Vitamix Turboblend 4500 Countertop Blender with 2+ HP Motor
by Vita-Mix
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Our Price: $398.95
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Category: Kitchen
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: Vita-MixBrand: Vitamix
Model: 1700
Color: Black
Product features:
- 2-speed blender with thermally protected 2+ peak horsepower motor
- Stainless-steel enclosed blade assembly with sealed ball bearings
- Clear 64-ounce non-toxic polycarbonate container; locking lid and plunger
- Easy-to-clean front panel; full-color recipe book included
- Measures 7-1/4 by 8-3/4 by 20 inches; 5-year limited warranty
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Vitamix Turboblend 4500 Countertop Blender with 2+ HP Motor
Customer Review: VM-1700 Turboblend 4500: Not well suited for single/double servings
Summary: 1 Stars
We purchased this blender in desperation after dealing with failure after failure of various consumer level blenders. We tried Oster, Waring, Kitchen Aid, Hamilton Beach and a few no names through the years. All of them did the job well at first, but in the end failed well before one would expect for a modern major brand appliance.
Many of them were plagued by poorly designed drive systems that used parts that were not strong enough to handle what I would consider normal blending applications. One day the drive system would simply snap in half or shread, leaving you up the creek without a paddle.
After reading all the raves about the Vita-Mix line, we figured it would be worth paying 3 times more than a high end consumer blender, IF the thing delivered reliability and solid performance.
We were sadly disappointed with how this product worked for us.
Here are our issues:
1) The jar fits on the base using four rubber guide posts which are mounted to the motor base. We assumed these would fit snuggly into the square shaped base of the jar. In our case, it seemed that the square shaped base of the jar was much wider than the dimensions of the posts, so that the jar did not fit snug and securely on the base like every other blender we have ever used. It could be rotated a good 5-8 degrees from side to side and tipped back and forth with no effort at all. A slight tug on the jar's handle using one finger would tip the jar off the drive system and into your hand. I have never seen a blender that had such a strange way of mating to the motor base. I would be very afraid to run it without always keeping a hand on top of the jar in fear that the jar could tip over while the motor was running.
Basically, the jar felt no more stable on the motor base than it did sitting alone on our counter top! We figured that this "can't be normal!"
So I called Vita-Mix to see if we had a defective jar, or a mismatch with some other model's jar. They informed me that what I was describing was totally normal, although it seemed that the person I talked to was not familiar with the use of degrees in communicating the amount of rotation.
She said it could have a "tiny bit of wiggle". 5-8 degrees is a heck of a lot more than tiny in my book. If you use a clock analogy, with center being 6 o'clock, the front of the jar could be rotated left to 7 o'clock, or right to 5 o'clock while sitting on the motor base on top of the four posts. The jar would never line up at the 6 o'clock position on its own since that is in the middle of the "play" where there is virtually no significant contact with the posts. Just seems like a heck of a lot of play and not scure feeling at all. The posts DO NOT hold the jar onto the base, they simply line it up in the crudest sense of the word. Just looked and felt WRONG to us!
2) The jar is VERY tall which makes it somewhat uncomfortable adding ingredients when used on a normal height counter. It also does not fit under most cabinents which we already knew before purchasing.
3) Motor is plenty powerful, but as a result, it can't seem to blend things properly unless the jar is nearly full. This means that if you want to make a single serving smoothie using 1 cup of milk, a frozen banana, and some ice, the contents are thrown up when the blender is started and never seem to really engage the blades well. Even when using the tamper tool we had trouble. Our previous blenders all handled this task much better, which was a HUGE surprise to us. We never imagined that we would be so dubious about the performance of a product that has garnered such praise for so many decades!
Perhaps if we used more ingredients?
We tried making a slushy drink with it, filling the jar to half way up, but even then, the contents bounced up and down and never really ground the ice cubes into a slush. We ended up with a block of crushed ice sitting between the blade and the fluid above and below it. This was the deal breaker for us since we had never had a problem making a slushy drink with any of the previous blenders we had owned. Using the exact same amount of ingredients.
In the end, we just couldn't justify the expence of this blender for the results we got. Perhaps we had a defective unit based on the sloppy fit of the jar with the base. All we could go by was the assurance of the girl at Vita-Mix that told us the fit we were describing was "normal". This product could well be the best choice for those using it for blending whole fruits and vegetables in large batches, but if you want to use it for single serving applications, I don't think you will be too impressed either.
So... we are back looking at the high end consumer blenders that have smaller capacity jars and based on our experience, seems to do a far better job of blending up single to double serving sized smoothies and icy drinks. At least now, we don't blink at the price of any of them after what we agreed to invest on the 4500!
We just ordered this:
Cuisinart CBT-700 Die-Cast 700-Watt Blender
We are trying this latest one out based on our satisfaction with our Cuisinart food processor that we have owned for over a year now without a single problem.
Cuisinart DLC-10S Pro Classic 7-Cup Food Processor
Hopefully this one finally meets with our expectations. Either way, I will be posting a review after I have given this blender every chance to impress me. Apparently the CBT-700 is the latest blender model from the company and so far, reviews have been good. We shall see.
Description of Vitamix Turboblend 4500 Countertop Blender with 2+ HP Motor
It's not a blender - it's a Vitamix. The Vitamix TurboBlend 4500 is designed to render the full bioavailability of whole foods such as apples, strawberries, greens and more. This includes the leaves, peel, stem - where you find all the valuable fiber. The TurboBlend 4500 breaks down whole foods, releasing phytonutrients that help build the immune system, fight disease and improve overall health. The super-efficient 2-peak horsepower motor runs substantially cooler when mixing thicker ingredients like nut butters and frozen treats. It also processes fresh, whole foods in seconds to deliver superior taste and texture. The container is oversized, 64-ounce capacity made from Eastman Triton copolyester material that is virtually unbreakable, more chemical resistant and contains no BPA. Unit features a locking lid design for easy removal. A Healthy Lifestyle recipe book containing over 150 step-by-step recipes in full color in included. Vitamix 4500 is covered by a full 5-year warranty from the most trusted brand in high performance blending equipment.Blenders
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