When it comes to blending your own smoothies, it's wise to investigate the many types of blenders available for doing so. While they all will do the basic work of making your favorite smoothie drink, they all have specific features unique to their model type. Whether it's for healthy eating or for your weight loss regimen mixing smoothies and concocting your own smoothie recipes requires a dependable blender.

A word about horsepower, blade speed, RPM's, AMPS, and Watts in respect to any of these blenders below:

The horsepower is the strength of a motor to turn its subject equipment (the blade in this case) as fast as it can get its food or energy supply for consumption. In other words, the speed of the food and energy supply is the throttle if the motor can't get enough power to it to fulfill its destiny, for instance 2 or 3 horsepowers. This means, if a motor has 3 horsepower, 20AMPS and 2400 Watts, then it performs obviously much better than another motor with 3 horsepower 13 AMPS and 1500 Watts. And the second motor obviously performs much better than the 11.5 AMP 1500 Watts 2 horsepower motor.

The blade-speed and its revolutions per minute (RPM) are slowed if the motor has to drag a fan for cooling along because the cooling fan also consumes some of the food/power energy. The fan is needed because the motor would otherwise overheat because of the resistance in its container that has a 4-directional blade. In other words, if the blade has less resistance because it is a better designed blade, and the motor has more power and the supply of the juice (electricity) is sufficiently quicker getting to the motor, then the motor won't overheat likely and a dragging cooling fan is not needed either. And the motor / the blade will run faster.

When the blade can be faster with more thrust and power running and hitting against the food ingredients in the blender, then the chance for breaking the cell walls is greater with the increase force inside that blender container. The smoother the smoothie the more nutrients are able to be mixed and blended and then can be quicker and better absorbed by your body system. This translates into an increased energy boost with better health and wellness results.

Comparison HP3A / ICB7/ Connoisseur Blendtec Blenders versus Vita-Mix (Pros and Cons)

The Blendtec HP3A High Performance blender has a 3hp motor with a torque of 13 AMPs and 1500 Watts power infrastructure. The keypad and its 16 pre-programmed speed and intervals can help tremendously in quickly finishing your design. The noise level is less than in the Vita Mix brands. Often the noise makes us believe it is associated with power. The Blendtec HP3A is little lighter than the Vita-Mix and when in full speed it may help to hold your hand down on the top of container to stabilize the moving effects of the unit.

The Blade Difference

The HP3A blade goes through crushed ice like a hot knife goes through butter, with ease and shear force. The blade is designed for dynamics and the motor power and torque do the rest. If you grind or want to crush a few almonds, it best works if you fill it up above the blade top, otherwise, the blade may not reach the ingredients and you blend in vain. The Vita Mix however has a blade design that reaches even 10 almonds. In the main systems (HP3A, ICB7, Connoisseur, Vita Mix 5000, and 5200) slow-speed crushing is possible with variable speeds, as long as you put sufficient quantity of grain or almonds, etc. into the carafe.

The Vita Mix blade is very strong as well. It does not have any problems cutting down nutrients into cellular level. But the blade also creates little more resistance when grinding and crushing through certain ingredients during the blending process.

This issue also applies to the Blendtec Connoisseur and the ICB7. It may not be important to many women in their kitchen, but generally, a woman always has space issues on her counter tops and in the cabinets. There is always a give or take, depending of what may be more important to you. Of course, the straight forward RAW Smoothie Smoother Fanatic will make place for their blender. Both the Connoisseur and the ICB7 are great for counter-top installations permanently. Then there is either a space issue nor a fight over space, which appliance gets what space. The blender just steps in and dominates.

The counter-top issue does not make the Vita-Mix blender less attractive. It is a fine blender with much to give to the blender enthusiast. Vita-Mix has not come out with a counter-top installation design.

Warranty Debate

You get a  Vita-Mix 5000/5200 7 years warranty versus the 3 year warranty with the Blendtec  HP3 Blenders. Blendtec ICB7 and Connoisseur have 5 years, and the Vita Mix 4500 has a 3 years warranty. But Warranty offerings may be deceiving. More warranty does not mean a better product. It could mean a company stands behind its products longer or that the product needs it, you could possibly expect a problem. To the other hand, a shorter warranty could mean that a company's products are simply better or the company does not want to warrant them longer because they will likely break after.... x years. Do you see our point of argument when it comes to warranty. Plus, warranty is always limited and it is most of the time used as a marketing scheme to lure its customers to the purchase.

And comparing the Vita-Mix 4500 Turbo Blender with the 5000 or 5200, the 4500 has simple straight forward on/off and low and fast speed switches. It does its job. And the price is great too. But as a consideration, my wife told me that the variable speed adjustments that all Blendtec and the Vita Mix 5000 / 5200 models have, whether pre-programmed or adjustable manually, this speed adjustment can be essential when you want to control almond crushing. With the on/off and low/fast speed switches there is little less customization available.

The following is a comparison of four types of blenders, their capabilities, price, and characteristics:

ICB7 Blendtec THE POWERHOUSE Blender

Only the rich and beautiful can afford this power-baby. The ICB7 Blendtec Powerhouse is equipped with a 20 amp 3.5 horsepower motor and 2400 Watt consumption. We have learned that the amps are the torque and the watts are the supply for the horsepower. It does not do any good to have a 3 horsepower motor but only get enough power to it to supply the juice for running the motor at maximum 2 horsepower. It is like having a throttle on your horses, holding them back. With the 20 amps 2400 Watts power supply, the throttle is lifted and the blender enthusiasts are ready for liftoff.

The ICB7 is basically the same model as the HP3 Blendtec Powerhouse High Performance Blender. The motor casing is bigger and heavier and it has twice the actual cell-wall breaking and smoothing capacity. The price of the ICB7 ranges between $875 to 950$. We are selling it for $ 875. The blender comes with 3 years warranty. And in conclusion, once again, the rich can afford the better blender and therefore live longer because they are living healthier than those that have to keep buying the $ 50.00 break-down at Walmart, and doing that twice a year.

If you really want to be healthy, you need to use your blender at least once a day, not once a month like a research in the UK had determined, most people do. And using a blender on a daily regular lifestyle journey requires an equipment that will last.

HP3A Blendtec High Performance Blender (in stock in 110 Volts and 220/240 Volts with European Plugs)

Blendtec is a K-Tec production of Orem, Utah. With the strongest motor of all all brands and makes, the 3 Horse Powers Blender with over 30,000 RPM’s (from the will-it-blend website) says it all. The company claims it blends all, from golf clubs, golf balls, diamonds, charcoal, chairs, clothes, to vegetables, fruits, wheat and grains… And it really does! The price with the one-does-it-all container and blade-blender is $ 400 plus shipping. Blendtec does not charge sales tax out of the State of Utah.

The one container that mixes its vitamins from fruit, vegetables, and solids such as grain and rice, comes in a 64-ounce size. The blender with container in place fits under most cabinets on top of the counter top, thus the name “Tabletop Blender”. The motor is multi-speed with automatic-variable speed adjustment with pre-programmed speeds and intervals. This should according to the Blendtec help mixing all without the use of a tamper. Highly sophisticated with electronic components, this power house competes rapidly with other Vitamin Mixing Blenders.

Summary:

The HP3 Blendtec/K-Tec blender outperforms the more expensive Vita-Mix 5200 blender 6 to 1. While the Vita-Mix blender offers other advantages, the 7 year warranty over 3 years is one of them. The Blendtec HP3 blender costs $50 less to begin with, only needs one container to blend dry and wet ingredients (saving additionally $ 90), offers all color choices for free, fits under the counter-top cabinets assembled, has an improved 30,000 RPM premium fast-speed blade with resistance-free engineering (Vita Mix has a double blade that increases friction), and comes with a 3 horsepower motor versus the Vita-Mix only having 2 horsepower.

Our Suggestion

All together, this is a blender well worth over it's competitors' values and features. Certainly the Vita-Mix has other features that may be answering to your needs better. If you like knob and switch-buttons (up/down) better than a keypad with soft-touch and pre-programmed variable speeds, both generally speaking may offer pros and cons to the various smoothie expert. If power means a lot to you and you have deep pockets, then why not going all the way for the best, the 20 AMP Smoothie Smoother ICB7 with 4 inch blades and 96 oz carafe, aka the lawn mower.

If you are not exactly the Raw Smoothie Smoother, go for the 600$ mark with the Connoisseur. Next is the Vita-Mix 5200, and then you have more power for under $ 400. If you happen to have holes in your pocket and you budget can't stretch, then a good alternative is the Waring PBB25 for $ 175.00. We wouldn't go any other way. Don't look at the $ 50 to 100$ models, unless you are prepared either not using them much (2 - 3 times a week) or burning out the motor.

Vita-Mix TurboBlend 4500 Blender (in stock)

(best comparable with the Vita-Mix 5000 in respect to price)

The 4500 TurboBlend comes with a 2 horsepower peak motor 11.5 AMP with 1500 watts consumption. The price with one 64 ounce Tritan CoPoly container is $ 399 and free shipping is also available.  Container is now made with Tritan Copolyester.

Its dimensions are   20-1/2" tall, 8-3/4" deep, and 7-1/4" wide, 10 lbs. 9 oz.  The base comes in black or white. The motor is 120 volt, 60 Hz, 11.5 amps (2HP). There is a removable lid plug, which allows for adding of ingredients while the unit is running. The hardened stainless steel blades in this unit allow for the smooth breaking down of food and ice held within the container. This unit is suitable for making juice, soup, making ice cream and grinding different grain products. The speed is adjustable, able to run the blade from 11 to 240 miles per hour.

• Hardened stainless steel blades with hammermill and cutting surfaces that break down food and ice for smooth results

• Two sppeds, low and high settings all the user versatility for blendning anything

• Tamper allows you to blend thick, dense ingredients that bring other blenders to a halt.  Remove lid plug to use safely while the machine is running.  Collar prevents tamper from hitting blades.

• Exclusive 64oz container design creates a powerful vortex that forces ingredients up from the blade and back down the center to ensure consistent processing

• A new recipe book is included, with more than 200 healthy recipes.

• Heavy duty base is made from fire retardant ABS plastic and thermo-set polyester.

• High performance, cool running motor, custom designed for Vita-Mix, propels the blades for great results.

• Automatic shut off provides thermal motor protection

Krups 60 oz. Blender

This blender retails for $150. It houses a Krups Technik electric motor and has a five-speed control. Its feature is its quiet operation. It is capable of crushing ice and has automatic pulsing as well as a slow speed for delicate blending of ingredients. It has an easy-to-view ergonomic control panel and a strong die cast metal base. Its over-sized collar gives the unit stability, which aids in safe handling when mixing and blending. The ingredient container is 60 ozs., it is heavy-duty glass and thermal shock resistant. The blades within are detachable which makes cleaning easier. The unit measures: 9"L x 6.5" W x 14.75"H; it is a graphite grey in color. The unit operates at 1000 watts of power.

Oster 465 Blender

This blender has a retro chrome appearance. The glass jar for housing ingredients is capable of holding five cups. The motor is 500 watts and two-speed. This product retails for $55. The blades within are stainless steel and the base of the unit is chrome as well for durability. The glass jar cover is leak resistant and there is a removable measuring cup so you can add ingredients during the blending process. The product stays secure on a counter-top because of its non-slip rubber feet. It has a metal to metal drive shaft for durability and reliability of performance. Its front settings dial is prominent for easy viewing.

Hamilton Beach Electric Blenders

This blender retails for $80 and has a two-speed pulse function. It operates with a 500 watt motor and utilizes stainless steel blades. It has a large capacity juice container, 48 oz., for blending drinks and smoothies. It is of die cast metal construction and is dishwasher safe – except for the motor. It is 14"H x 6"L x 6" Deep.

When it comes to mixing your own vitamins and high-quality smoothie drinks, it is best to purchase a durable blender that will last a long time. There are many options available when it comes to choosing high-performance and high-speed blenders. It will benefit you in the end to choose a quality blender. Take the time to choose a reliable one for all those healthy diet smoothies you will make in the coming years.