 Vitamix is fantastic |
| Review Date: November 5, 2004 |
| Reviewer: Kate McMurry, United States |
I have owned the Vita-Mix Super 5000 since 1997, and I love it. I can grind flour, make juice, soup, ice cream (the fruit smoothies I make with this are to die for)--in short, every kind of food processing you can imagine. This baby is built to last and has a 7-year warranty.
In 2004, a couple weeks after the 7 years were up, I was very upset when it broke down. I thought, "Isn't that just the way these things tend to go with warranties?" I searched for Vita-Mix on the web (the URL is their name, and there is a link on this page, to them, too). I clicked on the button for service, got their 800 number, and called them at 6:00 p.m. Eastern time, and they were there. The service rep was friendly and knowledgeable. She asked me to describe in detail the symptoms of my ailing Vita-Mix. She then said, when I asked about it, that even though I was past the window period to do so, the company would still allow me to buy a three-year extended warranty for $120. I jumped at that, and found out that I could use it to cover the parts (and shipping) to fix the problem. She said I needed an "assembly piece" that sold for $75 without a warranty, a "drive socket" worth $12.00 and the shipping of $9.95 would be no charge to me. She said she was including a small wrench and instructions and I can fix it myself. So right off the bat I used most of the $120 to fix my first problem.
I've never seen anything like this kind of service. When our tabletop water distiller broke, we had to send it in for warrantied repair, which cost $50 shipping (we paid), and weeks to get back. I think shipping the Vita-Mix to the company might have cost nearly that much, so I was delighted to have this option of getting the parts in 10 days to fix it myself and have my beloved Vita-Mix back working within a week and a half.
If you are ever in the market for a food processor that is professional quality that works great with amazing customer service, this is it. The price is very competitive for what you get, and the product itself is fabulous. (Only one tiny little caveat--which is true for =any= blender--wear earplugs when you do the very high speeds or you could hurt your ears.)
Update March 23, 2009: I've owned the Vita-Mix 12 years now, and I still love it! See my comment to this review with today's date which contains information on my experiences with the sales personnel of the Vita-Mix company today.
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Vitamix Review
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| Review Date: February 21, 2006 |
| Reviewer: T. Yanuck, St. Louis, MO USA |
I love this blender!! It seemed pricey to me, but I've had mine for about a month (down to about $10 per smoothie!) but I love it and expect it to last a long time, based on what friends have told me about their machines.
Two great things about this blender. First, it is so easy to use: no assembling to use and disassembling to clean. It is one piece. I find myself using it in place of my food processor also because I don't have to go through the hassle of putting the pieces together.
Second, I have become hooked on "green smoothies." I can put anything in this blender and it purees it into a smoothie consistency. I put spinach and raw carrots in and then add whatever fruit I want with some cold water and the blender can make it into the consistency of thick juice. I'm experimenting with broccoli next. My whole family is eatting tons more fruits and veggies and that makes it worth the price to me. |
If I could marry it I would.....
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| Review Date: April 17, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Toomuchtimeonmyhands, hellay, CA |
First off, I bought mine in 1997 with the intention of just trying it out for a month and returning it for a full refund if I didn't like it. And for it's price, I really thought I wouldn't like it enough.
Man, was I wrong! I've had mine now for 8 years and I can honestly tell you I've used it AT LEAST once a day. I make baby food, I make frozen yogurt, I make smoothies, I make frozen coffee treats, I make juices, I make soups, I grind whole grains to make fresh flour and even breads with mine(I bought the dry blad container as well to do the breads and grind grains).
I can honestly say my diet has become MUCH healthier and it's so easy to just fill up on fresh fruits and vegetables by juicing the VITAMIX way. I went from just juicing fruits to making alot of veggie-fruit or veggie juices at this point that really work great! I notice the difference in terms of my energy, health, hair/nail/skin, and weight when I'm Vitamixing juices alot in my daily routine.
Do yourself a favor a buy yourself this product-it's easily my most cherished appliance in my kitchen and it really promotes a healthy diet for all family members! |
AWESOME machine, a proud owner for 10 years
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| Review Date: June 1, 2006 |
| Reviewer: buster bluth, |
Regarding if this is overhyped or not---
The vitamix does do a bunch of "stuff," but you really shouldn't buy it as a food processor or ice cream maker or even bread maker.
What I REALLY use this blender for is whole juicing for health purposes. Because of a number of health problems I have, I find that eating a large number of raw fruits and vegetables really keep me healthy and keep my weight under control.
Because of the VITAMIX and ONLY because of the Vitamix-I'm able to whole juice(NO juice extraction-it pulverizes the fruit or vegetable whole and includes the fibrous pulp)the equivalent of 16 cups of raw fruits and vegetables a day. There is no other way I could ingest sucn a large amount, and eating this way has been such a health blessing for me.
SO, if you are buying this appliance for a food processor or an ice cream maker-no, that's really not thee best reason. But if you are interested in juicing fruits and vegetables whole for the health benefits, this is the only type of appliance(there's some other brands too out there, but I prefer this one)that will do the job. This appliance literally changed my life in terms of my eating habits. |
Cult like following!
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| Review Date: November 5, 2004 |
| Reviewer: InfoFish, Los Angeles CALIFORNIA - USA |
| AMAZING MACHINES. WE have two from the 1970's, I've upgraded them with better gears and blades a few years ago - these are truly awesome machines. Soups, breads, baby food, sorbets - I can't rave enough. In fact, when the COSTCO road show for Vitamix rolled into town, I upgraded to the 5000 model - AND HAVE USED IT EVERY DAY - a nice hot vegetable soup for dinner - EVERY night - a protein shake during the day - and a great fruit sorbet for a dessert. Figure if this machine saves you $20 for each meal you eat in - you can pay for the thing in a month or two. If you are spending eighty cents to $1 on EACH jar of babyfood - that is primarily SUGAR based - imagine how much you can save on blending up 40 ounces+ of vegetables, some pasta, some organic cheese - pour it into 1 ounce ice cube trays (Rubbermaid - $2 plastic kind) and you have 40 servings - for less than $2 or $3 of raw materials - you have saved yourself AT LEAST $25, more like $35! Do this once a week - and this is just your baby food, not even your dinners, bread, desserts - and you will begin to see the magic of this device. It puts money in your pocket. And they LAST FOREVER - the people that work at Vitamix and the entire Vitamix company have achieved a cult-like status for a really good reason. I just can't rave enough about these machines. And if you have an old one, Vitamix will even buy it back from you for an upgrade. AMAZING! |
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