VitamixE310 Explorian Blender, Professional-Grade, 48 Oz. Container, Black

Bought this when Amazon had a $60 off deal on the black color. Vitamix products are expensive. Especially so, considering these are only blenders, but they are the best when it comes to blending anything you put into it and the durability, (though nothing is made like it used to be, even these.)I chose the cheaper model as I don't need the programs, nor the latest container sensing system, and the 48 oz container is just the right size for 3 of us. The 3" blades allow for smaller quantities if making a recipe for one. The other higher-priced models have 64 oz containers and 4" blades, but need a greater minimum quantity of ingredients to work correctly and immerse the blades. The 2 hp matches the 3" blades and does the same job as the 2.2 hp motor does on the larger containers. So, model choice really is down to minimum batch size and what bells and whistles you feel you want, but don't actually need!So far I haven't found fault with the E310. It does a fantastic job of blending anything I've put into it, as long as you follow the loading rules; liquids first, followed by lighter ingredients like leafy material, then heavier items like apples followed by heavy ice cubes. This ensures the blades start blending the easier stuff first and the heavier items weight the load down to maintain a feed into the blades until everything is flowing in a strong vortex, completing the blend.Made lots of smoothies and also some soup, heated by the Vitamix itself in 6 minutes or so. I did struggle with a frozen dessert, but I think that was because all the fruit ingredients were frozen solid and I missed the recommendation to let them thaw a little for 10-20 minutes on the counter before blending. The Vitamix had no problem breaking down the solid frozen lumps with the aid of the included tamper, but an air pocket kept forming around the blades and the mix didn't "flow" and produce the classic 4-segment, stiff vortex shape on the surface. Everything was too frozen. It did produce a nice sorbet though after much tampering!Clean-up is a breeze. You just rinse the container, add warm water with a couple drops of dish liquid and run at high speed. Rinse again and let dry. And that's it!Unlike other blenders, the blades are not razor sharp and it would be difficult to cut yourself on them if wiping out the container. The "wet" container blending is all about the blade shape, the speed of rotation (most times you are running at the highest speed of 10 and the only factor to think about is run-time) and the subsequent mixing vortex driving the ingredients into the blades. For flour and other dry seed blending, you need a "dry" container, supplied separately as an accessory, but over $100 !! Its blades are a different configuration and keep the fines from broken-down seeds in suspension in the container, while the heavier seeds fall back into the blades. You can, however, make nut butters in the supplied "wet" container using peanuts, almonds, etc..The pulse function is good for "lumpy" salsa and for adding some chunks at the end of a blend for texture. I added some more baked potatoes and roasted cauliflower to the soup after blending to temperature. Then pulsed them to leave some larger chunks in the smooth soup.As with any high speed blender, these units are noisy, but we don't live in an apartment to have to worry about the noise!We are using the Vitamix every day for healthy fruit and vegetable smoothies and look forward to a long time doing so with the 5 year warranty. Vitamix customer service is reputed to be very good. I expect an even longer life from the unit as the Vitamix is well designed.

The most I paid for a blender but the most powerful one I ever had. It can blend barely cut up carrots, chunks of garlic and ginger very easily. I only have to use low to medium blending range. It's powerful and the perfect size for 2 people. Great deal online compared to what I was about to pay at Fred Meyer. Easy to clean and good instructions. Good warranty from Vitamix as well.

It’s as good as they say it is. A real life saver, literally. I use this to make blended food for my daughter who is Tube fed. It makes everything into a perfect formula. Even the harder meats! We blended pork chops and it had no problems and I haven’t even turned it past 7 yet! I was worried about this purchase because it’s a huge expense for a blender for it not to work but it was exactly what we needed. And it has a 7 year warranty that was easy to set up, I just scanned the code and filled out a form. If you're a tube parent, caregiver or have a feeding tube yourself this blender is exactly what you’re looking for. And if your just looking for a great blender then your in luck it blends whole meals, meat, vegetables, bread and potatoes to a smooth liquid.

We just started making protein smoothies in my Oster blender for 2 people. Of course it would bog down and we would have to stop it, shake it, blend again until it was smooth and thick. The machine would get warm. I researched all types of blenders from $80 to $500, I read MANY reviews and viewed many YouTube video reviews. I have a very tight. budget like most people. I chose blender which is the entry level Vitamix and made my decision to place an order. I’ve had it for 5 days now and I’m glad I made the right choice. All blenders are loud unless it’s enclosed in a box like Jamba Juice so we keep earplugs in the kitchen. This model is very powerful and blends our smoothie without a problem in less than a minute. It seems very durable. We wipe the machine down after each use and do the self cleaning but also hand wash the pitcher and dry it completely to prevent it from getting cloudy in the future as other people have said. I love this Vitamix. It is replacing my Oster blender.