KitchenAid Pro Line Series Blender Review

KitchenAid steps it up with the release of the Pro Line Series blenders, which they claim to be the most powerful blender you can buy for your home.

Power is particularly important to those looking to quickly and easily incorporate healthful, nutritious foods into their diet.
~ Derek Ernst, global marketing director KitchenAid

This beast of a machine offers up 1800 watts of power with 3.5 peak horsepower. In addition to variable speed blending SOME models also include pre-set hands-free program cycles as well as a dual wall Thermal Control Jar.

Where is the » Best Price for the KitchenAid Pro Line Blender?

Confusion before release

The Pro Line will be offered in five colors at two price levels. What has not been made clear, is that there are actually two different models, indicated by color & jar which determines the price point. While all are “Pro Line Series”, the “standard” Pearl White and Onyx Black models do not have the “upgraded” features of the Imperial Black, Medallion Silver, and Candy Apple Red machines which adds about $100 to the price.

KitchenAid Pro Line Blender Review

KitchenAid is not new to blender ingenuity. With the recent release of their magnet drive Torrent Blender, they had proven themselves as serious blender innovators. Upon first view of these beautiful machines it is obvious KitchenAid has created them for serious blending giving consumers what they want in a high-performance blender. Made of commercial grade die cast metal – housing, knobs, and dials – you can instantly recognize the elegant style that distinguishes KitchenAid.

CONTROL

At first glance it appears obvious that the Pro Line Series is made to compete directly with Vitamix. They have the same controls – Variable 11-Speed dial, Pulse switch, and Start/Stop switch. Additionally, every model comes standard with a Pre-set cleaning cycle, like the Vitamix models that offer cycles.

BLENDING JAR & TAMPER

Pro Line blenders come with a large, dishwasher-safe BPA-free blending jar and a new and improved Flex-Edge tamper! This isn’t just your regular tamper to push ingredients into spinning blades but it also doubles as a spatula to scrape the sides of the container during blending. A very nice improvement to the tamper.

POWER

At 1800 watts and 3.5 peak horsepower, the Pro Line blenders truly have the most raw power of any home blender with one exception, the Blendtec Pro 800 is a 1800 watt, 3.8 peak horsepower blender.

WARRANTY

These blenders are “Designed, engineered and assembled in USA”. KitchenAid Pro Line Series blenders jump into the market with a longer, 10-year, warranty period than their direct competitors Blendtec (8) and Vitamix (7). The warranty is a 10-year limited replacement warranty that is extended to owners in all of US and Canada.

How the Standard and Upgraded Models Compare

The “standard” versions of the Pro Line Series include colors Pearl White and Onyx Black. In addition to all the features above, the blending jar that comes with them is a 60-oz single-walled jar.

UPGRADE

For about $100 more you can choose an “upgraded” Pro Line Thermal Control Jar version of the Pro Line in Candy Apple Red, Imperial Black, or Medallion Silver. These versions also come with some additional features not found on the “standards”.

THERMAL CONTROL JAR

The blending jar included with these models is KitchenAid’s new Exclusive Thermal Control Jar. This differs from the standard 60-oz in that it is a wider, stronger, double-walled jar (you can see the difference in the image to the left) which provides added insulation for blending. This benefits you in allowing for faster, more efficient heating of soup and it retains heat for a longer period of time. A minor compromise for this benefit is that you lose a small amount, 4 ounces, of blending capacity, the total volume being 56-oz. We are thinking this Thermal design could also result in some reduction of sound volume when blending… we will be testing that theory soon.

RECIPE PROGRAMS

All Pro Line blenders have the wash cycle to the far right of the dial but the upgrade models come with Adapti-Blend™ recipe programs on the left side of the dial. These are 3 additional settings for hands-free automatic blending cycles which include: Smoothies, Juices, and Soups. Programmed blending cycles have been around a long time for commercial blenders but it wasn’t until Blendtec introduced them to the home market about 10 years ago. Now pre-set blending cycles are found on many high-end blenders.

COMPARISON CHART

	Standard	Upgrade
Watts:	1800	1800
HP:	3.5	3.5
Speeds:	11 (variable)	11 (variable)
Control:
Cycles:	1: Clean	4: Clean, Smoothie, Juice, Soup
Jar:	60 ounce single-wall	56 ounce dual-wall Thermal Control
Warranty:	10-Years	10-Years
Colors:	Pearl White / Onyx Black	Candy Apple Red / Imperial Black / Medallion Silver
List Price:	$449	$549

Conclusion

This is not just another new company cheap knock-off of the blenders we’ve come to respect and rely upon. KitchenAid’s Pro Line Series blenders are a welcomed addition to the high-performance market. They bring quality and improved innovation with a well-known trusted brand. If you are shopping for a long-lasting high-performance blender that you can count on, the Pro Line delivers at a price in line with its competitors with a longer warranty.