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Anyone try Blend Tec vs Vitamix?

Hi I have been looking into getting a good blender and my boyfriend said that the blend tec is good because it has a timer so you can walk away and can program it to blend faster and slower in a sequence. DOes anyone have experience with this- or recommend a recipe book where the person gets into different techniques that work like slower or faster, amt of time necessary etc.

I went to a restaurant that said they had raw food a few months ago and got the soup and it was so hot it burned my tongue. So I think the person making it blended it too much and it had to be about 180 F! So this would be important to me- to be able to control the friction so this doesn’t happen.

Also, I was thinking about winter coming up. Has anyone found a crock pot or similar that will keep a large amount of soup warm but not too warm. A digital control that keeps it at 115 or so.

Thanks a lot!

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Comments

  • i have the blendtec too (called ktec on my unit but same machine). i have never used the vitamix, but really like the ktec too. the only thing i wish were different is that the programs are a little confusing and i wish that there was a regular variable speed dial that one could turn up and down. instead you have to use a pre-programmed setting or else get just one speed at a time.

  • I don’t know if the controls changed from K-Tec to BlendTec, but my BlendTec does have variable speed controls. Basically on the right side of the control panel are up/down buttons, and this changes the speed setting from 1 to 10. Granted, it is timed and shuts off after 50 seconds, but then I just hit it again or pulse from there.

    I have had gritty preperations, like nut/seed based pate’s, dips, etc get warm, but never hot. A little ice in place of some of the water does the trick for that.

  • coconuttycoconutty Raw Newbie

    I went with vitamix just cause I’m a simple person and I like the simple controls. No worries about choosing “programs” or what not… I have complete control over what I’m blending and that’s how I like it! And I’m in love with that little variable dial in the middle ;-)

  • jenny2052jenny2052 Raw Newbie

    Like coconutty, I have a Vitamix that I adore. I especially love the control that the variable speed dial gives me. As a control freak, I like to be able to change my mind and manipulate the blending program as I see fit. :)

    However! I did experience a moment of buyer’s remorse the first time I used a Blendtec. Not because of the computerized controls (I still prefer Vitamix’s old school controls), but because the shape of the Blendtec container and the fact that there are only two blades makes it MUCH easier to get at the contents of the blender with a spatula.

    This is something that drives me NUTS about the Vitamix. The shape of the container, the ridges on the sides, and the four blades make it very difficult to scrape sticky stuff out effectively. Stuff gets stuck under the blades, stuck on the sides, stuck everywhere. So I find their claim of it replacing a food processor is kind of bogus. In fact, I almost always use my (much less powerful) mini prep processor instead of the Vitamix whenever I’m doing something sticky. The texture isn’t nearly as good as it would be with the Vitamix, but at least I’m able to get it all out.

    I’ve come to a better place with this problem lately, as I’ve tried a new tactic that works a little better. I’ve given up trying to get out the blender contents with a spatula, and I just scrape it out with my hands. It gets me all gooey, but at least it works.

  • I am a rawchef and I have used both machines..I just sold my champHp3 on craigslist to use the vitamix full time..they are both great blenders,so you can’t wrong with either..I like having the speed control on the vitamix and that is why i went with that one.. i noticed with k-tec at times i would blend to much air into salad dressings and other dishes. i also like the variable speed dial in the middle:)........

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    BlendTec All the way! I have the BlendTec Home one in black. I like it because it is so high-tech – nice LED display and all those fun settings. Comes with a recipe book too. It is lighter than the Vitamix and has more horsepower. My bf says it has more horsepower than the lawn mower!

    Blendtec is better at making nut butters and you don’t need two separate containers for wet or dry food (what is with that?) and you don’t need one of those sticks (whatever they are called).

    Plus, the Blendtec is cuter than the vitamix – I like the design. :)

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    They both sound like they are good blenders… and about the same price. So, I went for the one with the better warranty. I thought that was Vita Mix with a 7 full year warranty verses Blendtech’s 3 year warranty with lifetime on coupling and blade.

    Why just 2 days ago, I thought I wasn’t going to buy a high speed blender… (because of oxidation) but I did. I felt I couldn’t teach my “first” raw food class without a high speed blender… so I bought one, I finally bought one! The Vita-Mix.

  • WOw Thanks for all of the feedback! It really helps a lot!

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    Oh yeah… forgot to mention, I got free delivery too. Saving me about $25! I just googled for a coupon code and found one.

  • coconuttycoconutty Raw Newbie

    I don’t think the vitamix has problems making nut butters! I make them all the time! I got mine with one all purpose container as well so there is no need to switch.

  • rawmamarawmama Raw Newbie

    I don’t see an all-purpose vitamix container. I only see one for wet and one for dry ingredients, difference being the shape of the blades. The wet blades all come more to a point where the dry has 2 of them squared off.

  • coconuttycoconutty Raw Newbie

    There’s really no need for it. I think they’re just trying to sell you more stuff, ya know. On the commercial model (vita-prep)... one container does it all.

  • Thanks again odessa7. My boyfriend just took a look at everything here and was really impressed by all of the information. He said he had been looking at prices and the link you gave was the best price he had seen. He is getting it now! =) =) =)

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    writeeternity -

    If you order your BlendTec Total Blender from RawGuru.com you get free shipping.

  • 2 Life products has free shipping too—and I think the lowest prices that I found on the KTec.

  • KristensRawKristensRaw Raw Newbie

    I have both of them and I use my blendtec much more. It’s easier to clean and use in my opinion. I still love my Vitamix, but prefer and recommend the blendtec. Cheers!

    Chef Kristen Suzanne www.KristensRaw.com

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    It’s easy to clean a blender if you put water and very little dish soap in it and turn it on to High. However, I’m not so sure things like nut butters in a blender are easy to clean…. so maybe Blend Tech would be better here. I still went for the longer warranty though – Vita Mix.

  • I am looking to get a new blender also. We have burned out the motor on two already. So it is time to make an investment! I am looking at the Blendtech. I checked out the chart mentioned by odessa7. What I am wondering is, will I have any use for my champion juicer once I have either a Vitamix or a Blendtech? Can the blenders do everything a juicer can do?

  • MarichiesaMarichiesa Raw Newbie

    Love my blend-tec! Best appliance I’v ever owned. I praise it daily. (Some think its a little weird) That being said I still love my champion juicer. Sometimes I just want juice. No pulp. No straining. Also it can’t be beat for making frozen banana ‘ice cream’

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    We made our cherry “ice cream” with our Vita Mix. The DVD that came with the Vita Mix just added fresh fruits, a sweetener, and ice. And voila, “ice cream”. We just got our Vita-Mix… so I have not experimented much with the ice cream… but next time, I will try it without the ice and only use frozen fruits… and hope it works. Maybe I won’t need my juicer for ice cream afterall. I still haven’t figured out a good reason to get a new, better juicer either… so I’ll be interested to know what others think.

  • Marichiesa- I finally tried to make frozen banana ice cream and so the Champion Juicer is a keeper! =)

    We went with the Blendtec after watching videos of it crushing ice into “snow” in a matter of seconds and watching it crush an iPhone! I don’t want to have to stir the ingredients around with a tamper. I want the machine to do all of the work!

    Can’t wait for it to arrive! Will keep you posted!

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    I made the Cherry Ice Cream- with my VitaMix, and it was a nice smooth texture. I have had a fruit-smoothie-ice-cream from a Champion Juice before. Both ice creams are good and comparable. I’m sure the Blend Tec can do the same thing. Now… I just need to make a nut butter in the high-speed blender and see if the texture is just as good as the Champion. Anyone know?

  • Hi Germin8, Thanks for all the info about the blend tec and how to clean it! I think mine is really great but haven’t been able to use it much since I have been traveling. I took it over to my parents to make some food for my dad when my mom was out of town and the loud noice disturbed my dad. That’s the only thing that is a little disturbing. I would like to make a green smoothie around 5 or 6 am but when other people are trying to sleep that’s not an option. I need to make some nut butter too. I need to get some containers so I can make “ice cream.” Any suggestions?

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    Hi writeeternity.

    The VitaMix is noisy too. Although, now I have a good reason to buy a Champion Juicer for ice cream and nut butters… less noise! Noise is not a problem right now… so that’s good. About the ice cream… we make our ice cream and eat it right away. The leftovers, we put into popsicle pops and they freeze solid. I’m sure you can freeze the ice cream into single/double serving containers… but you’ll have to throw it back into the blender to get it smooth. I don’t know what kind of container to use… but I usually use glass… it’s easy enough to place in hot water to get the frozen-solid ice cream out and into the blender. So, make sure it’s a small continer… or the ice cream won’t fit. I’ve also thought of getting ice cube trays and filling those up… but, it would be nice if they came with a lid. I haven’t had much practice with it.

  • Got my Blendtec today! I made grape juice and watermelon juice. Delicious! But one problem. My husband made a smoothie w/ frozen banana slices, frozen strawberries, ground flax seeds, water, and ice cubes. We hit the smoothie button and the ice was not crushed at the end of the cycle. Is the “whole juice” button more powerful than the smoothie cycle? Or did we do something wrong?

  • Try using the ‘Whole Foods’ cycle for smoothies w/ frozen whole foods. I love my Blendtec!! I do wish there was a tamper though, and I do get a bit of air, but only when I have a small amount of food to process. Keep in mind, the Blendtec will fit under your upper cabinet when you keep it on the countertop. It is a breeze to operate.

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    The BlendTech doesn’t come with a tamper? Hmmm, I didn’t notice. The VitaMix does come with one, which is the one I got. I didn’t realize BlendTech would fit under my upper cabinet… that’s nice!

    Did the “whole juice/foods” button work?

  • I spent basically 3 months weighing the pros and cons of each of these two blenders. I purchased both and tried making smoothies with every type of whole, raw, and uncut type of food I could think of. Both are loud, the Blendtec looks nice, but the Vitamix is by far the best product, you basically can’t go without the tamper for blending whole or uncut fruit or vegetables as it’s a matter of pure physics. I actually wrote a whole web page comparing the two blenders, link: Vitamix vs Blendtec . If anyone has any questions about either blender or anything else related to blenders or making smoothies feel free to reply or message me. :)

  • heartshapedskyheartshapedsky Raw Newbie

    i have the blendtec and love it, i use it in place of my processor sometimes too. and i also say- super easy to clean!

  • i;m leaning towards the blendtec because i like to keep my blender out on the counter and with a small kitchen it would have to get pushed back under the cupboards, but i’m concerned about the shorter warranty. has anyone had their blendtec for a while? just wondering about reliability…

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