about a week ago i had an epiphany and i decided i need a high-power blender. long story short, i found lots of websites forums, etc. but wheatgrass yogi seems to be the only one who does not sell anything, so yogi, please this is for you.
i pretty much decided on vita-prep3 1005 when i stumbled upon the 20 amp blendtec. now, for the ones who have the vitaprep, how long it takes you to make a green smoothie? i am worried that blending it for too long will increase the temperature and hence destroy nutrients. it's not that i want to have the biggest one out there, i never had an suv and i'm not planning to get one now, but from a strictly healthful food standpoint, i am under the impression that 20 amp is better. of course paying an extra $300 for it is not cool in my book. also the whole discussion with the dedicated circuits, etc. it's a bit scary.
in this scenario: i put a medium chopped carrot and 1 stalk of celery and enough water, will vitaprep3 make a smooth enough concoction in a short amount of time so that the nutrients won't be destroyed?
so, i guess i need somebody with a long blending experience to give me some advice.
thank you guys, i am grateful already, i'm just a rawfoodist wanna be and i really respect people who have such strong will power.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/18/2009 11:59PM by camelback.

Long story short. The VP3 will do anything you need a blender to do.

The 20 amp blendtec is a Great blender, But not needed for most people. I use one because of the Extra large container.

I used a Vitamix total nutrition center for 11 years before i got my 20 amp and never had a day or problems.

The heat factor is minimal. This is an argument Sellers will make to get you to buy the bigger blender.

Truth is Both will do the same job if used correctly. Plenty of liquids ect.

The differences are slim under the same conditions. The things the 20 amp can do that the VP3 would not be real great at are better suited for a food processor not a blender anyways.

To be honest Save yourself a little more off the price of the Vp3 and Get a blendtec HP3A there both 3 hp the blendtec is $100 cheaper or more but has a shorter warranty.


these 3 blenders are great ones.

Yes i do sell them so take my recommendation as you will, I'm not trying to sell you a blender but i can answer any questions you may have. I have been using a blender for 11 year now and have owned and tested 9 different ones. For high end commercial to Small and portable.

thank you ydnar22, i appreciate a straightforward answer. let me bug you with some more: with the 20amp, do you use a regular outlet, did you do any electrical modifications? i understand that on newer homes this should not be a problem, but i don't know.

i guess i will keep agonizing for a few more days, maybe a week, between vitaprep3 and blendec20amp, and then i will make a decision i will regret.

i keeed, i won't regret it, because the green smoothies will send my mood sky high and they'll keep it there constantly, while my blood sugar levels will stay at 80 in a continuous horizontal line.

now, seriously, what i want from my blender is not crushing in shell macadamia. all i want is a smoothie with some tougher stuff in it (beet root, carrot) but i don't want to gulp pieces of fruit and vegetables. i have no problem with using a lot of water, the problem would be if i need to blend it for too long in order to obtain a really non-chunky texture. that's why i was willing to spend what would a scooter would cost on a 20 amp, but perhaps vitaprep3 would do, dunno...

camelback,

I have a Vita Mix 4500 and I have found that a homogenizing or triturating juicer works better for beets, carrots, broccoli stalks and the like, but a good blender can manage these items well if they are first finely chopped. Depends on your knife skills, I guess. I always end up with waaaaayyy more smoothie than I can tolerate in a few-hours' consumption anyhow. I cannot imagine having a yield large enough to bathe in like this 20 amp monster produces

My 20 amp plugs into the wall with an adapter. A dedicated outlet is preferred (we have this now).

you could buy both and send back the one you didn't like as much lol

The vitaprep 3 will do as good a job as the 20 amp.

Either on you deside on will be a Great choise. Save yoruself soem money and go with the VP3 or an HP3a

tamukha,
keep in mind i want to have the fiber in it. i have an omega juicer but when i see the mountain of carrot fiber left behind i feel like i waste perfectly good organic food. so i really need one good blender. if you put 2 carrots, one small beet and 2 celery stalks in your vitamix, with enough water, and blend it on low for 15 sec and on max for 25sec, how smooth is the resulting concoction? can you still feel bigger chunks of produce, or is it reaaaaaly smooth?
thank you.

camelback Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
but wheatgrass
> yogi seems to be the only one who does not sell
> anything, so yogi, please this is for you.

i appreciate Yogi's input too thanks very much !

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

ydnar22 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My 20 amp plugs into the wall with an adapter. A dedicated outlet is preferred (we have this now). ...


In the US at least, the duplex outlets you see along the countertop are NOT, by code, dedicated single 20amp outlets, like the manufacturer specifies for the 20amp model. Standard US kitchens have two 20amp counter appliance circuits, each serving two duplex outlets, so that there can be 4 appliances plugged in each circuit at any one time. Dishwashers and built-in microwaves, if up to code, are more likely to have such dedicated SINGLE outlets. Even there you might find an inadequate duplex fixture.

Plug adapters are not authorised or supplied by Blendtec. In the owners manual Blendtec explicitely warns against attachments not supplied by Blendtec.

Who is selling anything?



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/20/2009 07:24PM by loeve.

loeve Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Who is selling anything?


not here. i meant on other websites you might find people who are endorsing blenders they sell. i did not mean that here all people. but yogiwheatgrass. sell things. i was thinking about blindguru type persons. and just to clarify, i don't mind that people are trying to sell stuff, i just said that yogi seemed more altruistic in his postings.

..OK, ....to clarify on typical kitchen countertop wiring in the US, codes require at least two circuits, each able to serve several outlets including those in a pantry or dining room as follows:

"Kitchen electrical outlets installed above the countertops require at least 2 small appliance branch circuits. ...
"Example: for 5 kitchen GFCI receptacles serving countertops there should be a minimum of 2 circuit breakers (or two fuses) in your electrical panel - one protecting 3 of those outlets, and second responsible for other 2 (or 4 & 1 - it doesn’t matter).
"Those two or more electrical circuits supplying power to the kitchen GFCI receptacles (above the countertop) must also serve remaining kitchen open walls, pantry and dinning room receptacles."

[www.checkthishouse.com]

..so typical US kitchen 20-amp countertop outlets are connected to several other outlets, even in other rooms, and fall short of the 20-amp Blendtec owners manual requirements for a strictly dedicated 20-amp circuit.

camelback Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ......... and just to clarify, i don't mind that
> people are trying to sell stuff, i just said that
> yogi seemed more altruistic in his postings.
I have nothing to sell except the idea of Juicing
and Blending. The big 20 AMP blenders, with their 96-ounce
containers, are designed for the commercial market (or large
families). For home use the Blendtec HP3-A or the Vita-Prep 3 are the best. Many
long-time Raw Vegans are still using the Vita-Mix 4500 (or 5000) and
doing very well.
If anyone is ready to take the 'plunge' for a quality Blender (or
Juicer), call ydnar22 at 1-877-854-0533. He runs BlenderJuicerDepot.com.
I highly recommend him as being knowledgeable and honest.....WY

camelback,

"tamukha,
keep in mind i want to have the fiber in it. i have an omega juicer but when i see the mountain of carrot fiber left behind i feel like i waste perfectly good organic food. so i really need one good blender. if you put 2 carrots, one small beet and 2 celery stalks in your vitamix, with enough water, and blend it on low for 15 sec and on max for 25sec, how smooth is the resulting concoction? can you still feel bigger chunks of produce, or is it reaaaaaly smooth?"

Hmmm . . . I've never tried 2 carrots, a small beet, 2 celery stalks and a large quantity of H2O, but I can't imagine the Vita Mix not being able to totally homogenize this in the time you listed IF these veggies were diced finely first. I shall try this tomorrow and post my result. As for the juicer, I have a Champion, and it produces a quite dry pulp, which is mostly insoluble fiber; hard on the intestine in large volumes. One can take some of the leftover pulp and use it to concoct dehydrated recipes. For example, carrot pulp can be mixed with flax seeds and spices and turned into carrot chips. But I've never done that.

Tamukha Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> I shall
> try this tomorrow and post my result.


I appreciate your willingness to do this experiment for me. Thank you.

camelback,

These are my findings: when approx. 1 3/4 cups(dry measure) finely diced veg(2 carrots, 2 beets, 2 celery stalks) were combined with a scant quart H2O, and blended on high--when blending most things in a Vita Mix 4500, one starts for a few seconds on low, and then immediately switches to high--20 seconds resulted in a cool, fresh tasting, almost totally homogenized fluid. Mine was a tiny bit, mmmm, grainy? This was because I didn't peel the carrots or beets. I imagine it would still have some texture no matter what, because the blender cannot break down insoluble fiber into "nothing." This same combo made in a homogenizing or triturating juicer would be much smoother, and also denser, as no water would have to be added. With the juicer I got myself into the habit of rejuicing the extruded pulp one more time to get every last bit of juice. Although the Vita Mix didn't seem to struggle in this experiment, in future I will resume juicing root veg on my Champion, or eating them grated in slaws and such. If you wish to have a root smoothie on a daily basis, maybe go with a 3 horsepower like the Blendtec or the Vita Mix 5200. Good luck. Well, off to get high on beta carotene cocktail!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2009 08:59PM by Tamukha.

Oops! In the above post, I meant to write that the veg were blended with 2 cups H20. The yield was a scant quart liquid.

tamukha,

thank you for your help. i oscillate between vitaprep and blendtec 20amp. there is about $325 price difference. i've just used my single auger omega juicer to make a (carrot, celery stalk, parsley) juice for my wife. i am not unhappy with the omega but sometimes i get lazy when i know that i need to clean it and as i said before, i hate seeing the wasted fiber. i need to get a vegetarian pet or something to dispose of the mountains of fiber left after juicing.
anyway, i never had a green smoothie so i believe the time has come for me to start doing it. if i could find a vitamix demo at sams or costco, i would get one because i know there could be a no hassle return in case i don't like it. i shall see...

again thanks for doing the experiment for me.

You're welcome, camelback! Good luck making a choice--I don't think you'd be disappointed either way.

camelback Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> tamukha,
> i hate seeing the wasted fiber.
I just juiced 2 1/2 pounds of Carrots. As I put
the fiber into my Compost Pail, I thought 'how would I feel
if all this fiber was inside my body?'....and was reminded of
camelback's post. Sluggish, very sluggish, was the answer that
came to me.....WY

WY,

Yes! That's exactly how I felt after consuming my test batch of Root Smoothie! Also, bloated I try to shoot for way more soluble fiber, which you can get from a high yield homogenizing or triturating juicer, and to limit my insoluble fiber because a little goes a long way. Literally. But if camelback wishes to have all the fiber in the finished juice, the 3HP Blendtec or Vita Mix is the way to go.

The vitamix at sams or costco is a 5200 2 hp to the best of my knowledge they don't do there "road show" with the 3hp Vita prep 3.

Root vegetables are not ideal for our digestion, this is why it would be sluggish, they are too starchy and fibrous and tough.

Fruit does me well, greens, well I am still feeling it out, I have a compromised digestion at the moment but I think a combination of green smoothies and juicing may work out till I can eat higher quantity of greens, who knows I might keep on juicing for a while, not sure yet, and I would keep foraging too.

As far as 3HP, what is the claim, that you can blend a little faster / in less time and generate less heat? Might the faster RPM just generate roughly the same heat faster? We would have to get into some physics here, I am guessing it is not a huge difference but I'm not sure. So some here are saying that the std. vitamix is not enough HP for them @ 2HP? You find a significant difference jumping up to 3HP which the vita prep does but not the mix? Blendtec does as well but is louder and has the vortex no tamping... And what about a BPA free container? I just have a slower glass blender for now, haven't tried a green smoothie in this one, my oster is in storage.

I urge everybody who wants to buy the I-CB7 blender to find www.acmeequipment.com. I paid over 800 for my blender and found a source that sells it for 645 including shipping and handling charges.

Lindabblight. Went to www.acmeequipment.com
It is the Blendtec Connoisseur that is selling for $649.00. The 20 amp Symbiotic blender is $849.00
SKU: A3-31E-BHM

Blendtec Connoisseur
Blendtec Connoisseur - On the counter or in the counter mount. A perfect additon to your healthy kitchen
List price: $799.00 Our price: $649.
SKU: symbioticblender

Symbiotic Blender - 20amp
Symbiotic Blender
List price: $875.00 Our price: $849.00

I would like to know who I am dealing with before I make a purchase.I have looked at these 2 websites someone please tell me who these people are? Who is the Blindguru? Who is the Rawsammy? Are they one and the same person?

WHo is Martin Pytela
Life Enthusiast Co-op?

Who is Mark Izivit?
Anyone had any dealings with either one of them?
Thank you.

Mark izivit is blindguru and rawswammy

martin pytela is life enthusiast co-op they sell suppliments and such

I have been doing research on this blender. I googled icb7 blender and blindguru rawswammy and blender depot are all buying them from acme equipment. They offered me the price of 645 only because I was a counselor and I could start up a wholesale account.

I wanted to add that All three dealers for this blender will refer you to acme when you call them. My blender came directly from Blendtec in Utah even though I ordered it from their dealer.

Life Enthusiast Coop "Mark C Ivitz" "Martin Pytela" Blindguru rawfoodadvantage.com rawswammy.com are all the same entity

I won and paid $770 paypal (to Life Enthusiast Coop) for an auction for the blendtec ICB7 20 amp blender on Ebay February 26 from the seller 449_best_deals. I email him 1 week after sending payment inquiring about the status-he (under the name Martin Pytela) offers me a second blender for $28 more, totally ignoring my question. After 2 weeks I asked the seller about the status of my order. He replies rudely that the blender gets drop shipped and its not his problem- let him know if I don't get it tomorrow. I'm at this point frustrated and ask him why he won't find out the status from the supplier himself and is making me do all the legwork- he ignores my question and gives me 2 numbers to call, both of which I get answering machines. I ask a fourth time, he gives me a third number stating its ACME owners number and replies:

Ps. for the trouble.. I will give you up to 5 icb7s that you can have for 650.00 plus 15 shipping and you can sell them on ebay for 875.00... or I can let you sell 12 hp3a blenders at 399.99 and your cost is 310.00.

I tell him I have no interest selling blenders and am just interested in getting the blender that I had won on the auction. I finally get through to the third number. The supplier Vicky states that everybody left early for a birthday party, she doesn't have the info- call back on Monday. I call back after the weekend and get Vicky on the line, she states that she special ordered the blender from another place in Utah, if she bothers them about it further "they will kill her". She sounded nice and honest so I said alright I'll call back tomorrow. Meanwhile I get a forwarded email from "MARK C IVITZ" with an invoice attached. The invoice states he paid ACME $614 for the blender. In the body of the message I see:

Here is what ACME sent me
attached pdf.
do not send it to Ray

-- Martin Pytela
1-866-543-3388
www.life-enthusiast.com

He is referring to me when he says Ray. I call back ACME and finally get the USPS tracking number a day later. 5 weeks after I had ordered the blender, I open the box and find out that it is the totally wrong model. They sent me the inferior 1500W blendtec home connoisseur model which is only 13 Amps. I just sent an email demanding a refund but don't have my hopes up. Btw, the auction also said I would be getting a whole bunch of freebies (1 pound of goji berries, 1 lb of golden berries, 2 pounds of maca powder, 2 pounds of raw cacao powder, 1 gallon of coconut oil, 1 bottle of agave nectar, and 1 pound of cacao butter) which surprise, I never received. If you deal with these people, be forwarned.

methos so sorry you had sucha sour experience .. sadly weve heard alot (bad things) about this same person(s) over the last year or so

make sureyou post your complaint on the ebay site to let people know whats up

hope you get some satisfaction soon!

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

I must retract my statement above about getting the wrong blender. Vicky from Acme evidently read my message on this board and sent me an email stating that she had ordered the ICB7 motor but it was enclosed in the home connoisseur base with a Hp3a keypad for a smaller footprint. Upon closer inspection of the blender, I realized that the ICB7 motor was enclosed in the unit. I just wish someone had explained this to me previously as the blender doesn't look anything like the retail ICB7. This doesn't change the fact that this was one of the worst experiences I've had on ebay after 10 years and over 200 hundred purchases without a negative. Acme was very helpful however and I would do business with them again.