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Blendtec Blender Review
In this Blendtec blender review we will closely compare the different models offered by this company, the Blendtec Pro 800 vs Designer 650 vs Classic Series.
If you’ve been following our recipe videos on YouTube or our website, you’ve probably noticed Blender Babes demonstrating how to make our healthy blender recipes using one of these high speed commercial Blendtec blenders.
We believe Blendtec blenders are an amazing kitchen tool that any kitchen would love.
After you get to know how powerful and versatile Blendtec blenders are you will realize one fact... That Blendtec is one of the BEST BLENDER BRANDS currently on the market!
We hope Blendtec blender review helps you make one of the best decisions of your life. To Live Healthier, and Get a Blender!
Your Blendtec blender will definitely become the home appliance that you utilize above and beyond all others.
It’s the number one investment you will make to improve your health!
Especially if you'd like to prepare fast, easy, nourishing meals, snacks, and desserts for you and your family. These are recipes you can also take with you if needed!
Additionally it will accelerate dinner to table time, dirty fewer dishes, and is an absolute MUST at any social gathering.
Once you invest in a professional high-speed blender, you’ll wonder how on earth you ever survived without one!
20% Off Promo Code
PLEASE NOTE: Our promo code is NOT valid during the Blendtec sale 4/10-4/20 BUT you can get some great deals with the sale plus free shipping by using our links!
Use Promo Code "BBGIFT" for 20% OFF ALL Blendtec blenders, jars and accessories (not valid during sale).
BLENDTEC BLENDER REVIEW - WHAT ARE THE CONS?
Con #1 - Cost
We’re going to start with the biggest (and pretty much ONLY) con regarding these amazing blenders - its initial cost.
If you’re looking for a cheap blender - this is not an option for you. But let us just say that those cheap blenders always burn out or break, and only have 1 year warranties.
You will end up buying several of them. This costs much more over the lifetime of a Blendtec blender's (estimated 15-20 years) initial cost! Yes, your Blendtec blender purchase WILL take a sizeable chuck out of your wallet.
Yet, we know there is no other single kitchen tool similar to Blendtec Blenders.
Because these blenders support and increase your state of health, weight loss goals, and energy levels. Blendtec makes preparing entire meals and snacks for your (sometimes picky!) family members at home more enjoyable, easy and rewarding!
For a one time investment (or an easy 3 payment option) - you'll have a terrific new kitchen tool! One that will potentially last for years and years and can literally help change your life!
Con #2 - Noise
Like all powerful blenders, Blendtec blenders are LOUD. Like... really loud.
But that's what you would expect with a 3 to 3.8 peak horsepower motor built into the base! Your kids and pets may be frightened when you first start using one of these blenders. Thankfully, they will get used to it - and most blends are a minute or less.
If you NEED a quiet blender, I recommend looking into the Blendtec Pro 800 - the quietest blender I've tested thus far, thanks to its nifty sound enclosure. You can see my Blendtec Pro 800 review here.
BLENDTEC BLENDER REVIEW COST
Note that Blendtec sells both new and certified reconditioned blenders. However, lately their reconditioned blenders have mostly been out of stock. This is a good sign! It means that people are not returning them!
Blendtec Designer Blenders:
From the manufacturer website the popular Blendtec Designer 650 costs $449 and the Blendtec Designer 650 S for $499 (which is just the stainless steel version).
Blendtec Classic Blenders:
The Blendtec Classic 575 model for $379 and their Refurbished Blendtec Classic 575for $319.
Also the iconic Blendtec Total Blender Classic for $399 and the Refurbished Total Blender Classic for $279.
Blendtec Professional Blenders:
Their uber quiet Blendtec Professional 800 model with sound enclosure is $799. It's expensive, but worth it for those that need the massive noise reduction. Remember you can check out my Blendtec Pro 800 review here.
Benefits of Purchasing Through Blender Babes
Why would you buy a Blendtec blender through Blender Babes?
Well, Blender Babes is a certified brand dealer that offers a good number of benefits in a purchase.
The benefits include-
1. Compare and Save Money
Blender Babes offers an exclusive 20% discount on Blendtec blenders and accessories with promo code "BBGIFT". That, too, with in-depth detailed product descriptions. So, you can compare the blender and choose the best one for you while saving you a lot of money.
2. Free Shipping
If you buy through Blender Babes, then you will receive free shipping of the product. You have to use the Blendtec promo code “BBGIFT” for this free shipment purpose. This makes the ordering and shipping process hassle-free for you.
3. Exclusive Free Gifts
Blender Babes provide exclusive gifts on both any Blendtec blender purchase. All you need is to send a confirmation email from Blendtec to freegift@blenderbabes.com to claim your gift. The gift is worth $50 dollars!
4. Amazing Payment Plan
Unlike many retail outlets, purchases direct from Blendtec through Blender Babes offers a convenient payment plan to buy a blender through Affirm.
5. Premium Support
You may have questions about blenders and recipes, even after purchasing. If you buy your blender from Blender Babes, then experts like Tarashaun Hausner will give your premium support. Blender babes answer all specific questions and solve any issues for you.
Blendtec Designer Series
Due to soaring popularity and customer input, Tom Dickson and his innovative design team crafted their finest creation – The Blendtec Designer Series.
Blendtec customers wanted their blenders to be the ultimate personification of their new healthier lifestyles. The goal is to use these powerful machines daily and proudly display them on kitchen counters, no matter the recipe's complexity.
And though the Blendtec Classic Total Blender satisfied this need (it’s always had plenty of power and been able to fit underneath kitchen cabinets)…
The Blendtec Designer Series was created to be a far more stylishly engineered appliance.
These beautiful blenders easily become the focal point of any kitchen. Their sleek, eye-catching design and touchscreen display surpass the Blendtec Classic models.
People just like looking at them! Which does inspire their more frequent use!
The Blendtec Designer Series models are quieter, and also features far more control of the motor, and improved airflow for better cooling. This has the added benefit of giving your high-powered blender an even LONGER LIFE.
Blendtec Designer Series Interface
The Blendtec Designer Series interface maintains the digital function Blendtec pioneered —but in a much more high tech fashion.
The new controls are touchscreen! Having a capacitive touch means they react to electrical impulses generated by your finger (just like a smartphone does!).
Intuitive icons representing various pre-programmed blend cycles replaced the push buttons.
Note: the number of pre-programmed settings varies by model.
The sleek slider control allows easy manual blending speed adjustment with a finger slide anytime.
These innovative controls are all backlit. When not in use, they vanish, forming a sleek, flat, and incredibly easy to clean control panel.
Blendtec Classic Series
Tom Dickson is the prolific inventor behind Blendtec. He strived to help people improve their health and lead much more fulfilling lives. So, he developed one of the world’s most incredibly powerful, most technologically-advanced blenders.
Blendtec Total Blender – Where Blendtec’s High-Powered Blending Dominance Began
The Blendtec Total Blender brought commercial power to the home kitchen blender. It is the first classic series model and is Incredibly Powerful, Feature Rich, and totally Easy to Clean!
The Blendtec Total Blender Classic, with its traditional design, push-button interface, and LCD screen, showcases Blendtec's innovation that made it popular.
It’s also the model Blender Babes started out with and still uses in our test kitchens, and in many of our videos!
Blendtec Total Blender Interface
The first blender with user-friendly automatic touchscreen buttons. This is ideal for those who prefer non-touchscreen controls.
The program settings include Smoothie, Batters, Hot Soup, Whole Juice, Ice Cream & Ice Crush. This allows you to press a button and step away, eliminating the need to watch or hold down the blender.
Blendtec Total Blender Classic Features:
- 3-Peak Horsepower 1,560-Watt Motor
This thunderously vigorous motor empowers you to master any recipe you want! - 6 Preprogrammed Cycles
Smoothie, Batters, Hot Soup, Whole Juice, Ice Cream & Ice Crush! Broadens your culinary skills while giving you the freedom to “walk away”. The blender does all the work! - 10 Speed Settings & Pulse Control
10 speeds with increasing power each on a 50 second timer. Given its Wide Range of Speeds and Pulsing Capabilities, the Total Blender Classic gives you the power to achieve the most perfect recipe texture. No matter how smooth, creamy, or thick you like it, this blender delivers! - STOP
Pressing any button while the machine is blending will STOP the cycle - Brand-New WildSide+ Jar w/Vented Gripper Lid
Blendtec’s traditional four-sided container or the faster larger blends that the WildSide’s innovative 5th wall helps you achieve... The choice is totally yours! - Commercial Quality Construction w/Molded Plastic Finish Available in Black, Red & White
A traditionally sleek design that compliments any kitchen and is the perfect reflection of your new healthy lifestyle. - Total Blender Classic Motor Base, Fully Sealed Push-Button Controls & Illuminated LCD Timer
This functional easy-to-use layout offers a unique combination of form and substance, and all while counting down remaining blending time! - 7” Wide x 15” Tall x 8” Deep w/Total Weight of 7.28 lbs.
This ideal overall size allows The Total Blender Classic to be stored atop even the smallest of kitchen counters. It’ll be easily accessible for daily use, which will also make you more likely to use it 😉 ! - Durable Metal Drive Socket & Blunt Safety Blade
Ensuring ease of use throughout your blender’s lifetime, as well as completely safe cleaning, Blendtec’s unique drive socket never needs to be replaced and connects directly to an ultra thick yet blunt safety blade—which is impossible to cut yourself with! - Comprehensive 2-Year Warranty on Everything in the Box
Covering Parts, Performance & Labor (including ALL shipping costs should any issues actually arise
Blendtec Classic 575
The Blendtec Classic 575 unites commercial-grade power with the Total Blender Classic features a majority of consumers used most, plus adding a desirable clean cycle.
Since Blendtec is one of the best for smoothies, this is DEFINITELY included as one of the 4 Preprogrammed Cycles (Smoothie, 60 & 90 Seconds, and Self Clean).
It also has 5 Speed Settings plus a Pulse Control, owning the Blendtec 575 means you can easily make restaurant quality smoothies, whole food juices, and soups right in your own home!
Blendtec Classic 575 Interface
The buttons on the Classic 575 include their most popular - Smoothie, Clean, 60-seconds, 90-seconds. The cycles you will use MOST! Providing the convenience of easy smoothie making, as well as fast simple cleanup, the 575 also uses two One-Touch Timed Cycles! You will use the 60 second cycle for Whole Food Juices or Raw Soups and the 90 Second Cycle (1-3x) for hot soups.
Blendtec Classic 575 Features:
- 3-Peak Horsepower 1,575-Watt Motor
This thunderously robust motor gives you the power to master any recipe you want, whenever you want! - 4 Preprogrammed Cycles
Smoothie, Clean, 60-seconds, 90-seconds. - 5 Manual Speeds, Pulse Control & STOP
With five speeds to choose from + the added power of pulsing capabilities, and a stop button, the the Classic 575 provides manual control of your blends. In order to use the Blendtec recipe books, made for lots of pre-programmed settings like the Original Total Blender Classic and all Designer models have, here is a handy Blendtech conversion chart which will help guide your manual blending compared to pre-programmed recipe settings. - WildSide+ Jar or FourSide Jar w/Vented Gripper Lid
Whether you like Blendtec’s traditional four-sided container or you want the faster larger blends that the WildSide’s innovative 5th wall helps you achieve, the choice is yours! - Commercial Quality Construction w/Molded Plastic Finish Available in Black, Poppy, Caribbean, Orchid, Polar White & Slate Grey
With an upgraded stylish design and a wide array of dazzling colors, the Classic 575 can match your kitchen while simultaneously being the perfect reflection of your new healthy lifestyle! - Classic 575 Motor Base, Completely Flat Interface & Illuminated LCD Timer
This easy-to-use futuristic layout is a beautiful combination of style and substance, is super Easy-to-Clean, and even counts down remaining blending time! - 7” Wide x 15” Tall x 8” Deep w/Total Weight of 7.28 lbs.
This ideal overall size allows the Classic 575 to be stored atop even the smallest of kitchen counters, where it’ll be easily accessible for daily use (which will also make you more likely to use it ;)! - Durable Metal Drive Socket & Blunt Safety Blade
Ensuring ease of use throughout your blender’s lifetime, as well as completely safe cleaning, Blendtec’s unique drive socket never needs to be replaced and connects directly to an ultra thick yet blunt safety blade—which is impossible to cut yourself with! - Comprehensive 8-Year Warranty on Everything in the Box
Covering Parts, Performance & Labor (including ALL shipping costs should any issues actually arise)
Blendtec Professional Series
Quiet is often just as necessary in a house or apartment as in a commercial location. For example, early morning blending can irritate the neighbors, wake the baby, etc. And in general, noise is just – well – noisy!
Fortunately there is a now a home-use model, the Blendtec Professional 800 blender, that has the SAME “stealth” features (aka the same noise reduction and the same power level) for a lower cost and a much longer warranty!!
Blendtec Pro 800 Interface
The Blendtec Pro 800 comes with 6 pre-programmed options, an incremental manual speed slider with the same capacitive slide touch as the Designer Series. From left to right you see the Power Key, Toggle (from programs to manual speeds), Program settings (Batters, Mixed Drinks/Cocktails, Smoothies, Ice Cream/Frozen Treats, Whole Juice, Soup) the Pulse Key, and Stop Key.
Blendtec Pro 800 Features:
- Sound Enclosure
Get ready to blend quietly like the smoothie shops do with the 360 degree sound enclosure. - 3.8-Peak Horsepower 1,800-Watt Motor
3.8 peak horsepower motor is the most powerful of all the Blendtec blenders. - 6 Preprogrammed Cycles
Batters, Mixed Drinks/Cocktails, Smoothies, Ice Cream/Frozen Treats, Whole Juice, Soup - all the program settings you could ever want. - 11 Speed Settings & Pulse Control
11 incremental speeds similar to the Designer Series with a capacitive touch slider. - Brand-New WildSide+ Jar w/Vented Gripper Lid
Whether you like Blendtec’s traditional four-sided container or you want the faster larger blends that the WildSide’s innovative 5th wall helps you achieve, the choice is totally yours! - Commercial Quality Construction w/Molded Plastic Finish Available in Black
A traditionally sleek design that compliments any kitchen and is the perfect reflection of your new healthy lifestyle. - Total Blender Classic Motor Base, Fully Sealed Push-Button Controls & Illuminated LCD Timer
This functional easy-to-use layout offers a unique combination of form and substance, and all while counting down remaining blending time! - 8.5″ wide x 17.25″ tall x 9.13″ deep w/Total Weight of 16.2 lbs.
Their largest blender, yet is still designed to fit comfortably in your kitchen and underneath most kitchen cabinets. - Durable Metal Drive Socket & Blunt Safety Blade
Ensuring ease of use throughout your blender’s lifetime, as well as completely safe cleaning, Blendtec’s unique drive socket never needs to be replaced and connects directly to an ultra thick yet blunt safety blade—which is impossible to cut yourself with - Comprehensive 10-Year Warranty on Everything in the Box
Covering Parts, Performance & Labor (including ALL shipping costs should any issues actually arise)
Blendtec Blenders Review - DESIGN
Power - Blendtec Blenders
Blendtec boasts (with good reason) one of the most powerful blenders in the industry, with a commercial grade 13 amps, 1560 watts and 3 peak horsepower direct drive motor. In case you’re wondering what this blender CAN’T blend, try watching some of the popular Will It Blend? videos.
Speed Capacity - Blendtec Blenders
The Blendtec Total Blender has 10 speeds with a minimum of 4,080 revolultions per minute (RPM) and a maximum of 28,000 RPM’s. The blade can spin up to 310 miles per hour (MPH)! We like the option of the manual speeds to have more control of our blending.
Size - Blendtec Blenders
If you’re looking for a small commercial blender, look no further! The Blendtec Total Blender Classic is about 6 pounds and 15 inches tall.
A very desirable feature, its compact size will fit underneath most kitchen cabinets. If it's on the counter, you WILL use it more, haha!
Its light weight makes it easy to travel with – and believe us when we say we take ours EVERYWHERE - road trips, vacations, to gatherings, etc.
During heavy jobs such as making ice cream or lots of frozen fruit, sometimes this light weight blender will move around or shift on your countertop.This happens usually if it’s tiled and not a smooth surface!
This can be somewhat alarming to new users, but it’s nothing to be too concerned about. We call it the Blendtec Dance. 😉
Controls and User friendliness - Blendtec Blenders
Blendtec is well known for their patented Smart-Touch Tec-nology™ which is completely automatic, enabling you to press a button and walk away. The automatic program cycle with fluctuating speeds stops when the chosen program is finished.
The microprocessor technology features a digital display that shows you blending times and cycles.
A pulse button is used for chopping as well as mixing in pieces of ingredients without pulverizing. There are 10 adjustable manual speeds in addition to the program cycles that automatically power off after 50 seconds of continuous blending. You can stop both the program cycles and adjustable speeds at any point by pressing any button.
The main difference is the interface, programmed buttons, and number of manual speeds:
The pre-programmed automatic cycles are our favorite thing about the Blendtec Blenders. It's just easier to press a button and be able to continue doing other things, than hover over your blender.
That said, while the program cycles are awesome for most applications, on occasion we need to continue blending after the program completes to finish the job to our satisfaction.
For this we like to use our optional manual Speed ‘up’, ‘down’ and ‘pulse’ control buttons to blend a bit more as needed. Or we’ll just press a programed cycle a second time.
One thing we think is pretty amazing (although has happened only once for an extra tough recipe test) is Blendtec’s built in computer detects overheat, overload, and jammed blade situations, which prevents damage.
Blendtec Blender Review - NOISE
Your Blendtec is definitely louder than a common cheap blender (Oster comes to mind here). However, it’s about 5 times more powerful than those cheap blenders!
At its highest speed (which is speed 10 or when using the SOUP button) and while crushing ice when making ice cream (in only 45 seconds) you will notice the noise.
The Blender kids may cover their ears or high tail it out of the kitchen – however most items are blended in 1 or 2 minutes, plus everyone gets used to it. That said, the newest Designer Series Blendtec model IS SLIGHTLY QUIETER than its predecessors.
Of course the Blendtec Pro 800 with sound enclosure takes quieter high power blending to a whole new level.
Blendtec Blender Containers
Blendtec models usually come standard with the large 90 oz “Wildside+” container that is widely believed to be “the best” with its larger capacity and superior blending performance. (Note: Blendtec won a 24 MM lawsuit against Vitamix for patent infringement for this particular jar - it works that well!).
Please Note: I do NOT recommend getting the Fourside Jar over the Wildside+ Jar. I know it's cheaper but it just doesn't blend as well. Things get stuck and you will have to stop the machine and shake the jar or move ingredients around with a spatula. GO WITH THE WILDSIDE+ JAR OPTION.
The only other jar you really should get is the “Twister jar" which was designed especially for nut butters, frozen treats and other thick/smaller blends. It’s a game-changer and honestly the Wildside+ jar alone can't do these types of blends very well without a tamper.
Blendtec container options include:
- ”3 qt” 90 oz Wildside+ Jar – Largest capacity with a bigger 4-inch blade. This is the must-have jar and should definitely be the one purchased over the Fourside Jar option.
- ”2 qt” 64 oz Fourside Jar – The original container before they invented (the better) Wildside + jar. This is a good additional jar to have if you plan do a lot of grinding which will pit/cloud the jar or if you blend something that stains.
- 46 oz. Mini Wildside Jar – Performs as well as the regular Wildside Jar but only good for single servings. We like the new latching lid to prevent any accidents. However for single serve to-go we recommend the Blendtec GO Jar instead.
- Twister Jar (Standard) – This container was made specifically for thick dishes/purees such as nut butter, hummus, baby food and for small amounts. This is the MUST HAVE additional jar for the ultimate Blendtec set up to be able to blend everything.
- Blendtec GO Jar - Allows for single serve blending with a to-go jar and cup. Perfect for busy mornings and multiple family members making different types of smoothies. You can get one GO jar with blade or two jars.
Blendtec Container Material
All current Blendtec containers use Eastman Tritan™ copolyester plastic because it’s BPA-free, very chemically resistant, is very clear, and it does not stress fracture under prolonged loading.
These containers are lightweight and are EXTREMELY TOUGH to break in case you drop it (our favorite Will It Blend? videos come to mind!).
They are certified to the NSF standard for food safety in the kitchen as well. For the most part the jars do not absorb the odors of the ingredients that are put in, however it is important to clean the jars right away to eliminate any unwanted smells (see easy clean up).
That said, spices and their strong odors have been known to leave a scent and/or discolor jars – so we recommend designating one Blendtec Fourside jar specifically for grinding spices as well as grinding dry goods (which can make the jar cloudy in appearance as the hard grains will pit the jar). Blender Babes has one jar we keep extra clean and pretty, and one that takes a serious beating! 😉
Blendtec Blenders Blade
Blendtec features a patented single blade design that is already dull, and you cannot remove the blade as the blade & container is essentially one piece. In a single Blendtec jar, its patented dull one blade will do it all: hot, cold, wet, and dry blending.
To handle Blendtec's colossal power, the blade needs to be bigger, thicker, and more robust than your typical blender. The blades are super hard stainless steel that are cold-forged and tuned specifically for heavy use.
The blades resist corrosion much better than lesser quality blades. One of the reasons a Blendtec blades can pulverize just about anything is that their patented vertical wingtips and precision angles transfer more power than other blades. Plus, the patented single-blade design allows your ingredients to easily fall in front of and behind the blade, rather than pushing ingredients away from the blending vortex like almost all other blenders do.
Blendtec Capacity Volume and Lid
Blendtec’s Fourside “2 qt” jar is UL rated to have a 64 oz capacity and their Wildside “3 qt” jar is rated 90 oz capacity.
The Blendtec Fourside and Wildside jars have a lid that suctions on tight and flat, with a removable chute where you can add ingredients while processing is going on so there is no need to stop the blender to add more ingredients.
This works as long as the jar is not super full, however Blendtec recommends NOT filling their jars to the very top and operating at capacity - and we know why! Once or twice we filled the jar to its brim and “pressed a button and walked away.”
The highly fibrous contents pulverized and increased the fluid level slightly, pushing off the lid and sending our green juice contents all over.
After we cleaned up (and laughed!) we realized our error, and therefore make it a point to make sure to tell our readers to make sure to fill the jars no more than 2/3 full for most blending jobs (except ice cream).
For larger batches of product, we stick with Blendtec’s Wildside jar. Of course, each jar has easy measuring volume units marked in ounces and cups. All of the Blendtec jars have their capacity measurements marked in black and in addition to oz & cups, the newest jars also include ml, and cl.
Due to Blendtec’s patented square jar and single blade design, the vortex created while blending PULLS the ingredients into the blade so therefore there should be no need to push things down* so it does not come with a tamper.
We recommend halving or quartering large fruit and vegetable items, or adding extra liquid to blend them completely without stopping the blender and pushing ingredients into the blades (this need is almost completely reduced when using the larger 90 oz. jar). Wildside Jar due to its larger blade/volume).
*About 15% of the time, if we don’t have enough liquid to produce ratio, or we tossed in some rather large chunks, we do stop our standard Fourside Blendtec jar and push ingredients down or move them around with a spatula (unless specifically INSTRUCTED to do so such as making a nut butter).
Blendtec Blender Review – PERFORMANCE
All Blendtec blenders are not just smoothie blenders; they easily crush ice, makes hot soups, dips, dressings, batters, nut butters, grind seeds and flour, puree fruit and a whole lot more!
Blendtec Smoothie Making
“What is the best blender for smoothies?” is our most popular question from community members who are looking for a blender for smoothies specifically.
There is no doubt with a Blendtec blender, you will be able to make the best smoothies you have ever tasted!
There’s a reason that well known smoothie shops and franchises (Robeks, Juice It Up, LA Fitness, and Whole Foods just to name a few) use this professional blender for their needs.
With our extensive recipe testing, Blender Babes has used our Blendtec blender literally thousands of times – (we can actually know for sure by its digital count, and many of our readers have experienced long life cycles of their Blendtec through thousands of uses, so we’re not alone!)
We have found that on occasion when making super packed green smoothies, the WHOLE JUICE program cycle will not ALWAYS complete the blending to its smoothest point upon the timed 50 second cycle.
That said since every Blendtec offers manual buttons for added control over your blending desires, usually only a few more seconds at a high speed finishes the job. For example, sometimes with carrots, and certain green smoothies packed with tons of fibrous vegetables like celery, it may be necessary to do additional blending after running the Whole Juice cycle.
For common blends and fruit smoothies we find automatic program cycles to be a serious blessing and time saver by not having to stand next to and/or assist the blender.
Blendtec Juicing
One of the most common question by those considering a Blendtec blender is “can it make juice?.”
A Blendtec blender is not going to EXTRACT the juice from your fruit & vegetables (like a traditional juicer). BUT it is still a “juicer.”
A traditional juicer extracts the liquid from whole foods. It separates out the skin, seeds, and pulp which is all the fiber. But a blender juicer provides a “whole food juice.”
It won't leave out anything in the whole food. It is powerful and can pulverize cell walls and liquefy everything! So you receive ALL the nutrition in the skin and seeds! You get the natural fiber (pulp) too – making it a whole-food juice.
A traditional juicer requires between 4-10 times more produce to extract a small amount of juice. It's more expensive. It can also have a much higher concentration of sugar, especially in fruit juices or vegetables juices such as carrots. Since a Blendtec blender juice will use 100% of the produce, your juicing costs are much less.
PS. Have you had to clean a regular juicer before? You will especially appreciate the EASY clean up of a Blendtec juicer in comparison!
Note: Some illnesses and digestive diseases need the high concentration of vitamins and minerals without fiber, seeds, or anything else. Because they are hard for the body to digest. Also if you want fresh squeezed fruit juices such as apple or orange juice, many people prefer the juice from a quality extract juicer.
Blendtec Soup
With Blendtec Blender you don’t have to be a professional to whip up a raw soup in less than a minute. Or even a super hot soup in mere minutes!
Yes that’s right! This blender is powerful enough to HEAT SOUP due to the friction the blades cause when spinning!
Literally, steam will be coming out the top when you take the lid off! When starting with cold water or broth, the powerful Blendtec blender takes about 4.5 minutes (pressing the SOUP button 3 times) to get super hot.
The larger capacity Wildside jar and the BPA free plastic allows you to put hot/boiling liquids in a Blendtec jar. This is impossible in other “regular” blenders!
We have many soup recipes and are constantly adding new ones, although one of our favorites and most requested recipe is our easy CHUNKY TORTILLA SOUP!
Blendtec Chopping
A Blendtec blender does not have the same chopping capabilities as a dedicated food processor. However, it can roughly chop smaller quantities of food.
Its dull blade doesn't allow for precise, small, or aesthetic chopping, but it definitely "gets the job done"! Blender Babes uses the chopping PULSE feature for certain recipes such as Skinny Guacamole, or to add chunks to our Tortilla Soup. If you need to chop large quantities of food, we recommend a true food processor.
Blendtec Grinding
One of the most shocking things this commercial grade blender can handle is grinding grains, seeds, and spices. A Blendtec is actually considered to be a “grain mill”.
All of the Blendtec jars have the ability to also dry blend (meaning you do not have to buy any additional jars specifically for this purpose) although we do not recommend dry blending with the Twister jar.
It is important to note: When grinding hard grains, it will pit the BPA free jar interior. This results in a “fogged” appearance. With our Blendtec, Blender Babes uses one Fourside jar specifically for dry goods and strong spices, and one for all else – since cosmetic alternations are not covered under warranty.
Also, we received a good question about whether or not when grinding the flour gets hot and starts to lose nutritional value.
We have done some testing on rice, corn and wheat berries and found the following:
Rice – Speed 8
Temperature after 1 cycle- 84 ⁰F
Temperature after 2 cycles- 92 ⁰F
Popcorn – Speed 7
Temperature after 1 cycle- 86 ⁰F
Temperature after 2 cycles- 108 ⁰F
Wheat Berries – Speed 9
Temperature after 1 cycle- 96 ⁰F
Temperature after 2 cycles- 102 ⁰F
Many raw foodists are concerned about enzymes breaking down once the temperature exceeds 104-120 ⁰F. There may be some nutrient losses during the cooking process as well. If you are very concerned about exceeding a certain temperature, we recommend blending only one time. Or select a cycle and then allow the product to cool before blending a second time.
Blendtec Mixing
Another unique application of your Blendtec blender is to use as mixer.
We find this is less cleanup and dishes than using a huge kitchen stand mixer. You can quickly create batters, quick breads, and yeast breads.
The Blendtec has a specific BATTERS button, and will easily blend up pancake and waffle batters. Some cakes, cookies, and bread recipes need you to blend the wet ingredients separately first. You have to then pour them into a bowl containing the dry ingredients. These are then mixed by hand from there.
However what we like about the Blendtec is, you can blend the wet ingredients in the Fourside or Twister jar, then add them to the dry ingredients that you have sifted in the larger Wildside jar (if you have it). Or you can blend the wet ingredients in the Wildside jar. Then sift them in the Fourside jar. After this add 1/3 to ½ the dry ingredients at a time that you previously sifted in the Fourside jar.
If you have a simple cake, cornbread, or brownie mix, such as our Healthy Brownies recipe, you can just blend it all together in the Wildside Jar then easily poor it directly into your baking dish! When it comes to yeast breads in the Blendtec, it require a little finesse and know-how of baking bread. Because there are a lot of other factors to making good fresh bread than just mixing it.
Blendtec Ice Cream
Who would have EVER thought they would see ice cream made in 45 seconds?! Well, it takes that short of time if you use the Blendtec Frozen Treats button!
We find that with ice cream, the Blendtec needs to have fairly exact measurements of liquids to ice (our recipes provide this!). Because otherwise the ice causes cavitation around the blade. Then you must stop the machine, shake it out, and use your manual keys to re-blend.
The ice cream is more of a soft serve or sorbet texture – not like traditional hard ice cream. You CAN however add it to an ice cream maker to get that traditional texture.
Aside from yeast breads, ice cream is probably the trickiest thing to make. But once you have made it a few times, it’s a piece of cake! Er, ICE CREAM! CLICK HERE for Blendtec ICE CREAM TIPS. 🙂
Blendtec Blenders – CLEAN UP
One of the best features about the Blendtec Blender is the SUPER EASY CLEAN UP!!
To clean most regular blenders, you need to take apart the blade, gasket, and jar after each blend.
With all of the Blendtec models, you CANNOT remove the blade from the jar. This results in faster and easier cleanup AND prevents leaky or broken seals. It’s actually SELF CLEANING (yup, that’s right!)
All you have to do is add some hot water with a little bit of dish soap and blend for several seconds then rinse. This will remove any gunk around the blade.
That said, stickier jobs such as nut butters and bread doughs usually require additional scrubbing after first self cleaning. Luckily, we do not worry about cutting ourselves on its dull single blade. Its square design is easy for both small and larger hands to reach in and clean with a sponge. Also, make sure to clean right after blending – believe us you’ll THANK US LATER. 😉
Dishwasher machine use: Blendtec states that it’s safe to put their jar in the dishwasher. We do it and we LOVE THIS! We recommend that you DO NOT put older Blendtec containers that are not BPA-Free in the dishwasher. However, the most important factor for easy clean up is to wash your container immediately after use.
Blendtec Blender Review – WARRANTY and DURABILITY
One of the greatest advantages of owning this commercial grade blender for the home is their product warranty! Unlike the typical 1 or 2 year “regular” blender warranties (you know, the kind that almost ALWAYS burn out).
The quality construction of your Blendtec blender purchase means you will use it for YEARS! Its life expectancy is 15 to 20 years without problem.
For added peace of mind, Blendtec offers some amazing warranties!
- 10 year warranty on the Blendtec Pro 800
- 8 years on the Blendtec Designer 650
- 2 years on their Classic models.
But you get these only if bought through Blendtec directly or an Authorized Blendtec Dealer. You can also purchase extended warranties directly for an extra cost.
Blendtec blenders are manufactured in the USA. However, Blendtec's website notes that they are legally required to state "designed and assembled in the USA" due to California law. This law prohibits the "Made in the USA" claim if any part of the blender comes from a foreign country. Blendtec products include some foreign-made components.
In our own experience, and we have heard from many of our community members, Blendtec has exceptional customer service. This makes it easy to fix or replace under warranty without headache. You can absolutely feel safe in your purchase with your Blendtec blender!
Final Thoughts
The Blendtec Classic Total Blender OR Designer Series with the Wildside jar AND getting the Twister jar (break it up into the easy payment plans if necessary!) for the most complete package for ALL of your blending needs.
If you can only get ONE jar however, make sure it's the Wildside jar. The Twister jar is a must for smaller portions, and especially thicker purees – who doesn’t love fresh nut butter in seconds - but one can always put this helpful little jar on their Birthday, Christmas, or Wish list!!
We want you to look at your purchase as a positive investment toward your own health!, we encourage you to find a way to obtain a Blendtec in the best way you can.
These blenders PAY FOR THEMSELVES typically in less than a year! Additionally over time you will actually SAVE thousands of dollars!
Of course you must USE the blender to do that. Our goal with our video recipes is to show you exactly how to do that AND more easily live a much healthier lifestyle. However, the price is in the (chia) pudding! We are sure you will see for yourself!
What do you think about this Blendtec Blender Review? If you have any comments about the blenders or this review please share with us in the section below.
Happy Blending!
Luv, Blender Babes
Hi Jody and WELCOME to Blender Babes! There was a technical glitch on Blendtec's side. Did you manage to order with free shipping?
I'd like to order, but the linked order page doesn't allow me to add to cart, it comes up empty not matter what I try.
Hi Jody and WELCOME! I was having the same issue as well, but just tested it now using http://www.blenderbabes.com/blendtec and it worked. Can you try again?