What is the best blender you can buy? That is the question I asked myself many times. I’ve bought several low-range blenders over the years just to be disappointed. That is why this time I decided to really do my research and buy something that would last. What do the professionals use? What makes a good blender? Here what I landed on as the best blender right now: The Blendtec Designer Series. Let me tell you why I prefer this over all of the other blenders on the market right, including Vitamix.
Pros
- Attractive looking design with handy digital screen that shows number of uses
- Very easy to clean with blunt blade
- Wildside jar makes sure food doesn’t stick to the bottom of the jar while blending
- Ridiculously powerful 3 horsepower motor destory anything in it’s way
- Not too tall for normal height cupboards (my condo couldn’t fit a Vitamix)
- Many settings for different blending types and a useful manual setting
- One of the best warranties in the business (8 years for new models, 7 for refurbished)
Cons
- Pretty loud
- Control module can be a fingerprint magnet
- If there isn’t enough liquid in the unit it can sometimes get gummed up while blending
One feature that seems kind of goofy is the actual physical size of the blender. I looked at several Vitamix models and unfortunately they were just too tall to fit under my cupboards for storage. When I started looking at who is the direct competitor to Vitamix I saw that many people were recommending the Blendtec blenders. They are professional quality and you will actually see them used at juice bars and restaurants. But how do they stack up in terms of quality? Well, first off, these are the beasts that are featured on those wildly popular “Will it Blend?” videos on Youtube. Here is the Blendtec Designer Series vs the iPhone 6 Plus and the Samsung Note 3 (the Blendtec makes short work of them):
Of course you’re not going to be blending phones anytime soon, but it just shows the durability and strength of the Blendtec. At first glance, the first thing you notice about the Blendtec Designer Series (or any Blendtec for that matter) is the blade. It actually isn’t sharp! It uses a blunt blade that literally has enough power just to pulverize whatever you put it, iPhone or otherwise. And it works very well, not to mention it is much safer during cleaning.
I’ve had my Blendtec for about 8 months now and have put it through it’s paces. The digital read-out on the front tells me that I have made over 100 things in the blender. Mostly smoothies. Pretty much anything I throw at it is no problem as long as you put in a bit of liquid. Ice is particularly satisfying and is no match for this blender. It is sort of the litmus test for a powerful blender, can it crush ice? A lot of cheaper blenders like the Ninja or cheaper tend ot have some problems with that task. But the 3 horsepower motor on this sucker absolutely destroys ice no problem.
The actual looks of the blender are slick. When it’s not in use the buttons completely disappear from the capacitive touch screen, leaving just a glossy black surface. For me this is important as I want to maintain an uncomplicated look on my counter (which is admittedly small). A lot of other professional blenders are just a mess of buttons and large dials. In actual usage the touchscreen works great. You can select from several different settings, from smoothies to ice and soup. And the manual mode is quite intuitive. You just run your finger along a small line that appears on the display, moving to the right makes the motor move faster and to left slower. To me this feels like the blender for the 21st century.
The Wildside Jar is really a great innovation in the blender industry. Unlike a lot of other blenders the Blendtec doesn’t really need a plunger to keep contents moving. The Wildside Jar creates sort of a vortex that sucks down what ever is in the jar, making sure gets a piece of the blade. It has to do with the 5th side that is put on the jar which creates an irregular surface. Not having to push down the blender contents is very convenient.
Speaking of the Wildside Jar, I am super lazy. And cleaning this unit is ridiculously easy. You just pull out the jar and give it either a hand wash or drop it into the dishwasher. I have heard that you really don’t want to put it in the lower part of the dishwasher since the heat can dry out the gasket on the unit. But so far so good with mine after 8 months of use. As for the main control unit, all it takes is a quick wipe down with a cloth if any spillage happens. Since it is a smooth touchscreen surface, there are no buttons or dials to have liquid fall into.
The only small complaint with this blender is how loud it can be. When it really revs up on Smoothie mode it kicks into it’s highest gear and can be pretty loud. But it’s not really an issue once you get used to it. Just make sure you’re not running it on high mode when your spouse is sleeping…
Overall I would say that the Blendtec Designer Series is one of the best purchases I’ve made. The motor is powerful enough to handle whatever I can throw at it. And since it’s a relatively attractive looking piece of equipment I don’t mind having it sit out on the counter. And when I see it, I want to use it. This results in healthier living since I primarily use it for smoothies. If you’re in the market for a new blender, I strongly recommend you put a few more bucks into your purchase and consider the Blendtec Design Series. The overall quality and 8 year warranty are absolutely worth the extra cost. Not to mention that your smoothies will taste that little bit better…
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Power | 1,560 watts |
| Motor | 3 peak horsepower direct-drive moto |
| Blade | Stainless steel blunt blade |
| Design & Materials | |
|---|---|
| Jar | BPA-free Triton Polyester jar with patented cold-forged wingtip blades |
| Main module | Blade: stainless steel Ball bearings: carbon-steel sealed ball bearings. Display: digital display with use tracking with capacitive touchscreen |
Blendtec Blender with WildSide+ Jar (90 oz) Designer 625, Black
Features
- You're in Control: Four pre-programmed cycles, Pulse and, Six Speed touch sliders, giving variable speed control of a knob, letting you manually fine-tune the texture of any recipe. LCD display: Shows blending cycle time remaining to achieve the perfect texture.
- Patented Blade/80% Thicker: Stainless-Steel forged blade, with wings, for amazingly smooth blends (10X stronger than other blender blades). Note: Blade is not sharp, blade is dull. No more cuts and pokes. No Chopping Prep: Save time and never a need to chop, slice or dice in advance of blending.
- Touch interface/Reduced Noise: Touchscreen controls give the machine a sleek silhouette and are easily wiped clean. Reduced motor noise due to internal baffling.
- Large Batches: BPA-Free WildSide+ Jar is a 90 ounce volume jar with 36 ounce blending capacity (wet or dry) ideal for blending beverages for 4-6 people.
- 8 Year Warranty /American Company: family-owned and driven to build the best quality products - without compromise. Engineered and assembled in the USA. Electrical Ratings: Watt 1560, Volts 120, Hz 50-60, Amp 13, Cord: 34inches/3 feet
Loved this read!! I’d been debating Vitamix VS. Blendtec for so long, I’m so happy I bought the Blendtec. It’s perfect for my needs- love it too 🙂 Thanks for sharing!