I know. My life is sooo exciting.
Try to contain your jealousy.
I use my blender several times a week, mostly to make yogurt/fruit smoothies (they’re especially frugal if you make your own yogurt!) I own a fairly basic Braun blender that I bought back in 2007 (it’s no longer available) and I liked that it came with a heavy-duty glass jar, since most blenders come with plastic jars.
What I have not been happy with are the gears on the bottom of the blade. They’re plastic. And not very sturdy plastic at that.
One by one, they’ve broken off, despite me being really careful, and when I was down to one last plastic bit, I finally decided to order a new blade.
My goodness, my blender works SO much better now. But, it’s probably just a matter of time before the gears start popping off again (though maybe I will be lucky enough to get another 5 years out of the blender!)
I did consider this before I bought the blade assembly, but I wasn’t in a place where I was ready to research and buy a new blender, and I was in a hurry to get mine up and running.
(one can only go so long without smoothies, you know.)
I paid $45 for the blender 5 years ago, I paid $7.50 for a replacement gasket in 2010, and now I just spent $15 on a replacement blade assembly.
So, I’ve spent about half the blender’s value in replacement parts.
That did make me hesitate a bit before ordering.
But….
-if I didn’t buy the new part, I’d have to throw away/recycle my blender, which isn’t a great ecological choice.
-if I didn’t buy the new part, I’d have to pay a lot more than $15 for a blender because I really want to make sure I buy one that will last.
So, for right now, the replacement part seems like the right choice.
Once this blade starts to lose gears, though, I’m going to think hard about saving up for a sturdier blender.
On that note, a few readers have said wonderful things about the Vitamix
and the Blendtec, two expensive blender brands.
If any of you own one, do share your opinion. Have you felt that it was worth spending the money? Has yours lasted for a long time?
If I knew it was pretty much the last blender I’d ever have to buy, I’d be open to starting up a blender fund at ING. Or maybe I should just start saving up all of my Swagbucks. 😉
Tiffany
Thursday 12th of July 2012
I know this post is several months old, but I want to echo the other comments on how amazing the Vitamix blender is. We got ours reconditioned on the Vitamix website for $400. I know its a steep price but it will blend anything.....I have put rock solid large chunks of frozen fruit in there, and there are no chunks. Its really easy to clean as well....just add water and a few drops of soap, turn it on, and rinse out. Easy peasy. The blades are metal and there is so much you can make with it. We've had ours three months and I don't know how we lived without it.
Janel
Monday 23rd of January 2012
I loved the road show displays of Vitamix everytime I was at Costco. After we got our tax return last year, decided I would just get it. I loved it! Soup, peanut butter, ice cream in 30 seconds (using 2-3 ingredients)!!! I got crazy and convinced by the Blendtec guy also on display about a month later at Costco to return my Vitamix but it didn't perform like the Vitamix and I took it back and begged for my Vitamix back. I use it almost daily and it's awesome!
Hannah
Saturday 21st of January 2012
My mom has a Vitamix and loves it. It is *really* loud, though-- but much higher power as well.
My husband has looked into Vitamix vs. Blendtec and came out in favour of Blendtec, though he hasn't used either and I've only used the Vitamix.
I think if you're simply using your blender for smoothies, then either option may be overkill. A lot of the high price for V. and B. seems due to the fact that they're marketed as a machine that does much more than blend (I've seen commercials marketing them as the only appliance you'll ever need-- minus baking. ;) ).
However, some people think that the ridiculous amount of power those machines have make it worth the extra amount of money even if you're not going to be making hot soup and grinding grains and whatnot. *shrugs*
Kelly C
Friday 20th of January 2012
I love my Ninja also. Just blended pinto beans into "refried" and salsa last night. I've used it for pie crust, hummus, mayo, and smoothies. Part of one of my handles warped a bit in the dishwasher which was probably my fault for putting it in there.
SunnyD
Thursday 19th of January 2012
After going through soooo many different blender options during the first 5 years of my marriage, I finally started a "blender fund" jar and stashed my extra cash in it to save up for a Vitamix. Then I began haunting Craigslist for a deal. And found one... a lady bought her Vitamix a year ago, used it six times, and stashed it in a closet. Fast forward one year, she lists it on Craigslist for $350. Now, my jar only had $285 in it at this point, so I just bookmarked her ad and kept looking. One week later, the ad was still listed, so I emailed and asked if she would take $275. She said yes. So I went to look at it. There had not been a photo online, so I didn't know that the dasher was not included. When I asked her about it, she said she forgot there even had been one. And then she offered the Vitamix to me for $250. Umm, yeah! So I went on ebay when I got home and bought a dasher for $13.95. Total cost for a Vitamix used six times: $263.95 and have used it many, many more than six times since. Love it, recommend it, how did I live without it?!
Janel
Monday 23rd of January 2012
Great deal! I never would have thought of finding one like this! Awesome!