twisted Melon : Fine Mac OS Software

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#353123 - 09/07/2012 13:43 Re: Blenders! [Re: hybrid8]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
Originally Posted By: hybrid8
I'm assuming it makes quick work of regular sized ice cubes as well, right Matt?

Absolutely. If I added cubes to that smoothie I mentioned above, they'd be totally ground up.

Quote:
Can you use these BB&B coupons for online orders as well? I'll have to keep an eye out for a good deal, because I've wanted a really good blender for a few years.

I'm not certain, but what I did was to take the coupon into the store, and go to the desk in the desk in the back where they help people with registries. If they order from their own website, they can apply the coupon in the store. But I didn't have to come back to the store, the product shipped directly to my home, and came pretty quickly with no shipping charge that I can remember. It was a pretty good shopping experience, which I find is pretty normal at BB&B.
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#353138 - 10/07/2012 17:23 Re: Blenders! [Re: Dignan]
Phoenix42
veteran

Registered: 21/03/2002
Posts: 1424
Loc: MA but Irish born
Thanks Matt. At $320 (assuming BBB 20% discount) it is not cheap, but we'll if our current Krups blender outlasts my interest in breakfast smoothies.

One last question, just how noisy is it compared to a regular blender?

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#353141 - 10/07/2012 19:09 Re: Blenders! [Re: Phoenix42]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
Originally Posted By: Phoenix42
One last question, just how noisy is it compared to a regular blender?

Probably a good deal louder. It's pretty darn loud smile But not terrible...
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#353144 - 10/07/2012 21:35 Re: Blenders! [Re: Dignan]
Phoenix42
veteran

Registered: 21/03/2002
Posts: 1424
Loc: MA but Irish born
I suppose the extra noise is to be expected - but the run time should be shorter with all that power...thanks Matt

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#353149 - 11/07/2012 00:53 Re: Blenders! [Re: Phoenix42]
msaeger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 23/09/2000
Posts: 3608
Loc: Minnetonka, MN
It's not like any blender is quiet enough that it won't disturb everyone in the house.
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Matt

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#353156 - 11/07/2012 09:55 Re: Blenders! [Re: msaeger]
tanstaafl.
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/07/1999
Posts: 5549
Loc: Ajijic, Mexico
Originally Posted By: msaeger
It's not like any blender is quiet enough that it won't disturb everyone in the house.
Yeah, but when the neighbors who live next to the airport complain because they can't hear the jets flying over... smile

tanstaafl.
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#353159 - 11/07/2012 10:55 Re: Blenders! [Re: tanstaafl.]
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
Especially if you're blending marbles and cell phones.
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#353176 - 11/07/2012 17:21 Re: Blenders! [Re: tanstaafl.]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
Originally Posted By: tanstaafl.
Originally Posted By: msaeger
It's not like any blender is quiet enough that it won't disturb everyone in the house.
Yeah, but when the neighbors who live next to the airport complain because they can't hear the jets flying over... smile

Yeah, to the honest, I think the Blendtec and other blenders of this type are just loud enough to the point that you might start worrying about bothering the neighbors (if you share a wall or ceiling/floor). It's sort of like using a power tool or a vacuum. Fortunately most of the modes you'd use on a regular basis only last around 45 seconds.
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#353199 - 11/07/2012 22:58 Re: Blenders! [Re: Dignan]
gbeer
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/12/2000
Posts: 2665
Loc: Manteca, California
The blender virgin asks... For normal operations, I.E. not blending iPhones.

This noise, is it dependent on what is being blended, or are they just as noisy, if run empty.
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#353200 - 11/07/2012 23:04 Re: Blenders! [Re: gbeer]
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
I was just at a friend's house a few minutes ago to witness loud blending. He just has some Oster model, though it's pretty nice despite the low-end brand. It was crazy loud just going through a banana, some strawberries and some milk. I imagine running it empty would only have made it louder, as there would be no mass in the beaker to slow the blade and absorb the sound waves from within it. The motor itself was super loud.

I don't think I'll buy a blender until I decide to grab a Blendtec. It was already between that and Vitamix years ago anyway.
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Bruno
Twisted Melon : Fine Mac OS Software

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#353203 - 12/07/2012 01:53 Re: Blenders! [Re: hybrid8]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
Yup, it's loud regardless of what's in it. If it were grinding through ice, the noise will be louder, but when it's already that loud the added noise isn't much of a difference smile


Edited by Dignan (12/07/2012 01:55)
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#353205 - 12/07/2012 02:51 Re: Blenders! [Re: Dignan]
gbeer
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/12/2000
Posts: 2665
Loc: Manteca, California
See, I don't get that. The basic noise. Blenders have been around for decades. They should be pretty quiet. Excepting for the chewing noises.
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#353207 - 12/07/2012 05:39 Re: Blenders! [Re: gbeer]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
These are direct-drive motors running at somewhere around 30,000 RPM. Basically, you've got a woodworking router in your kitchen. There's just no way that's not going to be noisy.
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#353208 - 12/07/2012 06:04 Re: Blenders! [Re: Phoenix42]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
If you're looking at dropping that much on a blender, I think I'd at least look at the Waring MegaMix. It's "only" 1.5HP, and it's pretty much just Off/Low/High, but it's half the price.
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#353209 - 12/07/2012 07:31 Re: Blenders! [Re: wfaulk]
Roger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5683
Loc: London, UK
Originally Posted By: wfaulk
It's "only" 1.5HP


There's always the TopGear V8 Blender -- official video here, but I can't get it to play.
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#353219 - 13/07/2012 00:07 Re: Blenders! [Re: Roger]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14496
Loc: Canada
Both play here, though the "official video" has an annoying "explanation of cookies" windowpane covering much of the video -- but that disappears when the video is put into fullscreen mode.

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#353274 - 16/07/2012 06:06 Re: Blenders! [Re: mlord]
frog51
pooh-bah

Registered: 09/08/2000
Posts: 2091
Loc: Edinburgh, Scotland
That's the wonderful local regulation over this side of the water that requires the explanation of cookies - so the website isn't breaching our human rights by saving something on the computer that we might not want.

...

of all the things to bring in regulation on, they chose session cookies...
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MkIIa, blue lit buttons, memory upgrade, 1Tb in Subaru Forester STi
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#353412 - 21/07/2012 01:41 Re: Blenders! [Re: frog51]
gbeer
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/12/2000
Posts: 2665
Loc: Manteca, California
So I found out today, that a blender can make powdered sugar from granulated.
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#356264 - 15/11/2012 16:07 Re: Blenders! [Re: gbeer]
Phoenix42
veteran

Registered: 21/03/2002
Posts: 1424
Loc: MA but Irish born

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