Replied By Carolyn (Hobbs, Nm) on 05/22/2010
Loren, there is not another blender that will do what a Vitamix does. I tried them all, even Kitchenaide, and I was trying to drink chunks. A Vitamix makes green smoothies as smooth as a milkshake. I add a scoop of whey protein powder to mine and they are wonderful and so good for you. You can sometimes find a used one on ebay but I would suggest buying one and paying it out if you have to. Good luck. CarolynReplied By Tashimoto (Vancouver, British Columbia Canada) on 05/22/2010
Hi,
We own a Blendtec blender which is expensive, like the Vitamix. This past winter on vacation, we had to use a simple $35 blender to make our green smoothies - and you know what?! They were great. Almost as good as our home blender that cost ten times as much. I mean, really - you're ingesting all the pulp, etc. with a blended drink anyway - does it really make all that much difference if it is blended totally smooth or almost totally smooth? I don't think so.
Replied By Joanofarc83 (Morton, Illinois Usa) on 05/22/2010
Loren, I use a Black & Decker Cyclone for my green smoothies. It works just fine. I have blended fresh beets, passion fruit, avocado, bananas, spinach and kale & frozen fruit. Not all at the same time however. Good luck on your raw food effort.Replied By Francisca (Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France) on 05/23/2010
My masticating juicer, an Oscar, makes smoothies, juices, fresh pasta, baby food and bread sticks. I think that the most important thing is that it doesn't warm up the smoothie or juice, at least that seems to me to be the most important after doing quite a bit of research on the Internet before buying mine. Also in the books I have they all recommend a masticating juicer. The other thing is that as all the vitamines and enzymes stay alive you can keep your juice up to 48 hours (which we never do but my husband does drink his in the evening when he comes home and even the colour still looks great). They are more expensive than a lot of blenders but then they come in different prices. The Oscar was not cheap and to be honest if I had been able to try it before I bought it I wouldn't have bought it but still, I would have bought a masticating juicer! The juices and smoothies are great, you can even choose how much fiber you leave in them, the pasta and bread sticks I have never tried but I find that the machine has a few problems like juice getting into the entrance of the motor and so, not what you would expect for that price. But.... we do fully enjoy our juices and smoothies and it juices everything under the sun!Replied By Loren (Orlando, Fl) on 05/23/2010
Thank you all so much for your response to my question about the blender. I really do appreciate it.Replied By Francisca (Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France) on 05/24/2010
I would just like to add that the Oscar also has a device to mince meat but you have to buy it separately. Here in countries like France (at least in my area) it is hardly possible anymore to have them mince pork in the shop (I don't like buying meat already minced and I like a mixture of beef and pork), I think because of problems with Muslims so the only option is to mince it at home.For soups I actually never use the juicer, although I could, I use a much simpler device which is a staff mixer. They come in all prices, also very cheap and do the job very well. I have used them all my life!
Replied By Regina (Mountain, Ca) on 06/13/2010
I bought the Montel Williams HealthMaster Fruit & Vegetable Emulsifier from an infomercial. It costs about $200. I love, love, love it.Replied By Joyce (Lansdowne, Pa) on 01/17/2011
I have a Tribest personal blender, which is very good. I use it to make smoothie, soups, salsas and sauces. The Oster Fusion is also an inexpensive and good blender. Check the reviews online.Replied By Agatha (Toronto, On) on 06/03/2011
Loren: I've recently switched to a raw lifestyle as well. After having done a lot of research and read what raw and non raw foodists have written, I made the decision to purchase a Vitamix. Yes, it's definitely an investment but in my opinion I'm worth the extra money. It performs well and has an awesome 7 year warranty. The company's been around for ages so that's pretty comforting. My naturopath has had one for over 10 years and she tells me it runs like new. I use if several times a day and I'm totally thrilled with it. Because it is so powerful, it's able to break down the cell walls of your food releasing more nutrients which means your body's able to better absorb all its goodness with a lot less effort on your part. If money is tight right now, just buy a blender and start blending; it's a good start. Blendtec is also another one that the raw and non-raw community recommends very highly. I bought one initially but returned it for the Vitamix because I like the manual controls of the latter. Hope this helps.Replied By Dianew (Fresno, Ca, United States) on 08/19/2011
I have a vitamix that I love. I have seen used ones for sale at health food stores. They were much more affordable and, considering how well they are made, I would consider starting there. A new one is too expensive for now.