Blendtec Designer Series vs Vitamix 7500



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Designer vs 7500

The latest go head-to-head

The performance blender battle continues on with each brand releasing new models. In this comparison review we look at how the latest Blendtec Designer Series blender stacks up against the new Vitamix 7500.

We put the two best blenders side-by-side.

Learn which super blender is better for YOU.

Performance  |  Best-Buys  |  Controls  |  Warranty  |  Containers  |  Bottom Line

compare

With over 10 years of health and blender education, we use Blendtec and Vitamix blenders a LOT. These blenders carry hefty price tags, but as the saying goes… “you get what you pay for”. This review focuses specifically on the latest models (at the time of publication) and the difference between them – Blendtec Designer Series and Vitamix 7500.

    Vitamix 7500   Blendtec Designer Series
Dimensions   17.5" x 7.7" x 9.4"   15" x 7" x 9.25"
Speed Controls   Variable Speed (plus pulse)   8 steps (plus Pulse)
RPMs   ~500 – 37,000 RPMs   ~4,080 – 28,000 RPMs
Power   12.0 amps / 1380 watts   13 amps / 1560 watts
User Control   Switches
Variable Speed Dial
  Capacitive Touch Screen
Program cycles
Grain Grinding   Yes   Yes
Colors Available   Black, White or Red   Black, White, Red or Champagne

Designer vs 7500 – Blending Performance.

POWER:

The Designer Series blender and the 7500 are amongst the most powerful blenders made for home use. These are by no means your "average blender". Blending performance is essentially determined by the power and torque of the motor and the design of the blade and container. They have no problems crushing ice, making smoothies, nut butters, nut milks, purees, dressings, hot soup and the list goes on. Both blender also have no issue grinding grains and making flour.

While there is a slight difference in the power that they draw, the Blendtec 13 amps/1560 watts vs Vitamix 7500 at 12 amps/1380 watts, bottom line, there is no practical difference between their blending power. Simply put, these blenders can handle any food product you care to put in them and spending time to determine if one is more powerful is frankly a waste of time.

SPEED and CHOPPING:

While there is a slight difference in the reported maximum speeds of the spinning blades, for all intent purposes it is negligible. The major difference between the Designer Series and 7500 is in the low speed control. On its lowest speed setting, the Blendtec Designer Series spins at ~ 4100 RPMs. This is faster than the Vitamix 7500 low speed of ~ 500 RPMs. The next speed level of the Blendtec jumps to about 8000 RPM while the Vitamix allows for a more gradual increase in speed. The result is that you have variable control and lower speeds with a Vitamix. This means that you can more easily accomplish chopping tasks with the Vitamix. Making chunky salsa or fine chopping soup vegetables for example is more easily done with the Vitamix 7500 than with the Blendtec Designer Series.

NOISE:

As with most electrical appliances, with great power comes great noise. Blenders in general are loud machines and very powerful blenders are very loud machines. That being said, these two models have been deemed to be the "quietest" blender each company has made for the home market. In general, Blendtec blenders tend to be louder than Vitamix blenders. The Designer Series blenders are a bit quieter than their predecessors the Total Blender but honestly, we could only perceive a slight difference when running them side by side. The Vitamix 7500 is being marketed as 40% quieter than the 5200.

Warranty and Durability

When it comes to small electrical appliances there is no better warranty offered. Both Blendtec and Vitamix come with a 7-Year Warranty. Both companies are well known for their great customer service and honoring their warranties without question. Do note that commercial use of the Blendtec Designer Series and the Vitamix 7500 will void this warranty. Since both companies market their blenders as "Professional" or "Commercial Quality" this fact is sometimes overlooked.

These blenders are built to perform and to last. Vitamix has proven their worth and durability by making high-end blenders for more than 70 years, and without a doubt the Vitamix 7500 is surely no exception. Blendtec has been making blenders for the home market for about 20 years now and have proven themselves as a solid quality company in both the commercial and home use arenas.

Another great benefit of either one of these blenders is that they are American Made Products. Vitamix 7500 is Made in the USA and Blendtec Designer Series is Designed and Assembled in the USA. You can be confident in your purchase no matter which one you choose.

Blending Volume, Containers and Jars.

    Vitamix Compact 64 oz.   Blendtec WildSide
Dimensions   10.1" x 7" x 7" (with lid)   9.5" x 7" x 7" (with lid)
Total Volume   90 ounces   90 ounces
Blending Volume   UL rated 64 ounces   ~45 ounces recommended
Blade   2 prong, ~4 inch stainless steel hammermill blades   Single prong, ~4 inch stainless steel wingtip blade
Material   BPA-Free plastic   BPA-Free plastic

CONTAINERS:

The blending containers of both blenders are all made of BPA-Free plastic. The Vitamix 7500 comes with their latest low-profile 64-ounce container (a major improvement over their previous container) and can accommodate all other Vitamix containers including the 48 oz compact container, 32 oz container, and dry grains container. The Designer Series comes with a choice of jars, the large volume WildSide or the standard FourSide. You also have the option to purchase the Combo which includes both jars and the optional Blendtec Twister Jar.

The WildSide Jar has long been celebrated as top performing large volume container. Blendtec blending jars are known for their simple square design that allow for easy access and cleaning. The WildSide Jar takes the square design to another level by adding a small 5th side to create a better blending vortex than the simple 4-side design of the FourSide. The shorter design of the jars has been a strong deciding factor for many shoppers regarding in the Blendtec vs Vitamix decision. This shorter design allows for the complete blender to fit under users kitchen cabinets and be kept on their counter-top.

The new Vitamix 64-ounce container that comes with the Vitamix 7500 is truly the best blending container that Vitamix has created. It is wider and shorter than before. This means that like Blendtec, your Vitamix is now short enough to remain on counters and fit under most kitchen cabinets with the container on top. Another common topic among comparisons is the tamper. Each Vitamix container comes with an exclusive tamper.

VOLUME:

The new Vitamix 64-ounce compact holds a total volume of 90 ounces and is UL rated to blend 64 oz. with volume markings to 64 ounces. This differs a bit from Blendtec blending jars. The Blendtec WildSide Jar has a total volume of 90 oz. with markings up to 36 ounces.

Blendtec markets a "one blade does it all", both wet and dry blending in one jar. Vitamix offers a dry-grains container specific for grain grinding and making flour. Both the Vitamix standard container and Blendtec Jars perform nearly equally in doing dry blending. (You can get more details in our complete comparison here, -» Dry Blending)

Controls and Features

The real difference between these 2 super blenders is in their controls and how you operate them.

As described above both are similar in their power, durability, warranty and ability to blend anything. The main difference between them is in their controls. This is the feature most likely to determine which blender would be better for you.

The Vitamix 7500 retains time-tested basic controls with its unique Variable Speed Dial and simple switches for on/off and pulse. The Blendtec Designer Series is more about “high-tech” technology with its capacitive touch screen and programmed blending cycles.

An advantage of the Vitamix is its Variable Speed control dial. The dial allows for complete control of your blending process and gives you multiple speeds from ~500RPM to ~37000RPM. Other controls on the Vitamix include the on/off switch, the start/stop switch and the pulse switch. Like all other Vitamix blenders, the 7500 comes standard with a tamper. The tamper is a useful tool which can be very helpful for some applications such as making frozen creations, nut butters and thick puddings. With other blenders, you would need to add more liquid to blend or stop the blender to manually push ingredients into the blades. Vitamix blenders will run for as long as you keep them on. This is a nice feature to have when you need to blend for extended times; like when making hot soup. It does have built in thermal protection and will shut off to prevent damage from overheating.

For those who desire high-tech gadgets, the Blendtec Designer Series is likely to please. The capacitive touch control panel functions similar to new smart phone screens. When off, the screen is blank and black, when turned on the control icons are visible for selecting speed and program cycles. Its major advantage is that comes standard with 6 program cycles, the same as the Blendtec Total Blender, for Smoothie, Ice Cream, Ice Crush, Whole Juice, Soups and Batters. For some, this feature is the deciding factor. The Smart-Touch Tec-nology™ blending cycles allows you to press a button and have the blender cycle through a specific program of speeding up and down for a certain amount of time. We found the blending cycles to be incredible when/if you are able to match a program with a recipe that you regularly make.

Bottom Line:

Blendtec Designer Series may be a better choice for you if:

  • you want your blender to have program cycles
  • you like to push a button and let it blend on its own
  • you prefer high-tech computer controlled – digital display blenders
  • you prefer a smaller-sized blender

Vitamix 7500 may be a better choice for you if

  • you prefer more control over the speed and time of blending
  • you like a heavier, industrial-feel blender
  • you prefer simple mechanical buttons and dials
  • you like using a tamper

No matter which blender you chose, you will own a quality blender!

Best Buys for your Blendtec Designer Series or Vitamix 7500

Vitamix 7500Vitamix

 

 

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» Click here to order your Vitamix 7500


Blendtec Designer SeriesBlendtec
» Click here to order your Designer Series

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BLENDTEC Designer or VITAMIX 7500 – Why?

2 Comments

Join the discussion and tell us your opinion.

Ginareply
November 23, 2012 at 7:09 pm

how does this compare to Vitamix® 1363 CIA Professional Blender or the Vitamix 5200?

Got Greensreply
November 24, 2012 at 10:22 am
– In reply to: Gina

Gina, the CIA Professional is the same blender as the 5200 (see this comparison).

As for how the Designer Series compare, see this Blendtec vs Vitamix comparision.

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