This is the best blender I EVER had, except the noise level is intolerable. It must be turned up through the Variable Settings to the High setting, or it shuts down, even doing cooked applesauce., I learned to put it on a silicone trivet, which dampens the sound somewhat, and I am using foam noise suppressor ear plugs while waiting for the Safety Ear Muffs I just ordered to arrive. I would think that the manufacturer should be able to do a better job on the noise level. I bought this while it was on sale on Black Friday, and whether on sale or not, it is still an expensive purchase!

I have been waiting for this blender for a long time! I'm so glad we finally purchased one. I was pleasantly surprised that it came with the tamper tool and cookbook. I couldn't find that it did in the product details so we purchased one which we will be returning. I couldn't wait to get it out of the box and use it! My children and I put it to use right away. I made green smoothies and was so pleased that the children kept asking for more! My oldest didn't like the ones I made with the Ninja because it would still have seeds, etc in it. So far I'm loving it. It gets smoothies quite smooth. The only thing I'm not liking so far is the fact that it gets things hot if you run it longer than about 2 mins. I know that it can make soup so it's not surprising, just a little aggravating since I plan to make mostly cold things. I made hemp milk which came out very warm after blending for maybe 2 mins. Another thing that I don't care for is the positioning of the handle. Its a really weird angle. The container could be more heavy duty for the price too. Other than that, so far so good!

Powerful machine and I am happy with it. The only negative thing I would say is that sometimes it gets an air pocket down by the blades and you have to keep dislodging it. However it does come with a plunger but since I don't like using it I have learned to balance the thickness of the mix with the speed of the blades through its sound and watching the vortex.I recommend.

The only thing I don't like about the Vitamix is that it on High setting, it starts to heat the food very quickly. On a lower setting (in the "Variable" range), it will overheat and shut down if used for longer than a minute or so. It will come back on once it has cooled (45 minutes to an hour), but that is rather annoying. I am getting used to it though and mostly, you don't need it on for very long.The Hi setting is where I do most of my blending because I bought this for smoothies. I had Oropharyngeal cancer and the treatments left me with a severely reduced ability to produce saliva. This makes eating a chore, thus enter smoothies. The difficulty I have with the blender is that I need to use the high setting to blend things smooth (I hate chunks) but if I do so for long, then the smoothie heats up. You get around this by adding ice after everything is smooth, but if you don't want it watered down with ice, then oh well. I understand from an engineer friend of mine that this is likely an unavoidable side effect of it being so effective. The friction of the super fast blades is what causes the heat.And truly, I can't complain about the results. My smoothies are truly SMOOTH!!! It even chops up chia seeds. CHIA SEEDS!!! I never expected that! It doesn't get blackberry seeds though. I don't think anything in the world can grind blackberry seeds. Dratted things. Any way... Yeah.Great blender. Truly the best blender I've owned. It is expensive, but for me, I need this to get enough to eat every day, so it is truly worth it. Even if you don't NEED it like I do, it is great for blending fiber filled foods (fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds) so that you feel full longer after drinking your SMOOTH smoothie.

This is my fourth purchase of a Vitamix blender and the second one I've bought as a gift. It was supposed to come with a DVD, which would be nice for the recipient to have. Amazon apparently will do nothing about it other than have me return the entire thing, which ain't gonna happen. Makes me wish I'd bought it from Vitamix directly.

Overall, good choice for smoothie lovers as it expands the choice of ingredients which I can use due to powerful motor. However as I decided to upgrade to Vitamix from my cheaper blender Brand I was hoping that this expensive machine will crush all small berry seeds (raspberry, blackberry, etc). Unfortunately even after 1 min on turbo mode it leaves some seeds not crushed. Keeping the power longer will quickly heat the liquid above my comfort level. This behavior is for brand new device with sharp blades, meaning over time, as blades get more blunt, this device might perform worse. Adding ice might work to keep the temperature down, need to test.

You have probably looked at all the online reviews of blenders, and that's why you're here. You've cleverly selected this one, the best-reviewed, top-notch Vitamix at any price, according to numerous sources. Further, you're probably excited about the possibility of never again dealing with shoving thick mixtures down towards the blades as a vexing bubble forms and the engine grinds away fruitlessly, like you experienced with that OLD mixer of yours. Perhaps you're dreaming of really smooth smoothies, hummus, and milkshakes.I'm sorry to dash your dreams, but even this $400+ blender is not going to accomplish that.Is this a BAD blender, you might be wondering? No, of course not. It totally blends things. But I do admit I was disappointed that it did not, in fact, turn ice into snow. It does not, in fact, create really smooth hummus, not without adding a lot more liquid than you probably want in your hummus. And the whole fruit margherita recipe included with the product? It doesn't really puree the squidgy bits of citrus, even if you blend it for quite awhile. To the point that it wasn't really possible to suck the marg out of a super-thick straw. Milkshakes came out similarly chunky, rather than smooth and creamy. If you blend them any longer, the famous friction-heating function comes into play. At which point, you no longer have a milkshake, but soup ala creme anglaise.The issue, it would seem, is with thicker mixtures. This is the exact issue you're going to encounter with any sort of blender, cheap or costly. This Vitamix does a lovely job with things that are quite runny indeed, but so can a $40 Oster.On the bright side, like I said, it blends things. It's quite easy to clean as well. But as blenders go, this is nothing extraordinary. Probably not worth $400, in any event. I'm still going to use it, but it doesn't get counter space. It's going in the equipment drawer.

Great for smoothies but having problems making nut butter. The machine stops blades half way threw. All I'm left with is a mess and chunky stuff I can not use. 650 dollars does not work like described 😒

We use our blender at least 3-4 times a week at our home. That's just for sauce making purposes. You add making breakfast smoothies that's another 4-5 times a week. Protein shakes and it's an every day use. Although I'll say I stopped using it for protein shakes, makes it too frothy and the clean up is a "hassle". It's not really a hassle but it's a lot of water waste.My problem with this machine though is that it did stall on me once when blending natural peanutbutter. I wasn't even making it from scratch. For a blender that a lot of people swear by and how America's Test Kitchen said it can take on any task it was disappointing to see it stall mixing premade natural peanutbutter.It's also very loud, so make sure you pause anything you're watching or listening to.Don't get me wrong I love it. It can go slower than other blenders giving you better control of how chunky you want your sauces. Or you can use it high power and it will even end up pulverizing chilli seeds and all their skin, you won't even really need a sieve from how fine it got blended.

Sometimes it's best to get the basic version of a kitchen appliance because all the bells and whistles can lead to a breakdown in function. I chose this Vitamix blender because 1. I always wanted one and 2. I grabbed it when it was on sale for Prime Day. I researched the different models and found that this "basic" one had all the power that Vitamix is famous for without the complaints that some people have for the more elaborate models. I wanted a container that could self-clean -- more on that later -- and could power through ice cubes and frozen fruit without leaving chunks behind. I wanted to be able to prepare hot soups as easily as hummus and milkshakes. I got everything I wanted; however, this Vitamix is not perfect.First, I had to return my first blender because it leaked through the bottom. My second one worked as it should, but it bothers me that Vitamix lacked the quality control to catch the first defect. I had to wonder if I received a returned blender. For this model of Vitamix, the blade is supposed to be sealed to the bottom of the container; it cannot be removed. This design is critical for not only leak-free blending but also for cleaning.My second complaint has to do with how narrow the bottom of the container is. Vitamix does sell a wide-bottom container, but it is pricey since that, too, has the blade permanently installed. I have to use the included plunger at times to make sure everything in a full container gets processed.Last, because this is a basic model, it does not have pre-programmed settings for smoothies, soups, frozen drinks, etc., and you must control how long and how fast the blades move to reach your desired result.But, oh, the power! My strawberry daiquiris get made in almost no time, and, with a push or two through the lid, get completely and smoothly processed. I have an Oster Versa, and while in many ways it operates the same as the Vitamix, it is slower to get the same results. The friction created by the blades on high eventually heat up the contents for steaming pureed soups, but they won't be on long enough to, say, warm your milkshake. It has a swtich for two blade speed settings: high and variable. When variable speed is switched on, you have ten speeds to select within it. You will have to learn which speeds are best for which applications, but it all works flawlessly.Because the blade is permanently attached, cleaning is a breeze. You never risk cutting your fingers because all you have to do is fill the container halfway with hot water, add a little dish soap, blend on high, and then rinse. Cleaning accomplished.I applaud Vitamix for including both a printed owner's manual and a recipe book. When I'm in the kitchen learning to use a new appliance, I don't want to have to run back and forth to my computer or squint at my phone's small screen. Because Vitamix has included this "Introduction to High-Speed Blending," my understanding of all this blender can do has been expanded, thanks to the select recipes. I never would have dreamed of trying some of the techniques without it.I've discovered that there's a reason so many Vitamix owners swear by it. Although I cannot compare to Blendtec, its main competitor, I know that it is superior to other friction blenders I've owned. While the Oster Versa is great for the price, Vitamix remains king in my book.-- Debbie Lee Wesselmann