Among high-speed blenders that are known to tackle anything (wheatgrass, hard veggies and in the case of BlendTec's videos, golf balls and iPhones) Vitamix and BlendTec are the heavy weight contenders. I bought my first BlendTec while living in Prague, Czech Republic. It literally cost more than one month's rent on my first apartment there. I was sad to have to leave it behind (sold to friend) but it didn't make sense to take up the space and weight in my luggage, especially since it had an EU plug and using with a converter back home wouldn't do.
After returning to the US and only having a Magic Bullet, I decided to grab a new BlendTec Total Blender Classic from Costco. This was apparently a more basic and less powerful model than the one I had in Europe but was similar and still cost a few hundred dollars so I expected more of it compared to the Bullet.
Sad to say this model never really did a great job of pulverizing even soft leafy greens like kale. There'd still always be a few leaves floating around in my smoothies and forget harder items like carrots or apples. I'd come to expect chunks in my food. It was OK with guacamole and close with hummus but the texture on the hummus was more gritty than I'd have liked.
Just recently, the motor base ate up the Wildside Jar. It had previously eaten up the smaller Twister jar about a year or so ago. I contacted BlendTec about it but never heard back so I didn't even bother complaining about this one. Given the cost of a replacement jar, I decided it wasn't worth investing in more jars and I feared that something may be going on with the connector gear between the motor base and the jar base to cause this and didn't want to waste another $200 on a jar to find this fear realized. Now I have a completely useless and lightly used BlendTec Go bottle, if you're interested in it, let me know (originally $ 129).
Anyway, just before leaving for my cruise I was rushing through Costco to pick up last-minute necessities and the Vitamix rep was there doing his tempting demo again. The sample smoothies he made were delicious, completely smooth, and frosty. But as a gadget person, what really got me were the "self-detect" and Bluetooth features. Yes, Bluetooth in a blender!
What is this sorcery and why do I need it?
I am officially a former BlendTec user now solidly in the Vitamix camp after making the Carrot-Ginger Dressing. The BlendTec I had (similar price point, also from Costco) can't compare not only in blend quality, but also in use of technology. Following the recipe from the app, except I didn't shred the carrots, I just sliced it into a few chunks. The v1200 pulverized the ingredients anyway and made a silky-smooth and unexpectedly creamy dressing (not to mention tasty), shredding not necessary as I'd hoped.
It also wasn't until today that I realized why it has Bluetooth and/or why I needed it to have BT when I also have the Smart Scale w/BT (my external review). Well duh, when using both; the app controls the blender for you, basically providing custom programs for every recipe you make. Now I don't feel like I'm missing anything compared to the Vitamixers that have built-in programs. In fact, I think it's better because it feels like I have custom programs that can be easily updated as the app continues to improve!
While not quite as sleek as other blenders, it appears bulky and the individual pieces are much heavier (base, blade base, jars). However, that also makes it much quieter -- and sturdier -- than the Blendtec. Can't wait to explore more and discover all the possibilities.
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