Blendtec blender questions

[raweater]

I currently have a relatively high end Breville BBL600XL blender which was $200, but in less than a year the blade bearings failed and jammed twice, both replaced under warranty which is now expired, meaning from now on it will be $55 each time it jams, but I got a revised model last time which they told me doesn't have the jamming problem and so far it's been ok.

One thing I like about the Breville is that it has 2 pre programmed cycles, one where it simply pulses and waits for the blades to stop and then pulses again and so on (it has a sensor and knows how fast the blades are turning, it uses this for the cycles and in order to maintain a constant speed, if you're blending something thick that slows down the blades it senses it and sends more power to maintain the same speed). The other cycle simply alternates between running and pulsing for different amounts of times during the 1 minute cycle, but it only uses speed 1 during this cycle so I need to end my smoothies on speed 5 manually to get them smooth.

Since I really like the basic pre programmed cycle of my Breville I think my next blendeer will be the Blendtec which I know has like 20 cycles pre programmed.

Here are my questions:
-Is there any way to select a manual constant speed like a regular non computerized blender or are you forced to use preset cycles only?
-Can you create your own cycles by "recording" a series of speeds and pulses?
-I read that it can be extremely noisy, if it is limited to preset cycles, are there any that use only low speeds for a quieter blend or are they all noisy?
-One review said the o-ring got blended into the smoothie during the test, has this happened to anyone?
-Is there a 2nd inner lid in the lid to add ingredients while blending like most blenders have?

Thanks

[Raene]

-Is there any way to select a manual constant speed like a regular non computerized blender or are you forced to use preset cycles only?

Yes, there are up / down buttons that make it go more powerful / less from 1-10. I use those settings most often, not the preset ones.

-Can you create your own cycles by "recording" a series of speeds and pulses?

Umm...not that I know of, but I suppose it's possible. I didn't read the manual.

-I read that it can be extremely noisy, if it is limited to preset cycles, are there any that use only low speeds for a quieter blend or are they all noisy?

It's not limited to this so it's really n/a but the 1-5 settings aren't so loud. This sounds really odd, but I have made mine quieter by using it on the carpet. The counter was making me deaf but the carpet muffles the sound. It's seriously damaging to the ears otherwise.

-One review said the o-ring got blended into the smoothie during the test, has this happened to anyone?

No...what O ring? The blades don't even come off...it's not like anything screws off...it's all one piece.

-Is there a 2nd inner lid in the lid to add ingredients while blending like most blenders have?

Yes, but it's rather small. It's really used to remove for hot soups so the steam can escape. One downfall with this is that the lid ALWAYS has a small hole in the top and if you fill the blender too full some smoothie will escape. I don't know who's dumb idea that was.

In general I LOVE my blendtec. I have seen friends with a vitamix and I don't like them near as well. My Blendtec is my favorite appliance.

[raweater]

Wow sounds good, Mike Adam had a review of it and said you were limited to only preset cycles, not sure why he said that, his reviews are normally accurate, unless it was a different model?

With my breville, I need to remove the blade after each use as the blend does enter a crack where the blade, jar and gasket meet. All my other blenders could be rinced without removing the blade, and I love anything that can save me even just seconds. In fact I bought a $200 Keurig coffee/tea brewer 2 years ago to make my herbal teas in 30 seconds rather than 5 minutes, you simply use loose leaf tea and it has a tiny reusable filter that holds 1-2 tbsp of coffee/tea/etc. and brews one cup at a time. So maybe I'll consider getting a Blendtec for Christmas, but my Breville still works for now, maybe I could sell it, the silver paint is starting to peel off though. Oh... or I could keep it for when I'll be a firefighter to use at the firehouse! Yea that's what I'll do, as it is a very good blender when the blades don't jam.

Thanks

[Raene]

Mine is one of the newer models and they definitely have an up/down. I can't speak for the older models.

Yeah, there's no pulling the bottom off...it's all one piece...to clean you just throw some water and dish soap and run it through a smoothie cycle.

[cherrypie]

i have the hp3 by blendtech and i can't programm my own cycles- but to speak so i do not see the necessety i just go on manual and choose whatever speed
by the way i am extremely happy with my blendtech, i couldn't be without it

[raweater]

Well I talked to my mom about it and she said she'd get it for me for Christmas (I'd buy it online myself as I found it for $325)! She even offered to offer it to me before Christmas.

I find it a bit sad as I had my $200 Breville for just over a year (my $80 Cuisinart blender had lasted like 3 years, but the first 2 years I wasn't using it much as I wan't raw yet). But as I said, the Breville is still a good blender (half the blendtec's power which is still a lot) and it is quiet so I'll keep it for when I'm a firefighter in the firehouse, I wouldn't want a noisy blendtec there preventing the alarms from being heard!

It will be great not having to take appart the jar after every blend as I have to do now.

Thanks for the info!

[raweater]

I'd like one last piece of advise:

Do you think I should get the Blendtec now even though my relatively high end Breville blender still works (having had the blade jam and replaced twice in 8 months, and it's no longer under warranty meaning $55 next time the blade jams)?

The benefits I see to getting it now are:
-It's much easier to clean meaning I'd save maybe 30 seconds in cleaning time per blend as I have to dissasemble and reassemble my Breville's jar after each use
-It's much more powerful and pulverizes seeds of berries, my Breville leaves them untouched (in liquid blends the seeds all sink to the bottom)
-It's jar is unbreakable, I once dropped my Breville's glass jar and it smashed to pieces
-My Breville's built in computer is starting to go bananas, sometimes blending only 5-15 seconds before shutting off, it's supposed to count up to 60 seconds on it's LCD display

I think it would be good to get it soon, but on the other hand my Breville still works, so what do you think? As I said I'd probably keep the Breville for when I'm a firefighter to use in the fire house so that may be one more reason to not age my Breville any more.

Thanks

[michigan roman]

- i for sure saw at a site before theres a programing kit for all blendecs EXCEPT THE EASY BLENDER . the easy blender being the one your no doubt seeing at 325 . but the next one up , programable , is over 400 .

- at age 50 ive been through the bigger / better - machine / tool etc 100's of times , and wasted money many of those times . and if i had that solid made breville ide be happy .

edit - if breville blade jams again rather than buying new blade put that 55 towards the btec .

[raweater]

The one at $325 is not the Easy blender, it is the regular computerized Blendtec HP3-A, it is normally $400 but I have a source which has special discount prices and I've often bought from them.

As I said the Breville has jammed way more often that I would have expected from a $200 blender (my $75 Cuisinart lasted many years, the Breville fails every 4 months approximately).

As I said I also like anything that can save me even just a few minutes a day, and having to take appart my Breville after each use is not very fun, I'll appreciate the "instant" cleaning of the Blendtec, not to mention if releases the nutrients of small seeds which my Breville leaves intact. Since my mom offered to get it to me for Christmas I'm now quite sure I'll accept the offer.

Thanks

[Raene]

I disagree. I always thought my cheaper blender was just fine too...until I tried the blendtec and I was blown away. Now I can eat more greens and do much more because it blends so much better than what I thought was a decent blender. I work only part time and this blender was almost a whole month's pay but it was completely worth it!!!

[Asian Pear]

Whatever the blender, one should always wear ear muffs. I keep them by my blender, and I'm not talking about the kind you wear when it's cold out, I mean the kind you'd wear while shooting a gun. By using a blender or similar device daily without protection you can cause serious damage to your hearing. My ears were ringing before I finally got a clue to use ear muffs, now it's like night and day.

[michigan roman]

i dug up the blendtec programming kit link , its down the list a ways . link =

http://www.blenderworld.com/blendtecaccessories.html ..

[cherrypie]

blentech has a 3 year warrenty on the motor, mine has actually 8 years warrenty and 1 year on the jars. as a rawfoodie you need about 1 jar a year. prices vary between 49-99$ on the blendtech site depending if there are sales etc. the customer service is extremely capeable.

[raweater]

Well I JUST ordered my Blendtec in black minutes ago! I can't wait to get it. Thanks for all the replies, it really helped me be sure it did what I wanted, I was particularly concerned it may not have had manual speeds which Mike Adam's review led to beleive.

Thanks again.

[Raene]

Yay! Please let us know how you like it...mine is on right now :) Smoothies...mmm...