This certainly leaves my Oster in the dust! I splurged & got this, and very happy that I did! It's very easy to use & does a great job. Also love that it's self cleaning. The only thing that'd make this better, is if the container was glass (which I thought this would be, so was a bit disappointed). Not sure if Vitamix makes a glass replacement or not (?).

I have used a Vitamix 5200 several times a day for the last 8 years. It has always performed exceptionally, but it is loud and difficult to remove material from around the blades with a spatula. A few years I spent $800 on a leading competitor with a sound shroud and wider jar around less sharp blades. That blender could never match the blending power of my Vitamix so I bought hearing protection and special spatulas and the competitor mostly sits on the shelf unless I am working late at night. My 8-year old Vitamix 5200 is still going strong, but I recently bought another new one as insurance for the day I finally work it to death. I just do not want to risk the possibility that the 5200 might no longer be available when I need it. What I most want in a blender is a real workhorse, and that is what I have in the 5200.

We used a similar Vitamix for 15-20 years, till it gave out. Then we ordered a Blendtec, thinking that the shorter, wider container would be easier to clean, and the blades would be less hazardous during cleaning.For a while I couldn't figure out why the Blendtec left so many pieces of fruit etc. completely whole, not even beginning to break them down. Lots of people gave the Blendtec great reviews, but it wouldn't remotely do what our old Vitamix had always done so easily. It was also way louder. We returned it. (We appreciated the ease of returning it, though we would have much preferred a refund rather than a credit.)I finally realized that the narrower, taller shape of the classic Vitamix container keeps the food close to the blades so that it gets blended properly. I suspect that the new wider Vitamix container has a similar issue to the Blendtec one, so I ordered the tall style again. It does everything our old Vitamix did, and the lid is easier to work with. It's a pricey machine for sure, but for something we use nearly every day, it's worth the money. I don't know if it will last as long as the old one, but it seems sturdy.

This product makes great blends and the crazy price makes you "invest" into this and truly take it out for a spin. When you fork over this much dough for a blender, you're going to use the damn thing. Well, it helps that it does everything it says it does...and it's kind of fun making cool new things and experiment with ingredients. You will need to get a recipe app/book so that you can make some good blends. Speaking from a guy's point of view...if you're a guy who doesn't really care what he eats...i.e. you'll eat fast food regularly...etc, don't bother with this until you've made up your mind to clean up your diet because you may not use this. But if you're a person who wants to eat more veggies, lose weight, feel better, then pick one of these up, even though it's expensive. It's a quality machine which includes a large warranty period. This makes eating salads really fun. For instance, you can fill this up with mixed greens, spinach, kale, avocado, carrot, celery, banana, apple/beet, ginger...and things like these to make some great blends. If you add things like avocados and bananas, it'll make the smoothies with smooth texture. There is certainly a learning curve and nothing they provide with the machine really dives deep into recipes for health...so, look up some recipes and try things out. I must say, this is kind of a 'lifestyle change' for those who are serious about eating better. Portion of your day WILL revolve around planning for and creating these smoothies.

I absolutely love my vitamix blender!I wish I had gotten one a long time ago.It blends so fast and It seems to be heavy duty compared to most products made today but for $500 I would expect it to be good quality.Ita also very easy to clean I just fill it half way with water add a couple drops of soap and turn it on for a few seconds and just dump it and rinse with water.

I have been using this blender for smoothies mostly and it has been awesome! It is blending the drinks so much better than the older cheaper one I had been using before. It is easy to mix in many fresh fruits or vegetables. I find that I am not wasting a package of fruit anymore and eating healthier. It is very quick and easy to clean. The food pusher that came with it also works very well. We have tried a couple of the recipes it came with and we also bought the bigger recipe book to try a few things. So far, it all tasted great! It isn't going to replace my other small kitchen appliances because those do certain things better, but when I use the Vitamix for what it's intended for, it performs superbly. With my family of 5, this is an excellent machine and it has found a spot in my kitchen.

We've always wanted a Vitamix and finally decided to purchase this one. It is by far the best mixer we have ever had. Tackles any sort of ingredients and is very easy to clean.

my kale smoothies are now smooth. Ninja blender left them rougher even though it has more blades

I purchased this on a black Friday sale for around $260, a CCC low. I had always looked at it and contemplated since my household does blend plenty, about 2-3 dinners a week plus other items. The nutri ninja we had, though the upgraded model, was excellent and blended VERY well - albeit a bit loud and never truly creamy like I'd always heard about with the vitamix seriesI choose this since the wirecutter still recommended this model due to the shape of the container assisting best with blending and vortex shape etc. Once I saw the deal, I knew I couldn't pass it upAll the hype was worth it. It blends fantastic, the noise is much quieter and more tolerable, and it's versitile. It does make nut butter and soup etc but we use it for those recipes very seldomly and still use our food processor. But for ease of blending alone, I am glad we have it. The controls are easy and despite a very simple layout gives you lots of control. The motor powers through anything and the tamper is helpful when needed. I definitly wouldn't go back. The price is high, but I would pay normal cost now that I know what I'm getting for the money. No regrets

I had a vitamix turbo VS for 12 years. Never a problem with daily use. Then our almost teenager started using it and it finally went belly up. I first replaced it with Vitamix E 320 from Costco but didn't like it at all (for various reasons including the burning smell it gave out on the first two uses), so I returned it and went with 5200 as it was the closest model to what I used to have.It arrived in a Vitamix branded box but individual components were not wrapped in plastic. I called Vitamix and they told me that they are trying to reduce pollution and don''t pack things in plastic anymore but rather straight in the box (yay!). They traced 5200 I bought on amazon and told me the date it was manufactured, and registered my new machine.We've been using this new 5200 for a little while now and things are moving along great.