WHICH VITAMIX 2021: Comparing Models and Accessories

Lenny: I think that’s everything. All right… Looking to get a Vitamix in 2021. Trying to figure out which one to buy? I’m Lenny Gale, Lifeisnoyoke. Today, let’s - first of all, quick housekeeping… We’re going to set a 20-minute timer so we stay on track and hopefully, by the end of this video, we’ll have cured your paralysis by analysis and help you take the plunge. And if we do, if we are the most helpful, and that’s the goal here, and if you want to support our small business, you can use our links to buy direct from Vitamix. When you see our name at checkout, 06Noyoke.

Next to free standard shipping, you’ll get the 00:42 - minimum accepted price, that’s the lowest. And of course, if at any time you’re not totally sure, let us know. We are real people, we have a team here to help you figure this out, me included. You know, we have a big reach but we still are a mom-and-pop shop. Then, and this is important, once you’ve made your purchase, notify us. Register for our site and we’ll send you our eBook. It has, I think 75 tasty Vitamix recipes and we’ll provide six months of VIP support. All right, housekeeping done, time for quick picks… We’ve got seven strategies for picking your Vitamix; first one is Lifeisnoyoke style, and that’s what we tell our friends and family when they ask us, “yo, Lenny and Shalva, which Vitamix should we buy?” and they just want an answer in 10 seconds. We say “okay…”, because all the Vitamix machines can do all the things, so smoothies, whole food juices like our green juice, hot soups, ice creams, nice creams, nut butters like almond butter, course chopping like food prep, so, like our detox salad, flowers… What else? They can all make our queso…

01:50 - And, because the blade is fixed to the container, they’re all so easy to clean. And so, we say, “get the best or get the best deal”. So, the best is the one that we use, the one that we choose to use, we could choose to use any one of them… The A3500. It’s the best user experience by far, it’s the least loud, it’s the one we use every day. We love it. At this point, sometimes people say “oh, okay great, I’ll get that one. Which accessory should I get?” and we’re like “oh, whoa! Oh, okay”. We definitely think people are most successful if they take a minimalist approach, hold off on getting accessories and attachments, but if you want to get one, the under blade scraper is great, it’s delightfully, useful… And if you want to get an attachment, a secondary container, get the 48 ounce container, the standard one. It’s the most versatile and the one - it’s the one you should get. We call that “the ultimate Vitamix setup for minimalists”, the accessorized pick without going overboard.

02:52 - So, on the other end of the spectrum is the best deal and this varies but it’s usually a reconditioned model and because the blend quality between the two is identical, you’re really only paying for more features. The more you pay, the more features you get, the blend quality is the same. Now, you might be thinking “it’s not so binary for me. I kind of want to know what’s going on in the middle”. So, let’s talk about that. But fun fact before we move on, just for fun, do you know that Vitamix blades are dull out of the box? They actually are laser cut and they pulverize ingredients using sort of just brute force and power.

03:32 - So, unlike some Vitamix alternatives knockoffs that have blades that are sharp, they work fairly well the first few times, but then they get dull and well, it’s kind of like having a dull razor. And yes, I had that on my sleeve… Oh my gosh! Magic is so lame, I’m really sorry [C]. But yeah, Vitamix blades are dull out of the box. Okay, let’s bring it back to that middle, in between best and best deal… So, second strategy for picking a Vitamix, by series. So, comparing Ascent to Legacy to Explorian, certified reconditioned.

04:11 - Ascent series: Why might an Ascent series be for you? Well, Ascent series might be for you if you think well, maybe they’re built better. They come with a 10-year warranty instead of the standard seven or five. You might appreciate the timer on the front, a little status update. You might like that there’s some tech there; container recognition, pairing with the app, pairing with the scale. On the other side of the token, Ascent might still be for you if you know there’s tech there and don’t care because you know that at the end of the da,y it’s still just a Vitamix, a blade that spins, a dull one, a dial, buttons, smoothies, hot soups and ice cream.

04:52 - An Ascent might be for you if you like the idea that it’s future- proofed. It’s the system on which Vitamix is building its future. There are containers that are exclusive to it. So, the eight-ounce container, the food processor attachment… And finally, an Ascent series might be for you if you think, okay, they’ve been making these things for three years now, I have to imagine that they’ve only gotten better at making them.

Because 05:19 - if you talk to someone who works on an assembly line at a car manufacturer, an automobile maker, they’ll tell you “buy a late model year-end vehicle” because as time goes on, the folks on the lines get better at assembling the cars. You’re safer, things are less likely to break because they’ve gotten better at assembling them. Oh, and side note, this is actually another reason to buy direct. So, machines that you get from retailers and even Amazon, have been sitting on the shelves in their inventory for, who knows how long… And so, buying a machine direct from Vitamix ensures that you get one of the freshest machines. Moving on to Legacy…

Why would you buy a Legacy model? 06:04 - Nothing digital, proven durability, over a decade… Maybe you’re replacing one that you had or one that you saw at a friend’s house or maybe you saw a review from America’s Test Kitchen or the Wire Cutter or a model that a chef uses and you want that one. Why Explorian? They’re a Vitamix on a budget and they’re results oriented; you’re going to get the same results with them. Just know that they’re really, really loud and so, if you go with an Explorian, be sure to pick up some headphones to protect your ears. And the last series is Certified Reconditioned, so, huge savings…

You would never know side by side; new container, new book and for what it’s worth, 06:46 - when we have a gift to give, a really big gift to give, we gift Certified Reconditioned Vitamix. Okay, I got a pen now. I’m more comfortable talking with a pen. I don’t know why. Okay, what about Venturist? Venturist models are exclusive to Costco. So, they are out of our territory, and like everything at Costco, it’s a great deal. Think about the green olives that you can get there; two giant jars of the biggest green olives you can get and you can’t get those anywhere else. That’s the Costco packages. So, here’s what we tell people… “if a demonstrator showed you the Venturist, buy it from them, because they’ve earned the sale, they’ll earn a commission and you’ll love it”.

It’s a great deal and - oh, well, it’s a great value and a great pick. If however you just saw it on the shelf or you just saw it online, you might want to consider getting it elsewhere because for that money, you might be able to get a machine that’s a better fit for you, has the features that are more aligned with your needs and it doesn’t have anything that you don’t need. Or you might be able to find one for significantly less. So, a much better deal. For example, the affiliates, so, all the guys like us that sell the Vitamix online have recon Venturist, Certified Reconditioned V1200s in our territory. We can sell those. They’re very popular, they’re a great deal and a great machine and they’re like half the price. Okay, that wraps up choosing by series…

Let’s talk about - did you know that Vitamix makes the 08:20 - mixing machines, the machines at Dairy Queen that make your blizzards? I know, who would have thak? Okay, third strategy for picking a Vitamix best for… So the best for everything.what’s the best for most people? Best Vitamix for most people; Ascent is the A2500. It’s got three pre-programmed settings, variable speed control of course, two switches and really the right amount of features for the right price for most people. It’s a great pick. Legacy the best - Legacy for most people is the 5200. It’s the one the top chefs use, it’s in the smoothie shops and most likely, if you’re looking for a Legacy Vitamix this is the one you’re looking for.

09:06 - It’s not necessarily the best Vitamix, but it is the best blender possibly ever made. Best Vitamix you can get, the upgrade pick, Ascent is the a3500. It’s got two types of walk-away blending, so five pre-programmed settings, the programmable timer, it’s got a true metal finish option, so, a good look and it’s the quietest, so the least loud. Like we said, it’s the one we use, it’s the best. On a related note, if you want the best you can get but are looking to maybe save a little bit, the A3300.

So, it’s the same exact model, it just doesn’t have the five pre-programmed settings. It still has the programmable timer and then everything else. So, a great pick if you want to save a little bit, A33. The Legacy upgrade pick is the Pro 750. This is the predecessor to the A3500. It’s basically the same thing just without the programmable timer. And even though it doesn’t come with true metal finish anymore, it’s still one of the least loud. Best Vitamix on a budget is the A2300 for Ascent. It’s the no frills Ascent. It’s great. And then the rest of the budget picks are Certified Reconditioned. Sometimes you can find a reconditioned Ascent, A25 and A35. Sometimes you can find Certified Reconditioned Legacy; standard, standard programs, next gen, next gen programs… Those are the 5200, Pro 500, 7500, Pro 750… I just realized that I wasn’t planning to mention the Explorian as a part of the budget picks. We don’t love those, we just don’t.

I wish it wasn’t the case because 10:49 - the E310 is right size and right price. It’s just not right noise. The best Vitamix if you’re making smoothies only, that’s the 5200 or the E310. Vitamixes that come with a narrow-bodied container and that’s because the flow of ingredients is less chaotic. Those are made for making smoothies, that’s the shape of the container that they have at the smoothie shops. Now, if you’re planning to make more than just smoothies and juices which most likely is you, you should go with any other Vitamix because they come with a low profile 64 ounce container, the wide one.

And that container is better for 11:30 - a lot of things… It’s more versatile. It’s better for making hot soups because you can do it faster. It’s better for course chopping, you can do it more efficiently, bigger batches. They’re better for making batters, like pancakes, it’s easier to get in there. Obviously it’s low profile, so, it can live on your counter. For most people, that container is better. So you might be thinking “well, then do I need a secondary container to make small batches?” definitely not and definitely not right away. We get it and we hear this concern a lot. Look, we’ve made frappuccinos in our low profile 64 ounce container as small as 12 ounces. If you find yourself loving making ice cream or an nice cream and say, “instead of making batches with four cups of ingredients, I want to make batches with three cups of ingredients…”, yeah maybe you want to get a 48 ounce container which is narrow and also has a tamper.

12:24 - And if you find yourself saying “I love making my own salad dressings but instead of making a batch for the week, I just want to make a tiny bit for that night”, then maybe you’d consider getting an eight ounce cup. Best fighter mix for super mom, if there are children in the house, definitely Ascent series… You can add on to it, get the eight ounce, get the food processor attachment… Best if you live alone, that’s an E310. It’s got the low profile, narrow body. We’ve had a lot of people get the V1200 pack. It comes with the 20 ounce container and be really successful with that.

12:55 - And it’s not that uncommon for people to tell us “well, I went all in and I got the A3500 because, well, I’m gonna have this thing for a long time and planning for the future”. Best if you’re coming from a NutriBullet, the Recon V1200 because of the 20 ounce container that it comes with. It’s a easy transition, especially if you’re coming from a Ninja. The shape of most of the Ninjas these days are the same shape as the 5200 but really, any Vitamix is gonna be great for you because the blade is fixed to the container, because the blade is dull, because they’re built to last…. I could go on and on. Best one if you’re not into tech, a Legacy model… 5200 or a Pro 750 or even a Recon model.

13:38 - And we hear this a lot; “I don’t want any programs or any wireless” or “I don’t want to be connected to the internet”. It’s not. Bluetooth, not really…. Best one of your healthy lifestyle committed, this is most likely you… It’s really any. You’re gonna use it a lot and you’re gonna - really gonna get your money’s worth. We use ours every day… More than once a day. I’d get something that you can build upon, get in an Ascent…. Blah! All right, we’re through the the superlatives, best four. Let’s talk features…

If you’re gonna 14:14 - be picking by feach, if you’re going to be picking by features, good way to pick. Oh… Before we do, did you know, did you know that the first infomercial was for a Vitamix? It was done by Papa Bernard, founding father of Vitamix? He got on TV and put on a suit and went in the kitchen and talked about the Vitamix machine… Okay, picking by features, we’re going to go fast… Okay which one’s the easiest to clean?they’re all easy to clean. A couple drops of soap, warm water for the most part…

They’re really thick blends, you might have to get in there with a brush but 14:48 - again, because the blade is fixed to the container, they’re all a breeze to clean. Ascent series has containers that are dishwasher safe if you want that. Among Ascent series, the easiest to cleans are the A33 and A35. The faces, they just have a dial and the rest you can just whosh! And then, among the A35s, the graphite metal is kind of a matte black. That’s going to leave fingerprints and smudges the least, but brushed stainless finish is the best in most kitchens and even if there are smudges there, it’s such a tiny bit of space, it’s not like your fridge.

15:24 - If you want a digital timer, get an Ascent, any of them. If you want a programmable digital timer, so 90 seconds start walk away, get the 33 or 35. If you want no timer at all, get any of the Legacy models or Explorian. If you want walk away blending, technically, you can get walk away blending from any Acent model.if you pair the machine to the App, you can run programs via the App on your phone. We never use that function, but the easiest is with programs or a programmable timer. So, programs on the 25 and 35 and programmable timer on the 33 and 35. Some people are single issue Vitamix buyers. I want the quietest; the least loud, go with one of the best you can get from either Ascent or Legacy. So A3500 or Pro 750. Of note, the A3300 is pretty much one of the least loud as well, and actually, the 780, we haven’t talked about this one, a Legacy, all touch screen, very hushed too.

16:29 - If you want tactile controls, you want to be able to work your machine without seeing it if you have a visual impairment, avoid the A33, A35 and the 780. Those have touch controls. If you’re looking for the safest Vitamix, go with an Ascent series. They have a secondary on off on the side and then also, if the container gets knocked off of the base, the drive socket, the thing that spins the blade will stop because the base senses that the container is off. That was pretty fast! I think we’re moving on toooo… All right, now it’s easy guys… Look, oh, quick did you know… Quick did you know… Did you know that Vitamix machines don’t have a heating mechanism? They heat the ingredients to make hot soup with friction… Just friction. Blades moving at 2400 rpm, blades, on ingredients… Okay…

These last three - these last three strategies, we’ll go really fast… Look for this one. Close your eyes and envision the Vitamix that’s gonna live on your counter. It should live on your counter, we recommend they do as sort of a constant reminder of a lifestyle that you’ve committed to and sort of a thing that’s gonna sit there and say “feed me! Put healthy food in me and let me feed you”. What does it look like? And also, when your friends and family come over, what story are you gonna say about your Vitamix? You know, you might say something like “I got this Recon model and you never know, it was like an amazing deal”, so yeah, so yeah I got a Vitamix. You might say something like “I wasn’t planning on it. I ended up going with the best one.

You 18:24 - don’t need it for me but I’m gonna give it anyway”. You have our permission to get the best one, and you also have our permission just to get the best deal because again, a Vitamix is a Vitamix and it’s something that you should be proud of having. Sixth strategy for picking; the regret test. This is the most common thing that people cite in emails and calls and whatever that we do that was helpful to them in figuring this out; picking which Vitamix to get…. The regret test is an exercise in saying “all right, you ordered your Vitamix, it’s on its way…

Which one do you regret not getting? 19:06 - Whichever one you say, that’s the Vitamix that you should get. If the answer is “well, I don’t regret, it I got the one I wanted and you got the one you want”. Guys, the last strategy is well, oops, the sting… There’s going to be a sting before you check out as you hit that purchase button, no matter which one you choose. And that sting is not the disappointment that you feel or maybe have felt when getting your second NutriBullet or your third Ninja blender… The sting is fear.

It’s fear of making the wrong decision, 19:47 - of doing something irrational, something crazy like spending a ton of money on a dang blender. And so, hopefully when you’re about to check out, hit that purchase button and see our name next to free standard shipping, 06Noyoke. Please, we rely on each and every one of your orders. You can remember that some four million people have stood on the edge about to take the plunge and felt the same thing. That sting… So recognize that fear, notice how it feels… And I guess, feel good that there are free returns and exchanges. So, if you want to upgrade or downgrade, you can do that, no worries. And then also something that I just read which is - it costs a lot but it’s worth more than it costs. Guys, stick around, we’re gonna be talking Vitamix accessories, which accessories to buy and guys, subscribe to our channel if you haven’t already. Hit that bell to get notified and if you appreciate videos like this, Vitamix reviews and shopping advice, hit that thumbs up. We’d love to see it.

Thank you so much for watching and we’ll see you in the next one. Bye guys. Okay, 10 Vitamix accessories to consider; first of all we tell everyone, you’re best taking a minimalist approach. Just get the Vitamix and use what comes with it. It’s most likely more than what you need. Most people are most successful that way. If you want to get an accessory, get the under blade scraper. It’s grea,t it’s delightfully useful. If you want to get one attachment, get the 48 ounce wet container. It’s the most versatile. It can help you with smaller batches of those thick blends, nut butters, ice cream hummus and it can also do some dry grain… It can do a little bit of everything. Get that one.

21:51 - And if you’re getting a Legacy model, you actually have an option to get a 32 ounce which is the same thing; the same minimum batch size but just a little less bulky. The best accessory if you’re already grinding your dry grains, the dry grains container. It is purpose-built the blade to send ingredients up, Ascent that comes at a 48 and Legacy it comes in 32. Best of both worlds, the stainless steel container. In our little tests, we actually found was pretty good at making dry grains, grinding them. Maybe because of the friction going off of the side of the stainless steel. Worked pretty well even though it didn’t have the special dry grains blade… And then it was also really great at making ice cream, really enjoyable. Best if you’re a bartender or a barista, the air disc container, super good at working with dairy milk foams and whips and then muddling cocktails. The food processor attachment… If you were wanting a food processor attachment, you will love it. If you’re not sure, hold off on it.

The food cycler; 22:53 - it’s not an accessory to Vitamix per say, it’s more like a cousin but we love this thing. The immersion blender: it’s probably overkill if you already have a Vitamix but could be a good way to get into the Vitamix family for under two hundred dollars. The eight ounces and the 20 ounce, so, great at making baby food, small, not super thick smoothies and little batches of dressing. We’ve actually found ourselves using them more lately. If you understand what they are good at and what their limitations are, you’ll love them. Personal cup adapter, same thing.

Tamper holders; 23:28 - the legacy tamper holder is kind of matte; but the one percent is pretty cool, we use ours. The scale is a great demo, it does some pretty cool stuff. If you’re into precisely measuring what’s going to go into your blends, it pairs with the app and it pairs with the Ascent series and well, we have a pack of our recipes you can buy for the app and the scale… Wait, I’m so bad at sales, watch this… In our home, we never use it. Cookbooks, your Vitamix comes with a cookbook. It’s pretty good. It’s got a little bit of everything. The cookbook is on the Vitamix website. There are some specialty ones that are solid, like the cocktails one is pretty good… We have a cookbook, it’s an eBook and we keep it like that because we treat it like software.

24:17 - We’re constantly updating it and when you buy a copy, it’s yours forever, free lifetime updates. If you buy your Vitamix direct through us, we’ll send you a copy. Okay, I just went upstairs because I finished this dang video… It snowed like six inches and guys, it’s October 20th. It’s not even Halloween! Look at this, this is insane, you gotta see this. Coming up… Look at this…

What is happening? Holy cannoli! How much snow is out there?? 25:20 - Do you know that the Vitamix repair team, the guys, the team, guys and gals, the folks that repair Vitamix machines, the team there is four people… Four people, for like four million households that have Vitamix machines, so crazy! You guys are nervous about this purchase, I’m nervous about this upload. That this is like - this is like our entire year if we can be the most helpful doing this. .