Vitamix Stainless Steel E310 Explorian - Black, 1400 Watts

Bought this when Amazon had a $60 off deal on the black color. Vitamix products are expensive. Especially so, considering these are only blenders, but they are the best when it comes to blending anything you put into it and the durability, (though nothing is made like it used to be, even these.) I chose the cheaper model as I don't need the programs, nor the latest container sensing system, and the 48 oz container is just the right size for 3 of us. The 3" blades allow for smaller quantities if making a recipe for one. The other higher-priced models have 64 oz containers and 4" blades, but need a greater minimum quantity of ingredients to work correctly and immerse the blades. The 2 hp matches the 3" blades and does the same job as the 2.2 hp motor does on the larger containers. So, model choice really is down to minimum batch size and what bells and whistles you feel you want, but don't actually need! So far I haven't found fault with the E310. It does a fantastic job of blending anything I've put into it, as long as you follow the loading rules; liquids first, followed by lighter ingredients like leafy material, then heavier items like apples followed by heavy ice cubes. This ensures the blades start blending the easier stuff first and the heavier items weight the load down to maintain a feed into the blades until everything is flowing in a strong vortex, completing the blend. Made lots of smoothies and also some soup, heated by the Vitamix itself in 6 minutes or so. I did struggle with a frozen dessert, but I think that was because all the fruit ingredients were frozen solid and I missed the recommendation to let them thaw a little for 10-20 minutes on the counter before blending. The Vitamix had no problem breaking down the solid frozen lumps with the aid of the included tamper, but an air pocket kept forming around the blades and the mix didn't "flow" and produce the classic 4-segment, stiff vortex shape on the surface. Everything was too frozen. It did produce a nice sorbet though after much tampering! Clean-up is a breeze. You just rinse the container, add warm water with a couple drops of dish liquid and run at high speed. Rinse again and let dry. And that's it! Unlike other blenders, the blades are not razor sharp and it would be difficult to cut yourself on them if wiping out the container. The "wet" container blending is all about the blade shape, the speed of rotation (most times you are running at the highest speed of 10 and the only factor to think about is run-time) and the subsequent mixing vortex driving the ingredients into the blades. For flour and other dry seed blending, you need a "dry" container, supplied separately as an accessory, but over $100 !! Its blades are a different configuration and keep the fines from broken-down seeds in suspension in the container, while the heavier seeds fall back into the blades. You can, however, make nut butters in the supplied "wet" container using peanuts, almonds, etc.. The pulse function is good for "lumpy" salsa and for adding some chunks at the end of a blend for texture. I added some more baked potatoes and roasted cauliflower to the soup after blending to temperature. Then pulsed them to leave some larger chunks in the smooth soup. As with any high speed blender, these units are noisy, but we don't live in an apartment to have to worry about the noise! We are using the Vitamix every day for healthy fruit and vegetable smoothies and look forward to a long time doing so with the 5 year warranty. Vitamix customer service is reputed to be very good. I expect an even longer life from the unit as the Vitamix is well designed.

Muy buen producto y tiene buena potencia

THE BEST!

Our friends who have had one of these for decades talked us into buying one. We are not disappointed! It makes things very smooth! It also makes soup. The heat must come from the friction of the blade going around. But it makes soup, given time! We mostly use it for smoothies and blending creamed soups. The extra tools are nice. They help get food out from around the blades. I am glad I got those. The plunger is a must. It is engineered to push food toward the blade but it is not long enough to get caught in the blade. Very sturdy and reliable.

It's a Vitamix, it's awesome. Delivery on time... I am concerned about the carafe. it seems to be lose. I've had a Vitamix since the early 1970's. All my carafe's fit snug on the base. have the 48oz Carafe now I've only had the 98oz (short and tall, loved them both. I'm hitting my 70's and it's just my wife and I so the smaller is perfect. However I am concerned about the fit. Don't want to mess up the drive hub (for lack of more accurate description) Again, for health and cost effective diet, this is perfect for 2 people... Should I be concerned? Thanks.