Today, one year later:
I have had my Blendtec Total Blender for 1 year and I am loving it. It is by far the best blender I have ever used. Listed below is my honest review of this high-powered blender after one year of service.
My Blendtec Total Blender
I have 1,099 blends on my counter. That is roughly three blends every day for 365 days (on average). This number includes cycles for cleaning too, which is important. However, sometimes I do a little pulse for 5 seconds and call it clean, depending on what I blended. See Tips for Extending the Life of Your Blendtec Pitcher.
Following the tips for extending the life of your blender I have had little problems with my blade sticking. It is important to give the blade a quick turn (from the bottom) before blending. If the blade starts to stick, I simply blend one cycle with hot water and a drop or two of dish soap and that usually fixes the problem.
After one year, my children are not afraid of it any more and use it often, under my supervision. Actually, it did take a while for them to warm up to this loud machine. It was such a change from the Magic Bullet (a great starter blender for green smoothies by the way) to this high-powered machine. If you are shopping for a new blender, don’t hesitate to read through the other reviews starting at the home page Blendtec blender reviews.
We still use appropriate hearing protection such as ear muffs (for the one doing the blending), our fingers or ear plugs (if we are working in the kitchen and can’t put our fingers in our ears). This is important. It is a loud machine and if you plan on using it for years and years to come and still want decent hearing, I recommend heading to your local shooting range to purchase a pair of ear muffs. Seriously!
I am still creating smoothie concoctions and recipes and finding new ways to use my blender. My most recent is blending fresh tomatoes to make homemade spaghetti sauce. I can’t wait until summer. No tomato will ever spoil on my counter again!
I have had no major problems with my blender. I did send back a pitcher when the blade stuck and began to leak. I didn’t follow the cleaning rules as seriously as I should have. I had no problems with customer service or the warranty and they were very pleasant and easy to work with. They didn’t really ask about the jar or blade when I told them it was sticking, they just said they’d put a new one in the mail and I can send the bad one back in the same box. No questions asked. Easy!!! You can read about my Warranty Experience here. It came with a 3 year motor and pitcher warranty. If you purchase your blender at Sams or Costco you get a 7 year warranty. Check Blendtec.com to see where they demo and when.
I bought two pitchers when I placed my order. I highly recommend this, whether you have a large family or small. I have used both pitchers numerous times to pay for the added cost of an extra pitcher, bigger pitcher, that is.
The pitchers are one piece. There is no need to take apart the blade to clean it. There are no parts to rust, break or stick. This makes clean up really easy. Blending hot water and a drop of soap and you are done (unless you blend peanut butter, then you have to add elbow grease to the inside of the pitcher). Just be sure not to get the bottom seal wet. This pitcher would require a bit more maintaining if you wash it in the dishwasher. I don’t know why one would. I would need it again before the dishwasher is through washing. It’s easier to take good care of it outside the dishwasher and keep it’s life longer.
Blade and Pitcher one piece
Blade shaft bottom view
I use my Blendtec for grinding, often. I grind popcorn for cornmeal. I grind wheat berries for flour, and coffee beans. I have even placed a couple of Tblsp of flax seeds and milled that as well. It will grind that small amount! But, as a warning, the high speed of the wheat or popcorn will scar the pitcher…for life. In the below picture you can see the right pitcher is a bit foggy due to the grinding. There is no difference in the blades though, they are very tough. I have no nicks or any wear on my blades. Two pitchers are nice for pancakes in one and smoothies in the other. Or making bread crumbs in one dry pitcher and blending a sauce in the other, very handy pair. I often have both pitchers in use.
The Wild Side, Large Pitcher comes with a 4-inch blade and is nearly 3 quart total capacity. The smaller pitcher is nearly 2 quarts and has a 2 inch blade.
The pitcher on the right is ‘foggy’ from grinding wheat and popcorn.
In the last year I have known 5 other ladies, personally who have bought Blendtec Total Blenders. They all have been happy with their purchases. Not saying men don’t buy Blendtecs, I just don’t know of any (unless they are husbands). I don’t know any Vitamix owners, yet.
Our intake of fresh fruits and vegetables has certainly increased. I keep fresh fruits and vegetables around always. My family is getting more raw fruits and veggies and feeling great. We keep fruits in the freezer for smoothies, vegetables in the crisper for smoothies as well as soups. I shop mostly the fresh produce section of the grocery store and I am learning to creatively add new ingredients all the time.
We have packed our blender for road trips and vacations. This makes breakfasts easy and simple. No need to eat greasy, unhealthy foods on vacation when you can have a fresh smoothie in your hotel room, or healthy pancakes or waffles in your vacation home.
Nut milks are easy and a healthy alternative to dairy milk. It’s easy to blend up almonds and water and you have milk for cereals, coffee, smoothies or to drink.
Another reason we chose Blendtec was because it was shorter and Vitamix was taller and would not fit under the cabinets. This has not really been quite the issue I thought at first. The reason is: I do store my base on my counter always, but my pitchers are stored right below the base in a cabinet. When I blend I have to pull the base out from under the cabinet to add the ingredients and to be able to take on and off the lid. So, don’t let this issue of height bother you, unless you plan on storing your pitcher right on your base when not in use.
Blender fits under the counter with pitcher stored on the base.
I have really loved the easy to clean touch pad on the front. With a simple wipe with a wet towel the base is clean. There is no foods or smoothie that gets stuck around buttons.
Easy Clean Touch Pad
On the touch pad are pre-programmed cycles for different uses. Among them are smoothie, soups, ice cream, whole juice and others. Once you push one of these buttons the blender cycles through and stops on its own when the cycle is complete. Sometimes it is necessary to cycle again to get the smooth consistency you are looking for. There is also a pulse button for easy control. And finally there are two speed up/down buttons. The speeds go up to level 10. I don’t ever worry about burning up the motor. My children use it often and I have taught them it is a machine, it will break, but I am not worried about them breaking it (really), as long as it stays on the counter. I will blend until I have a nice smooth consistency or what ever I am looking for. No smoke, no cutting off, just power!!! 13 amps, 1560 watts. I love it!!!
So, to wrap up this rather long, but honest review, I love my Blendtec Total Blender and would definitely make this purchase again if given a chance. I feel it is the best kitchen blender for me and my family. It is a great investment in my family’s healthy eating lifestyle. I recommend this blender for any person who is even thinking about a lifestyle change to whole foods, plant-based eating or fresh smoothies.
I know, I know, you are thinking “This is a pricey machine”. I agree. But Blendtec has a great reputation for building an outstanding machine and their customer service is first rate. Keep your eyes open the next time you go into a smoothie shop, coffee house or place that may use commercial blenders. It is highly likely you will see a Blendtec in their kitchen. I found one at the Red Mango!
I hope you found this review helpful. I am sure I missed one or two reasons this is the best blender for my family…I’ll add them later when I think of them. Please let me know if you have any questions about this high-powered blender or what you love about your Blendtec.
If you are ready to purchase your first Blendtec, you can do so here directly from Blendtec
or Purchase from Amazon … the price is currently the same at both sites.
Related posts:
- Blendtec Home Total Blender
- Blendtec Warranty Experience
- Blendtec Connoisseur Convertible Blender
- Extend the life of your Blendtec Pitcher
- Top 10 Reasons To Own A Blendtec vs Vitamix
