We used to own a smoothie shop, and had the opportunity to try out a LOT of different types of commercial and industrial blenders. My favorite is still the Blendtec with sound-shield, and I actually still have three of them at home. I'd love to hear what your favorite blender is, what you tend to use it for, and where you found it for a good price! We bought our Blendtec blenders refurbished from Amazon.com. They're usually $1499, and we got them for $199! A couple of them that came had cracked blender jars, but the company quickly exchanged them with no hassles. It was definitely worth the savings! I think that the refurbished Blendtec blenders on Amazon must be from Starbucks locations, because they have Grande / Single / Double / type measurements on the sides. They work great, and for $199 you really can't beat it! I see that today on Amazon the price is $239, but that's still an amazing price. Some of the reviews complain about the Lids not fitting tightly, but they actually aren't meant to fit snug like a household blender. The soundshield holds the lid on, but there needs to be room around the lid for air to escape during blending, due to its high speed.
I bought the Ninja off Amazon for $60 and I we love it! I use it daily for smoothies and protein shakes for my family. I love how it makes the ice into snow with no huge chunks. It is by far the best blender/food processor I've owned. So much better than my old KitchenAid Blender!
I got a Kenwood blender at quite an affordable price, and it has lasted me for over two years. If it stops working, I'll just go and get another one since I find it very affordable and suits my purpose. I've got a separate smoothie maker though, which is unbranded, and works just fine.
I also have a Ninja and love it! It is the Ninja pulse system that comes with a large bowl and three smaller smoothie cups with their own smaller blade. It's very versatile, in addition to the smoothies that are to die for! They remind of a Wendy's Frostie, but much healthier. Like other high end blenders, the Ninja also grinds, chops and mixes dough. The motor is very powerful and turns ice into snow in seconds. The Ninja, though, is a bargain and I like it much better than my husband's Vitamix. His cost 400.00 and mine was under a 100.00.
This is a great thread because I'm in the market for a new blender, but didn't really have any idea where to start. The Blendtec sounds good, but it's outside my budget. I will checkout the Ninja blender.
I haven't bought anything aside from a standard blender in years. What does one consider nowadays when buying a blender? What sort of bells and whistles do you look for?
Well I have one from Panasonic at home which I use to make my own smoothies and drinks. It works rather well for the level of usage that I have and I doubt I'll need those heavy-duty industrial blenders like the ones from Blendtec. Those blenders from Blendtec are just so scary! I love watching the videos by the company where they place all sorts of items into their blenders to see if the blender is able to blend the stuff up. It seems like their blenders have no issues blending even metal! I wouldn't imagine what would happen if you placed your hand in there!
I have a Panasonic too. It is a heavy duty machine and I have been using it for the last five years without any hassle. However, if you have a smoothie shop and recommend Blendtec it must be really good. I may have to replace mine soon.. but not right away. I may consider it. Thanks.
I've seen the reviews on the Blentec, but have my trusty old Vita-Mix and still love it. It takes up a lot of counter room, is very noisy, but truly gets the job done. I can blend everything from a quick smoothie to baby food in a matter of just a few minutes. It would be nice to have a blender that doesn't make as much noise and takes up less space, but if the Vita-Mix is working, no sense in spending the money for a replacement. Also, I love making piping hot soup in the blender.
