Last Updated on June 27, 2023

VitaMix or Blendtec? A Review and Comparison of the best home blenders.

Not all Blenders are created equal. And when it comes to two of the best blenders for the money, you really need to dig in and test to see which one really is the better unit.

While there are many blenders out there, if you are serious about good health and good nutrition, choosing a quality blender that is best for your use is everything!

This article is dedicated to helping you choose between the 2 best blenders out there: The Vitamix 5200 and the Blendtec HP3A Total Blender. There are other Vitamix and Blendtec models but these two are considered their best as they are the most popular and most trusted.

Side Note: I am not including the NutriBullet after too many problems have been reported, I just do not like when there are serious safety issues with a product.

Beware of Blender Brand Loyalty

[toc]If you have been researching blenders and talking to blender enthusiasts you likely already know this but for those just beginning there blender search it is important! Vitamix and Blendtec owners, and those who sell them, are very loyal to their brand of blender and without a doubt in their mind the one they have is by far superior.

By all means listen to what owners have to say about their blender and be sure to ask them questions especially ones like “What don’t you like about your blender?” and “What do you wish was different about your [Vitamix,Blendtec]?”

The most important thing to know is that both the Vitamix 5200 and the Blendtec Total Blender are great quality blenders and each one has its particular strengths and compromises. The blender that is “BETTER” depends on you and how you use it.

Lawsuit

Although this article is about the “physical” pros and cons of each unit, not mentioning BlendTec’s successful 7 year lawsuit against Vitamix would be inappropriate. It seems Viatamix did infringe on the design of BelndTec’s blender knowingly. And a federal judge has upheld a 24 million dollar lawsuit ruling against Vitamix. Something to seriously take into consideration.

The fact is, BlendTec was always much better than Vitamix until Vitamix decided to copy BlendTec’s designs. Meaning, BlendTec is the one who was “creating” while Vitamix just copied.

On with the review.

Performance

These blenders are not your average kitchen blender, they are High Performance Blenders.

They easily crush ice, make hot soup, grind nuts, work as juicers and a whole lot more. The Vita-Mix draws less power: 11.5 amps/1380 watts compared to Blendtec’s: 13 amps/1500 watts draws more.

Blendtec offers Smart-Touch Tec-nology allowing you to push a button and walk away to have it run through a hands free automatic program cycle that stops when completed. Blendtec also has buttons to manually cycle through its 10 speeds and a ‘pulse’ button. The Blendtec will automatically shut off after running continuously for 50 seconds while the Vita-Mix will continue to blend until manually shut off or until it gets hot and the thermal protection shuts it off.

For large blending and things with less liquid, the Vita-Mix comes with a plunger so there’s no need to turn off the blender to push ingredients into the blades (although there is no need for the plunger for most applications – this makes immersion blenders being the top choice).

Both blenders make a lot of noise but Blendtec is LOUDER. And if you want no noise at all for some reason, try the Nicer Dicer. It’s not electric, so no noise.

Basically these blender can blend anything. While the Vita-Mix 5200 is bigger, more heavy-duty and industrial, the Blendtec HP3A Total Blender packs some serious 3+ horsepower, more than any other blender made for the home. Both blenders come with BPA – Free Copolyester containers with Blendtec’s latest upgrade to the Blendtec 600-20 series.

Vita-Mix comes with a 7 year complete warranty while Blendtec comes with a 3 year warranty and lifetime on the blade.

Healthy Smoothies

These two blenders take smoothie making to a new level!

Both machines have no problems cranking out delicious fruit smoothies over and over again. The Blendtec ‘smoothie’ setting is very nice, allowing you to put stuff in, push a button and walk away.

If you make smoothies with large frozen fruit than you may need to add water for the Blendtec to blend it all or cut it into chunks. The Vita-Mix takes care of business with the included plunger.

The best thing about these blenders is their high speeds that break down plant cell walls to make the nutrition it holds available for your body – ultimately giving you a healthier smoothie!

Blending Grains

The Blendtec claims a one blade does it all – both wet and dry blending, while Vita-Mix recommends a separate “dry blade” container for grain grinding. One of the most misunderstood things about the Vitamix 5200 is that it can grind grains with the “regular” container that comes standard with your Vitamix 5200. The Vitamix “dry blade” container is a specialty design specific for grains which is a benefit if you grind lots of grain on a regular basis.

After doing a lot of grain grinding it is clear that the Blendtec Blender and the Vita-Mix 5200 “wet” container grind the same and the Vita-Mix “dry” container, included in the Vitamix Super, definitely does a much better job of making flour.

If you plan on doing only a little grain grinding then there is no difference between the two blenders. If you are going to blend a lot of grains then the Vita-Mix Super is your best option.

Clean Up

If you are used to a common kitchen blender then you know that cleaning up is usually done by unscrewing the bottom blade from the jar and washing them separately. There is no way to remove the Blendtec blade housing as it is one with the container. You can remove the bottom of the Vita-Mix with the additional purchase of a tool although you would not routinely remove the blade housing for cleaninglike you’d do with a sausage stuffer or similar tool.

The 2 prong blade and smooth square design of the Blendtec container results in easier access to remove your blended products, while the taller, more narrow, 4 prong blade Vita-Mix design is more a little more challenging to remove your blended products.

In the end cleaning of both blenders is relatively the same.

Conclusion

Now you have the scoop on both blenders and have info on the differences between them so you are in the know and can make an informed choice on which one is better for your needs.

Here is a summary list of differences to help decide which one is better for you!

Choose the Blendtec HP3A Total Blender if:

* you are space limited and you don’t have the extra 5 inches height
* you like to push buttons and come back when blending is done
* you prefer digital display computer controlled blenders
* you need a big 3qt (96oz) container

Choose the Vita-Mix if:

* you like a bigger more industrial feeling blender
* you prefer simple mechanical buttons and dials
* you puree a lot of frozen foods and thick puddings
* you like getting a 7 year warranty on everything vs a 3 year