I am ready to buy my blender. I have been doing some research and I am inclining toward the Vita-Mix 5000. However, I have also read that these comercial-quality appliances (KTec/Blend Tec included) are INCREDDIBLY noisy. Someone compared it to an airplane taking off. MY God!

I have a huge fear of flying so the last thing I need is to hear several take-offs in my kitchen every day. The noise description sounds really off-putting.
If this is really true, I might just go a step down and just consider a KitchenAid or something more "humane". Would those less noisy blenders do the job of liquefying whole foods?

How NOISY are these workhorses, really? Is it THAT bad?

siracusa,

I have a vita-mix 5000 and I'm very pleased. One of the best investments i have done. The noice is louder than with a normal mixer but it's not as loud as k-tel.

You better find a remote room like a garage to make your green shakes.

Here is comparison of V-M vs. K-Tel

[www.newstarget.com]

Cheers

MH

Waow. I think this is a bit extreme. I would expect to use my blender in the kitcher, not in the garage. That sounds really bad.

supposedly krups kb720 is quiet,
but i don't have one.

fresh Wrote:
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> supposedly krups kb720 is quiet,
> but i don't have one.


But is it also decently powerful? I think the trick is to strike the balance between noise and power.

I have a 4500 Vitamix and was worried about the noise before I bought it. It's not really bad at all I think. Considering you don't run it for that long, it far outweighs what it can actually do.

Someone said put a mousepad underneath it helps. Never tried it though.

siracusa Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> fresh Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > supposedly krups kb720 is quiet,
> > but i don't have one.
>
>
> But is it also decently powerful? I think the
> trick is to strike the balance between noise and
> power.


depends on what you want.
i have a $3 thrift store ancient oster blender and it's fine for my needs.
so i'm guessing the krups would be good for me.

the k-tec is 1500 watts
the krups is 1000 watts.

sounds adequate to me, but maybe not for everyone.

I have a KTec and it's not as noisy as the reviewer says. Not by a long shot. I'm really sensitive to noise and don't go to concerts (other than classical) for that reason. So if I'm okay with the noise, you likely will be.

The reviewer also said the KTec was complicated to use with all sorts of preprogrammed speeds. There are preprogrammed speeds, but there's another button that you just press and hold until it's at the speed you want. It's completely simple.

The nice thing about the Ktec buttons is that they're submerged into the face of the machine so they're very cleanable. Not so the Vitamix dials. This may be a practical feature the reviewer missed.

The Vitamix comes with a plunger that you use to tamp the food down into the blades. The Ktec doesn't come with a plunger because it's so well-designed you don't need it. The food rotates into the blades automatically.

I tried and returned the Vitamix because it was too complicated and it was a nuisance to clean. It comes with an extensive instruction booklet that tells you how many seconds at which speed to process each type of food. It also overheated and turned off; and it emitted large, very alarming sparks from the motor under normal, light use. I called Vitamix in some alarm about the sparks and they explained that it was normal.

There was one legitimate complaint about the Ktec's carafe: the O-ring seal. I had some of that break off once and blend into a smoothie. It was the middle of winter and very cold, and I hadn't used the blender in several months. Which may have had something to do with it, or not. In any case, the company replaced the carafe and explained that if it is very cold and you haven't used the blender for some time, the sealing can get stiff and brittle and break. Since hearing that, I increase the speed more gradually when I am blending, and I haven't had the problem since. I've had my KTec for 6 years.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/2007 10:12PM by greenie.

I have been using my VitaMix for years and am so glad to have it; although I have never heard of the KTec and am quite interested in finding out more about it. I definitely would recommend getting a VitaMix over a regular blender. Between those two, there is NO COMPARISON. The VitaMix is pretty loud. I put in ear plugs while it is running, which is usually not very long because it is so powerful. I think putting in ear plugs would be a much better approach than using the VitaMix in the garage.

I love my VitaMix-it`s noisy but I love it so much that I don`t really mind anymore..

I have many friends who are very happy with an ordinary, simple, inexpensive blender too...

But the noise of these powerful blenders is not all that bad really...