Kitchen Blenders

Posts Tagged ‘Vita Mix’

My daughter received the Vita-Mix Super 5200 last Christmas, and she has already destroyed two of the hollow plastic Tampers. Thankfully, both were replaced by Vita-Mix, but only after some assertive arguing with the Vita-Mix customer service reps. The Vita-Mix is an awesome machine, with numerous uses. On their website, Vita-Mix states that it is, “Engineered to perform, engineered to last”. The included Tamper (Accelerator Tool/Tamper, as it’s called by Vita-Mix) was “engineered” to shred if it should come in contact with the rotating blades. While that was a good idea, much more consideration should have been given to engineering a Tamper that would not be able to contact the blades in the first place. The Vita-Mix “Use and Care Manual” cautions that “Excessive force may cause the Accelerator Tool/Tamper to extend too far into the container and possibly cause damage to the blades”. My daughter read the manual and she read that caution … and she has exercised caution …. but both times the Tamper got shredded were while my daughter was grinding nut butters. And both times, the Tamper was pulled, not pushed downward into the rotating blades … and both times, the nut butter ingredients were wasted because the tip of the hollow Tamper shredded into thousands of tiny pieces of plastic. Obviously, after the first incident, my daughter was extremely careful when using the Tamper … but the second time, the tamper AGAIN got pulled into the blades again. “PULLED” (read further), not pushed. The Vita-Mix Tamper and lid design has problems … and, if you check the check the internet, you’ll find that others have experienced identical problems (shredding the Vita-Mix Tamper). Vita-Mix customer service reps told me that they don’t hear many reports of their Tampers shredding, but I’m willing to bet that this is mostly because replacement Tampers are available and cheaper on sites other than the Vita-Mix website.

Vita-Mix Tamper, problems:

The “Use and Care Manual” shows a picture (drawing) of the “Current Accelerator Tool/Tamper”. That picture is incorrect/misleading. It shows a Tamper with a “step” in the middle of its length, and it appears that the “step” is square cornered. The “step” is NOT square cornered, it is chamfered or beveled. That “step” is what is supposed to prevent the Tamper from being inserted too far through the hole in the Vita-Mix lid (when using the 32 oz. container). Since the “step” on the Tamper is chamfered (not squared) and the neoprene lid is flexible and gives a little, the Tamper can be easily pushed beyond the hole in the Vita-Mix lid. That, in itself, is a problem, but here is how the problem can be compounded: When the lid and the tamper are wet with anything, especially oils, then the Tamper can be pushed … with only moderate force … beyond the chamfered “step” through the opening in the lid. And, to compound the problem further, the opening in the lid is square and the tamper is round … which (obviously) results in contact (between the Tamper and the lid) being made in only 4 very small points in the lid opening (picture a round peg in a square hole). When grinding nut butters, little or NO force is needed to cause the tamper to be “pulled” into the blades. The stickiness of the mixtures combined with the blades pulling motion will actually draw the tamper past its “step” and into the blades. Again, no downward force on the tamper is required for this to occur when grinding nut butters. Aside from being a hollow, shreddable plastic, the tamper was just not engineered very well. Yes it will spare the blades if and when it comes into contact with them … but (as I stated) it should not come into contact with the blades in the first place. When the Tamper is used with the large (64 oz.) container, it’s impossible for the tamper to make contact with the Vita-Mix blades … the Tamper simply cannot be inserted beyond its wide collar/flange.

One of the video demos on the Vita-Mix website shows a lady (Melissa) making nut butter. She’s using the large (64 oz.) container and the Tamper is not pulled in beyond the wide collar/flange. If you pay close attention, you’ll notice that Melissa actually exerts a little force ‘pulling’ the tamper OUT of the nut butter. That is because the mixture is sticky, and the Tamper being pulled in, toward the blades.

Possible solutions:

I wrote to Vita Mix, explaining this issue/concern, and I offered ideas for possible solutions to the Tamper problem. It’s been nearly 2 weeks, and I’ve not received a response. I wrote that aside from stiffening the neoprene around the opening hole to prevent the “step” on the Tamper from passing through … or actually making that opening in the neoprene lid round, instead of square (to insure more contact at the “step”) … a good solution might be to provide two (2) Tampers …. that is, have a second, shorter Tamper that would be used only with the 32 oz. container. That shorter Tamper would have a full-stop collar/flange to prevent it from being able to be pushed or pulled into the blades under any circumstances.

The Tamper has been our only complaint about the Vita-Mix Super 5200.

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Home Show 2008:

Blend, puree and mince your way to gourmet using the Vita-Mix Blender. This CIA Professional Series gadget comes with variable speeds, a snap-on ...

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A friend bought a Vita Mix and we tried her and like it pretty well–but $400+?!?!? Then we came across a demo of the blendtec. I liked the contemporary angular look and more compact size. The sample recipes were terrific both hubby and I agreed. This too is $400+ but maybe we were in the mood we bought it. Once home we could see the power and useablity were quite a bit better than the Vitamix. I don’t care if it grinds golf clubs and hockey puts — actually this is a disturbing classless approach to getting people to pay attention to a machine that is truly incrediable. One complaint - I would like more receipes and more recipes toward particular diet needs like low-g diets. We love our machine and, by the way, borrowed our blendtec yesterday, she promises to bring it back today but she’s late. She made a smoothie breakfast for her family. Please dear friend—bring it back now. We use our machine daily - it is turning into a family pet.

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"Will It ?" Inspired Spoofs III!

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We were hesitant to pay hundreds for a blender but now that I have it, I dont know how I ever lived without it. It has been a wonderful addition to my eating habits and breaks down the cellulose of greens to make them more absorbable to the body.It goes great with a book called green for life which explains all the great benifits of green smoothies. If you were to start this program, health would improve almost instantly! I am now getting allot more vitimins and minerals from my food than I used to, it keeps me on a raw food diet and is also good for soups. If theres something that my food processor cant do, the vita-mix can! I use it at every given oppertunity and makes great smoothies of any kind, even if you are not a raw foodist.

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Green Raw SOUP with .MOV

Start out with hot water about 90+ degrees Fahrenheit to save time and reduce air in the raw soup. Add Kale, Collard leaves, flax seed, sour cream ...

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I’m not one for writing reviews. I either have to be madly in love with something or have the following happen in order for me to take the time and energy to do this. Because of my experience with this product, I am compelled to warn potential buyers.
I bought this blender about 2.5 years ago. I did not get it from Amazon, but that’s beside the point. It began to leak from the base, at which point, if I did not clean it EVERY time, mold and mildew would develop. I would have my husband tighten it, because I thought I wasn’t making it tight enough. Well, that wasn’t it. Shortly after, the “chrome” base began to blister and peel. I thought that my protein shakes, which leaked, had caused the peeling. I started to think about what might have been in the shakes! The company did replace the entire unit, which I was thrilled about. I thought that the company was making good on a “faulty” unit. Well, the new unit arrives, and it leaks, too. So, this is obviously not just a one-time-only issue. (Now, I see reading other reviews, this is a common problem). A couple of months after that, the base blistered and peeled AGAIN. Great. I never bothered to contact the company, because what was the point - were they going to send me a new blender every 9 - 12 months??? No. So, I kept it and figured that everything else worked, and I would just deal with the cleanup and cosmetic issues for (what I was hoping would be) several years. HeHem, bottom line - I just ordered a Vita-Mix. Why? Well, last week, the blender began to make grinding sounds. I looked over to find that my contents had turned black and the kitchen started to stink of burnt rubber! The base beneath the blades was insanely hot, the blades loosened from the base, and lubricant leaked into the blender contents. UGH! I go to my computer, thinking that I now had to order a replacement part. Guess what? They DON’T have ANY replacement parts for this thing! So, if your glass jar should break - you’ll be buying a new $200 blender! Two hours later, I went and did what I should have done from the very start - invest in a Vita-Mix. It may be a lot more expensive, but I won’t be spending $200 every 2.5 years for a new blender!
I will NEVER! (repeat - NEVER!) buy another Breville product again (and neither will my family or friends). They look very nice and sleek, but apparently that’s about it for their products. Functionally, they aren’t worth the cardboard that they come in. Oh, and when I was researching juicers, I found that people had very similar problems with the juicer as well. Breville buyers, be forewarned! Either save your money and go for something cheaper that you don’t mind replacing or make a wiser investement and go for something more expensive that will last a lot longer.

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I’m not one for writing reviews. I either have to be madly in love with something or have the following happen in order for me to take the time and energy to do this. Because of my experience with this product, I am compelled to warn potential buyers.
I bought this blender about 2.5 years ago. I did not get it from Amazon, but that’s beside the point. It began to leak from the base, at which point, if I did not clean it EVERY time, mold and mildew would develop. I would have my husband tighten it, because I thought I wasn’t making it tight enough. Well, that wasn’t it. Shortly after, the “chrome” base began to blister and peel. I thought that my protein shakes, which leaked, had caused the peeling. I started to think about what might have been in the shakes! The company did replace the entire unit, which I was thrilled about. I thought that the company was making good on a “faulty” unit. Well, the new unit arrives, and it leaks, too. So, this is obviously not just a one-time-only issue. (Now, I see reading other reviews, this is a common problem). A couple of months after that, the base blistered and peeled AGAIN. Great. I never bothered to contact the company, because what was the point - were they going to send me a new blender every 9 - 12 months??? No. So, I kept it and figured that everything else worked, and I would just deal with the cleanup and cosmetic issues for (what I was hoping would be) several years. HeHem, bottom line - I just ordered a Vita-Mix. Why? Well, last week, the blender began to make grinding sounds. I looked over to find that my contents had turned black and the kitchen started to stink of burnt rubber! The base beneath the blades was insanely hot, the blades loosened from the base, and lubricant leaked into the blender contents. UGH! I go to my computer, thinking that I now had to order a replacement part. Guess what? They DON’T have ANY replacement parts for this thing! So, if your glass jar should break - you’ll be buying a new $200 blender! Two hours later, I went and did what I should have done from the very start - invest in a Vita-Mix. It may be a lot more expensive, but I won’t be spending $200 every 2.5 years for a new blender!
I will NEVER! (repeat - NEVER!) buy another Breville product again (and neither will my family or friends). They look very nice and sleek, but apparently that’s about it for their products. Functionally, they aren’t worth the cardboard that they come in. Oh, and when I was researching juicers, I found that people had very similar problems with the juicer as well. Breville buyers, be forewarned! Either save your money and go for something cheaper that you don’t mind replacing or make a wiser investement and go for something more expensive that will last a lot longer.

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I’m not one for writing reviews. I either have to be madly in love with something or have the following happen in order for me to take the time and energy to do this. Because of my experience with this product, I am compelled to warn potential buyers.
I bought this blender about 2.5 years ago. I did not get it from Amazon, but that’s beside the point. It began to leak from the base, at which point, if I did not clean it EVERY time, mold and mildew would develop. I would have my husband tighten it, because I thought I wasn’t making it tight enough. Well, that wasn’t it. Shortly after, the “chrome” base began to blister and peel. I thought that my protein shakes, which leaked, had caused the peeling. I started to think about what might have been in the shakes! The company did replace the entire unit, which I was thrilled about. I thought that the company was making good on a “faulty” unit. Well, the new unit arrives, and it leaks, too. So, this is obviously not just a one-time-only issue. (Now, I see reading other reviews, this is a common problem). A couple of months after that, the base blistered and peeled AGAIN. Great. I never bothered to contact the company, because what was the point - were they going to send me a new blender every 9 - 12 months??? No. So, I kept it and figured that everything else worked, and I would just deal with the cleanup and cosmetic issues for (what I was hoping would be) several years. HeHem, bottom line - I just ordered a Vita-Mix. Why? Well, last week, the blender began to make grinding sounds. I looked over to find that my contents had turned black and the kitchen started to stink of burnt rubber! The base beneath the blades was insanely hot, the blades loosened from the base, and lubricant leaked into the blender contents. UGH! I go to my computer, thinking that I now had to order a replacement part. Guess what? They DON’T have ANY replacement parts for this thing! So, if your glass jar should break - you’ll be buying a new $200 blender! Two hours later, I went and did what I should have done from the very start - invest in a Vita-Mix. It may be a lot more expensive, but I won’t be spending $200 every 2.5 years for a new blender!
I will NEVER! (repeat - NEVER!) buy another Breville product again (and neither will my family or friends). They look very nice and sleek, but apparently that’s about it for their products. Functionally, they aren’t worth the cardboard that they come in. Oh, and when I was researching juicers, I found that people had very similar problems with the juicer as well. Breville buyers, be forewarned! Either save your money and go for something cheaper that you don’t mind replacing or make a wiser investement and go for something more expensive that will last a lot longer.

Read the rest of this entry »