What is the best blender for making smoothies? If you have been making smoothies for a while and are ready to upgrade to the best that money can buy then these two are it. Below we compare the Vitamix 5200 and the Blendtec Total Blender, the two most expensive blenders on the market.

Which is Better?

• Vitamix 5000 / Vitamix 5200

  The Vitamix 5200 (formerly known as the Vitamix 5000) is our personal blender of choice. It is the best consumer blender that we have found. For us this blender has paid for itself in less than a year due to the time and money it saves. Because this blender handles frozen and whole uncut fruits with ease, you don't have to mess around and waste any time. This is a serious machine that will pay you dividends in the kitchen. How does this device handle frozen and whole foods so easily? To quote Al Pacino's character Tony Montana from Scarface, "say hello to my little friend"...

  The Vitamix Tamper
  

  The tamper comes included with the blender and is a "must have" when it comes to blending any frozen or whole uncut fruits such as large apples. Simply place any large object like an apple or orange at the top of the contents in the blender and gently use the tamper to push it downward into the blade. One or two strokes downward with the tamper and "presto", you've added all the nutrition, fiber, and protein of the seeds and skin without all the cutting.

  In addition to this ingenious device, the Vitamix 5200 comes with a 7 year warranty on all parts (the longest we have seen), a polycarbonate easily washable 64 ounce jar, a book with over 300 recipes, and a dial which gives you precision and custom control of the speed. Because only Vitamix includes the tamper and a standard 7 year warranty this is the only product we recommend for the serious smoothie maker. (where to buy)







• Blendtec Total Blender

This is also a popular blender. It has a 1500 Watt motor, supposedly the most powerful home product on the market. It has a futuristic electronic display with no knobs or dials. It includes a 64-ounce jar along with a book of over 100 recipes. Its warranty is not as competitive as the Vitamix though, it has a 3 year warranty on the motor base, 1 year on the jar, and a lifetime warranty on the coupling and blade. We purchased this blender and used it for the full 30 day trial and ended up sending it back. The main reason is that it can't handle frozen and whole uncut fruits. It's just pure physics, without a way to push the food into the blade it won't blend. If you love the display and look of this machine and don't plan to use much frozen or uncut material then you might consider this product.