Vitamix Explorian Blender, Professional-Grade, 64 oz. Low-Profile Container, Black - 65542 (Renewed Premium)

This is actually my third Vitamix. I grew up having a Vitamix (it was their very old model which was all stainless steel). I believe my mom still has it. I then got another one about six years ago and it's going strong and has held up to many uses and now teens using it daily. We decided to purchase this one for my daughter in college who was moving into an apartment. Obviously I am a Vitamix fan, but had yet to purchase a refurbished one. Honestly, it works just as well as a a new one. It's holding up just fine and my daughter reports that her roommates also have enjoyed it and will purchase one for themselves when they are out on their own. She also loves the lower profile as it fits comfortably under the cupboards in her apartment so it doesn't take up too much valuable counterspace. Why a Vitamix? It's more than a heavy duty smoothie maker (although that is what my kiddos primarily use it for). It is a workhorse. It makes soups, nut butters (another favorite in our household), frozen treats and more. That was a huge selling point for us. My daughter has a major food allergy and this way she can make her own nut butters and soups while not having to worry about what was in there or if there was cross contamination in the food facility. She is loving it and uses it daily. The only bad thing she said is that it is very loud, so she cannot use it some mornings when her roommates are asleep (ahh, the hardships of college life ;o) ). She says to give it a five star rating. Lastly, Yes, this was an expensive purchase. I will note here, that because the expense, many people shy away from Vitamixes...understandably. However, when I looked at the price and hashed out how much we save by using a Vitamix along with the longevity of Vitamixes, it's been well worth the money.

I have only owned this blender for a short time but have already used it far more than I typically used my cheap low end blender in a year. I am pleasantly surprised with how functional and easy to use this machine is. I was a little intimidated by other reviews making it seem very complex to operate. It is not at all. We have successfully made several sauces and soups and of course plenty of smoothies. The small instructional booklet that came with it was very helpful in knowing how to best arrange liquid to solid ingredients for optimum blending & everything has come out just perfectly. We have a household favorite recipe for pasta sauce made with cauliflower, almond milk, oil and nutritional yeast and it always came out chunky and watery with our old blender, but it's silky smooth & awesome using the Vitamix! I haven't yet tried heavier things like nut butters, however. Despite being made of plastic, the jar seems extremely durable. The 64 oz size is large but I think it's all the better for having extra space especially when you stick a bunch of kale or other greens in for smoothies for two or more people. It does get crazy loud at high speeds but you get used to it quickly and it doesn't seem so crazy within a week or so of use. On a more shallow note, I love the way it looks on my counter and the red color is a perfect shade that could pair well with brighter classic red items as well as darker candy apple red items. I am glad I went with that instead of playing it safe with black. I fully admit to wanting a Vitamix partly because it's an iconic kitchen item I see vloggers using, but this refurbished less expensive model was the perfect way for me to own a Vitamix without investing a huge sum. It came in branded, impeccable packaging and there's nothing about it that seems damaged or used in any way.

As a dedicated Vitamix owner for well over a decade, I can confidently attest that the Vitamix Explorian Blender, even as a renewed model, upholds the brand's enduring commitment to excellence. After relocating from Kenya back to the US and leaving my beloved Vitamix behind, I found myself in need of a new one. This was my very first kitchen appliance purchase as the entire family use it daily. Right from the initial use, this blender felt like an old friend reuniting with me. It performs precisely as you'd anticipate from a Vitamix – it's an absolute powerhouse! Whether I'm concocting smoothies, simmering soups, or experimenting with pesto recipes, this blender has yet to disappoint. It consistently delivers impeccably smooth, creamy, and flawlessly blended results, aligning seamlessly with the expectations of a professional-grade machine. One of its standout attributes, in my opinion, is its user-friendliness. The controls are intuitively designed, facilitating seamless transitions between speeds and ensuring I achieve the ideal texture for any recipe with ease. Additionally, it manages to maintain a surprisingly hushed operation, despite the significant power it wields. This feature is a true blessing for early morning smoothie sessions or any culinary venture that extends into the late hours. While the 64 oz. low-profile container design marked a departure from the taller containers I was accustomed to, it has proven to be a space-saving revelation in my compact kitchen. It fits snugly beneath my cabinets, allowing for convenient storage, all without the slightest compromise in the blender's exceptional performance. What sets Vitamix apart, in my view, is their unwavering dedication to uncompromising standards and quality. They steadfastly refuse to cut corners, and this commitment shines through every facet of this blender. Remarkably, it comes at what I consider a bargain price, which makes it all the more appealing. I have the utmost confidence that, just like its predecessors, this Vitamix will remain a loyal and long-serving companion in my culinary adventures for years to come.

It'll truly grind the bones of your enemies if necessary. My son is G-tube fed, so I blend all of his nutrition. This liquefies everything from beef roast, to raw veggies including carrots, and berries with seeds or tricky skins. I've never strained a single blend, and they're all as smooth as velvet. Only con is noise. It's definitely not too loud, but if you're trying to be sneaky in the morning and make a quick smoothy, maybe this isn't your machine. It's easy to clean, comes with a wand to push down the ingredients, and hasn't given a bit of struggle with anything. Im AMAZED! Also, I recommend getting a blender spatula, like a small squeegee. Skip the cute looking Ninja or Cuisinart blenders, and buy this. Worth every cent!

It felt weird to spend so much on a blender, but after wanting one for years I finally bought one. This is the most basic of the home models and I am not disappointed at all. It is loud as heck. Not surprising but real. It is pretty easy to clean, a drop of liquid soap with warm water and like 30 seconds on the highest setting it really is clean inside. You may still need to wash the rim and spout of the pitcher and part of the lid by hand before you pour out the soapy water and rinse it. It does fit perfectly under my cabinet. I have very little counter space and this thing usurped the toaster oven. I use it pretty much daily for something. It really does go from whole foods to purees in no time. The order in which you put things in the pitcher will matter. Liquids first, then softest to hardest. I had coconut water, spinach, carrots, frozen fruit (incl fibrous pineapple and seedy strawberries) and it was like silk after. The soup thing is so amazing. I had the most delicious potato soup that tasted much creamier than the ingredients should allow. I think the blending made the texture awesome, and I used 1% milk and chicken broth. Truly a surprise. I made tomato soup from a can of tomatoes in like 5 min. Crazy delicious. The rubbery lid did hold on to the garlic smell for awhile, but never affected the taste of other foods. I wish that there was more direction or literature in the box. I got starter recipes which was nice but there aren't very many. The website has lots so that is cool. It took me awhile to realize that 10 is not best for my smoothies, it's more like 7. In the future, I will probably upgrade to a unit with programming features. I wasn't sure I'd care about that, but I kind of do, so next time. This thing is crazy sturdy, so it might get gifted at some point for me to upgrade, I doubt it'll die any time soon.

Bought this during Prime Day 2023. This is one of the low-end Vita Mix blenders, but it does a great job. I've made tahini with it and it worked quite well. I've also made cashew cream and it worked way better than my previous blender - very smooth and creamy. I also find that I prefer this blending container to the higher end Vita Mix containers. It's wide and squat instead of being tall and narrow. Makes it easier to clean and also easier to scoop hummus (or whatever you're making ) out of the bottom. Also it's dishwasher safe which I don't think the higher end containers are. My one complaint which I hope will diminish over time: it smells like burning plastic when it's running. I suspect this will go away after a while, it's probably just the oil they used to coat the motor during manufacturing.

Amazing blender

In all my life I never thought I would be writing a review for a blender. But after having this Vitamix for several weeks, using it about every day. I wanted to share my opinions for anyone in a similar situation. First off, I will say that my wife and I make smoothies for our breakfast Monday through Friday. So our blenders get a workout. Our first blender was a standard Black and Decker, we quickly wore it out. We replaced it with an upgrade to the basic Ninja blender. And we were happy with it for 5 years, mostly. We knew about Vitamix, but figured it would be a case of diminishing returns. How much more blender could you get? $100 for the Ninja seems like enough money. But after wearing it out with 5 years of consistant use, it was literaly smoking when my wife made a smoothie one morning. We decided it might be worth it to spend a little more money. And that's where we are. I will be comparing this Vitamix to the base Ninja (I noticed a lot of people were in my situation when I was researching brands, so I thought this might help). Scroll to the bottom for a TL/DR. First off, POWER!!!! UNLIMITED POWER!!! at least until 10. The controls on this Vitamix are simple enough. There is a pulse switch, and a switch On/Off. Then a speed dial that goes to 10 (I'm waiting for the Spinal Tap version that goes to 11). The manufacturers suggest flipping it on at 1 and dialing it up to the preferred speed. Kinda feels like operating a spaceship, going into hyperspace. I rarely need to go above 7, but it can easily handle ludicrous speed (also known as 10). And even at the fastest speeds the base doesn't move and stays on the counter. The Ninja had a tendancy to dance off the counter if you didn't hold on to it. As stated earlier, I make smoothies. And this thing performs in that, silky smooth smoothies from the first time I used it. Comparatively the Ninja had good days and bad, but could never puree frozen fruit as well (lots of little chunks). I will note that for the first week or so the Vitamix had an ozone type smell while being operated, it was a little alarming at first but faded after repeated use. Second, cleaning. Now I work at home, where as my wife runs off to the rat races of a 9-5 day. So I clean the smoothie mess most days. And I really know about cleaning the Ninja, the blade comes right out and is sharp. I had it fall off the counter once and luckly betrayed my instinct to try to catch it. Plus even with the dish soap warm water and pulsing trick. I still had to scrub the fragments of fruit, and the grommet where the blade fit in the pitcher had to be cleaned with a tiny wire brush regularly or it got moldy. Needless to say, I hated cleaning the Ninja. But now I move to the Vitamix, and this machine was made to clean everyday. The blade is fixed, so nothing to clean there. You just fill it up halfway with warm water and put in a squirt of dish soap, run it on high for about 60 seconds and pour out and rinse. Only rarely do I have to scrub off bits of fruit, and then it's typically only on the spout or drips on the outside. The fitting on the bottom has a little hole for water to run out if you dry it upside down, small thing but nice touch. Simply put, I don't mind cleaning the Vitamix. And finally the noise level. I heard people complain about this. Now the Ninja was like a jet engine starting up, I live on a busy street so I don't mind noise. But the Ninja had such a high pitched whine that it irritated the tiny bones in my inner ear. But the Vitamix on the other hand, is relatively quiet. I wouldn't record a band with it running in the background, unless it was an experimental album. But the Vitamix is not irritating in the least. Just a steady lower WHIRRRRR!!!! But as I stated earlier with the power, you don't need to run it that long anyway. And I will state with my full confidence. It is the quietest blender I have ever used. So for my TL/DR conclusion. This entry level Vitamix blend was worth every penny I spent on it. And I was very skeptical. I have heard the models higher than this are even better, if this one ever conks out on me (in a reasonable amount of time of course). I will likely check out the higher levels. But for now, I would give the Vitamix Explorian my top marks. And a noticable upgrade from your standard entry level blender (that's a thing right?).