Blendtec vs Vitamix

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Countertop blenders usually cost less than $100 but high-end blenders from Blendtec and Vitamix are both high-performance and expensive. They range from $400 to over $1,000. Vitamix and Blendtec offer both household and commercial blenders. This is an unbiased comparison of the two brands.

Comparison chart

Blendtec versus Vitamix comparison chart
	Blendtec	Vitamix
	current rating is 3.3/5 1 2 3 4 5 (10 ratings)	current rating is 4/5 1 2 3 4 5 (5 ratings)

Controls	Manual	Automated
Motor	1560 watt typically	Typically 1380 watts
Blade	2-prong	4-prong
RPM range	4080-28,000	500-37,000
Height	15"	17.5” or 20.5”
Jars	BPA-free quart Twister jar	BPA-free 64 oz, 48 oz or 32 oz.
Capacity	64-96 oz.	32-64 oz.
Warranty	7 years	7 years
Price	$434.95	$449
Founded	1991	1921
Website	http://www.blendtec.com	http://www.vitamix.com

A veggie smoothie, before and after being crushed in a Vitamix blender

Motor

Blendtec typically uses a 1560 watt motor with 3 peak horsepower. This means that it uses more electricity to run than Vitamix, making it more expensive to use. However, it maintains its blade speed even in thick mixes, while the Vitamix blade may slow down.

Vitamix typically uses a 1380 watt motor that works at 2+ peak horsepower, with 240 mph blade speed.

Strength

Some models of Blendtec, like the Designer Series, cannot always blend frozen or uncut fruits successfully, but a Twister jar can be purchased separately for this effect.

The Vitamix 5200 can blend frozen and uncut fruits through the use of the Vitamix tamper (purchased separately), which allows the user to push food into the blade and saves time in the kitchen.

Blade

Blendtec has a 2-prong, stainless, fixed blade that is non-replaceable. The two prongs allow it to have versatility in blending wet and dry ingredients.

Vitamix has a 4-prong stainless blade than can be replaced. Because of this, users must buy an additional jar with a different blade if they wish to blend dry ingredients, such as wheat or coffee beans.

Durability

Vitamix is known for its durability, with some models still in use after decades.

Speed Control

Blendtec has a smaller RPM range, allowing for less precise control. It comes with 10 buttons plus a pulse button, as well as preprogrammed controls. Vitamix has a manual dial to control the speed and length of time of the blend.

Product line and prices

The cheapest Blendtec, the Total Blender Classic FourSide, has a starting price of $434.95. The Designer Series WildSide Color and Total Blender Classic Wildside are both $454.95, while the Connoisseur costs $649.95, and the most high-end blender, the Tom Dickson Extreme Blender, costs $1034.95.

The Vitamix 1782 TurboBlend costs $479.99, while the 1732 TurboBlend VS Blender costs $549.99, the 1723 Professional Series 200 costs $549.99 and the 1363 CIA Professional Series costs $599.99.

A good place to check popularity of various Blendtec and Vitamix blenders would be the Amazon best sellers list. However, there are no Blendtec blenders on the list and only one Vitamix blender: the Professional Series 750.

The best-rated Vitamix and Blendtec blenders on Amazon are as follows:

Blendtec blenders

Here is a comparison of the Blendtec product line:

Vitamix blenders

And here is a similar comparison of the Vitamix product line for homes:

Will it blend?

Will it blend? is a popular viral marketing campaign by Blendtec. It features Blendtec founder Tom Dickson blending several unusual items. Here's a video of Dickson blending an iPad.

Patent dispute and lawsuit

In 2001 Blendtec introduced the WildSide jar, designed with a distinctive fifth side. When Vitamix introduced a similar jar, Blendtec sued and was awarded an $11 million judgment by the district court. The judgment was upheld in an appeal to the federal circuit court.