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Vitamix owners and non-owners, help me decide!

I'm celebrating getting a new job and I'm going to splash out on a much-needed new blender. Until now I've been making do with a very basic food processor inherited from my gran and a cheapo hand blender which cost about

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  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    I am unfamiliar with a Bamix, so I really can't say. But, I do think that if you really want all the other things, go for them! You can always save up again, and get the Vitamix later. :~)

    By the way- I'm using a $45 Oster blender.

    What may help you decide, is what recipes are you drawn to? Which appliances do you think you will really use the most? Everyone is different in what foods (and food prep styles) they are drawn to-- only you can decide what you will really use.

  • Vitamix all the way. i got mine this year after using a much cheaper blender. The vitamix gets used everyday up to 5 or 6 times. it really is a fantastic bit of kit and i would say i use it much more than my dehydrator. it really is worth the money every penny of it.

  • teacupteacup Raw Newbie

    i'm also unfamiliar with the bamix and use a 12 speed oster blender and it works just fine for me! the only other piece of equipment i have is a food processor and i get along just fine.

  • vitamixers are my personal favorite

    i've owned one since 1993

    i made a post and will nutshell it here

    but i've got a 5000 that is like barely used (less than 10 times) (not refurb)

    with 5 yr warranty for sale for 335. it's perfect (purrrrrrfect)

    comes with everything except orig. box (5000 base motor white, clear container, lid, tamper, dvd, book/binder of recipes)

    p.s. on the vitamix cleaning

    it's a snap

    pate might take a bit to get it all OUT (not too much effort)

    but clean up is done by adding water, a tad of soap and turing the machine on to literally clean itself!

    love my vitamixer :)

  • I have to say the vitamix is the best thing I have ever purchased. I use it multiple times a day, and some of my family who are not fully raw love to use it to make hot soups. It makes really smooth nut butters, ice creams with just whole frozen fruit and so many other things. I shred cabbage for slaw in mine.

    But I will say if you want to have other tools in your raw kitchen then do what you feel is right for you. It took me almost 3 years of eating raw food to buy my vitamix 5200. (took that long to save for it)

  • Thanks for the advice everyone, I've decided to go for the Bamix and then get myself a spiraliser and an Excalibur dehydrator when my first paycheck comes in!

    I'd love a Vitamix one day but in the meantime a Bamix looks like a versatile piece of equipment and it's only a quarter of the price of a vitamix. It can make nut butters apparently (which is one of the main things I want it for) and it's supposed to give a nice texture to milky drinks - which I have all the time (currently addicted to maca almond milk).

    But I'm very persuaded by the fact that I've never heard a vitamix owner say 'oh, it's not that great really, I don't use it much'! One day I'll definitely get one but in the meantime I want to make proper dehydrated bread and cookies...

    Thanks everyone :)

  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    I'd love to know how the Bamix does for nut butters-- do let us know!!

    And for those with the Vitamix-- can you make almond butter (or other nut butters), without adding any oil (or anything else)?

  • waterbaby12347waterbaby12347 Raw Newbie

    I have the Waring Xtreme and love it, use it several times a day, easy to clean as stated above...

    Here is an interesting link on the Bamix Gastro Immersion Blender, nice!!!

    http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/bamix.aspx

  • LaEnsaladaLaEnsalada Raw Newbie

    pixx- i've tried making almond butter w/o adding oil in my vitamix and it didn't work out very well. My vitamix overheated and when the almonds finally turned into butter it was steaming hot. I think that it's just too thick for the vitamix to handle, so now I just buy all my almond butter at Trader Joe's.

  • water baby thnx for the link for bamix. now i know what she is talking about. ive had 2 of of these also bought my sister 1 they all burnt up or ill sy freeze up, maby if i have greased it or something, it might have been better . it was fun making skim milk froth. but it will definatly go out on you with very limited use.

  • here in the states they did imformercials on those thing all the time i got sucked in. really 3 of 3 we had broke. there is no power. sorry. id get a regular imersion blesnder for 29 $ we use all the time for years, no problem. her in the states you dont even see them any were any more

  • Pixx- I use my vitamix for nut/seed butters all the time and I do not add any oil to them. the trick is to keep your nuts/seeds in the freezer so when you want to make butter they are super cold and will not heat up in the vitamix. Sometimes if I know something needs to blend a long time I put the vitamix container in the freezer too. I works wonders.

    Also I use to do the same thing when I made nut butters in the food processor before my vitamix.

  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    Thanks for sharing your experiences, LaEnsalada. Nutbutters really are my big draw for wanting a high power blender. I had wondered if it would be able to.

    nancyk70~ Hmmm, wow- just when I think, ok, I have my answer....along comes yours... lol. Gee. Well, I used to make it in my food processor...slow going. But after 26 years, it decided to give up the ghost last night. Darn-it.

  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    waterbaby12347~ I've considered the Waring. Mainly because it is glass (or optional stainless steel). My concern was I had read a few reviews online that mentioned that the *bottom* of the blender jar (where the blades come up through) is also glass, and that it crumbled into the food. ugh. scary. Good to hear someone with good experiences with one. Ever try to do almond butter in it?

  • Just a quick update to say I got the Bamix and I think it's GREAT! It grinds nuts finer than anything I've managed before (but does need a tad of added oil to make nut butter). The texture of my mylkshakes, green smoothies is amazing. I'm really impressed that a mere 200w can do so much. and it's so quiet that even my toddler daughter tolerates it!

    The only thing which might be an issue for some is the fact that you sometimes need to process things in a couple of stages, i.e. grind nuts in grinding mill then add to big bowl with other ingredients to blend.

    Also it's a good piece of equipment for my non-raw family as it beats eggs etc really well.

    And it cost a quarter of the vitamix. So I'm happy (provided it holds out - it's got a 10 year guarantee so if it busts I'll just get a replacement)

  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    Good to know! Thanks for sharing. :~)

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