Vitamix 5200 Professional Grade Blender for Smoothies, Food Grinder and Emulsifier, 64oz Pitcher, Black

This was a 2nd Vitamix for us, I love them. Our original Vitamix 5200 still works great. I have used it daily for a kale/matcha drink for about 5 years. I use full stalk kale, ginger, apples, etc. The Vitamix chews it up. When I am traveling at a VRBO and make the same drink with whatever cheap blender is available, it takes 3 times as long because I have to pre-chop everything and do little batches and then mix it all together. I am spoiled by the Vitamix; it is so strong it is funny. Its a power tool for the kitchen. I moved our 5yr old original Vitamix 5200 to a rental property we own so we would have its use there when we visit. So I bought this new Vitamix 5200 for our home.The new 5200 is identical in appearance, however now there is a "soft-start" feature. I assume it lowers the incoming inrush amps from the outlet? Not sure. Regardless, it is just as strong as the original, only it now starts slow then ramps up over the first few seconds. It eliminates the initial "jolt" off the original turning ON. I was OK with that jolt, but I could see how some might consider this new one an improvement. Regardless, it makes the same quick work for my green drink.I had considered purchasing a cheaper Vitamix at Costco that still had the large 64oz capacity, but read the reviews and had concerns perhaps it was lighter duty? I don't know, the HP specs appeared the same. I couldn't seem to read a review of that cheaper version where I felt I understood its shortcomings, if there were any? So instead I got another 5200 because the first one is so ridiculously strong and dependable, why not get another? Yes, it is expensive, but for me it is worth it.

I've been using it multiple times a day since purchase. It's replacing a top of the line Ninja blender. The difference between the two is astounding. These guys must have really good patenting lawyers or something, it's a wonder that nobody can reproduce What a Vitamix does. It crushes the finest Berry seeds in your smoothies. They are exactly that. Smooth. It might not seem like that big of a deal to some people, but for somebody like myself who enjoys Whole Food smoothies everyday, it is a game changer. Yes you can make soup in this. Raw vegetables, some soup base, some cheese, some water, let it work for 5 minutes or so and you have hot soup ready to enjoy full of nutrients with zero preservatives. I would recommend watching people use these on YouTube. There is a certain way to use them and a certain way to load the machine. Use the tamper! When you are making smoothies or things like hummus or nut Butters, pesto ect.....nothing is going to happen unless you use the tamper. I see complaints on here about how the blade just spins and nothing happens. Air pockets and everything freezez above the blade blah blah blah......That is impossible if you are using the tamper. After experimenting a little bit you will be able to use this blender to do absolutely anything any blender can do plus more. It's hard to spend this kind of money on a small kitchen appliance. I have held back for over 20 years and have been through countless cheap piece of crap blenders. Find a refurbished one if you want to save yourself a few hundred dollars. But it is worth every single penny. Not because they cost that much to make, but because they apparently are the only ones that can do it. They have the market cornered for truly the best blender in the world.

Vitamix 5200 - been going strong for over 6 years. Makes perfect spinach, whole milk and blueberry smoothies...everyday. Had an issue recently, and since it was still within the 7 year warranty, they diagnosed and resolved it promptly without any hassle whatsoever. Working like new again and I fully expect to get at least another 6 years out of it.

There's a reason this Vitamix gets such high ratings across the board at major sites. I was on the hunt and hit the RTINGS site to run product comparisons looking for something that would make smoothies daily, without doing further hearing damage to every human and animal in the house. Blendtec's products are effective but LOUD!This Vitamix 5200 replaced the Blendtec ES3 unit we had prior. 70% of its use was making smoothies and crushing ice, the rest was meal related, soups, hummus, butters, purees. What I'll say is this:The 5200 will knock out a smoothie at least 2x faster, if not 3x, and smoother consistency than Blendtec's product. It does this at what sounds like, to me, half the volume; I truly believe I probably have hearing damage from being in proximity to my Blendtec ES3 in the mornings after years of my better half making smoothies. With the 5200, it doesn't matter if it's hot or cold, and it'll get whatever you're putting in there as creamy as you can imagine with minimal effort. So far, several months in, this thing has been holding up great, and I look forward to many years of operation. It's already become a major source of food in the house, and it's easy enough the kids feel confident. The tall slender shape of the bowl seems to work well at promoting a good vortex and keeping fresh content from passing thru the blades.My only singular gripe is cleanup. It's not as easy as our Blendtec, but honestly, I'll forfeit the extra 15-20 seconds each cleaning for all the plusses this came with.One product we've picked up for the kitchen exceeded my highest expectations and I honestly - in hindsight - would've paid more money for. This is restaurant-quality equipment here. Highly recommend over any product Blendtec makes.