Blendtec vs Vitamix - Blending Performance.

Both Blendtec vs Vitamix easily crush ice, make hot soups and nut butters, grind seeds, puree fruit and a whole lot more. While the Vitamix 5200 draws less power at 11.5 amps/1380 watts vs Blendtec's 13 amps/1560 watts, we have yet to find anything the Blendtec can blend that the Vitamix can not (we only do food - no iPhones, furniture, or automobiles tested).

 

Speed and Chopping: Vitamix speed control has a greater range of 500 to 37,000 RPM, allowing for control at slower speeds compared to the Blendtec RPM of 4,080 to 28,000. While neither blender is designed to be a good chopper, the low variable speed control of the Vitamix does allow for better chopping results.

Both blenders are loud compared to a common kitchen blender but
Blendtec is noticeably louder

Horsepower: We choose to ignore advertised horsepower of Blendtec vs Vitamix and compare the actual power they use (amps/watts). We do this for 3 reasons.

1) True performance incorporates more factors than just raw power. Both the Vitamix and Blendtec have sufficient power and torque to break through plant cell walls and blend any food product.

2) Horsepower can be measured in several different ways and reported differently. Therefore HP does not give a usable measurement for performance comparison.

3) Horsepower is not recognized in the International System of Units (SI).

While many Blendtec review sites selling Blendtec continue to advertise "3 Horsepower" you should keep the above in mind and note that even the official Blendtec site no longer makes mention of horsepower.

 

*A note about the new Blendtec Total Blender Designer Series. While this latest release offers an impressive new design, for all intent purposes it performs the same as a Blendtec Classic WildSide. It's the same motor, power and jar - the user controls are redesigned as a touch pad.

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Blendtec vs Vitamix - Warranty and Durability.

The Vitamix 5200 and Blendtec are both very powerful and do a great job at blending just about anything. The Vitamix 5200 is bigger in size, having a more heavy-duty and industrial feel while the Blendtec Blender is smaller and more manageable in size.

Vitamix still has the industry's best warranty with a complete 7-Years Full Use. Blendtec's warranty has recently changed with their price increase to a 7-year warranty (but only if bought through Blendtec direct or a Authorized Blendtec Dealer). Extended warranties are available direct from both companies at a cost and on occasion club stores such as Vitamix Costco and Sam's Club offer extensions on Blendtec.

 

Blendtec and Vitamix are both made in the USA and are known for honoring their warranties without hassle. You can be confident in your purchase.

 

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Blendtec vs Vitamix - Blending Containers/Jars.

All current Blendtec and Vitamix containers are BPA-Free copolyester plastic. Both blenders' "standard" package comes with a "64oz" container. A unique feature to Vitamix is that you can replace or exchange their blades by removing them but there is no such option for a Blendtec as the blade and container is essentially one piece.

 

Blendtec boasts a one blade does it all, both wet and dry blending in a single container. Vitamix offers a separate "dry grains" container. Think you need a separate Vitamix dry grains container to grind grains? You don't, see -» Dry Blending

 

Blendtec vs Vitamix container volume. While both blenders' standard containers are "64 oz" the Vitamix container is UL rated to blend at a 64 oz capacity. The Blendtec jar can not operate when at capacity; Blendtec recommends filling their containers 1/2 full to operate while Vita-Mix says you can fill them to the 64oz top.

 

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Blendtec vs Vitamix - Controls and Ease of Use.

Blendtec vs Vitamix - both easy to use but their controls make the difference.

Vitamix 5200 offers complete manual control over your blending pleasure with its variable speed dial in addition to a Hi/Lo switch. Every Vitamix comes with a tamper to assist in blending solid and whole (uncut) foods without stopping the blender. The tamper is NOT needed for most applications but is extremely helpful in making frozen entrees, nut butters and thick puddings. With the Blendtec, large items sometimes need to be cut smaller or additional liquid is needed to blend completely without stopping the blender and pushing ingredients into the blades (this need is somewhat reduced when using the larger WildSide Jar).

 

Blendtec presents Smart-Touch Tec-nology™ allowing you to push a button and walk away to have it run through a hands free automatic program cycle that stops when completed. Blendtec is a microprocessor controlled machine with digital display that keeps track of blending times and cycles. The display also allows for selection of which pre-programmed cycle to run and assign to your program buttons (available only with the Blendtec HP3A series).

 

While the Blendtec program cycles are very handy for some applications, we sometimes find the need to continue blending after the program completes to finish the job to our satisfaction. Blendtec does offer some manual control with its 'up', 'down' and 'pulse' buttons to cycle through its 10 speeds as needed.

 

Your Vitamix will continue to run until manually shut off or until the thermal protection kicks in to prevent overheating. Blendtec will automatically shut off after a maximum of 50 seconds of continuous blending (or when the chosen program cycle ends).

 

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Blendtec vs Vitamix - Smoothie Making.

Blendtec vs Vitamix - both blenders do an excellent job at turning out delicious fruit smoothies no matter the ingredients.

 

We've used our Blendtec thousands of times (it includes a digital usage counter) and have found that the program cycles were not able to create a super smooth green smoothie in a single pass - but fear not as every Blendtec offers manual buttons for control over your blending desires, so most things are possible. For common blends and fruit smoothies the Blendtec program cycles can be a blessing.

The Vitamix 5200 consistently makes creamy and super smooth green smoothies without the tamper no matter how much greens we pack in the container.

 

Both the Blendtec and the Vitamix 5200 process food sufficiently
to break down plant cell walls resulting in better nutrition

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Blendtec vs Vitamix - Dry Blending and Making Flour.

Do you need a Vitamix Dry Grains Container?

In our Blendtec vs Vitamix reviews we get a lot of questions about what the difference is in how these two blenders grind grain and make flour. We have done a lot of seed and grain grinding using all 3 containers (Blendtec, Vitamix wet-blade and Vitamix dry-blade) to find how they truly compare.

 

Blendtec and the standard Vitamix 5200 "wet blade" container
blend dry ingredients the same

 

 

REVIEW RESULTS:

Both blenders have no issue with grinding large amounts of seeds, such as flax or sesame, although we generally prefer our dedicated coffee grinder for those tasks.

The Blendtec and Vitamix standard "wet blade" containers grind wheat berries pretty much the same. The flour appears identical in texture, consistency and temperature. We do notice that it takes slightly less time to fully grind the berries with the Blendtec.

The Vitamix Dry Grains container does do a superior job of grinding. In a shorter amount of time the flour is noticeably finer with a more consistent texture and did not get as hot in the process. The Vitamix dry-blade is designed to produce an "opposite vortex" which evenly pushes the flour up the sides as it grinds.

 

Bottom Line: no additional container/blade required for either. If your plans include only a limited amount of grain grinding, both the Blendtec and Vitamix 5200 Standard will do an adequate job. But, if you plan on doing a significant amount of grain grinding then the Vitamix dry grains container (Vitamix Super or Vitamix Deluxe) would definitely be a wise investment.

Or... as Blendtec recommends:
"To get a very fine grind and to keep the nutrients, always use the Kitchen Mill."

The Blendtec Kitchen Mill is designed specifically for grain processing and does a superior job compared to any blender we have experienced.

 

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Blendtec vs Vitamix - Juicing.

A common question by many regarding these quality blenders is "can it make juice?". While both the Blendtec and Vitamix make incredible smoothies, it is important to note that they are not "juicers". What they do make is "wholefood juice". The important difference is that Juicers extract the liquid from whole foods separating out the fiber and blenders do not remove anything from the whole food so you get all the natural fiber - thus a wholefood juice.

If you really want to make juice without the fiber in your Vitamix or Blendtec, you need to take an extra step after blending. You have to strain the wholefood juice to remove the fiber and pulp. While not as effective as a juicer, you can accomplish this using cheesecloth or a nut milk bag.

If you plan on juicing a lot then you should consider a quality extract juicer - see the juicers we recommend.

 

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Blendtec vs Vitamix - Clean Up.

Unlike general kitchen blenders, neither the Vitamix nor Blendtec have an easy option to remove the bottom blade housing to access the jar for cleaning.

 

The 2 prong blade and smooth square design of the Blendtec container does result in easier access to remove and clean your blended goodness than the more narrow, 4 prong blade Vitamix design.

 

When it comes to cleaning, both the Blendtec and Vitamix reviews agree, clean up is easy by putting in some hot water with soap and blending. Neither container should be put in a dishwasher. The most important factor for easy clean up is to wash your container immediately after use.

 

*Dishwasher machine use: some readers have shared that they put their containers in the dishwasher to clean. Blendtec states that it is okay to put their jar in the dishwasher while Vitamix states that you should not. We recommend that you don't put either Blendtec or Vitamix containers in the dishwasher - continual dishwasher use will compromise the seal and bearings of the blade housing over time due to extreme temperatures and detergents and if you have older containers that are not BPA-Free they will out-gas.

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