What gives? Why do these things cost more than many people in third world countries make in five years?

I know they're good and they do the jobs that many ordinary blenders don't do, but does that mean they're worth 1000% more in price?

In my opinion, it's price gouging and greed.

You can buy cheap, but good, blenders at Wal-Mart. I bought one for my Mother and paid about $50 or so. She loves it for what she uses it for.
If you want the Best, you have to pay the Price. I've never minded paying for quality......WY

Totally worth it simple living. I am in love with my vitamix and wouldn't trade it for anything. I think it was so worth the money. If I use it one time a day in a year, it has cost me around $1-1.50 a day. So far, I use it 2-3 times a day so I would say that it is completely worth it for me. The best part is the three part payment plan you can use with the vita-mix. For me, it didn't hurt as badly as doing it all at once. Veggie
PS - The difference between a cheapo and the vitamix IMO, is when I add flax seeds, chia seeds, strawberries with seeds, whatever - the seeds are not noticable in the drink. My kids are drinking seeds (which they hate) and I can truly make whatever I want to put in there SMOOTH!!! Doing that in my $50 blender was a joke. And, within the first three green smoothies, my blender motor was burning up.

But what makes blender parts worth $500 - $600? What are the parts used that are priced out at that rate? Surely, it's not costing the blender makers nearly that much to make them! Mark-up has to be around 500%! It seems like they're taking advantage of the public - healthy and culinary folks - who want them.

Simple Living Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> But what makes blender parts worth $500 - $600?


R&D, product design, etc.

Keith you can totally do this lifestyle on the cheap. Before I bought any fancy equipment I had a regular ol' Hamilton Beach blender, small (3 cup or something I think) Cuisinart food processor, a $20 mandolin slicer and a $50 Nesco food dehydrator.

The Vitamix and similar blenders are power houses. They can make smooth nut butters, freeze fruit into sorbets and ice creams, crush ice, make baby food and blend greens and seeds until they are imperceptible in smoothies as veggiefreak mentioned. Are they necessary? No... I can make smoothies in my regular blender just fine... they aren't as smooth though as using a Vitamix.

Just all depends on what ya want...



My website: The Coconut Chronicles



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/2008 08:44PM by TheCoconutChronicles.

There's lower unit cost with higher distribution. These are specialty items with a very small number made. The cheap ones sell orders and orders of magnitude more.

I have a $34 osterizer. Sometimes I wish I had better. But to be honest, not all that often.

I do wish I had a better juicer an auger type rather than the cheap centrifugal one that I have, one more suitable for leaves because the yield would be higher. But since I give the pulp to the dogs it doesn't really matter all that much; I can't say I've wasted anything.

Simple living- I have to agree with you. It is greed and people happily pay so why not? Yes, it WAY better designed but after all their cost it is not a justifiable cost. Anyways,when you get mad about the price remember nothing can compare to the oil companies price gouging! =)

When people talk off-the-cuff about how blender companies are always over pricing the goods that they sell & are ripping off the consumer so that they can make an obscene profit it makes me angry..Some companies do treat their customers this way, but they are the exception, not the rule..Vita-Mix IS NOT one of the rip-off companies..And it is irresponsible to imply that they are..

The average consumer has absolutely NO idea what goes into the manufacture of even the simplest of everyday products..

Before I became a chef I spent 2 1/2 years working as a machinist in the early 1970's..The company that I worked for employed both machinists as well as tool & die makers..We did contract work for NASA as well as small jobs for local companies..There was nothing in the world that the master machinists & master tool & die makers in that company weren't capable of making..Nothing..Their skills were exceptional..

As a for instance: Is everyone here familiar with the thin steel caps with the rolled threads that are used to seal things like paint thinner, alcohol, & other similar liquids??..The caps that I'm talking about are about 1.25" in diameter & 1/2" thick??..I helped to make & assemble 4 of the machines that took large coils of flat sheet steel ribbons, fed it through the machine, punched out a circular blank, created the cup shape, & finally rolled the threads & the rim of the cap..

It took a team of between 4-8 apprentices and master tool & die makers approximately 9 months to build all 4 machines..The initial machine work & assembly took about 1 month..The balance of that time was spent fine tuning the dies responsible for making the various shapes..So that the machine would work without jamming & make a perfect cap every time..

Each of those machines cost over $275,000.00 in 1974 dollars to make..They were about 3 ft. square, & stood on short legs on a stand about 3 1/2 ft. tall..They were not very impressive looking when they were complete..Each machine was capable of producing about 3-5 million of the caps before needing the critical forming dies replaced & the machine re-tuned..

So in 1974 dollars the caps of the paint thinner can cost at least 5 cents each before any labor & materials costs were factored in..A 1 pint can of paint thinner in 1974 cost about 50 cents..The value of the can & it's cap far exceeded the value of the paint thinner in the can..

Believe me when I tell you that a Vita-Mix Vita-Prep 3 blender is worth EVERY penny of it's $450.00 (approx.) cost..If ANY person on this forum thinks that they can set up a company & make a blender equal in EVERY way to the Vita-Prep 3 for less money, I challenge you to do so..And I mean in every way it's equal, with every component in the blender being of equal or higher quality than the Vita-Mix..

As I have said repeatedly over the past several months, a 30-40 year old Oster Osterizer blender purchased for $20.00 at a yard sale will capably make green smoothies as long as the user follows the procedures that I have outlined in some of my other posts..Will this smoothie be as finely pureed as one made in one of the more expensive blenders??..NO, it will not!!..Will it pulverize the small seeds of blueberries, strawberries, & raspberries??..NO, it will not..Will it break up & pulverize avocado pits??..NO, it will not!!..Will it crush large ice cubes capably??..NOT unless there is more liquid than usually found in the average green smoothie..Will it effortlessly make nut butters, raw hummus, raw candies??..NO, it will not!!..Will it allow you to stuff the carafe full of various foods with minimal liquids, turn it on, & expect the blender to perform it's job without burning up the electric motor??..NO, it will not!!..

For any of the above tasks you WILL need a more powerful blender..People are ALWAYS coming onto this forum & saying that my SUCH & SUCH BLENDER from SUCH & SUCH MANUFACTURER that only costs $25.00-$50.00 will do the exact same things that your HOITY-TOITY Vita-Mix blender does,so "Why should I spend $450.00 on a blender when $50.00 will suffice"..

And you know what??..Those folks are right!!..Those less expensive blenders WILL do some or all of the above things..The blenders will perform those tasks once, twice, three times..Sometimes they will perform those tasks a large number of times..But, and this is the key point that I, Wheatgrass Yogi, & others have been trying to make for a long time..The less expensive blenders WILL NOT perform those tasks for years & years..Some fail the first time that a difficult blending task is attempted..Others might go for several months before failing..But, fail they ALWAYS do!!..

They fail because a $50.00 blender is not, can not, & never will be the equal of a $450.00 blender..There is a reason that Vita-Mix, Blend Tec, & Waring high-powered blenders cost $350.00 to $500.00..And it's NOT because those companies are ripping the consumer who purchases their products off..

If you don't want to spend the dollars necessary to purchase one of the more powerful blenders, fine, don't do so..But DO NOT come onto this forum & imply through sly innuendo that the high-powered blender companies are a bunch of rip-off artists..Cause' it just ain't so!!..

Enough said!!..

Bruce

Well said Brother Bruce.
"Quality is long remembered after Price has been forgotten".....Someone said that.
I never think about what I paid for my Vita-Prep 3. I'm just thankful that I have it to use.......WY

baltochef,

The question about blender prices was asked openly and sincerely, not slyly. Any mistaken notions about the prices were/are innocent ones and did not require bashing or scolding. It's too bad that you could not give the benefit of the doubt and explain more civily.

Think about it from my point of view. A blender. Yes, it's better quality and yes it lasts longer. No one disputed that. But parts-wise - I couldn't see how the parts would be so much more expensive to warrant the huge price increase.

Quote

But DO NOT come onto this forum & imply through sly innuendo that the high-powered blender companies are a bunch of rip-off artists..Cause' it just ain't so!!..

In this comment, sir, you are wholly out of line. People can believe anything they want about the blender companies and state those beliefs here or anywhere else. This is not YOUR forum and you do not dictate comments. You may speak that way to your kitchen staff, but we are not your staff.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/17/2008 07:43PM by Simple Living.

Simple Living

As the OP I offer you my apology..You did not imply through innuendo, but as I read naturaluv's post that was how I interpreted it..And I am entitled to my opinion regarding that particular post, just as you are entitled to your opinion regarding portions of my response to that post on this thread..

For those of us that understand manufacturing & economics it can become tiresome to constantly hear people bashing companies for being greedy rip-off artists..Are there some, perhaps a lot of companies & corporations that are only interested in profits above everything else??..Absolutely!!..

By the same token, are there ethical companies & corporations that manufacture & market a high-quality product while making a reasonable, not obscene, profit??..Absolutely!!..And, IMO, Vita-Mix, Waring, & K-Tec number among those ethical companies..

I frequent more than this particular raw forum..Virtually every day, sometimes several times a day, there will be a poster using what I call the "Greed Logic" to try & justify to themselves & to the people reading their post, that it is greed & greed alone that is responsible for the high retail prices of Vita-Mix, Blend Tec, & Waring blenders..

All of these blenders have their strengths & weaknesses..None of them are perfect..I am 53 years old & have been cooking responsibly for my family, friends, & professionally off & on since I was 15 years old..I personally have chosen to spend my money on the purchase of the Vita-Prep 3 blender..I made this choice after having gained experience, both professional & private, with most of the high-powered blenders currently on the market..

After almost 2 years perusing various raw forums to gain knowledge, I am confident in making the following statements..

Raw foodists seem to fall into three categories regarding high-powered blenders, especially Vita-Mix's..

First, there are those who have purchased one, are quite fond of their blender, & are willing to promote them tirelessly..

Second, are those, such as you Simple Living seem to be, that are on the fence regarding the whether or not they are willing to spend the money necessary to own such a blender..So folks like yourself come onto forums such as this one to obtain information, to learn, & to decide whether or not they are going to spend the bucks..This is admirable, & I personally have no problems with anyone doing so..

Third, are those folks who, for whatever their reasons, are ready & all so willing to bash the blender manufacturers for being greedy rip-off artists..It is these people that I sometimes find quite tiresome..In most instances I just ignore their posts..Occasionally, & my above response was one of those times, I will get angry enough to respond to such an ill-informed post..

Human nature being what it is, many people will use whatever justification that they can to substantiate their point-of-view..When someone comes onto this forum & falsely implies that greed is the primary reason for the retail price of these blenders, I feel compelled to speak up..

As I said above, I offer you, the OP my apology since you have taken offense..You take offense with a small portion of what I felt then, & do so still feel was a well reasoned, if impassioned response, to what I felt was a poster falsely maligning the blender companies in question..I stand by what I posted then, & I stand by what I said now..

Sincerely,

Bruce

Wheatgrass Yogi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well said Brother Bruce.
> "Quality is long remembered after Price has been
> forgotten".....Someone said that.
> I never think about what I paid for my Vita-Prep
> 3. I'm just thankful that I have it to
> use.......WY


Total agreeance here - way to go Baltochef, AND quality is remembered EVERY SINGLE time I use my vitamix and am in heaven drinking my quickly, efficiently, and perfectly pureed green smoothie. NEVER do I think about the price, even though it definitely put a dent in my pocket to say the least. The outcome already far outweighs any pain I felt shelling out the money. AND, on my end, my SAD family uses it to make milkshakes and sauces and also wonders how we got along without it! Hahaha, always cracks me up, but whatever. There was no greed nor was I "happily paying the money" when ordering my blender.