Looking for a poor man's Vitamix

[kenmtb]

Hi-
After looking at juicers, I am thinking about getting a blender to cut down on waste. Of course I am not financially ready for a vitamix yet.

I am thinking of getting the Ninja processor or a good Vitamix alternative. What is the difference between a blender and food processor for making smoothies? Sorry if thats a dumb question.

Also can someone recommend a blender/processor for under 300 that will make good smoothies? Will any blender do or should I look for certian features??
Thanks!!

[Traceyraw]

QVC had Vitamix for $349 and they had a payment plan. Cuisinarts are good. Get the 20% off and go to bed bath and beyond they also have some good prices for kitchen appliances. I burned out 3 blenders making green smoothies so I finally got the Vitamix. Good Luck.

[speltrong]

We got a high powered Oster at Target for around $80, and it's so good that we have not yet been able to justify purchasing a VitaMix. It will blend darn near anything we put in it. We even went to the VitaMix demonstration thinking we were going to purchase one, but when we tasted the smoothies they made from it, my husband and I looked at each other and said "Meh, it's not that much better than our Oster.. certainly not $300 better!". So that was that, and we're sticking with the Oster until it dies. But make sure you get the high powered one or it may not work as well.

[Saria]

Is it the root vegetables that are so hard on the blenders? I have a juicer my mom bought used for me, I haven't used it yet. I've been eating my produce as it comes but know it will be time to start juicing and smoothies soon. I have a 350 watt blender is that high enough?

[TangentLine]

I ordered a Hamilton Beach 51101B Personal Blender yesterday, but that might be too cheap for you (~$15). It's only 175 watts, but I'm going to use it for fruit smoothies and see what happens.

[kenmtb]

Interesting, I keep hearing good things about oster blenders. Is a food processor better?
If I do get a blender, is there a wattage I should look for?

Im thinking of trying a right-priced unit and see If I can stick with smoothies before taking the plunge.

[speltrong]

Personally, I would get a blender before a food processor. They really do very different things, but I'd say you'd be more successful in using a blender for food processing tasks than the other way around. Most food processor bowls don't deal super well with very liquidy things. I just looked it up, and here is the link to the exact blender we purchased at Target: http://www.target.com/p/Oster-Fusion-Blender-Black-Stainless-Steel/-/A-12185661
You might be able to find it even cheaper at Amazon, not sure. But seriously, we haven't been able to kill this blender yet. Can't recommend it highly enough!

[Hunter4]

HmMm.. Nice Discussion...

[zinny]

If the main thing you want to make is smoothies, you definitely want a blender rather than food processor (which is better for shredding veggies or making pate rather than making a smooth liquid drink), and you definitely don't need a Vitamix. The high-speed blenders are great for really hard things, eg if you want to make really fine almond flour, but not at all necessary if you're just throwing in fruit, a few green leaves, and some liquid. I would say go with a cheapie model for now and save up for a Vitamix one day.

[OnThePath]

Food processors don't really make good smoothies IMO.
They can process ingredients but you won't get the smoothness you get with a good blender and texture makes a big difference when you are drinking. I've heard the Ninja is not very good for a lot of use.

Really, nothing compares to a Vitamix for under $300. I suggest you save a little more and purchase a reconditioned Vitamix for $379 (sometimes you can get them for less) and get free shipping with a Vitamix Coupon (http://gotgreensrevolution.com/vitamix-promotion-code.html) - same 7 year warranty as a new one. I think you would be much happier in the long run if you could swing it.

[michigan roman]

if anyone looking to buy vitamix theyre 380 at bedbathbeyond in attatched link ,
if you go to store using their 20% off coupon theyre like 300 , link :

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=17007637&RN=436&


concerning cheaper one . i buy in the 35 range and baby them and they last years . but i only do nut and seed mylks to which i then add fruit like bananas , so i dont beat them like some do by adding a bunch of greens . i get all my greens in nightly huge salads

ive window shopped and on line read 6 years since become raw foodist about blenders so i'll bring back some links as to what i see as the good cheap ones .
to start off the previously mentioned oster fusion i see as a solidly built machine with better then them cheap ones power . and the classic glass jarred bee hive one gets alot of positive comments over the years , ive not used one but seen at stores its sturdy built too like the fusion

[michigan roman]

heres the bee hive http://www.amazon.com/Oster-4093-Classic-Beehive-Blender/dp/B00005QFKG/ref=sr_1_7?s=appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1323545445&sr=1-7

[michigan roman]

this oster i bought on sale as a gift for 35 , its sturdy built and oster has long time good rep

http://www.amazon.com/Oster-6812-001-16-Speed-Blender-Glass/dp/B0019MLLCO/ref=sr_1_16?s=appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1323545445&sr=1-16

[michigan roman]

at this link scroll down to band of alike products and notice all the good priced spare parts you can buy to fix oster blenders

and click it over to right for new band of products and notice you can buy a little plastic food processor that fits on any oster blender for 19 ,
thats showing me a company thats thinking right . link :

http://www.amazon.com/Oster-4093-Classic-Beehive-Blender/dp/B00005QFKG/ref=pd_sim_sbs_la_36

[michigan roman]

you can buy a new blade - bottom plastic peice for jar - two new gaskets - new lid for 10, thats excellent to me because ive seen so many companies rip people off on spare parts . if i bought an oster today ide buy that batch of spare parts for 10 to have down the road . and that processor parts only 20 , yes prob not super powerful ands only small capacity but for something like salad making could be good for alot of people

[michigan roman]

im reading more about all the oster parts sold at amazon right now and saw the extra blade at this link which can be bought for it , can buy type for a bee hive or any other oster , or the one at link for the oster fusion . but many reveiws say these extra teethed blades are very good for smoothies :

http://www.amazon.com/Oster-118530-001-Fusion-blender-cutter/dp/B004FVH62A/ref=pd_sim_k_8

[Namaste Mama]

I use and Oster Beehive and I love it. sometimes you have to stop and push things down, but I have made some awesome smoothies and raw cheeses in it. I highly recommend it for those on a budget.

[michigan roman]

i just checked speltwrongs link and found i was thinking of a different version fusion , heres one ive seen :

http://recs.richrelevance.com/rrserver/click?a=632d581ca7b9feb3&vg=b295d22c-f617-4493-9daa-354d0ff48df7&pti=1&pa=adjacency&hpi=1339&stn=ClickCP&rti=1&u=&uguid=aee8ceb0-e0cd-4400-7e03-de4bf2ae8867&s=&pg=1508&p=10481705&ct=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2FOster-Fusion-Blender---BRLY07B%2F-%2FA-10481705%3Freco%3DRec|pdp|10481705|ClickCP|item_pa ge.adjacency%26lnk%3DRec|pdp|10481705|ClickCP|item _page.adjacency

also , the fusion is 600 watts and the bee hive is 500 . so even though i like the simpler control on bee hive ide get the fusion for the extra power .
and they can no doubt be found cheaper then at target link , like around 60

[speltrong]

Good to know! If we ever manage to kill the Fusion we already bought (it's looking like that may not happen), I might check out the one you linked to. When I bought ours, I wanted it the same day, so I was limited to what I could find at Target. I like the look of the one you just posted a LOT better!

[kenmtb]

Great info. One thing I am considering is how well a blender can smooth out the chunks. From what I have read, some blenders have a hard time creating a good vortex. A lot of the units I have looked at have very small blades and/or bowls that are far from smooth or round. Are some blenders better at smoothing? Im thinking if a blender cant smooth, what good is 700+ watts?
Sorry for all the questions.

PS my car ate up my blender money last week so I am just about ready to pull the trigger on something
Ken

[carolg]

Wow, amazing Vitamix price sharing. I paid at Costco about $499; surely can return and get money back with their policy over a year ago. Or, maybe it was $449, but surely not $300+ for new too. Costco is amazing for their return policy but then again saving about $100 is a big difference too. Thanks all for sharing. I do love the Vitamix however.