Hahaha - Welcome to the Vitamix club. It truly is a wonderful machine. I know the company aims to please - you should try giving them a call about your container and see what they say. I know many here have had items replaced free of charge - worth a call at least.

Timely thread as I have been thinking of the Costco Vitamix myself and just recently read through the original Vitamix thread.

I thought the 5200 model came with a dry container ... didn't your refurbished model come with one? Those replacement containers cost over a $100.00 (wow ... $100+ for a plastic jar???), but the Costco version does come with the dry container as well as the tall container. The one thing holding me back ... I think the Vitamix is really ugly and it won't fit under my cabinets because it is too tall. And I believe the Costco version only comes in black which wouldn't be my first choice. If I sprung for an extra short container (which is likely the only size I would ever need) the price goes up to more than $600! I really prefer to buy things from Costco if I can, but I may have to shop around for a better configuration and color.

You might be able to shine up your scratched container by filling it half full of water, putting in a lemon, and let it run 5-7 minutes. Yes, that seems like a long time, but I've done it several times over the last 8 years on my machine and it helps each time.

You're going to love it more each year as you discover everything it will do for you!
Soups, dips, drinks, smoothies, salsas, butters, hummus, guacamole, all of it fresh every time, you'll find much more fresh produce in your shopping cart over time, and less waste as you add bits to everything. (I put some spinach or kale into every smoothie, for example.)

Thank you for that great tip about the lemon, I will definitely try that. I am really enjoying this more than I thought. I need all the iron I can get and kale has lots of it in it so I will have to start throwing that in instead of the spinach. For one who normally eats m&m and chips for breakfast this could be a real break through. Ok, it's just that I pass by that candy dish and then it's more like crackers or something. Mornings are hard on my stomach for some reason.

The guy said it has the horsepower of a lawnmower, lol, so if you ever need to trim the yard you can just turn it upside down and have at it.

Yes, after I bought the refurbished one I wondered if the 5200 at Costco came with the extra container to start with. If it does I am not better off having done it this way. That is correct the container is expensive at $100. That might make me cry if it does. I did get the cookbook, tamper and the tall container. I don't really mind that it doesn't fit under my cabinets since I have a peninsula type area at the end of my counter but I would have preferred it. They do have the 750 refurbished for sale too. Maybe I should call Vitamix and ask them about the container and what I could do about it. They are really nice but they will probably say well what you do is put a $100 check in an envelope and send it to us and we magically send you a new one!

Last week when I was at Costco again they were demo-ing the smaller one that is shorter but it wasn't the 750. It was $374 and came with lots of stuff. I know what you mean, my counters are appliance free for the most part except for my coffee maker and now against all my inner protests this big thing but so far since I'm not expecting company anytime soon it's not driving me crazy yet. I really detest clutter so I can relate.

Darn, my original post above to link to the first thread does not work. Thanks for all your good information and help!

P.S. Meant to add that at our Costco they did have different colors but not all of them, I think it was red, black, stainless and maybe blue. But it was for as long as they lasted then it was back to the regular style they carry the smaller one that looks like the 750 but it's not.

This post was edited by gr8day on Mon, Sep 30, 13 at 11:02

Thank you, gr8day ... I was just going by the one they offered on Costco's website, so you can go there and view the differences between that model and the refurbished one. I did not know that Costco's physical location offered different models when they are doing the demos. They are doing demos at one of my local Costcos this week, so I will definitely go there and check it out. If I can get one to fit under my cabinets, I can hide it in the corner. And if it has a SS finish, that would be a plus. Like everyone else, I need a convenient way to get my veggies.

Hey jelly, at our Costco they brought in the 5200 for the demo and they always have the other model for sale. They must be doing pretty well because they seem to be there a lot lately. Probably if I had been there when they were doing the smaller one I would have been attracted to that one but on the day I was there it was the big 5200 which is really larger than I need but I just didn't know enough at that time to realize the differences. Then after I purchased the 5200 and saw the other one it looked like it did all the same things. What I like about it is that it is so much quieter and really pulls the stuff down into the blades and the tamper is really useful and helpful. Good luck!

So I went to Costco today and they were having the Vitamix demo. The model that they were offering is the 6300. It has some presets for soups, smoothies, and ice cream, as well as a pulse feature. Colors were silver, red, white, and black. The 6300 comes with the tall container, but they were offering dry containers as well as the smaller 48 oz. wet container for $99 each. I stayed for the demo and I was pretty impressed by it. I must have been, because I forked over $700 for the whole shabang. Oh, well, I'll have to try to put that in perspective. I did my first ever garden this year with raised beds, and after all was said and done and I started reaping the harvest of my labor, I was pretty sure I was eating salads that cost about $50 each. Anyway, I'm super excited to get this beast out of the box and into action. It came with a big, fat cookbook, too, filled with lots of yummy looking things.

Jelly - LOL!!! You have to depreciate your Vitamix. I think someone in the previous thread had theirs for over 20 years, which is pretty impressive. It's great that you have a garden - you came make all sorts of fresh smoothies and soups. Yum yum!!

Congratulations! The best advice I got when I first started with my new Vitamix was this: follow the recipes exactly, because it really makes a big difference the order in which you load ingredients into the container. Things on the bottom will be pulled into the blades first, and they will affect the texture of the final dish.

It's worth it to try a whole variety of things out of their cookbook (following their recipes and loading sequences) because you will quickly get first hand visual experience watching what happens, and then you can branch out into your own recipes and ingredients with good success.

Enjoy playing with your great new toy!

Gr8tday - also check to see if yours is a recall model - mine was and just got my replaced blade container back - I am sure it is a whole new container as I had marked it with a sharpie mark and it smells new vs used..
If so, they might replace it as part of the recall.
Glad you are liking it - I did buy the dry blade container as well.
I have been busy freezing fruit for the winter to enjoy healthy smoothies all winter long..
When I first got my toy - I tried something new a couple times per week - soups, smoothies, ice cream, sauces to get used to it. I quickly figured out the order of items (and I was the original poster of the help me like my new vitamin - http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0519475529309.html) and have been creative since that time.
Have fun :-)

That original thread was very helpful, so I knew to put a little liquid in to get started. Plus, seeing the girl at Costco doing the demonstration helped too ... I don't think I would have sprung for such an expensive blender (though it is more than a blender, for sure) if I hadn't seen it in action first. My first smoothie, a mixture of pretty much every fruit and vegetable I had laying around, was a big success! Can't wait to do more. I have a feeling this thing might make me really fat.

I do NOT like the visual of this monster machine on my countertop, but I am trying to get over it. Of course the most convenient spot for it is next to the sink, but that is also the most visual spot in the entire room. NOW I'm wishing I had an appliance garage. The demonstrator told me to keep the Vitamix out all the time so it would be more convenient to use, and to store just the jar in a cabinet. Makes sense. I think if I had to lug it out of somewhere every time I wanted to make something, my laziness would overrule my desire for a healthy meal.

Mgoblue85, my garden reached the end of its useful life a few weeks ago. I'm hoping to get it ready in time for a fall planting.

LOL, jellytoast! I like to plant a garden now and then, but the biggest benefit is the amount of respect and appreciation I gain for farmers. I wouldn't ever have to watch my weight if I grew my own food. In preparation for my vitamix purchase - which I've come to accept as a matter of "when" rather than "if" - I've been using my ancient juicer. It is quite surprising how delicious kale, beets, carrots and apple are together! I recommend finding a produce co-op that sells you a basket of produce every week or two, I've learned so much about eating a wide variety of seasonal foods!

Jelly - surprised on my return to see my garden intact so will be making some pesto and plucking a lot of tomatoes!

Also - I found a home for my Vitamix - I can put it away if I want to do so - but most of the time is out.

gr8day, you say that your Vitamix sounds like a "throaty BMW" and mine sounds more like a muscle car with no muffler. Is it supposed to be so loud?

kksmama, great idea about the produce basket. I think I have a local farmers market that does that, so I will look into it. In any case, I do think I'll try to broaden my horizons as far as selecting produce. I would have never thought of beets in a smoothie, so I will have to try that.

Ok first of all I just have to say how awesome you GW'ers are for giving me the courage to call Vitamix and tell them about the container and also to upgrade my package so to speak...um anyway, they were wonderful and sold me the dry grains container for the $100 instead of the $144 posted on their website and that will include the cookbook from Whole Foods that I thought I had but it was just a little cookbook getting started type of thing. I told her my tale of woe about the clouded container and if I return that one they will replace since it is within the first 30 days. I didn't really want to return the whole unit and be without it while I'm in the honeymoon phase because of the danger of my losing my enthusiasm while it was gone. I had read on the site that you could return it and then buy a whole other one to upgrade but instead of doing that she is just going to augment what I have to be the package deal. I am one happy camper! So just to tie up that story's end that's that. Thanks for boosting my courage to give them a call. I LOL'ed about the $50 salads : ) So true!

About the sound of the "engine". It is very quiet at the lower speeds, nice solid sound, non offensive, but then when it is in the highest speed or when you switch it to high it is loud again like that muscle car with no muffler but still not nearly as bad as my old blenders that make me want to wear those ramp muffs like at the airlines. Lower speeds, BMW, higher speeds Hugo sans muff.

Good thing I wasn't at Costco for the 6300 demo. LOL! I noticed on the website you can do I think 3 payments to order if that's helpful to anyone. I don't think I have a recall unit because it wasn't in the recall number pile. Time will tell if that was a smart move going refurb. My luck isn't all that great in that department. So all in all I think I saved about $100 going the refurbished route which I promptly spent entering a golf tournament for the Pink Ribbon Classic. Oy vey, I can't afford myself.

This post was edited by gr8day on Mon, Sep 30, 13 at 21:11

Just as an FYI, I can get anyone who wants a Vitamix free shipping plus two more freebies(!) on any VM ordered from the manufacturer (new or reconditioned). Send me a private message from 'My Page' above if interested.

The 'reconditioned' machine saves a ton. I think these are machines that have been returned under their 30 day guarantee. They come with brand new containers, lids, tampers, etc. Go to the Vitamix website (https://www.vitamix.com/Home), and hover over Shop Products, then click on Specials towards the right to see the reconditioned units. You can click on each one to read about them. I can get free shipping for you whether it is a new or reconditioned unit.

This is my "Go To" Vitamix recipe . . .

In Vitamix (or similar high powered blender) combine following:
1 cup Parrot Bay 90 proof coconut rum
(or use 1-1/2 cup lower alcohol content coconut rum),
1/2 can 15oz cream of coconut like Coco Lopez (or full 8.5oz can)
2 cups+ fresh pineapple (approx 1/2 pineapple),
1 med banana.
Squirt of lime juice optional.

Blend well, about 20 seconds. Add ice approx 3-4 cups, blend until smooth and frozen throughout, approx 30 seconds. Our Vitamix holds 8-9 cups, this Pina Colada recipe will completely fill the blender. YIelds 6. Note: sometimes cream of coconut separates in the can - mix liquids & solids before measuring out the 1/2 can

YUM : )

A warning for all you Vitamix novices ... make sure that you snap the black rubber lid on securely before blending. I'll spare you the details, but I had to climb on a ladder yesterday evening to remove remnants of a yam concoction off the ceiling ... it had been there for two days without me noticing! On the plus side, I can now vouch for the scrub-ability of BM Aura paint.

LOL !!! That is funny. I have done close to the same thing. It took a while to clean it all up.

Double LOL. I feel your pain. Fortunately I haven't done this in the new kitchen but the old one had pasta sauce on the ceiling and not from vitamix - blurp!
A good case for 10 foot be 8 ft ceilings.
Tonight I made a modified tortilla soup and DH loved it.

oops, that was supposed to be an edit below, but I ended up posting it as a new post by accident. sorry !

This post was edited by angela12345 on Tue, Nov 5, 13 at 10:41

Have you been on the fence about getting a Vitamix because of price ? I just saw that VM is offering their reconditioned units for $30 off through Dec 1. Plus, you can order it as a 3-payment plan (half down plus $15 the first month and the remaining half is divided over months 2 and 3). Add that to the free shipping and other freebies I mentioned a couple posts up and that is Merry Christmas to you ! : )

I think the reconditioned units are a great deal. You get a brand new, unused container, so only the motor has ever come out of the box. And the motor is checked/serviced before it goes back out as a reconditioned unit. I think most (all?) of the reconditioned machines were ones returned under their 30 day return policy, so they have hardly been used (or maybe never used!).

$299 Certified Reconditioned Standard (reg 329, new starting at 449)
https://secure.vitamix.com/Certified-Reconditioned-Standard.aspx
5200, 5200c, 5200s, Creations I, Creations II, Creations GC, CIA Professional Series, Pro 200, Total Nutrition Center, TurboBlend VS, etc. are all basically the same 2hp machine with different names.

$349 Certified Reconditioned Standard w/Programs (reg 379, new starting at 649)
https://secure.vitamix.com/Certified-Reconditioned-Standard-Programs.aspx
The Pro 500 and the 6300 are those same 2hp machines that also have pre-set buttons (Smoothies, Hot Soups, and Frozen Desserts) and pulse.

$439 Certified Reconditioned Next Generation (new starting at 557)
https://secure.vitamix.com/Certified-Reconditioned-Next-Generation.aspx
Pro 300, Creations Elite, and the 7500 (The "Next Generation" Machines) all have the 2.2hp motor that is supposed to be a little quieter (suspended motor design), they have pulse, and they come with the shorter 64oz container with the wider bottom (17.5" tall for the base plus container as opposed to 20.5").

$519 Certified Reconditioned Next Generation w/Programs (new 689)
https://secure.vitamix.com/Certified-Reconditioned-Next-Generation-Programs.aspx
Pro 750 is the above "Next Generation" 2.2hp machine that has the presets (Smoothies, Hot Soups, Frozen Desserts, Puree, and Clean) plus Pulse.

My VM is not this newest model, it is a 2hp that does not have the presets.

I do not recommend the 2-speed models that are currently $279 reconditioned (TurboBlend Two-Speed or CIA Creations). I also do not recommend the 6000 model which ONLY has timed settings with no speed control. All of the other models above have variable speed which is important IMO.

It looks like none of the Next Generation models are $30 off, but I do not remember for sure what the price was before the sale started ???

Regarding the ones with the short 64oz container that only comes with the 2.2hp Next Generation machines ... you may want to buy an extra wet container with the smaller bottom (for example, the 32oz or 48oz) because the bigger bottomed short 64oz container doesn't do well with recipes under 2 cups (you don't have that problem with the sandard/tall 64oz container that comes with the 2hp machines). The 32 oz. does great with recipes that go down to as little as 3/4 of a cup and one cup recipes like mayonnaise, pesto, salad dressings, and marinades. Plus it is easier to get these smaller batches out of it as compared to the standard/tall 64oz, because the sides are not so high. I am pretty sure you can buy extra wet or dry containers for a discounted price of $100 if you buy them within a certain amount of time of buying your machine.

Note the difference in the dry container and the wet container ... the wet container pulls things down into the blades, the dry container blows them up out of the blades. So if you were blending almonds, the wet container would be best for almond butter, while the dry container would be best for almond flour.

A lot of the model numbers have to do with which cookbook the blender originally came with, which containers, and sometimes where it is sold. (for example QVC models or the 5200S and 6300 which are both Costco models)

Oh, and here's a tip ... You can download the Vitamix Whole Foods Recipe Cookbook from the QVC website. See the gray 'learn more' section in the middle of the page.
http://www.qvc.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?partNumber=K28091

edit: to add in reg prices

angela12345, thanks for sharing the pointer to that Vitamix cookbook. I've been loving my older Costco model for years, and am always on the lookout for new recipe ideas. The photos in it are lovely, too.

I've noticed that a lot of the recipes don't specify measurements for ingredients, such as 1 cup, but rather use WEIGHT, like 1 pound of berries. It makes it really difficult to cut a recipe to reduce the number of servings. Also, it is easy to visualize a cup, but impossible to visualize a pound. I don't use the cookbook at all because I'm not used to following recipes like that.

Oh, I love my Vitamix too. I had bought mine for a pretty good price from QVC. They run their specials a couple of times a year. Plus the mixer I got was "special" made for QVC at the time, it was designed to fit under the upper cabinets just perfect (shorter bowl than others). I use it at least 2 times a day, morning smoothie, and evening smoothie or "icecream".
A tip from me is: my Vitamix makes alot of noise too. Since I use it so much I don't want to ruin my hearing so I went to the store and bought simple ear plugs on a string from the hunting section of the store ($2.00). I hang them right next to the mixer on a hook so when I am ready to make my drink, I just pop the plugs in my ears. It works quite well to mask the noise. HTH