While I can't answer your specific question, I do have a warning: don't buy anything that is too high-end/expensive. Many of the cheaper models do a good job for what you want and the amount of use it will get. Also, my experience has been: the less expensive the simple to use.

I make smoothies every morning for DH, have used a Vitamix for the past 5 years, very pricey but far superior to any other blender I’ve had in the past. And it can process a handful of ice cubes effortlessly.

I used to have a basic blender (Osterizer?) for a while. It generally worked, and it might be good enough for a rental unit. But the smoothies were never really smooth, it had difficulty mixing thicker blends, and it could even get stuck at times. Also, it was more annoying to clean properly.

About six or seven years ago, we upgraded to a Blendtec. Can't say enough good things about it. It's foolproof, it's a breeze to clean, and it makes perfect smoothies every single time. It does cost a good chunk more money though, and I spent a while agonizing over whether I should spend that much money on a rarely used appliance. Turns out, now that I have a high-end blender, I actually use it several times a week. So, in hindsight, it was a great purchase for us.

A friend of mine just bought the top-of-the-line Ninja. He also seems really happy with it, although it looks to me as if it has more moving parts than my Blendtec and would be a little more difficult to clean. I probably wouldn't recommend it for a rental, as I'd be a little worried renters would lose some of the small parts.

Overall though, I think, the most important thing for a good blender is total power. With a residential 15A 120V outlet, you are limited to just about 1500W or 2HP (give or take). So, not surprisingly, all the better brands will give you exactly that. For commercial use -- especially when experimenting with molecular gastronomy -- it sometimes would be nice to have even more power. But then you need a 240V outlet. So, if you look around, you can in fact find 3000W or 4HP blenders.

But that's way overkill for most residential use. So, stick with the most powerful blender that is in your budget and you should be golden. If you can afford it, you can't go wrong with either Vitamix or Blendtec. They are both rock solid. Costco sometimes has good deals. Otherwise, camelcamelcamel.com is your friend.

Consumer Reports has tested blenders of various types and prices. You may want to check its ratings (https://www.consumerreports.org/join - $10/month digital) and then read owners' reviews on such sites as Amazon and Walmart.

The Ninja CT661V ($150) did well and is not as expensive as many of the others tested though owners seem to like this Ninja CT650 ($100) which isn't as powerful and doesn't have all the accessories which guests may not need anyway.

I too love my Vita-Mix, but I do not think it's the right thing for a guest house. For the wine slushies, I'd think an old fashioned Osterizer would work. Perhaps there's a store, maybe W-S, which will allow you to test them out? Just get one with a glass jar, which looks better and is easier to get spotless. There's one for $35 at Amazon. You could buy ten of them for the price of one Vita-mix, and you don't have to be sad if someone breaks or steals it. In fact, I'd get a few to start with, so you're ready to replace if one breaks.

I also have a Vita-Mix, and it's an OK blender, but there is a learning curve and it sounds like a jet taking off. If you go with that option, be sure to leave an instruction manual or direct them to a YouTube video, the users will need it. Mine is absolutely not intuitive at all.

I agree with plllog, I wouldn't put a blender that expensive in a guest house. You could buy a dozen perfectly serviceable blenders for your stated purposes at approximately the equivalent price of one Vita-Mix and then neither you nor your guests will be upset when they break/quit/walk away.

Annie

Agreed. The fancier blenders are wonderful for your own home, if you have discovered that this is actually an appliance that you use regularly. In that case, get a strong motor. You'll appreciate the better results.

But for a rental, that's absolutely not necessary. Nobody is going to rent your place, just because it has a great blender. Nobody is going to leave bad reviews, because the blender didn't have enough power. And nobody is going to take better care of your property and clean up behind themselves, because they were impressed by the brand name of your countertop appliances.

If it's a rental, get something that is functional, and assume that you'll have to replace it at some time, because bad renters are a fact of life. When that happens, the cost of the unit is the most decisive factor for you.

On the other hand, if this is a house that you rent out on occasion, but that you live in yourself for the rest of the year, then don't hold back quite as much. Buy something that you don't hate using.

"---- - it sometimes would be nice to have even more power. But then you need a 240V outlet. So, if you look around, you can in fact find 3000W or 4HP blenders. ----"

Power is important, but not the whole story. The following are factors for an effective smoothie maker:

1. Rotational speed (RPM) - A 500 HP car engine will make a poor blender because it does not rotate fast enough.

2. Sharpness of blade - The sharper the blade, the finer it can chop the food.

3. Diameter of the blade - Given the same RPM, The larger the blade the faster the blade can cut the food.

4. Fluid dynamics - If the food rotates at the same speed as the blade, nothing will happen to the food. The jar and the blade design needs to create lots of interior turbulence. That's why many good blenders have squarish jars.

5. High power - Enough power to maintain rotational speed at high RPM. For a blender, you need high power, but too high power is useless. Food is not that tough to chop. You can cut steel with a 1 HP angle grinder.

Keeping in mind:

1. Too high power makes too much noise. Some blenders can damage hearing.

2. Too sharp the blades can cut fingers. (Ninja)

3. Some are too heavy to move around.

4. Some are too tall to fit on counter under cabinets.

dcarch

We use a blendtec and love it! The only two I would consider for smoothies would be blendtec or vitamix. They are expensive but last forever and actually work well.

My mother in law bought a ninja brand blender for smoothies and she’s been through four of them in four years. While they work well they just are not built like some of the others. I’m still on our blendtec that’s 7 years old.

I have an Osterizer like this, but right now it is in my garage. I use it mainly for making hot sauce, as it has a glass jar, and I do not want to use my Vitamix with a plastic jar for that. I plan to move this blender to our rental house (where I am right now), but I keep forgetting to bring it.

The Vitamix is much better for blending ice, if you do not want any ice chunks left, but a bit of small pieces of ice are really okay for me, especially considering that the Vitamix costs 10x as much. I've not had any problems with the Osterizer, but like Plllog, I do recommend getting one with a glass jar. The plastic jars can break.

This one might be better because it has a larger base and larger blades. This is what I would buy if I needed another one.

I love our Blendtec. Despite what was said earlier, it actually has blunt blades; and according to Blendtec, that's deliberate and results in smoother and more even blending. The perfectly pulverized slushy ice speaks to that; and my Osterizer definitely never reached the same degree of smoothness.

I use our blender for smoothies, sauces, soups, dressings, marzipan, batter, grains, etc., etc., ... It usually is a breeze to clean up by hand. Just add a small amount of warm water and a drop of detergent and briefly blend this mix. You'll get super sudsy water that cleans everything perfectly. But if the jar got particularly dirty or I used particularly fragrant ingredients, I don't hesitate to stick it into the dishwasher. Comes out perfectly clean every time.

I prefer Blendtec over Vitamix, as it is generally a little cheaper, and as the "Wildside" jar mostly eliminates the need for a tamper. Overall, I find it is a slightly better design than Vitamix, but I don't think you would go wrong with either brand. I am not quite as sold on Ninja, but my friend really likes it for the large number of accessories.

I wouldn't put either one of those into a rental though. They are great for my own use, but with a rental I'd expect that I'd have to replace any small appliance every few years anyway, as some tenant inevitably is going to get "creative" and find a way to either destroy the appliance or lose parts. So, a cheaper but functional blender is a better fit for this application.

I have not tried enough different brands or models to evaluate what is "best"......but my inexpensive and easy to find Black and Decker 10 speed blender works perfectly for me. Makes great smoothies and slushy margaritas and handles ice cubes without issue. Glass jar and fully dishwasher safe. Completely serviceable and functional for $40 or less.

Besides slushies and smoothies, I use it most often to make Hollandaise sauce :-)

I use it most often to make Hollandaise sauce

A microwave and a balloon whisk is all I need. As a matter of fact, I have never mastered the skill of making emulsions (Hollandaise, mayonnaise, aioli, ...) in a blender. I don't know why. It should be easy. On the other hand, I can reliably whip up an emulsion by hand in a few seconds.

Well, since it is in a guest house, I would say go cheap so it's not an issue to replace when it is destroyed. However, since you seem not to be worried about that, I would highly recommend a classically styled Vitamix -- it's worth the money!! They have newer, "fancier" type blenders, but just stick with the standard style. I purchased mine specifically to make smoothies, and it is FANTASTIC!!! I do agree that the Vitamix is LOUD. I wonder if the other poster has one of the non-classic styles, because my Vitamix 7500 has a start/stop switch, pulse switch, and large dial to adjust speed -- it can't get much more intuitive than that. It does also have an overall on/off power switch on the side.....I guess it may be an issue if someone didn't see it, but I certainly would not call this a hard-to-figure-out machine!!

This is the Vitamix 7500 I have -- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LQT6UB2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

$530 versus $40 or less....and for a rental property where the appliance is unlikely to see daily or heavy use. Seems like a no-brainer to me!!

M, not sure why you had difficulty but blender emulsions are just too darn easy and require no more effort than pushing a button.

I love my vitamix, it’s fabulous! However, I’d never invest in one for a vacation rental... but I’d be delighted if I found one in a place I rented! LOL! It would be one of those little things I’d bring up as “a nice touch” in my review.

In my 20's, I had a garage sale Oster 10-speed. It was only used to make drinks. Cocktails were de rigueur, and most of them were blended ice slushies. I never had any problems with the ice.

What it wouldn't do was large solids. They'd bounce on top. So for a smoothie, you'd have to dice an apple, rather than throwing in chunks.

What the Vita-Mix will do is emulsify components that really don't want to unite, and render all your large fruit/veg chunks into liquid without overheating. It'll whirr fast enough to make your liquid hot from the friction, which some people call "soup" (you still need to simmer it to get the flavors to melt, so I'd call it a hot smoothie).

Ear protection is a concern with Vita-Mix or Blendtec. I used to use shooting ear plugs while using my grain mill, but the Vita-Mix laughed at mere gunpowder level ear protection. I got the big earmuff style headgear. You can't make your guests wear the ear protection, even if you provide it. I wouldn't go there for insurance reasons.

I've never noticed my Vitamix being loud.

BLACK+DECKER BL2010BG Countertop Blender with 5-Cup Glass Jar, 10-Speed Settings, Black. Twenty bucks. Couldn't hurt.

I'm only able to add that our Ninja broke fairly quickly and the replacement followed. We replaced it with a Vitamix and no further issues. I don't use it much myself but SWMBO and DS use it all the time.

Why not write to the companies and see who would be interested in doing a product placement with you. :)

The only blenders one sees on TV a lot are Ninja and Magic Bullet. John's experience aside, there are a lot of people who do like Ninjas. I don't know if that's just until they break, however.

Re the noise from pro blenders, in juice shops and the like, they have them in acrylic boxes to dampen some of the noise. OTOH, maybe your guests would be interested in trying a Vita-Mix or Blendtec and hearing for themselves. You could put a couple ear protectors in the room. They're pretty cheap, and easily cleaned with a disinfecting towelette.

My Blendtec is loud, but not that loud. It's too loud to have conversation at the same time. But it only runs for about a minute anyway. And it's not so loud that you'd need ear protection. I believe the Vitamix is pretty much the same loudness.

Honestly, both Vitamix and Blendtec are very comparable.

Blenders on Amazon

• Belndtec: $205 to $844
• Vitamix: $270 to $1036

Yeah, right.

We like our Nutri-bullet a lot.

My VitaMix is a 5000 "Total Nutrition" variety. I got it in an auction box for $8 plus change and then paid another $35 for a lid and some gear or another that Elery replaced. Works fine, but it has three "controls" on the front. One is on/off, one is the dial that turns it from 1-10 in speed and the third one is hi/lo. You have to turn it on, then slowly turn the dial up, THEN and ONLY THEN can you flip the switch to high if you want to heat soup or whatever. VitaMix instructions are available on line and caution that if you turn it onto high before you slowly turn the dial to 10, you can do something horrible to the thing, I forget what.

Now, my impulse would be to turn the blender on and flip the switch to "high" if I wanted more speed, I'd not think that the dial was to regulate any normal blending and that it would have to be at full power before I dared touch that "high" switch.

And it's loud. Really loud, and the higher the speed, the louder it is. It'll crush ice and I haven't tried to heat soup, but I just used it to make a batch of crepes for Saturday breakfast with the grandkids, so it works. I did make hummus once but cleaning it was such a pain that I'll never do that again.

I actually use the blender less than once a month as I detest smoothies and ice cream shakes (nasty texture) and neither my husband nor I drink. Neither of my daughters drink alcohol as they are on medications that have adverse affects, and two of Elery's kids don't drink either. As a result we don't make margaritas or whatever and seldom need crushed ice.

Annie

Belndtec: $205 to $844

Quoting prices without context is really pointless. Yes, there is a super expensive model. But that's not what most of us are talking about. That's the model that comes closest to the commercial models, it has a sound-dampening enclosure, and it comes with an impressive 10 year warranty. If that's what you want, you presumably know it, and why are you even bothering with this conversation :-)

The model that everybody is talking about in this thread is more likely something like the Blendtec Total Blender Classic (I own an earlier version of this model and I really like it). According to camelcamelcamel.com, it sometimes goes on sale for as low as $180. Or if you need a few more features, then maybe the Blendtec Designer 625 for about $340. That's a bit more pricey, and I am not sure I personally see the value proposition. You do get a second jar (that's nice), but other than that you mostly pay for a nicer user interface. IMHO, probably not necessary, but some people obviously like it. There also are a few other models in the price range between these two. That's probably more where I'd start looking, if I was in the market for a replacement.

So, in other words, we are talking about anything between $180 and around $340. That's obviously a lot more than a $30 Osterizer. But the only people who should even consider buying a fancy blender are probably using their blender several times a week. And then, $180 is really not all that outrageous. Within the first year, it costs about $1 per use -- and of course a good blender is expected to live much longer than a year.

If the smoother blending and the larger variety of ingredients that you can blend are important to you, then go for one of these models. If you use your blender sparingly and not for anything challenging, then don't. It's as easy as that.

I think the $20 Black & Decker might be your best bet. I checked my garage after I got back from Cathedral City and found that I have an old Black & Decker instead of an Osterizer.

Yesterday I received the Osterizer that I ordered for our vacation rental house, and I was a bit disappointed with it because the brushed nickel finish is actually plated plastic that is very thin. Also, it makes about twice as much noise as my Vitamix, but I must have one of the quieter Vitamix blenders. I still plan to put the Osterizer in the CC house and keep the old B&D in my garage, to use when I make Habanero sauce, which is extremely hot. I make this sauce often enough to need a dedicated blender for it, but I do not need one that is all that powerful. I do the blending of the hot sauce in the back yard, so that I do not get fumes in the kitchen, and I wear a swim mask and snorkel so that my face is protected from the fumes.

I haven't tried to blend anything with the new Osterizer, but I will post a review after I do. I did turn the motor on, to compare it with my Vitamix. I do like the blades, which appear to have an interesting design so that food is pulled both up and down.

I do like the blades, which appear to have an interesting design so that food is pulled both up and down.

Blendtec addresses this question on their website. And from my minimal sampling set (one Osterizer and one Blendtec), I think they do have a valid point. In my experience, the Blendtec does a better job both at pulverizing and at mixing evenly than my old blender:

Blendtec blades are made of cold-forged hardened steel and are up to 80% thicker and 10 times stronger than other blender blades. They're also blunt instead of sharp. Why? With a blade that spins over 300 miles per hour, it doesn't need to be sharp to get the job done. Instead of chipping away at ice and frozen fruit with sharp edges, the large, blunt design pulverizes virtually anything. And it’s completely safe to clean, too.

My Vitamix is the 5300 model, and it is very quiet. It took some doing to find out which one I had, but I found VM0 102D on the back, and that translated to 5300, even though I do not find that number on my blender.

Today I made a papaya smoothie in the new Osterizer with mostly papaya (I had a 5# one and used about 1/3 of it), 2 tbsp frozen limeade concentrate , ice (enough to fill a 12 oz. glass), and two scoops of whey protein. I used the Smoothie setting on the blender, and it did some weird (to me) things, such as going from slow to fast to slow to extremely fast, etc, and I thought perhaps it was broken, but then I realized that when I make smoothies in my Vitamix, I do this manually. It also has several other settings that I think are useful (you can see them on Amazon), but the "Smoothie" setting puréed the ice extremely quickly, and the end result was equal to what I get with my Vitamix.

That said, you could still spend less than $20 for the Black & Decker that Wdccruise recommended. The Osterizer would be a nice upgrade, if you want to spend $30 more, and I will be taking mine to my vacation rental house. I'll make sure to take the instruction booklet too, which I have not yet read! The B&D is not as loud as the Osterizer, but since I have it on for such a short time, that is not much of an issue for me. Also, you will get grainy Margaritas from the B&D but not from the Osterizer.