# Blender



## GonnaSmoke (Mar 8, 2021)

Ours pretty much quit this past weekend, but it was at least 10 years old, probably much older. I'm looking for recommendations for a new one. What you got?


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## zwiller (Mar 8, 2021)

If you use it often enough Vitamix all the way.


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## sandyut (Mar 8, 2021)

OMG I have a 30+ year old Osterizer.  I actually bought parts for not that long ago too.  Wish stuff was made like that still...kinda like my Kenmore washer and dryer 20+ and still cruzin.

Good luck on finding a good one.  Looks like Oster is still making blenders...a little spendy i guess but


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## tx smoker (Mar 8, 2021)

Wife bought me a Ninja a couple years ago for Christmas. I thought it was frivolous but man oh man, I do love that thing. It's an amazing blender.

Robert


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## gmc2003 (Mar 8, 2021)




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## civilsmoker (Mar 8, 2021)

tx smoker said:


> Wife bought me a Ninja a couple years ago for Christmas. I thought it was frivolous but man oh man, I do love that thing. It's an amazing blender.
> 
> Robert



The big Ninja is what I got my wife, she uses it at least daily...Its awesome!


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## smokerjim (Mar 8, 2021)

my wife just bought a ninja she loves it.


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## GonnaSmoke (Mar 8, 2021)

gmc2003 said:


> View attachment 488212


Only problem is I'm not sure how well it will work on those frozen, fruity drinks the women like...


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## tx smoker (Mar 8, 2021)

civilsmoker said:


> The big Ninja is what I got my wife, she uses it at least daily...Its awesome!



Yep, that's what Tracy bought for me. I don't use mine as often as your wife uses hers but that thing is a beast!! I think you could cut up a car bumper with it   

Robert


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## GonnaSmoke (Mar 8, 2021)

tx smoker said:


> Wife bought me a Ninja a couple years ago for Christmas. I thought it was frivolous but man oh man, I do love that thing. It's an amazing blender.
> 
> Robert





civilsmoker said:


> The big Ninja is what I got my wife, she uses it at least daily...Its awesome!





smokerjim said:


> my wife just bought a ninja she loves it.





tx smoker said:


> Yep, that's what Tracy bought for me. I don't use mine as often as your wife uses hers but that thing is a beast!! I think you could cut up a car bumper with it
> 
> Robert


Good deal, which one do y'all have?


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## civilsmoker (Mar 8, 2021)

tx smoker said:


> Yep, that's what Tracy bought for me. I don't use mine as often as your wife uses hers but that thing is a beast!! I think you could cut up a car bumper with it
> 
> Robert



Since getting it, she has been making sauces with sautéed apples and pears, Chili Verde, and enchilada sauces.  Did some pulled top round enchiladas with sauce made from 3 different blended chilis....YUM.  I've been bad at not taking pics.....

OH and if you want to dress up a BBQ sauce try adding some apples or pears and Sautee them with garlic and onions then blend and add to the base! 

What I'm saying is a blender is more useful in a kitchen than a MW....LOL


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## civilsmoker (Mar 8, 2021)

This is the one I got my wife.  It came with a large and medium blending pitchers and 2-16ish blending cups.


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## GonnaSmoke (Mar 8, 2021)

Do the Ninja have a glass or plastic pitcher?


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## civilsmoker (Mar 8, 2021)

A type of plastic

edit....my wife has had hers about a year now and the pitcher goes in the DW daily.


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## noboundaries (Mar 8, 2021)

I have a Blendtec. I've used the heck out of it. 1500 watts is plenty of power, but I doubt I'd buy another one. The jars are the weak point. I've had two fail with proper handling (hand-wash only) and replacements are NOT cheap ($100-$130). I use the Wildside and Twister jar (two regular jars failed and I didn't bother replacing the second one). This blender makes INCREDIBLY smooth and creamy peanut butter with the Twister jar. Peanuts and salt only. No oil required. Pulse some peanuts to add to the creamy for chunky peanut butter. Blendtec jars have a 7-year warranty. Yeah, not long enough.  

I watched several comparison tests on YouTube. The KitchenAid performed WAY better than my Blendtec. So, if my Blendtec failed today, I'd probably get the KA blender. 

I have an Oster I bought more than 40 years ago. It still works great for margaritas but doesn't perform like the Blendtec for making smoothies, sauces, cream soups, and nut butters.  It's only like 500 watts or less. I keep it with our camping gear nowadays.


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## dls1 (Mar 8, 2021)

The last time I  bought a blender was around 10 years ago and I had narrowed my choices to Blendtec and Vitamix. I read a number of comparison reviews with similar results. Vitamix would be marginally better in one area, and Blendtec would be marginally better in another. Also, both were similar in price at around $500. Speaking to a few friends that are professional chefs, they gave  a slight edge to Blendtec , especially in the category of long term durabiity. One friend, who owns a very high volume Mexican restaurant that easily prepares hundreds of frozen Margaritas daily from scratch uses 3 Blendtecs exclusively.

Also, the quality of the build construction seemed to me to be a bit stronger than Vitamix and, as I recall, the peak horsepower of the Blendtec was 3 HP compared to Vitamix at 2.2 HP.

In addition, I preferred Blendtec's interface, 6 presets, plus a customizable speed option, and 10 year warranty. 

I was still undecided abut the purchase when I got an email from Blendtec regarding a seasonal sale and the unit I was considering was reduced to $375. Done deal!

It's still used daily in our house, often multiple times, and still runs like it did on day 1.


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## tx smoker (Mar 8, 2021)

GonnaSmoke said:


> Good deal, which one do y'all have?



This is what Tracy bought for me











Robert


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## smokerjim (Mar 8, 2021)

my wife has the professional 1000, she likes making smoothies and this thing blends up frozen fruit and ice like nothing. it has the plastic pitcher. all dishwasher safe.


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## GonnaSmoke (Mar 8, 2021)

civilsmoker said:


> A type of plastic
> 
> edit....my wife has had hers about a year now and the pitcher goes in the DW daily.


That's where I was headed with that question...


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## dls1 (Mar 8, 2021)

noboundaries said:


> I have a Blendtec. I've used the heck out of it. 1500 watts is plenty of power, but I doubt I'd buy another one. The jars are the weak point. I've had two fail with proper handling (hand-wash only) and replacements are NOT cheap ($100-$130). I use the Wildside and Twister jar (two regular jars failed and I didn't bother replacing the second one). This blender makes INCREDIBLY smooth and creamy peanut butter with the Twister jar. Peanuts and salt only. No oil required. Pulse some peanuts to add to the creamy for chunky peanut butter. Blendtec jars have a 7-year warranty. Yeah, not long enough.
> 
> I watched several comparison tests on YouTube. The KitchenAid performed WAY better than my Blendtec. So, if my Blendtec failed today, I'd probably get the KA blender.
> 
> I have an Oster I bought more than 40 years ago. It still works great for margaritas but doesn't perform like the Blendtec for making smoothies, sauces, cream soups, and nut butters.  It's only like 500 watts or less. I keep it with our camping gear nowadays.



That's interesting, noboundaries. When I got my Blendtec it came with both the Wildside cup and the Standard cup, which was used about 75% of the time. After about 8 years of pretty heavy use, something on the Regular cup went and all the blade would do is wobble in it's fitting.  I contacted Blendtec and they replaced it under warranty without any hassle.


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## GonnaSmoke (Mar 8, 2021)

dls1 said:


> The last time I  bought a blender was around 10 years ago and I had narrowed my choices to Blendtec and Vitamix. I read a number of comparison reviews with similar results. Vitamix would be marginally better in one area, and Blendtec would be marginally better in another. Also, both were similar in price at around $500. Speaking to a few friends that are professional chefs, they gave  a slight edge to Blendtec , especially in the category of long term durabiity. One friend, who owns a very high volume Mexican restaurant that easily prepares hundreds of frozen Margaritas daily from scratch uses 3 Blendtecs exclusively.
> 
> Also, the quality of the build construction seemed to me to be a bit stronger than Vitamix and, as I recall, the peak horsepower of the Blendtec was 3 HP compared to Vitamix at 2.2 HP.
> 
> ...


Which model do you have? I've been on their website and all of their blender motors are listed as watts now, not horsepower, unless I'm not looking at the correct one. Seems now that their most powerful is 1800 watts.


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## Winterrider (Mar 8, 2021)

Same Ninja as Civil.


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## Steve H (Mar 8, 2021)

I'm at work. But this is the one I have.


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## dls1 (Mar 8, 2021)

GonnaSmoke said:


> Which model do you have? I've been on their website and all of their blender motors are listed as watts now, not horsepower, unless I'm not looking at the correct one. Seems now that their most powerful is 1800 watts.



GonnaSmoke,

I don't remember the model number and I'm in my office now so I'll check when I get home. Also, I bought the blender quite some time ago and doubt that the same model is currently available. I'll check the Blendtec website to see if it is or if they offer something comparable.

The 3 hp is what the unit's *peak* hp is versus the *operating *hp. Peak hp is what initially kicks in until what you're blending breaks down somewhat, then then it drops down to the operating hp. as it continues. If you're blending something like ice cubes the distinction is important. If it's something like soft bananas, it's not. Also, on my unit, depending on what blending mode has been selected, it will cycle back and forth.

Blendtec's website used to show both peak and operating hp, but I don't know if they still do so. If they're showing only wattage, then my guess would be that would be converted to operating hp.

To do the conversion, simply divide the wattage by 745.6. As such, 1800 watts would be approximately 2.4 hp, which I assume would be operating hp. Inversely, 3 hp peak hp converted is 2237 watts.


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## mike243 (Mar 8, 2021)

Ninja for 10 or more years, its a beast


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## BrianGSDTexoma (Mar 8, 2021)

I have the Ninja Chef High-Speed Blender 1500 watts and love it.  Nothing it wont do.  Frozen drinks perfectly smooth.  Makes flour from grain and on and on!  Works great on the presets.  Speeds up, slows down and turns off and on during the cycles.  I was able to find on sale for $99


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## bill ace 350 (Mar 8, 2021)

sandyut said:


> OMG I have a 30+ year old Osterizer.  I actually bought parts for not that long ago too.  Wish stuff was made like that still...kinda like my Kenmore washer and dryer 20+ and still cruzin.
> 
> Good luck on finding a good one.  Looks like Oster is still making blenders...a little spendy i guess but


Agree.  Ours is 35 years old and still going strong.


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## noboundaries (Mar 8, 2021)

dls1 said:


> That's interesting, noboundaries. When I got my Blendtec it came with both the Wildside cup and the Standard cup, which was used about 75% of the time. After about 8 years of pretty heavy use, something on the Regular cup went and all the blade would do is wobble in it's fitting. I contacted Blendtec and they replaced



My set came the same way. Bought it at Costco  and it came with the regular and Wildside jar. Soon after the first purchase I bought the Twister jar. 

The regular jar had the same type of failure as yours. They did replace the first failed jar under warranty, but it included a rudely worded letter implying improper care and usage. I found their response weird given the reputation of people in the area where the company is located. I never washed the jars in the dishwasher and only used enough pressure on the top of the jar to keep the unit from walking on the counter when making smoothies, ice shakes, etc.

The replacement jar had a different grommet/blade construction. It failed, too and I thought it wrecked the blender due to the horrendous noises the base was making.  I just tossed the jar and did not seek a replacement given the letter from the first failure.

I still use the Twister jar regularly for making spreadable butter and nut butters. The Wildside gets used as needed, mostly for smoothies, sauces, blended drinks and frozen banana ice shakes. The good news is I have three lids that fit the Wildside jar! The bad news is should the blender or remaining jars fail, I'll probably spend my money elsewhere.


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## normanaj (Mar 8, 2021)

sandyut said:


> OMG I have a 30+ year old Osterizer.



That is awesome!

I have my mother's Osterizer that my dad bought for her in 1967.Still works like a charm,there's NOTHING made like this unit in this day and age.There's no Vitamix or Ninja that can even compare.


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## bill1 (Mar 8, 2021)

The old Osterizers are pretty bullet proof and you can find them in thrift stores when Grandma's stuff gets given away.  The newer ones aren't bad but the digital displays, controls, etc can fail.  But even then, Oster has a repair service where you ship them the broken one and you get yours back a month later repaired for ~$40...more than the thrift store price, but a bit cheaper than a competitor's new price...and it's a practice that's rare for modern consumer goods.  (Or at least they still did this ~5 years ago. )

Quality $200+ footwear typically allows you to send back shoes for a good re-sole job but that sort of service is a rarity in anything other than hand-made goods, which a sewn, corkbed shoe still is.


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## Inscrutable (Mar 9, 2021)

Have a B&D that works fair for some things, but starting into more smoothies and not getting good results, so just got a Vitamix E310. Still in box while finishing up some kitchen remodel. Seems to get good reviews, but far less $ than some other models ... should we have moved up chain or got a Blendtec?


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## dls1 (Mar 10, 2021)

GonnaSmoke said:


> Which model do you have? I've been on their website and all of their blender motors are listed as watts now, not horsepower, unless I'm not looking at the correct one. Seems now that their most powerful is 1800 watts.



GonnaSmoke,

Sorry I didn't respond earlier. Had to catch a flight to Miami yesterday for business and didn't return until earlier today.

On the front of my unit' base it says "Blendtec Total Blender" The tag on the bottom of the base says the same along with "Tom Dickson Model ES3" as well as "Watts: 1560" and "Peak HP: 3.0". FYI, Tom Dickson's the founder of Blendtec.

The preset buttons on the base are labeled as,
* Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt
* Ice Crush, Milkshake
* Soups, Syrups, Fondues,
* Sauces, Dips, Dressings, Batters
* Whole Juice
* Smoothies

There's also a pulse control bottom as well as up/down buttons for 10-speed purely manual control.

Finally, there's a cycle usage counter screen of the front that currently shows 2,985 cycles since new.

By the model number alone, I'm inclined to thank that it may have been a one-time limited production run. But, that was about 10 years ago so I don't know that for certain. In any event, that model, not surprisingly, is no longer offered.

The only blender on Blendtec's website that looks somewhat comparable to my unit is their "Total Blender Classic" which, with the 90 oz. Wildfire+ jar, retails for $399.99. They also offer it refurbished for $279.95 but the warranty drops from 8 years to 3 years.

Amazon offers it new at $335.81 with the standard 75 oz. 4-sided jar and Costco has it with the Wildside+ jar along with the 37 oz. Twister jar for $365.75. Note that the cup capacities shown are their maximum capacity, not the recommended capacity for blending.

Hope this helps.


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## old sarge (Mar 10, 2021)

We have the Vitamix and an old Oster Bee Hive blender.  Both are excellent for many tasks. The Oster will not handle everything the Vitamix does but is still a great machine.


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## forktender (Mar 11, 2021)

tx smoker said:


> Wife bought me a Ninja a couple years ago for Christmas. I thought it was frivolous but man oh man, I do love that thing. It's an amazing blender.
> 
> Robert


I was going to recommend the same Robert we absolutely love our Ninja.
It is a powerhouse that will plow through damn near anything you will ever toss into it.
It makes amazing fruit and veggie smoothies that everyone loves in our house.
But for me, it's the frozen margaritas that they kick out in the summer around the pool while the smoker is rolling coal into the neighbor's yard while I'm blasting the Allman Bro's or Ten Years After.

My Mom gave us this one as a gift and we love it X10.
*Ninja,  Auto-iQ, Kitchen System, 1200 Watts, BL910*





__





						Robot or human?
					





					www.walmart.com
				




(Just buy one you'll love it.)
Dan.


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## oldsmokerdude (Mar 12, 2021)

We've had our Vitamix for about 10 years with no issues using it several times per week. They are expensive compared to others but IMO you get what you pay for. If mine died today I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. Bought it at Costco during one of their "traveling shows" and got it for a good price. Also, it is the only blender that will also heat what is in the blender (I think). I can go from raw ingredients to hot soup in about 6 minutes with just the blender. Additionally, its been my experience that it does a better job of crushing ice more evenly than the Ninja, but that may be just me.


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## old sarge (Mar 12, 2021)

Whenever possible, I buy American.  Sometimes you cannot, sometimes you can.


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## Steve H (Mar 12, 2021)

oldsmokerdude said:


> Also, it is the only blender that will also heat what is in the blender (I think).



Mine heats as well. But I think it isn't as powerful as the Vitamix. It is only 1000 watt. Does a great job.


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## dls1 (Mar 12, 2021)

oldsmokerdude said:


> Also, it is the only blender that will also heat what is in the blender (I think). I can go from raw ingredients to hot soup in about 6 minutes with just the blender.



Same with Blendtec.


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## BrianGSDTexoma (Mar 18, 2021)

Was curious what you ended up with?


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## GonnaSmoke (Mar 18, 2021)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> Was curious what you ended up with?


I haven't bought one yet. There are 3 companies that make blenders in America - Waring, Blendtec,  and Vitamix. All 3 use global sourcing for the parts for those blenders, I'm thinking Chinese parts, but not sure. Waring has one with a 1H.P. motor.

Anyway, they're all quality machines that come with a premium price. I am leaning towards the Blendtec...


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## BrianGSDTexoma (Mar 18, 2021)

I think main thing is get high power with good presets.  I really love my Ninja Chef High Speed but can only get it refurbished now which might not be a bad thing for the price.


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## noboundaries (Mar 18, 2021)

dls1 said:


> Amazon offers it new at $335.81 with the standard 75 oz. 4-sided jar and *Costco has it with the Wildside+ jar along with the 37 oz. Twister jar for $365.75.*



That Costco price is one heck of a deal.  Those two jars are perfect for the Blendtec.


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## dls1 (Mar 18, 2021)

noboundaries said:


> That Costco price is one heck of a deal.  Those two jars are perfect for the Blendtec.



Yes, it is. If I didn't already have a Blendtec I'd jump on that offer.

Since I bought my Blendtec a long time ago, I've had the Wildside+ and standard 4-side square jars. What's the benefit/advantage of the Twister jar. I might be interested in getting one.


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## noboundaries (Mar 18, 2021)

dls1 said:


> What's the benefit/advantage of the Twister jar. I might be interested in getting one.


Biggest benefit for us is nut butters: peanut and almond are our favorites. To make crunchy peanut butter, 1 cup unsalted, roasted peanuts. Pulse a few times to break up, then set aside.

Add 1 3/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts and 1/4 tsp salt to jar. Speed 1 for full 51 second cycle. Then speed up to 5 and keep slowly increasing to 8 until cycle stops. Mix half the broken nuts in with a spoon then put in a jar. Repeat. Makes about 30 oz.

I use it for making spreadable butter, too.

Works better for cracking peppercorns than the Wildside jar.


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## dls1 (Mar 19, 2021)

noboundaries said:


> Biggest benefit for us is nut butters: peanut and almond are our favorites. To make crunchy peanut butter, 1 cup unsalted, roasted peanuts. Pulse a few times to break up, then set aside.
> 
> Add 1 3/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts and 1/4 tsp salt to jar. Speed 1 for full 51 second cycle. Then speed up to 5 and keep slowly increasing to 8 until cycle stops. Mix half the broken nuts in with a spoon then put in a jar. Repeat. Makes about 30 oz.
> 
> ...


 Thanks for the response and input. Your comments confirm the reviews I read earlier today. Just placed an order with Amazon and should have the jar tomorrow. 

I tried to make some nut butters a few years ago using, I believe, the standard 4-sided jar. Didn't care for the results, and never tried again. The Twister jar sounds like it might up my game quite a bit so I'm looking forward to that experiment and, for my first effort, I'll use your recipe.  One question; when you say " Add 1 3/4 cup...."  I assume you're saying 1¾ cup, not one ¾ cup. Is that correct?

I make a lot of compound butters, my favorite being anchovy butter, so I'm looking forward to that experiment as well.

Thanks again.


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## noboundaries (Mar 19, 2021)

dls1 said:


> I assume you're saying 1¾ cup, not one ¾ cup. Is that correct?


Correct: one and three-quarters cup.

I've used less with great results. 2 cups is a tad too much. 1 2/3 to 1 3/4 cup works beautifully. The Twister jar makes great nut butters. The nut butter will stick to the bottom of the blades. Even though you use the Twister lid to make the nut better, cleaning is a different story. Pulsing with a drop of dish soap and a cup of water using the "sealing" lid, not the Twister lid, gets it clean. Trust me on the lids. You've been warned!


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## IMAVGAN (Mar 23, 2021)

I have both a Vitamix at home & a Blendtec at my office. If I had to do it again, both would be Vitamix blenders. It just makes a better smoothie as far as chopping ice into finer bits.


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