Thanks, dilly_ny. Do you find you need the twister jar for things like nut butter or is the regular wildside+ okay for those?

I don't have either but a friend went thru one Blentec blender before biting the bullet and getting the V-mix. He liked it but it didn't hold out for the multiple smoothies a day for the family.

Love our vitamix! Have had it for 3 years, with 2 kids that make smoothies, coconut butter, peanut butter, almond milk.

Thanks, Mistman and bordenh.

Mistman, I don't understand that, since everyone I know says their customer service is fabulous--when something breaks they just send a new one.

I have a Blendtec and got it for 2 reasons: dull blade and a single jar for any ingredient. So far it's been great. I also have the Twister jar and it's really helpful for smaller quantities and for thick stuff (nutt butter, dough etc). Oh, and I also didn't really like Vitamix's two button operation.

Love my Vitamix! Haven't done nut butters, but have made wheat and almond flours. Love the smoothies and silky smooth soups.

I have friends that love their Blendtec, and don't think you can go wrong with either.

I have the vitamix- love it.
I have not tried nut butters as WF charges the same for 1lb of nuts as 1 lb of nut butter.
I make smoothies, soups, hummus and more.

We have a vitamix. I too heard that you can't go wrong with either. The blentec was a little more tech-y and I prefer more manual-ish appliances so I chose the vitamix. We are very pleased with it's power and ability to blend about anything. We have the newer, shorter model.

Vitamix all the way. I make almond butter on a regular basis. We do smoothies daily. I make the best soups with it. The milkshakes are out of this world.

I planned my kitchen renovation with a specific location and cabinet for the Vitamix. It's in a place of honor.

I've used both. To be honest, I almost think it simply comes down to looks, price, and which one has the type of control panel you like best. Oh, and whether or not you want to fuss with Vitamix's plunger vs. fussing with the order you load ingredients with the Blendtec. I agree you can't go wrong with either choice.

Thanks, everyone.

a2gemini, I wish there were a WF within 90 minutes drive, but if I want freshly made nut butter, at home is the only option. Even the grocery stores around here don't do anything but jarred.

ChirstyMcK, I know what you mean and I wish this store carried the non-touch interface version of the blendtec, but it is what it is, I guess.

Funkycamper, thanks. It's nice to hear from someone who's personally used both.

Writersblock
That is a bummer!
We are spoiled at our location as we have 2 WFs near us. One is less than 2 miles and the other is less than 3 miles away. The original one was too small and not enough parking so they built a second one.
When I travel, I am always on the lookout for WF or related stores.

Yeah, I often want to throw the computer through a window when I read recipes that blithely include ingredients like "one young Thai coconut", but there are compensations.

I love making almond butter, hummus and sorbets, etc with vitamix. I only tried the soup once...wasn't too crazy about it but then again I may not be a fan of mushroom soup anyway. I find it easy to use but the plunger business is a little annoying as you do need to do that fairly often if using ice. Another minor complaint is scraping out the good stuff at the bottom. My cheapie blender has a screw off bottom so much easier to just push out all the puréed stuff. But I still like it.

Ok, I guess we must not have one here, but what is WF?

Whole Foods.
Here is one of many threads on this subject.

Here is a link that might be useful: From April 2013

From the Appliance Forum

Here is a link that might be useful: BT or VM

I don't have the twist jar and I've never made nut butter in blendtec. I really think they are both great machines and you can't go wrong with either one.

My Vitamix is great, I use it 10x as much as my masticating juicer which I thought was great too but now is never used.

If you do get a Vitamix, I'd get the one with the preset functions. It sounds like a really pointless feature but the 60 seconds a day you save by just selecting a preset ends up being a lot more valuable than you would think.

You don't need the presets. Manual basic will work just fine. I control the machine, it doesn't control me.

i have the 6300 vitamix. presets, pulse button..... i love it. nut butters, soup, hummus, many whole fruit smoothies a day. and the plunger is a god send. if i had to open a bt to stir or futz around the with ingredient order, i'd lose it. vitamix is the gold standard i think in most professional kitchens. and the customer service is great. go to the the vitamix enthusiasts page on fb. it's fabulous. 7 year warranty on new machines. 5 on refurbs.

Thanks for the link, kitchendetective. I missed that one somehow.

Thanks, dilly_ny.

Hi, calumin and elizabeth714. Unfortunately I don't have any choice if I opt for the vitamix, since they only carry the 200 Onyx, not any of the more deluxe models.

Homechef, it's good to know the basic will do.

Blendtec or Vitamix is a tough decision because you are deciding between basically the 2 best blenders. Neither one is "better" it's more about what you like better (just stay away from the Vitamix 2 speed). The 200 is the same machine as the 5200, just marketed differently.

Blendtec for the sleek look and program blends.

Vitamix for the industrial feel and complete blending control.

As for the blade difference - there really isn't much. The Vitamix blades are not sharp either (nothing like the ninja which is known for cutting fingers).

Here is a link that might be useful: Comparison

Thanks, Lauraluv. That was very helpful.

Thanks for the article - even though I have a Vitamix, I learned some new information.

We have a Blendtec, I think we chose it over the Vitamix because of the price at the time, better deal with the Blendtec. We have used it 2062 times (it keeps track for you), We have really enjoyed it, pretty much use it everyday. Just a small grievance though. I find it a little difficult to clean the lid of the blender because of the grooves. Every now and then I get a Qtip and run it in the grooves to make sure all is clean (must be the nurse in me lol).

Thanks, nursetammi. Nice to hear from people who have the Blendtec.

I have a Blentec but I use my Nutribullet twice daily for my mixed drinks. The bullet cup and blade cover is super easy to rinse clean. I have owned both for over a year and I can't be without my Nutribullet . The Blentec is really good if you are making large portions for several servings.

I have a Blentec but I use my Nutribullet twice daily for my mixed drinks. The bullet cup and blade cover is super easy to rinse clean. I have owned both for over a year and I can't be without my Nutribullet . The Blentec is really good if you are making large portions for several servings.

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