Vitamix Standard Programs Blender, Professional-Grade, 64oz. Container, Black (Renewed)

What in the world did I ever do before this Vitamix? I know, I was always stopping the blender and sticking a wooden spoon into it to stir things up. I was very hesitant about getting a Vitamix because of the price and because the container is plastic. Here's what I've learned. The container is plastic because the blades go at such a high speed, that you need something stronger than glass to contain everything. Otherwise, you'd end up with shards of glass in your smoothie...not yum. Once upon a time, there was an option for stainless steel, but they stopped making it because everyone wanted to see inside the container.This is a very tall blender. I thought I'd have room as I have at least 2 feet of vertical space under my cabinets, but the base is pretty high up too.I end up having the container next to the base when I'm not using it. I did buy the refurbished model here on Amazon and it arrived looking pretty new. It comes with a 5 year warranty, which is amazing. I've spent way more on my laptops and they have a measly warranty. This is definitely a company that stands behind its products.I was really bugging my friends for what they do with their Vitamix to justify the cost. They couldn't really explain it, but I'll tell you what I know works for me now:- Juicing pomegranate (do it on level 1 and it won't break the seeds, just the juicy part and then strain it)- Juicing the 15 pounds of seeded grapes someone gave us from their backyard vines to make fresh grape juice (level 1 just like the pomegranate so as not to destroy the seeds and get grit in your juice - although you may not mind it that much - but I have little kids, so it's all about the texture)- My kids can make their own smoothies and I feel like it's pretty safe because it always mixes things up so no one needs to be sticking a spoon into the blender- So easy and fast to make yummy smoothies that taste like a frozen dessert. I use frozen cherries, mangos and kefir as a base for lots of them and it tastes amazing. No sugar is necessary and my one kid that won't drink kefir straight (I have 2 that do love tart kefir) loves smoothies with it- Nevermind getting that caramel frappe at Starbucks - make your own frozen coffee drink - just those more than pay for this blender- Cleanup? This thing cleans up amazingly easy - just half fill with water, add a few drops of dishwashing liquid and run on high for a few seconds. Then rinse out. Voila, all clean! Something about the material the container is made from allows easy cleanup.- I did hear about the black bits that people have found in their Vitamixes. None of my friends had had that problem, and neither did I. I ran a few tests with just water and it stayed water with nothing in it. I am not sure where the black bits would come from either.- The recipe book this thing comes from is huge! I confess to not reading it all the way through, but great for ideas. You can actually make soup in this because the blades can reach such a high speed that heat is generated from friction. One of these days, I'm going to try gazpacho soup - cold! (bonus points if you get the reference to Red Dwarf)

I love this machine. It is an incredible blender. I researched the living daylights out of which blender to buy, and what the best blender was for the price. I decided to go with a Vitamix, and decided that this reconditioned one for under $400, was the best value for the money.The vitamix is great because it can blend just about anything to a smooth texture Since it does have a variable speed rotary knob, you can set it on 1 or 2 and chop things as well, like onions, or celery, or to add a bit of texture to something you just blended. (Just lower the speed and add some items at the end.) It makes snow cones, slushies, smoothies, soups, sauces, and frozen desserts (think sorbet) in seconds, and it makes a mean margarita. My old Oster always left chunks of ice. Not this one.You get a 5 year warranty rather than the 7 years you'd get if you bought new, but for $75, you can buy an extra 3 year warranty from Vitamix and still come out ahead--if you feel the need for a warranty that is longer than 5 years. This model has the tall skinny container, just like the commercial versions. I figure all those restaurants cannot be wrong. It also has the presets, which some people dismiss as unnecessary, but I find to be rather useful. I can get a smoothie started and clean up while it runs through its paces. I also use the smoothie setting to clean the machine. The more expensive new generation machine with presets has a cleaning function, so I was inspired to give it a go. It works great. There are advantages to the new generation machines in that they are more likely to fit beneath your upper cabinets, and easier to scrape food out of from around the blades, but the disadvantages are that they require more food to process when making small quantities, and the tamper doesn't get as close to the blades, so it can be a little tricky to get frozen things blended. I think anyone would be very happy with any Vitamix, but this one seems to me like the best combination of features for the price. The OXO jar spatula and the iSi Basics Silicone slim spatula are both long enough and narrow enough to be perfect for the narrow container of this blender. I would give the edge to the OXO though.