I have money....

[RawRoch]

to spend on a "big ticket" appliance but I'm not sure what to get. I can either get an Excalibur (my $15 ronco salvation army find has hot and cool spots and it's frustrating), a Champion juicer (although I just read Radiantly Raw's post and I might try the Jack LaLane) or a Vitamix. I love to make flax crackers and sun-dried tomato bread but it takes forever in the ronco...turning and rotating, turning and rotating.

Can someone help me make a decision? I know having the the Excalibur will open up a whole new world of food possibilities (not to mention saving time) but am I missing out on something by not having the juicer or the vita-mix?

Thanks for your thoughts!!

[hibisanpo]

if i had money... Vita-Mix!!

[rawgreenyogini]

That's a tough one.


With a dehydrator you could make lots of new and exciting things and go out and buy a cheapy blender to get you by until you can afford a high-speed blender of your choice.

Just an idea

[lore-ah]

I found this on Craigslist. Is this a good deal? I'm still researching the big ticket stuff


Brand new VitaMix 4500....best I have seen on EBay is $300+. NIB with tamper, recipe book, and 5 year warranty. Will deliver locally or arrange for pick up somewhere in between. It really is an awesome blender I just don't need two. It is just like the ones they use in smoothie shops to make healthy smoothies.

[eachpeachpearplum]

OK, I have it all and strongly suggest the . . . . .Vita Mix! then get the dehydrator, then juicer.

[Conscious Midwife]

OK, I have it all and strongly suggest the . . . . .Vita Mix! then get the dehydrator, then juicer.

DITTO

VITAMIX 5200 all the way baby:cool:

[Revvell]

Vita-Mix all the way!

[Live Love Laugh]

Like you , I had an old round dehydrator that was working not too badly. I could make crackers and fruit roll ups ...I had a really tough time deciding what I wanted most , either the 9 tray Excalibur or the Vita-mix . BUT , I knew I wanted to make soups , and green smoothies , sauces and dips ....
Just decide what foods you will be eating more of with your new purchase , and get the other one later.
VitaMix does offer cheaper refurbished/ Demo machines , with the same warranty, so maybe you could still get both .;)

[RawSweetie]

My blender's working just fine, so I'd DEFINITELY go for the dehydrator. A vitamix is not essential, but you can only make breads and crackers with a dehydrator. :)

[Blazin'Jane]

Yeah, you can slug along wit a sub-standard blender for awhile, or comb garage sales for them, but there's no substitute for a dehydrator. I'd get the dehydrator now, then when it's warmer and there are soooo many fruits around, you might have saved up enough for the Vita-mix. ;)

[Nayeli_Raw]

I would go for the nice dehydrator and then buy a $50 magic bullet to get me buy until I could get a vitamix.

[RawHeaven]

I'D GET THE VITA-MIX FIRST IF I CAME INTO A LOAD OF CASH.

NO QUESTION.

[Rawkinlocs]

I'd say it depends on what you eat/make/use the most. I also wanted to mention that, with the Ronco, I believe there is no temp. control and I "think" it's probably set to a temp. that exceeds the raw threshold so...something to consider in making your decision.

[jenjen]

i purchased the excalibur, then the vita mix and just today i had my first green star juicer juice. i think this is the most "fun" order when investing in these products. i must say the dehydrator and the vita mix made food raw food way more fun to eat - especially the dehydrator. (like creamier smoothies, nut milks, breads, cookies...) but and i really think this is an important point to think about....
the juicer, especially the green star, i think is the way to consume tons of dark greens that are loaded with calcium, magnesium, phospherus, ect...all of which you need to have stronge bones and a healthy bod. i've tried to consume many green smoothies and i do aswell as eat lots of dark green salads...but i get waaayyy more (like 3 times more) by juicing. if you look at the nutritional info of dark greens, you'll find that you actually need alot to get high levels of these important nutrients they hold.

i know, sounds lame, but maybe the healthiest choice for your bod is the juicer...and of all of them i think this is the one to make sure you don't get a cheap one on.
or you could get the dehydrator first, then the juicer.

i only say all this cause, if you cann't get the juicer untill a year or more from now, that might mean a mineral problem, i don't know...just a thought.

there is my 2 cents,
j

[Aleesha Sattva]

i have a champion and an excalibur 9 tray and a decent blender.

i use all three daily... i agree that you can get by with a blender which isn't a vita-mix.
you can get by with a cheaper juicer.

you need a good dehydrator to make many of the cool recipes and to have that 'crunch' we all crave plus... it warms your burgers, nut balls, makes amazing sprouted rice... honestly, i couldn't live without it.

so... for me... staying raw 100% - i NEED an excalibur by my side for the long run.

[katie01]

Vitamix -- it is the best. I use it everyday (unlike the dehydrator, food proc, etc) and am glad I got rid of my old junky blender and replaced it with the Vitamix.

I think that if you don't have a lot of cash anyway, it will be tougher to get ingredients for the more complex dehydrator recipes... since the ingredients are pretty pricey anyway.

[MiahTay]

i have a champion and an excalibur 9 tray and a decent blender.

i use all three daily... i agree that you can get by with a blender which isn't a vita-mix.
you can get by with a cheaper juicer.

you need a good dehydrator to make many of the cool recipes and to have that 'crunch' we all crave plus... it warms your burgers, nut balls, makes amazing sprouted rice... honestly, i couldn't live without it.

so... for me... staying raw 100% - i NEED an excalibur by my side for the long run.

I agree with recycling goddess, you can get by with a decent blender (my mom is making green smoothies daily in her cheapo). I barely ever use my Champion now that I have found green smoothies. But there is no double for an Excalibur. I don't have one yet and it's killing me, I'm missing the textures of the foods I could make in one. And I don't know if it is possible to get my kids to up their raw intake any more without getting one. It's next on my list.

Heather

[subbacultcha]

I really value my dehydrator in the winter months. But I know I won't use it so much in the summer. I use my vita-mix every day and know I will continue to all year round!

[raven]

i'd go with the VitaMix. the other items are great too and hopefully you can buy them eventually.

[RawRoch]

YOU ALL ARE THE GREATEST!!! Thank you so much of your thoughts, you all gave me SO MUCH to consider. I decided to get the Excalibur for two main reasons 1) the 9 tray is on sale for $220 and 2) it's still winter and Michigan can get pretty cold so a warm meal would really hit the spot on a lot of days.

I am going to save my money so by the time spring rolls around (mid April) I'll have enough to get the Vitamix. And it will get more than enough use b/c I tend to not like to chew when it's hot outside.

As far as the juicer, I haven't decided yet. I guess I could wait until spring to get that too since I can't be sure that I'll use it that much right now. So the Excalibur it is....I'M SO EXCITED!!:D !!!

Thanks again everyone for everything...I'l let you know when it arrives.

~T

[RawRoch]

just wanted to update everyone...sorry I hadn't before, I've just been sooo busy.....WITH MY NEW DEHYDRATOR THAT IS!!! :D I absolutely love it and I i think I got a great deal, free extended warranty, free shipping, two free paraflexx sheets and $20 off the regular price.

I've been able to keep my pantry stocked w/ enough bread and crackers for those inbetween times when just need a snack and it's just been great!!!!

My next big purchase will be my blender but I'm undecided on the blendtec or the vitamix...I know there are several post about this topic so I'm going to search them out and make a decision. I probably wont seek to get it until closer to spring (smoothie time) :p

thanks again all!!!

[rawbutterfly]

Excalibur! I used a cheaper blender for 2 years with no problems, but could not survive without the dehydrator. Especially bc/ I have kiddos and they really enjoy the many many different things you can make in it. But, if you are crazy for green smoothies, then the vitamix would be better.

Oh, oops! I guess I should have read all the post bc I see now that you went with the dehydrator...

[river]

vita-mix!!!

[jacsam]

The juicer would be my last choice and between the excalibur or the vitamix....well, I love both of them but I would say that I use the vitamix daily and the dehydrator maybe weekly. Have fun with your new appliance.

[lafsalot]

Vita-mix, hands-down!! ~ Cathy