Hi there,

I am new to this forum. I've been eating raw vegetables for some years now due to severe digestive problems which make it very difficult for me to eat cooked veggies. I can't eat grain and so my diet is not totally raw. I am now looking to introduce some raw root veggies to my diet as well as some new raw recipes and so want to buy a Vitamix. I need the machine to be able to blend roots (carrots, parsnips, sweet potato etc) to a raw smooth puree/soup or paste. I was wondering whether anyone on this forum has experience of the Vitamix 5000/2 speed and/or the Vita Prep. Are both capable of making very smooth pastes/soups out of raw veggies or is the Vitaprep better for this? Also I need the end result to be cold so the blender must not heat the veggies in any way as heating them will cause me digestive havoc! I noted from the Vitamix site, that the 5000/2 speed can heat the product whilst blending but it was not clear from the video whether it is posible to get a smooth soup without heating up the ingredients to some degree. I cannot find a supplier who has any personal experience of both these machines and so thought maybe someone here could be of help.

Many thanks

Karen

The Vita-Mix line of Blenders will all make hot soup, but you have to run them on High for 3 to 5 minutes.....not recommended under any circumstances, as the container also heats up.
I'd suggest that you buy the Vita-Mix 5000. It's a good all-around Blender. Vita-Mix Corporation has come out with a new model 5200, with a safer container, but you won't like the way the top fits the container, as compared to the 5000, but I'm 'picky'......WY

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. Would I have to add ice to the root vegetables in order to get a smooth cold paste/puree from the Vitamix? It is really important that my food is not heated in any way as this releases the starch causing me digestive problems. Can the Vitamix make a vegetable puree without heating the product (i.e in less than 3-5 minutes)?

Many thanks

Karen

Is there a particular reason you are now recommending the 5000 model over the vita prep? I thought the vita prep was the model of choice for many raw foodists, since it could make smoother sauces?

The Vita-Prep 3 (model 1005) is the Creme de la Creme. There is none finer. Of the 3 choices given, a Newbie would do best to start with a lesser choice. Who knows, they may not even like Blending. The new Vita-Mix 5200 comes with the improved Copolyester container. When you're ready to enter the Big Leagues, go with the VP3......WY

Thanks for the clarification! I know that the vita prep 3 is only about $50 more than the 5200 model (on certain websites). Although looking at the red based 5000 model it is about $100 more...

I bought my Vita-Prep 3 on eBay when the prices were reasonable....a little
over $400. They're out-of-sight now, at over $500 including shipping. Make
sure you get model 1005. There is a Vita-Prep model 1002 that is only 2+ peak
HP. If you find a good price, you might Post it, as others may be interested.
If you do buy a Vita-Prep 3.....Welcome to the Big Time.....WY

Thanks everyone,

I have decided to go for the Vita-Prep. I think it is the best machine for my needs

culinarysuperstore.com is selling it for $419.99. This is a price other places won't match, since they can't buy it for this price. I would be VERY cautious in buying from them, since the only way to contact them is via e-mail, and they will not give out their phone number.

While the prices are finally coming down a little on e-bay, all places I have found are still very expensive. The cheapest one so far (unless others can direct me elsewhere) is from Matt Monarch's site: [www.rawveganbooks.com]

He is selling the Prep 3 for $495 delivered.

If you do further research into the VitaPrep 3 You will realize that it is not anymore powerfull than the previous VitaPrep 2 or the VitaMix 5000 for that matter. The extra horsepower that it claims to have does not go towards blending but instead goes to the fan to help cool the machine because it is designed for a commercial kitchen where it may be ran off and on all day long for long periods at a time.

When it first came out I saw the specifications and immediately a red flag went up when you read that it has the same RPM, and weight as the previous model and most every other model for that matter, including the Bar Boss, Drink Machine, 5000, 5200, and even the old 4500 model. VitaMix has been introducing new models without even changing the design or preformance of their machines for years now, I'm suprised nobody has noticed this, it kinda proves how naive people are and that they will believe anything they read.

My suggestion is that if you want a Vitamix for your home just go with the 5000 or 5200 because of the 7 year waranty and if you really want a 3hp blender go with the Blendtec which can be purchased as low as $250 as a demonstration model (but these seem to have more problems based on the reviews)

I hope I opened some eyes with my post, good luck and stay RAW!

dmartinez141.....Have you actually owned any of the Blenders you mentioned?
I've owned two Vita-Mix 5000's, two Waring Extremes (3.5hp), a BlendTec SpaceSaver 15amp, and now have two Vita-Prep 3's (model 1005). I can
assure anyone that the Vita-Prep 3 is the Best Blender, with more power,
than all the others. That's not to say the others won't do a good job.....WY

We have two Vitaprep3's and three original Vitaprep's in the kitchen where I work and at the bar we just got 2 of the Waring Extreme to replace the aging Vitamix Drink Machine we had for the bar, I have only used the Waring once to make a Pina Colada so I cant judge the power of that machine but I wouldn't buy one because I dont think they will last as long as a Blendtec or Vitamix.
At home I have a VitaMix 5000 and it is no less powerfull than the VitaPrep3, trust me, as a chef I use these machines all day everyday.

Yogi... Just think about it, all the Vitamix products run at 37,000 RPM (explain that) with the exeption of the true 3hp Vitamix Blending Station Advance with is 15 amp compared to the Vitaprep3 12.5amp and all other VitaMix 11.5 amp.

Like I said before, the the Vitaprep3 uses the extra power on the cooling fan so that it can run for longer periods of time, this is what the Vitamix Reps told us when we ordered them. Call them if you dont believe me.

The other day I had the pleasure of messing around with a Blendtec Total Blender for the first time while they were demonstrating at SamsClub. They very powerfull, more than the Vitamix but to me they have a level of cheapness to them and lack the quality feel that the Vitamix brand has, if all I made was smoothies I would go with a Blendtec which is why most every Smoothie and Coffee shop goes with Blendtec.

Yes, the Blendtec Line, with it's Programable Cycles, would be the best choice for Restaurants and Coffee Shops because you can push one button and walk away to do other things until it's ready. For Home Use, I like the manual-speed dial and High-Speed switch of the Vita-Mix line of blenders. I like being in Control. I've found the Vita-Prep 3 has a 'burst' of power that the other blenders don't have. I just feel better using my Vita-Prep 3, so that's the one I'm using. What you use is your decision.
I don't buy into the 37,000 rpm figure for all Vita-Mix blenders.
Happy Blending to us all........WY

It would seem that rpm can't be everything since both dmartinez and wy prefer the vitamix over the waring when the vitamix has 37000 rpm and the waring has 45000 rpm. anyway thanks for your help. maybe i'm a closet geek forfinding all this technical stuff interesting, but i do!

annex Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It would seem that rpm can't be everything since
> both dmartinez and wy prefer the vitamix over the
> waring when the vitamix has 37000 rpm and the
> waring has 45000 rpm.
The 37,000 rpm of Vita-Mix and the 45,000 rpm
of Waring are called 'Bare Motor Speed'. The Vita-Mix 2+ HP
(11.5amp) Blenders are rated at the 37,000 figure. That includes
the Vita-Prep (model 1002). The Vita-Prep 3 (12.5amp)(3+ HP)
(model 1005) is not rated with a Bare Motor Speed. Those speeds
don't include a cannister load.
All I know is when I tested the Waring XTreme and the Vita-Prep 3
side-by-side, the VP3 had an extra burst of power, whereas the
Waring didn't.
Have we beaten this Dead Horse enough?......WY

It is the ability of the individual electric motors in the various Vita-Mix blender models (any blender, really) to achieve & maintain their maximum electro-magnetic fields, that determines how well the blender is going to be able to perform under circumstances ranging from very easy to extremely difficult..

Wattage, amperage, torque, maximum RPM's, horsepower..All these buzz words & descriptive terms that the designers & engineers creating & marketing these blenders, as well as the general public that uses these machines, use to try & convince themselves that a particular blender is better or less capable than another blender..

Take five different electric motors with the same nominal wattage, amperage, max rpm, etc, etc..Attach all five motors to the EXACT same blender base with the EXACT same carafe & blade assembly..Each of these motors are nominally the same on paper, but have widely varying prices..

Depending on the quality & purity of the copper used to make the wire used to create the windings that surround the magnets..Depending upon whether copper is indeed used at all, as opposed to a less expensive metal that won't create as powerful of an electro-magnetic field..Depending upon the diameter of the wire in the windings; the finer the wire's diameter the better (up to a point of diminishing returns)..Depending upon the quality of & the type of the metal used to manufacture the magnets..Depending upon how long the magnets will maintain their magnetic fields over the life of the motor / machine..Depending upon the quality of the motor's casing, & how well it maintains all of the critical tolerances that are necessary for a top performing electric motor..Depending upon the overall levels of quality control that are / are not exercised at all stages of the electric motor's construction..And so on, & so on..

The above listed factors, & others not mentioned, are the reasons that a Vita-Prep 3 blender with a nominal 12.5 amp rating is able to outperform a BlendTec Total Blender with a slightly higher (on paper) amperage..

There is a very solid reason that the BlendTec can be purchased for approximately $250.00 as opposed to the nearly $500.00 (and sometimes higher!) price of the Vita-Prep 3..The Vita-Prep 3 just has better overall quality of construction & quality of materials used in it's construction; especially in the electric motor spec'd by the designer of the blender..

At the end of the day, none of the blenders mentioned in this thread perform poorly when tasked with the easier blending jobs..It is when the user is faced with one of the very difficult blending jobs that the Waring & BlendTec blenders sometimes fail to measure up to the more expensive Vita-Mix models..An example is if you want tough, fibrous greens, such as kale, or whole, un-peeled celery to COMPLETELY disappear into a smoothie or soup WITHOUT the need for long blending times that WILL assuredly heat the mixture above the raw foods threshold..

If the user doesn't mind stopping several times to cool the mixture in the carafe down, the all of the blenders mentioned in this thread will accomplish the majority of the more difficult blending tasks..If however, the user is pressed for time, or working in a busy restaurant environment where time management is of the utmost necessity; then the Vita-Prep 3 is becoming more & more the blender of choice..

Wheatgrass Yogi, dmartinez 141, & I all have experience with Vita-Mix, BlendTec, & Waring blenders..Both dmartinez & myself have used these blenders in restaurant settings..Our opinions are going to be influenced by our real-world, hands-on experiences..If you can't afford the more powerful, expensive blender right away; then purchase a less expensive one & learn to use it within it's design limitations.. On a scale of 1 to 100, all of the more expensive blenders that are constantly being mentioned in threads on this & other forums will rate from 85 to 99 on the 100 scale..No blender is perfect, so therefore no 100 rating..Blenders that are priced under $100.00 generally won't even reach the 50 level on the 100 scale..Which is not to say that these sub-$100.00 blenders cannot be used by raw foodists..Because they certainly can be, & have been used to accomplish raw food tasks..It's just that purees WILL NOT be as smooth as with the more powerful blenders unless excessive run times are employed..Which usually results in overheating the mixture, unless multiple cooling down periods are employed..For the truly hard raw food tasks, these less expensive blenders usually end up self-destructing as their motors are not up to the task..

IMO, the BlendTec is a less capable, more poorly manufactured blender..Which is reflected in it's lesser price compared to Vita-Mix & Waring blenders..IMO, Waring commercial blenders trade on the 8 decades old Waring reputation..I don't think that the Waring's carafe & blade design is as capable as the BlendTec, & certainly not as capable as the Vita-Mix's carafe & blade design..IMO, the Vita-Mix's carafe & blade is almost the equal of glass carafe & blade assembly on the Oster Osterizer blenders from the 1960's & 1970's..IMO, if the Vita-Mix carafe could be made from a high-tech, reinforced, bullet-proof glass with the current blade design, then it would be perfect..Attach such a glass carafe to the Vita-Prep 3 base & motor assembly, & I cannot imagine needing any more capable of a blender for home use..

Bruce



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/2008 05:00PM by baltochef.

Thanks Bruce. Your Post is a Work-of-Art, and says it all......WY

while i think that's a terrible metaphor, WY, I totally see your point. I didn't mean to try anyone's patience. Not being at all scientifically minded, I found the whole thing about amps, hp, rpms, etc really fascinating even though I know there are many threads on this board where people are saying the same things over again. Anyway, thank you all again for sharing your experience and your very descriptive posts. I'm going to go order my vitaprep 3 which i found for cheaper than the vitamix anyway. Thanks!

annex Wrote:
----------------------------------------------------
> while i think that's a terrible metaphor, WY, I
> totally see your point. I didn't mean to try
> anyone's patience.
Sorry....don't take it personal. I enjoy
talking about Juicers and Blenders.

> I'm going to go order my vitaprep 3 which i found
> for cheaper than the vitamix anyway.
Make sure it's model 1005. Would you share
where you're buying it with us?.....WY

WY, you've been very helpful, so no need to apologize.

This is what I got in the end: [www.culinarysuperstore.com]

annex.....That's the one, and at a Great Price.
Have Fun using it.....WY

Batltochef sir, I dissagree (somewhat) with your opionion of Blendtec saying quote "the BlendTec is a less capable, more poorly manufactured blender..Which is reflected in it's lesser price compared to Vita-Mix & Waring blenders..IMO" and I will give you some reasons and since you seem like a very intelligent guy I think you will see my point, here it goes:

1st. There was a raw food website which took apart the Blendtec and either the Vitamix 5000 or 4500, unfortunately they only showed the Armature bt in this case it clearly showed how much bigger and what seemed better built the Blendtec Armature in comparison to the frail looking Vitamix Armature, one thing stood out is that the Armature on the Blendtec had a Metal fanblade vs the Plastic one on the Vitamix. I cant find the website but I will keep looking.

2nd. Keeping the above statement in mind I think the Blendtec's motor is just too powerfull for the units base or chassis, when you look check the weight of the Machines the Blendtec weighs 6.8lbs compared to the sturdy Vitamix's 10.7lbs.

Also the Carafe of the Blentec is the problem that I hear reported in reviews all over the net and this is for one reason: Blendtec seems to be invented as a Smoothie Blender for commercial business since they probably started making the home versions when they noticed the success of the Vitamix. Where as the Vitamix has always been promoted as a Whole Food Solution.

So when RawFoodies start blending apricot seeds in a cheap Blentec Carafe is causes problems for the thinner Lexan and permanently mounted blades which are best suited for making smoothies, on the other hand the Vitamix has no problems in these areas with the heavy duty Carafe. Also it is nice to have the controlled power on the Vitamix so you can blend as slow or fast as you would like, this is probably why you never see the Blendtec in a restaurant (Blendtec tried with the CHef Tec, but it didnt work because the lack of a dial for speed control) this makes it useless if you need to emulsify a dressing or control the consistency of a sauce.

3rd. The Commercial Blendtec models are built far better than the home models and most have a base made of solid stainless steel which can be mounted in counter or on top, and the soundfroof enclosure is a nice touch to keep noise down and also can be programed to start the blending cycle when closed. This is why you dont see too many Vitamix in Smoothie Shops or coffe shops,

Someone asked messaged me asking me about my experience so far with my vitaprep3. Here's what I said...

I did purchase it from culinarysuperstore. The delivery time was adequate... maybe a little on the long side, but okay. I was able to track the package and it arrived a day ahead of schedule, but I can't remember exactly how long. I like it... I have only really made nut butters so far and it works really well for that. Smoothies are smoother too. But I so far I haven't really used it on the highest setting so I don't know if I could've gotten away with a cheaper one. It definitely is better than the ordinary blender I had before and it replaces the food processor that I broke. but maybe there was something cheaper? also it over heated the first day i got it and stopped working!! but i think increasing the speed gradually has prevented that since then.

annex Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> also it over heated the first day i got it and
> stopped working!! but i think increasing the speed
> gradually has prevented that since then.
The Vita-Mix line of blenders have an automatic
temperature protection that shuts off the motor if the blender
gets overheated, but you really have to overload it for this
to happen. Putting too much in the Carafe and running it at
low speeds only exacerbates the problem. Don't be afraid to use
the full Power of your Vita-Prep 3.....WY

thanks! i think i was a bit intimidated by the high speed. haha... pretty silly!

One of the the commercial Blendtek's has a 5 sided carafe(patented, I presume) that modifies the vortex. I haven't tried it, but it should introduce a lot less air into the mix. You could simulate this with a square carafe by sticking something down one side while blending. Of course, don't stick it so far you chop it up!

My biggest issue with the Blendtek is the lack of direct control. I suspect its the best smoothie machine. I have the impression that the blade design on the blendtek is superior to the Vitamix.

TruthHunter

TruthHunter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> One of the the commercial Blendtek's has a 5 sided
> carafe(patented, I presume) that modifies the
> vortex. I haven't tried it, but it should
> introduce a lot less air into the mix.
Blendtec's 5-sided Carafe only comes in
96-ounces. I don't even like dealing with a 64-ounce.
I use a 48-ounce for all my Smoothies.....WY
[www.ecrater.com]

You have convinced me, WY! ^_^

I've ordered a Vita-Prep 3 from theblenderplace.com for $490. Thank you so much for letting me know about this lovely blender.

Nywyn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You have convinced me, WY! ^_^
>
> I've ordered a Vita-Prep 3 from
> theblenderplace.com for $490. Thank you so much
> for letting me know about this lovely blender.
You're welcome. I'm certainly enjoying
mine. Let us know if you have any questions.....WY