I received my Waring Commercial XTreme (MX1200XT) yesterday. I immediately ran it through a few checks along with my Vita-Prep 3 by Vita-Mix. I first tested Bare Motor Speed without the container at all. I was amazed how solid and quiet the XT was. The VP3 was noticeably louder. The Pulse switch on both blenders took speed to the next level. Next I tried filling a container (a Vita-Mix 64-ounce) with 40-ounces of water and blended that with both blenders. I dialed both blenders from 1 to 10 with the Variable Dial of each. When I tried to 'kick' the XT with the Pulse Switch, it didn't kick. The VP3 exploded with power. Without a load the XT Pulse Switch worked fine, with a load it didn't.
My first reaction is the VP3 is more powerful than the XT even though it has a lower AMP rating...12.5 to 13.
I will have 2 Green Smoothies a day, preparing one with each machine, and update my findings in a few days. I also want to talk about each container and the blades......WY

Greetings

I purchased the Vita-Prep 3 before I was aware of the new offering from Waring..

So far I am completly satisfied with the performance of the Vita-Prep 3..

It is noticibly quieter than my 35 yr. old Oster Osterizer..

I'll be looking forward to your evaluation of the Waring as it compares to the Vita-Prep 3..

However, I won't be rushing out to replace my Vita-Prep 3 with the Waring Commercial XTreme..

As modern Americans I think, in my own case I know, that we get way too caught up in the minutia of whether or not we have the latest & bestest of everything..

Within the raw community this seems to manifest itself in worrying too much about blenders & dehydrators..

I realise that many poeple without experience with the better blenders have a hard time justifing the cost of a Vita-Mix, Blend Tec, or (the new) Waring blender..

For them, comparison tests such as yours WY, are valuable tools in helping to make an informed decision..

For myself, I stick with what I've got for the time being..

When electric motor technology progresses to the point where I can purchase a blender that is truly quiet & has the power of the top commercial Vita-Mix machines; then perhaps I'll think about purchasing a new blender..

Bruce

Wheatgrass Yogi,

I had worked as a prep cook for a few years, a few years ago. I am counfounded as to why people here use bar blenders instead of food blenders? Perhaps the average avocational cook has never worked with commercial-grade food blenders. They are usually sold through restaurant equipment stores or online vendors.

I had used a commercial-grade Waring blender and I surmise that because they are designed to puree food, they will last longer than a bar blender, whereas bar blenders are designed to mix beverages, and probably will need replacement more often than you would like.
I cannot advise you nor anyone as how to spend your money, but if I were to use a blender for pureeing or juicing food, I would use a commercial-grade Waring blender:

Waring Products
[www.waringproducts.com]
[www.blenderworld.com]

Blender World
[www.blenderworld.com]-
warfoodblender.html

REW
[www.restaurantequipment.net]

Serv-U
[www.servu-online.com]

The Restaurant Source
[www.restaurantsource.com]

Gala Source
[www.galasource.com]

A City Discount
[www.acitydiscount.com]

Happy blending!

theUnknownCook

thanx for all the good info

is the main difference amps or watts?...or replaceable gaskets?
the bar blenders also have good horsepower.

what i like about waring is the glass + stainless steel.

what i don't like about vitamix besides plastic is blades cannot be removed for cleaning

happyway

The main differences between bar blenders & food blenders are in the size of the carafe, the design of the blades, & the power of the motor..

The carafes are generally 32 oz in capacity..Some of the more recent offerings in bar blenders have larger carafes..These are seen in very busy bars where a large number of the same drinks will be prepared at the same time, for instance margheritas..

The design of the traditional Waring bar blender's blades was to move around & mix liquids..That the bar blender will also chop ice & foods to some extent is due more to the power of the motor then the design of the blades,,

The blades in a food blender are designed to more efficiently slice & chop foods then are the blades in a bar blender..

Food blenders designed to be used in restaurant settings are equipped with motors that are more powerful (wattage & horsepower) with windings that will withstand the heat & stress of being used for hours at a time under maximum load design capabilities without failure..

Home blenders have motors that are NOT designed for sustained usage..They will overheat & fail if used for long periods of time (doesn't even have to be high load usage!) without letting the motor cool off & rest..This is why blenders marketed for home usage cost significantly less then commercial blenders..

Also, the blades of a bar blender are designed to create a vortex in a liquid medium..

The blades in a food blender are designed to create a vortex in semi-solid foods..This allows them to pull down foods from the top of the carafe into the blades, something a bar blender will generally need help doing..Vita-Mix created the tamper rod for this very reason, as even as capable as the Vita-Mix blender is, they knew that the people using them woud occasionally need to push foods down into the blades on order to get the job done..

NO blender is 100% capable of creating a vortex & pulling foods down into it regardless of the liquidity in the food mixture..

Now I can already hear people saying: "But, they chop ice in bar blenders to make drinks, don't they??"..

Virtually all bars use ice that is crushed into small particles by the ice maker..

This is to allow them to make drinks more quickly by virtue of the ice already being in a small size, as well as reducing the stress from the blenders..As they are sometimes used for 5-6 hours without letup during busy times, this is critical to them not failing in the middle of a busy shift..

So, buy a bar blender for mixing drinks, & a food blender for foods..

Bruce

Darn nice recap of a drink vs. food blender there Bruce. Have enjoyed your posts for some time now on this particular part of the forum. Always nice to hear the thoughts and experiences of a professional chef.

My best!

David

The blindguru.com 20 amp blender is working perfectly for me. I cannot do pates in it although I have my older vitamix for that.
It is way more power than the vitamix blender. Has anyone tried the 20 amp blender yet. I hear it is the latest and greatest blender.

Yes, I have watched some of their videos. I actually found their site on youtube when I typed in vitamix. They have probably 20 videos that they did.

Yes, I agree, the guy is crazy. They are negotiable and I did not pay their asking price for that blender.

Hey, WY, can u tell me what's the final result with the pulse of Waring Xtrem you said you'll test? It's important for I want to seeds as smooth as they're not there. Thanks. I'm reluctant to go with a loud VP (experienced neither but I learn that's the case from online reviews.

jistheboss Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey, WY, can u tell me what's the final result
> with the pulse of Waring Xtrem you said you'll
> test?
I bought two different Waring Xtrem models
back in 10/07. Neither one of them had the power of my
Vita-Prep 3. I've since bought another VP-3 as a backup,
and donated the Warings to the local Thrift Store.
> Thanks. I'm reluctant to go with a loud VP.
At the highest speed, the VP-3 is loud, but
it's only for a few seconds. Besides, it's a good kind
of loud.....WY

> I bought two different Waring Xtrem models
> back in 10/07. Neither one of them had the power
> of my
> Vita-Prep 3. I've since bought another VP-3 as a
> backup,
> and donated the Warings to the local Thrift
> Store.

Wheatgrass Yogi,

The thrift shop shoppers in your town must be very lucky people. As a very satisfied owner of a Waring Xtreme blender, I don't challenge your conclusion that the VP3 is far superior since I've never had the opportunity to make the comparison. I would say first - that the Waring model is also a top shelf blender that will not disappoint, and second - that I'm glad there are people like you who are willing to acquire and test four very expensive blenders and to share the results. Given your unqualified conclusion in favor of the Vita Prep 3, I have to imagine that it's an amazing machine.

frances Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Given your unqualified conclusion in favor of the Vita
> Prep 3, I have to imagine that it's an amazing
> machine.
Let's just say that I like the Vita-Prep 3
better than the other 3 blenders I tested (2 Warings and
1 Blendtec). As you mentioned about your Waring, they're
all fine blenders......WY