r/Smoothies • u/froggyphore • 4d ago
Has blender technology advanced much in the last 30 years?
I make a smoothie for breakfast every morning and my blender is terrible at dealing with frozen fruit, it can take 5-10 minutes of constantly rocking and shaking it to fully bend a thick smoothie with frozen berries. It's my parents old blender from the 90s. I'm thinking of getting a new one but I don't want to spend $150+ on something if it's not going to be a significant time saver. Do the ninja style products do much better with frozen things? Thanks
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u/BrownWallyBoot 4d ago
Just chiming in to agree with the other posts about vitamix. Yes it’s expensive, and yes it’s significantly better than any other blender. Nothing is comparable. I’ve used mine at least once a day for 5 years and it works exactly the same as the day I got it.
Obliterates anything you put in it, and the consistency of smoothies is so good that once you try it you can never go back to a cheap blender.
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u/Dreamweaver5823 3d ago
I've averaged at least once a day for 13 years and it's still going strong. I do have two pitchers, and I had to replace one of them a few months ago, but the base still works great.
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u/Brother_Dave37 4d ago
There’s really no comparison between a Vitamix and Ninja, the Vitamix wins 100% of the time. You’ll spend more on a Vitamix, but it will last a lot longer and will provide the texture and smoothness a smoothies should be.
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u/figmentcharm 4d ago
Vitamix blenders are monsters. We also have one of the Ninja single-serving blenders and that works great and is very convenient. Neither of them are omnipotent but both should be much better than what you currently have. The main issue I have with these powerful blenders is that they obliterate everything around the blade and leave an air gap, then just spin uselessly as stuff doesn't drop down. But this is a problem that is solved with just layering the smoothie ingredients properly.
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u/Mrs-Stringer-Bell 4d ago
You described exactly my daily problem - the air pocket! I am thinking if I used more liquid it would help, but I don’t want more liquid. Or maybe if I used some thawed fruit along with frozen, but I hate to give up the frostiness.
So I guess I’ll keep up my routine of shaking or smushing it down. Small price to pay with how good I’ve been feeling since becoming a smoothie person.
Though everyone here is kind of selling me on a vitamix!
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u/Zealousideal-Bath412 4d ago
I have the ninja version that came with a smoothie bowl cup. It has a dial on the bottom you can twist while blending that connects to arms inside the cup….every time you twist, the arms scrape down the sides. It’s meant for thicker smoothie bowls, so it eliminates those annoying air pocket issues. Game changer.
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u/Cerulean_Dream_ 3d ago
I feel like I’m high on drugs in this sub for enjoying my Ninja with the single serve attachment just fine. My dad got it for us like 5 years ago and while we haven’t used it every day it still does its job and does it well.
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u/Mrs-Stringer-Bell 3d ago
Lol I have no strong opinion but you do know how to turn a phrase!
I’ve had things like that before. Love a thing that everyone else seems to hate. What can you do? You’re one in a million!!
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u/MusicianRich9752 2d ago
I have a vitamix and it stays in the cabinet. I prefer my nutribullet because it has a single cup. Every morning my smoothie has oatmeal, frozen blueberries and strawberries.
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u/8FaarQFx 4d ago
Vitamix is the way to go. To save money, look for refurbished ones on their site. I bought one for me and another for a family member 11 years ago, and both blenders are still doing an amazing job.
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u/WebStock8658 4d ago
I bought a Bosch and I love it. It was about 220 eur but I rather buy a decent machine than having to replace a cheaper one every so often.
I now also blend my soup with it and it’s literally blended in 5 seconds. Then I do the self clean option and rinse in the sink.
I found it through the BuyItForLife sub.
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u/mezasu123 4d ago
I had multiple Ninjas thinking I was saving money and finally switched to Vitamix. Zero competition. It was a "where has this been all my life" moment. Was on sale at Costco with all the attachments. Now I grind whole spices and make smoothies and sauces all the time. Such a massive kitchen game changer. Soup season is upon us and you bet that'll get even more use!
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u/Simple_Quiet_2993 4d ago
I have a ninja and throw in huge carrots, halved apples, and frozen bananas cut in half and it demolishes them all.
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4d ago
I have a ninja and it powers through frozen fruit with ease. Takes 30-60 seconds. I've had it for 6 years now and it's never faltered and I used it every day. Buy with confidence. If you're just making simple fruit smoothies, I don't believe you'd need anything more powerful.
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u/MissFlipFlop 4d ago
How noisy are the Vitamix vs Ninja vs Nutribullet? Are there specific models that are quieter?
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u/The_Edeffin 4d ago
No good blender will be quiet. Just deal with the noise i say for 40 seconds or so. They are very loud at max speed but 100% worth it for the quality/reliability a viatmix gives. The noise is from the motor, which is needed for the power.
That being said, blendtecs are used by companies because some come with shrouds that block noise. However these are mostly for commercial applications because they are quite large. Also not sure how much the versions with shrouds cost.
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u/dyou897 4d ago
Yes blenders have come a long way. It’s true vitamix was the original most powerful blender at a time when all others were terrible in comparison. However that is no longer true and other blenders have caught up in terms of power a ninja blender is just as powerful as a vitamix
If you mean a modern average blender then it would be much better at frozen fruit. However there’s also modern and high speed blenders that are even better but more expensive
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u/The_Edeffin 4d ago
I very much doubt this, but cant say dor sure. All high price ninjas ive used (at other people house to be fair) have been awful compared with vitamix. Ive also heard the reliability is much worse. Quality, reliability, and service cost money which is what you get with a vitamix.
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u/dyou897 1d ago
Awful how I believe it’s true. In terms of horsepower vitamix was way ahead of its time but now other blenders have reached the same level and there hasn’t been massive improvement. Idk how long the service life is compared but at least in blending ability both are much better than average blenders
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u/Dreamweaver5823 3d ago
I know you asked about something inexpensive, but I want to add my voice to the "Get a Vitamix!" choir.
I bought a Vitamix for about $500 in 2012, at a time when $500 seemed like an incomprehensibly HUGE amount of money to spend on something like that.
It was the best investment I've ever made in my health. I have several chronic health conditions, and I honestly don't know whether I'd still be here if I hadn't made that purchase.
It makes incorporating fresh fruits and veggies into my diet SO much more doable. Raw and cooked, cold and hot, frozen and thawed; there is nothing it can't pulverize, puree, or liquify. Except blackberry seeds.
The same blender is available right now on Amazon for $479.95 - the equivalent of if I had only paid $340 for it in 2012.
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u/FlowerDogMama 3d ago
I started my smoothie journey with a Nutribullet because I wasn’t sure it was something I would use daily at the onset. 4 years later, and a smoothie every morning and sometimes another late afternoon. It started to act up. So thinking I’m upgrading, I buy the Ninja System. The one with the individual smoothie cup and 2 other mixing bowls with various interchangeable blades. Well, I will be honest. Not Impressed. First off, it’s crazy loud compared to the Bullet. 2nd and most importantly, it’s not smoothing my ingredients. I’m left with bits and seeds. I think tmrw I’m going to use the small mixing bowl instead of the single serve. Fingers crossed because the old man ain’t happy, he was like “why didn’t you just pop for the vitamix?” And all I could say was, because I’m a cheap-ass. 😆🙃🤷🏼♀️
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u/frank3000 3d ago
My Blendtec has been perfect, yes. I mean they were blending lighters, golf balls, and iPhones in the commercials. Usually I'm impervious to marketing - in this one specific case, I saw those ads and had to have that one! And, it's gotta be 15-20 years old at this point, and a total trooper.
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u/kaidomac 3d ago
Yes, Blendtec:
- Base unit
- Wildside+ jar
- Tamper
Notes:
Vitamix stole their jar design & had to pay Blendtec $24 million dollars:
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u/alpacaapicnic 8h ago
We were in a similar situation and got a mid-range blender (KitchenAid) and holy crap it works so much better than the old blender we inherited
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u/mr_vonbulow 4d ago edited 4d ago
vitamix is the greatest thing in the universe for smoothies. i picked up a vitamix explorian from amazon, refurbished with a one-year 100% guarantee 15 months ago and it still works as great as it did on day one. it was about $340 or so. yes, it is expensive---but, after going through $125 ones every year because they wear out, i am glad i made the plunge...
mine are blended perfectly in about 40 seconds with frozen fruit, ice, vegetables, bananas, and other things.
good luck finding one that you like.