NF&B - Blender rec?

Bimbi284

Hey gals. My blender just died a tragic death this morning while I was trying to make a smoothie and was wondering if any of you had a blender that you love?

The one I had was a Kitchenaid 5-speed which I really liked, but the little piece that holds the pitcher in place and makes the blades spin just got completely destroyed/worn down, so its mostly a design flaw. Its no longer under warranty either, so we can't get a new one for free :-(.

I would absolutely love a Vitamix but $600 for a blender is just insane. I'd like to keep it under $200 if possible!

TIA

PS: I was gonna XP this on another board too, but wasn't sure which board would have the most blender knowledge. If you happen to know, please share! haha!

TX-Bride

I have a cuisinart from costco and it has been ok so far, and since we bought it from costco we can always return it if breaks down.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11757766&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|103|28485|28503&N=4009924&Mo=13&pos=4&No=11&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=28503&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&ec=BC-EC21898-Cat28485&topnav=

 

Bimbi284

Thanks TX! How does that one do with crushing ice? Does it liquefy pretty well (like for smoothies using greens such as kale and spinach)?

casmgn

We have a Vitamix and I have to say it's worth every penny. We got the 500 model from Williams-Sonoma, but QVC sells a different model for $400.

TX-Bride

Bimbi284:

Thanks TX! How does that one do with crushing ice? Does it liquefy pretty well (like for smoothies using greens such as kale and spinach)?

Ours is a little different than the one I pip'ed, it does have multiple buttons, one is for smoothies and it does a pulsing thing with the liquid inside so it aggitate the liquid and liquifies it pretty ok. The ice crush is ok, too, it turns into very small/tiny pieces. 

Bimbi284

Thanks for the info!

hunniapple

casmgn:

We have a Vitamix and I have to say it's worth every penny. We got the 500 model from Williams-Sonoma, but QVC sells a different model for $400.

This - I LOVE my Vitamix.  I got mine at a homeshow a few years back - I think it was about $500 and I don't know the exact model name or number off the top of my head, but it really is amazing!

hunniapple

casmgn:

We have a Vitamix and I have to say it's worth every penny. We got the 500 model from Williams-Sonoma, but QVC sells a different model for $400.

This - I LOVE my Vitamix.  I got mine at a homeshow a few years back - I think it was about $500 and I don't know the exact model name or number off the top of my head, but it really is amazing!

Bimbi284

I realize the Vitamix is wonderful, and I would love to have one but we can't afford that much for a blender a the moment (or really ever, lol), hence my under $200 requirement.

Please share your recs for cheaper ones :-) 

Home_slice

Not much help because I have the Kitchenaid one and I love it.

catcookies

I've never used one, but I've read some good reviews on the Ninja.  I think it goes for $99 and you can use a 20% off coupon at BBB.

Bimbi284

catcookies:

I've never used one, but I've read some good reviews on the Ninja.  I think it goes for $99 and you can use a 20% off coupon at BBB.

Yeah, I was looking at a Ninja earlier! It looks to have good reviews...I may have to go for that one.

Thanks! 

Mrs Acorn Blue

My blender is an Oster.  It was $30 from Walmart and came with a mini-food processer attachment.  The darn thing is still going strong after 6 years and lots of Green Monster smoothies, so it was totally worth it!