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The high-power blender topic

Fat Guy

By Fat Guy
in Kitchen Consumer

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weedy

weedy

Posted
Posted

I do really want one with metal teeth on both ends (bottom of the blender jar, and business end of the base) that won't grind down.

 

I liked my Kitchenaid just fine, except that it's plastic gears wore themselves down way too quickly

rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

good point.

 

the power end on my 199   ( 160 w coupon ) BV is hard plastic.

 

i still like it.

 

wonder if you can find one w metal - metal for 199.

 

let us know.

 

always go for  red if you can get it.

scubadoo97

scubadoo97

Posted
Posted

I have a Vita Mix 5200 and a BlendTec. Don't ask......

For processing frozen bananas with very little liquid added the VitaMix with the custom tamper does what the BlendTec will not. Cavitation is still an issue with either but the VitaMix tamper deals with it very well

JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted

I have a Vita Mix 5200 and a BlendTec. Don't ask......

For processing frozen bananas with very little liquid added the VitaMix with the custom tamper does what the BlendTec will not. Cavitation is still an issue with either but the VitaMix tamper deals with it very well

 

I have neither blender, but are you using the Blendtec twister jar for your bananas?

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

weedy

weedy

Posted
Posted

it's kind of tough to pick one base only on other people's reviews and opinions but that's what one has to do!

 

which is why I'm asking here

 

just judging by youtube videos (admittedly a risky way to judge) the Oster seems a lot faster and more powerful.... but that shouldn't be the case based on motor power (which should be about the same)

dcarch

dcarch

Posted
Posted (edited)

it's kind of tough to pick one base only on other people's reviews and opinions but that's what one has to do!

 

which is why I'm asking here

 

just judging by youtube videos (admittedly a risky way to judge) the Oster seems a lot faster and more powerful.... but that shouldn't be the case based on motor power (which should be about the same)

 

 

For a blender, I am not sure metal to metal transmission is necessarily good.

 

I have not heard rubber connections breaking very often for blenders, for mixers yes. Mixers are very high torque machines. Metal to metal can be much noisier. 

 

A good mixer is the combination of these three factors:

 

1. Speed of RPM - A car engine can have 500 HPs, but it will make a lousy blender because it red lines at 7000 RPM, Some blenders can go above 30,000 RPM. Also, at the same RPM, the larger the diameter of the blades, the higher the blade speed (relative to the food being blended).

 

2. Power - RPM is meaningless without power. A Dremel rotary tool can have 37,000 RPM, but it will make a lousy blender because it is very low powered.

 

3. Hydraulics - The combination of geometry designs of the blades and the jar determines the effectiveness of blending results. If the blades rotate at the same RPM as the food, there will be 0 blending regardless of HP and RPM.

Round jars are not very good.

 

dcarch

Edited by dcarch (log)
scubadoo97

scubadoo97

Posted
Posted

I have neither blender, but are you using the Blendtec twister jar for your bananas?

Twister jar wasn't an option when purchased. But it may get this blender some more mileage

weedy

weedy

Posted
Posted

For a blender, I am not sure metal to metal transmission is necessarily good.

 

I have not heard rubber connections breaking very often for blenders, for mixers yes. Mixers are very high torque machines. Metal to metal can be much noisier. 

 

 

 

i've had TWO wear out in the last year.

One wore off the plastic 'teeth' on the cog at the bottom of the bowl...

the other wore those AND the teeth in the coupler on the base.

I'm over it.

 

metal is the way to go... there's a reason it's what the professional machines do

  • Like 2
  • 3 weeks later...
weedy

weedy

Posted
Posted

FWIW I pushed the button and bought the Oster Versa 1400watt

 

seems nice and solid and powerful.

the only thing I don't immediately love is its weird (non-cylindrical) tamper design... but that's not major, I don't think.

 

we shall see if it lasts!

  • 2 weeks later...
IEATRIO

IEATRIO

Posted
Posted

I'm in the process of returning a Blendtec (actually my second) under their 30 day trial policy.  I found it to be a very disappointing piece of equipment, and it just didn't work for me.  I don't make smoothies at all, and all of my blender uses are related to cooking, making spice pastes for curries, sauces, hummus, nut butters, pureeing vegetables and fruits, making breadcrumbs, and I'm on a Chefsteps cornbread kick so have been blending a lot of roasted corn lately.  With the exception of peanut butter, with which it does a very admirable job (and requires no added oil to make a smooth paste), it has done a mediocre job with most everything else.  Worse, is that the quality of the machine to me seemed badly lacking.  The first machine they sent me was defective, made scary amounts of noise and jumped around the counter practically knocking the jar off its moorings, had an electrical smell, and left black soot on my white countertops.  Blendtec insisted that it was just a bad jar, but after waiting 10 days for a replacement to be delivered, it was obvious that the machine itself was bad, and I had no machine for another 10 days while I waited for it to be replaced (their customer service is friendly but pretty poor, with no weekend or evening hours, and will only ship stuff UPS Ground).  The second machine was better but still jumped around my counter in a very disconcerting way.  More importantly, I didn't think that it did a very good job of blending things, leaving unblended bits in my sauces, and with thicker things that are not very liquid it was a constant battle to get stuff to not stick to the walls of the container so that they would be in contact with the blades.  I also didn't like that the blades are set so that it is impossible to blend small amounts of anything -- getting an emulsion started with mayo will not work unless you have three or four yolks and plenty of lemon juice -- and in the end I found it easier to use my cheapo immersion blender.  I also got the sense that the machine was underpowered -- there is no way that it is a 3 peak horsepower machine as advertised -- and would have to be babied to keep it in working order (they chop up iPads in their ads, but my machines couldn't handle a stale piece of bread without extreme groaning).  To top it off, the no hassle return has been a bit of a hassle -- they promised me that the return period wouldn't start until I received my properly working replacement, but needed special authorization from a manager since 30 days had passed since receipt of the original defective machine.  If you are a smoothie person, this could work, but I don't think that this machine is suitable for a cook.

 

I am considering trying a Vitamix, but I see on other forums that there is a problem with those having black material from the bearings flake off into food.  There are some reports of a redesigned jar being available that doesn't have this problem, but it sounds like a hassle to get it, and the whole thing makes me question the product and the company.  It could be that I'll be better off with one of the Innomix type things, or maybe just stick to a cheap blender and immersion blender.

daveb

daveb

Posted
Posted

I've owned four Vmix over the years - I've given the old ones to daughter, nieces without reservation.  I've never had a warranty claim or any other problems with one.

 

A puree or emulsification of a small amount (your mayonnaise example) of product is a challenge for any blender.  I take that on with a mini food processor or a stick blender, or just make a lot of product.

 

What it does well includes the usual smoothie type stuff.  Does it's best with smooth soups, regardless of temp. (I make a roasted red pepper soup with pistachio that tastes gritty in any other blender),  Very good for  batches of puree or chimichuri type stuff, pesto, salsa type stuff. I recently pureed 6 heads of cauliflower (two batches) right out of a SV bath and it was almost too smooth.   I keep a "dry jar" specifically for grinding dried peppers into chile powder - its kind of fragrant and red inside.  The Vmix is quiet (relatively) and I don't think it's ever been accused of being underpowered.. 

 

I've never heard of bearing stuff getting into the container.  A quick examination of the carafe and I can't see how that would be physically possible.   Did you hear that in the Blentec store?  Smiley.

 

I would rather have a cheap knife than a cheap blender.  And I'm not having a cheap knife.

 

Hope you find a blender that suits you.

blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted

I'm in the process of returning a Blendtec (actually my second) under their 30 day trial policy.  I found it to be a very disappointing piece of equipment, and it just didn't work for me.  ……..

 

The second machine was better but still jumped around my counter in a very disconcerting way.  More importantly, I didn't think that it did a very good job of blending things, leaving unblended bits in my sauces, and with thicker things that are not very liquid it was a constant battle to get stuff to not stick to the walls of the container so that they would be in contact with the blades.  I also didn't like that the blades are set so that it is impossible to blend small amounts of anything -- getting an emulsion started with mayo will not work unless you have three or four yolks and plenty of lemon juice -- and in the end I found it easier to use my cheapo immersion blender.  

 

...

 

I can imagine this experience has been very frustrating -  after spending a good chunk of money, it's reasonable to expect a quality product.  

 

I agree with you that the Blendtec doesn't function well with small volumes and I was frustrated by this as well.  I am pleased that that they introduced the smaller Twister jar that does a much better job handling small volumes of chili pastes, etc. and I think it should be a part of any standard package Blendtec sells.

 

That said, I'm happy with my Blendtec.  I've never had the base "jump around" on the counter in any way.  If I run a jar full of ice, the jar itself will jolt a bit for the first few revolutions but the base stays solid.   I use it for a lot of vegetable purees and soups and find they come out perfectly smooth. 

 

As daveb said, I hope you will find a blender that works for you.

IEATRIO

IEATRIO

Posted
Posted

 

I've never heard of bearing stuff getting into the container.  A quick examination of the carafe and I can't see how that would be physically possible.   Did you hear that in the Blentec store?  Smiley.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, this does seem to be a real problem.  Apparently the jar bearings are coated with a teflon type product to reduce friction and heat, and this teflon stuff flakes off.  There are many videos and pictures on the internet about it -- google "vitamix black dust".  To test for it, you can blend some water as you would a smoothie, and then dump the water into a white bottomed bowl.  If you still have any teflon left on your bearings, you will see the black dust against the white bowl.  If you don't, you've probably already ate it all.  They say that they are in the process of fixing the jars, but its unclear if the improved ones have made it into the supply chain yet.  Vitamix is apparently not doing anything to inform people about the problem, or to recall the jars that are out there, and this doesn't inspire great confidence in me.  I will probably try the Vitamix once "black dust" problem is sorted though.

IEATRIO

IEATRIO

Posted
Posted

 

I agree with you that the Blendtec doesn't function well with small volumes and I was frustrated by this as well.  I am pleased that that they introduced the smaller Twister jar that does a much better job handling small volumes of chili pastes, etc. and I think it should be a part of any standard package Blendtec sells.

 

 

 

I actually bought it instead of the Vitamix specifically because of the Twister jar, which seemed perfect for the spice pastes, hummus, and nut butters that I make frequently.  Alas, I never bought the Twister because I wasn't happy with the blender itself and wasn't sure I was going to keep it.  It could have been that it would have changed my mind about the machine, and I do agree that it would be smart of them to include it.

  • Like 1
scubadoo97

scubadoo97

Posted
Posted

The BlendTec is a good machine but, before the twister jar, cavitation made BlendTec a poor choice over a Vitamix with it's custom plunger which is essential to most any blender's performance that experiences cavitation

daveb

daveb

Posted
Posted

Unfortunately, this does seem to be a real problem.  Apparently the jar bearings are coated with a teflon type product to reduce friction and heat, and this teflon stuff flakes off.  There are many videos and pictures on the internet about it -- google "vitamix black dust".  To test for it, you can blend some water as you would a smoothie, and then dump the water into a white bottomed bowl.  If you still have any teflon left on your bearings, you will see the black dust against the white bowl.  If you don't, you've probably already ate it all.

 

This piqued my curiosity. 

 

I have 4 Vmix carafes at home now, an older (3-4 yr) tall model, a 3 yr old "dry" jar, a 2 yr old short "wet" jar and a new carafe that came with latest Vmix.  One at a time I filled each with enough water to cover the blades and ran it on the "smoothie" cycle - a mix of low, med and high speed running.  For each one I poured water out into a white chili bowl.  Did not see any black bits from any of the samples. 

 

Now I guess it's possible, somehow, that all of the teflon from each of the carafes has migrated and I've no teflon left.  But it seems more likely that this is not a problem..

 

I've not googled vitadust but tend to give little credence to internet phenomena that differs from my own experiences.  I'm not sure who "they" are but they are frequently FOS.. 

 

Hugs.

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