I have a vita mix and love it. It really crushes ice well and makes smoothies that are really smooth. My daiquiris have become famous since I purchased this machine LOL.

We drink green smoothies all the time now as well.

For me it was so worth the price. I bought it at Costco and got a bunch of freebies with it like an extra container so that was great.

There is also a yahoo group where you can get tons of info.

I have a Vita-mix and have to say it does a superior job, particlarly for crushing ice and making smoothies (just like loves2cook4six says). When I bought it six years ago there weren't as many choices and I wasn't aware of any other blenders that performed like it did. Is it worth the price tag? A lot of people here on GW are very happy with their warings - is there any chance you can get your hands on one to test it? If it's good enough for what you do, why not save some money?

We blend smoothies every morning and sometimes in the afternoon. Vita Mix is too tall to fit on our counter so we went with the Haier. It's a total workhorse.

Have a Vita-Mix and it is worth every penny! Wait for them to make their way over to Costco... I saved a bundle and got lots of "extras."

You can make more than just smoothies of course. Ice cream (yummy ICY ice cream, not all foamy), soup, sauces, homemade nut butters, chop veggies, grate cheese...

Go for it!! :)

Thanks everyone, for your input!

I also like our Vita Mix. We got it as a wedding gift and I thought it was a bit over the top but if anything were to happen to it I would replace it right away. I try to eat at least four tablespoons of flaxseed per day and I really like that I can put it whole in the VM and have it ground up along with the rest of my smoothie ingredients.

Another vote for Vita Mix here! We've had ours for about 3 years and use it every weekday morning for smoothies. It takes anything we can throw in there (whole unpeeled uncored apples) and grinds it to a very smooth puree. It's amazing. The price does seem "over the top" but we use ours literally every day and have never had a problem.

I did own a Waring blender once, but the Vita Mix is really in a different league than the Waring, which seems underpowered in comparison.

Would you believe that I've had my Vita Mix for close to 30 years? Still works like a dream. Haven't the foggiest recollection of what we paid for it. Just know it's been worth every penny and more!

Hey!! Marthvila - talk to me. Kitchen finished? Send me an e-mail.
R.

I know others love them, but I couldn't see $400 for a blender and didn't have the space to store a big monster. We got a Breville Icon -- not the top of the line, but the next one down because it actually got better reviews and fit our cabinet shelves better. Looks like Macy's has it on sale from time to time for 40-50% off. It is much quieter and blends very smoothly. I'm very happy with it.

LOL! I have an old fashioned (read "old") Oster. I don't grind or crush with it. Or make smoothies. It's made some good cocktails in its time...but since I got an immersion blender it doesn't do soups or anything either. Nope. I don't think I've used it in years.

Get the Vita-Mix.

Since Lascatx recommended her Breville ;-), I'll jump in and ask if you've looked at the BlendTec? I found them when researching VitaMix, and decided to go that direction instead. It is similar in power, etc. to the VitaMix (ours was $399 with 2 pitchers/blender jars), but shorter and squatter...So not only fits under the upper cabs, but is easier to scrape out. It is an amazing blender and we use ours several times daily for icy or frozen fruit smoothies...to supply the 10 of us, it gets a workout! Before buying, I talked to my niece, who manages coffee stores and she said they'd had both BlendTecs and VitaMixes for making their blended ice drinks, and both worked and lasted equally as well. Of course, I can't say I've had it for 30 years, but I hope we will. :-)

I've been leafing through a lot of raw cookbooks lately. Raw foodists prepare food without heat, so they rely heavily on blenders, juicers, food processors and dehydrators as their kitchen utensils.

Every raw food cookbook has a section at the front where they recommend which tools to buy. They pretty much unanimously recommend the following:

Blender = Vita-Mix, every single time.
Juicer = Champion, every single time.
Food Processor = varies
Dehydrator = Excalibur, every single time.

This isn't personal experience, but i'm sure if you invest in the Vita-Mix'er you wont regret it.

Vita-Mix hands down. I have a 25+ year old 3600 model that still goes strong. You can pick this model up used on ebay for around $100 usually. The 4000 model is similar, and also available used. If you go for a new model, buy direct from Vita-Mix, to be assured of getting the guarantee. BTW, you can get a smaller pitcher so it will fit under cabinets. Vita-Mix is a family owned company, and they have fabulous customer service. I would buy another if it ever stopped working, but there's no sign of that.

Lisa

BLENDTEC ALL THE WAY! I have a BlendTec Connoisseur, it's the most amazing blender I've ever owned.

Another vote for BlendTec. I love mine. The old Oster always leaves chunks of ice. The blendTec can make ice into snow.

Here is a link that might be useful: BlendTec will it blend?

OMG those videos are too much, I really want a Blend Tec, but can't really justify getting rid of my bosch. . .

The Vitamix is definitely worth it! I've had several other brands through the years and none have even been comparable.

A Vitamix doesn't just blend, it pulverizes. It's a blender, juicer, food processor, and grinder in one. We use ours several times a day (we're raw foodists): smoothies, juices, soups, sauces, nut butters and milks, guacamole, frozen desserts...etc. and have never had a single complaint. This thing can literally handle anything you can throw in it. They also come with a free 7 year warranty in case you somehow manage to break it. (But it's built like a tank, so I doubt you could.) You can also do a 30 day risk-free trial, if you want to test one out.

They are a bit expensive, but you can at least get free shipping, normally $25(!!!) through affiliate codes like the one here: http://rawblends.com/vitamix-blender

Here is a link that might be useful: Free Shipping Coupon Code

I have used both the Vita-Mix and Waring MX1000 Pro, about 6 months ago I decided to purchase the Waring MX1000 Pro this blender in my opinion outworks the Vita-Mix. It has a 64 oz pitcher, big toggle switches and pulverizes any king of food that you put in it. I wrote a review about it if you are interested in the day to day use on the blender.

Here is a link that might be useful: Waring MX1000 Pro