I bought this machine over a month ago when our old processor/blender combo (different vessels with an interchangeable motor) burned out. I am 17, and I had been planning on saving up for a Vitamix for when I moved out and just living with our crappy combo until then. With my mother's permission (after giving her a very long rant on how awesome a Vitamix is), I searched for the best price all over the internet - Amazon, Overstock, Craigslist and eBay. This one, the Vitamix 1700 Turbo Blend 4500 Countertop Blender with 2+ HP Motor, was the best.
Now, of course on craigslist and eBay I found cheaper prices on Vitamix blenders, but for an unused, incredibly-powerful blender with a 5-year warranty (I think for a bit extra it can even be upped to 7) this price was the best.
I will now lay out the pros and cons, the latter of which are few.
Pros:
- The tamper. Whoever designed this tamper deserves a lifetime of happiness. Why don't ALL blenders come with a tamper? Seriously, my old Cuisinart's performance would have improved GREATLY had it come with a tamper. Instead, I'd have to blend on the highest setting and then turn it off, move stuff around with a spoon, and go again. The tamper greatly reduces blending time.
- You can make really, really thick things with this blender. I'm not one for watery smoothies - spoonable ones are best. I now make fruit smoothies so thick I just call them sorbets. You can also make nut butters, ice creams and when it becomes cooler out I'll be making some nice and thick soups in this.
- Things that normal blenders can't handle really do get obliterated in this. I don't like to blend for very long (long being over thirty seconds, haha) so sometimes things like raspberry and strawberry seeds won't get completely ground up, but if you were more patient they certainly would disappear (it's also much easier for the machine to grind them if the concoction is less thick). I absolutely LOVE that I can hide whole, raw carrots (no peeling or snipping off ends required) in my strawberry sorbets without affecting flavor or texture. When I'm in the mood for a more watery smoothie, I'll even add a whole cucumber to it (the taste might take some getting used to; I add some lemon juice to help with this, so it tastes like a lemon-berry smoothie).
- Clean up, as I was pleasantly surprised to find, is a breeze. If you just blend the dirty container in some hot water (sometimes I don't even bother with soap if it was just some fruit, veggies and water), it will be like brand-new. If you wait a while to clean it so that a simple rinse doesn't work, it's still not difficult to do. Just blend some hot water in it, let it sit for a few minutes with the top on so dried-on bits will absorb the water, pour the dirty water out, rinse it out, and take a clean cloth/paper towel/napkin and wipe off anything that didn't come off on its own (it won't take much effort). Give a final rinse and let it dry. Do occasionally give it a proper wash with soap and water in the sink, but it's not necessary most of the time.
- It works just as well as a food processor, perhaps even better because it makes it much smoother than a processor will.
- The top fits INTO the vessel, not ON it. This greatly reduces splashes and drips, as even if some liquid DOES get through the seal that the almost-airtight top creates, it will stay in the lip of the vessel and not go dripping down the sides.
- Although the price seems steep, I truly believe that it is cost-efficient, especially given how much I use it.
- You don't have to worry about burning out the motor, because it will turn itself off if it starts to get too stressed/overheated. This has only happened to me once, and it had been running for quite a while.
Cons:
- The "kickstart" can be a little harsh, even on the lowest setting. I understand that on Vitamix machines with more than 2 speeds, you can start it at an even lower setting, so the splash isn't as bad, but that's the only upside I see to those much more expensive machines - two speeds has worked fine for me. I don't mind it too much, but if you're using the tamper, you want to make sure that you press the tamper down, sealing the hole that it fits through, as you start the machine, otherwise you could end up with a mess on your hands if it splashes upon start-up.
- Grinding nut butters out of just whole nuts is really, really hard. I don't like to add oil to my nut butters, and water doesn't help at all. Even if I roast them beforehand to get the oils working, it just doesn't comply. To fix this I just buy salt-and-sugar-free almond butter (super cheap at Trader Joe's), add the whole container to the Vitamix, then add salt and loads of roasted nuts and seeds, like almonds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, walnuts, et cetera. It blends beautifully this way, so it's not a huge problem, but it is very difficult to manage otherwise. The few times I've strayed from the method have been unproductive.
That being said, grinding shredded coconut to make coconut butter is a BREEZE and it produces very smooth results that I haven't been able to get in the food processor.
- If you're making a thick, perhaps sticky product, like nut butter, and are trying to get it all out, it can take some effort. I usually remedy this by making something that will go well with what I've just made, like a smoothie. If not, you can just blend it with water and it'll go away; I just dislike that it can produce waste if you don't feel like eating something afterward to use up the stuff stuck in the container.
- The sound is a bit loud and bothersome, but thankfully it blends so quickly that you don't need to be subjected to the sound for very long.
- It's not sentient, which makes getting married to it really difficult.
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Reviews with images
The Vita-Mix 5000 will rock your world!
* I am writing this review about the 5000 since it is an older model and I cannot find a better place to review it. I also wanted to include my pictures. *I purchased this blender after the Cook's Illustrated "Best Buy" winner died (broke) after about a month of hard-core smoothie making...and instead of spending $5 a day on a smoothie, I bought this blender.And I couldn't be happier.This thing is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Yes, it's loud. VERY loud. But what it can do completely makes up for it. I had been considering the Blendtec, but went with the Vitamix because I wanted the plunger - and it indeed comes in very handy.All I have made in this blender so far (and I have had it about two years) is smoothies and mixed drinks...and it excels at both. (I will be trying baby food in the near future.)The most impressive thing is that you can throw in WHOLE PIECES OF FRUIT (stems, seeds, and all) and have it turn into a perfectly smooth smoothie (see user photos).I highly HIGHLY recommend this blender, and think it will rock your world. You will never want to use a cheapo blender again.
