Throughout the month of July, Blendtec is offering a free shipping code to all Blendtec Web Affiliates.

The free shipping code is: JULYSHIP

Just visit the Blendtec website via my link here and enter the code “JULYSHIP” during the checkout process to receive free shipping.

Feel free to share this with anyone you know that is thinking about buying a blender.

The free shipping code for July is only valid for shipping within the U.S.

Happy blending,

April Jones

Don’t let your Kitchenaid blender coupling cause you to throw it in the trash!

It seems that anyone who owns a few specific models of the KitchenAid blender will eventually find themselves in need to replace the plastic coupling that fits between the motor base and the pitcher.  I have noticed lots of people are purchasing replacement couplings through my site, which led me to spending several hours researching this issue. Read more

I was on Blendtec’s Facebook page and read about a customer’s Blendtec overheating when used. This is not a common problem so I was interested in what to do. The response to this problem was to call Blendtec and they will take care of it.

Interestingly enough, the next week or so I was using a friend’s Blendtec when this happened to me. While I was blending, the machine stopped and would not start again. I also smelled something ‘hot’ or ‘burning’ from the inside of the base. This was not good and certainly not normal. Read more

Free Shipping For July 2011

During the entire month of July free shipping on all purchases from Blendtec.com.

It’s that time of year again; it’s time to celebrate Mothers!

Blendtec is offering FREE GROUND SHIPPING to the continental United States (Excludes Alaska and Hawaii) on all products purchased from their website starting today Fri April 29th and running through Sunday May 8th.

Simply visit Blendtec.com with this link.

There is no coupon code required; the free shipping promotion will automatically apply to all products in the cart.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Thank you,

April

P.S.  I will get paid a commission if you purchase through the link above or the one below to help support my site.  So if you don’t want this to happen, just visit blendtec.com via another route.

http://www.blendtec.com

From my Mother's Garden

I just got notice of Blendtec raising their prices…today! I am sad to say they gave no forewarning of their price increase to their affiliates. This is the first increase in over a decade, according to Blendtec.

Blendtec has already adjusted the prices on their site but Amazon has not yet changed their prices.

I am not aware how long Amazon with hold to the old prices though. So, if you are thinking of purchasing a Blentec Blender, Amazon will be your least expensive bet, by $35 to $40.

The Blendec Total Wildside Combo, which I recommend, was $489.95 and is now $524.95 on Blendtec.com.

This same blender is on Amazon for $489.95. As of this post. Read more

For many years I have been using my little Mr. Coffee coffee grinder for grinding my coffee. It does the job…1/3 cup at a time.
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Recently I was beginning to grind a huge bag of Sumatra …1/3 cup at a time. For a while I had been putting off opening this bag of coffee beans because I knew it would take me a while to grind the whole bag. I know, I know,  it’s fresher to grind just what I need at a time…but I live in the real world and wake up too early to get my children up by the grinding of coffee.  I knew I could take the bag by Starbucks and they would grind it for me…but when would that be??? Read more

Today, one year later:

I have had my Blendtec Total Blender for 1 year and I am loving it. It is by far the best blender I have ever used. Listed below is my honest review of this high-powered blender after one year of service.

My Blendtec Total Blender

Read more

One year ago today I received my Blendtec Total Blender in the mail. I was so excited and anxious about getting it. That feeling of excitement has not changed at all.

Before purchasing my Blendtec, my “team” and I researched extensively which blender to buy. As we looked at one blender we thought it was ‘the one’ until we found the next great one in line. Then there was the next and so on. We hit a wall when we came across Blendtec and Vitamix. We knew it was between these two. A face off.

We chose, obviously, Blendtec. Not easily. We went back and forth many times and I do not regret making the Blendtec choice at all. I don’t think I would regret making the Vitamix choice either.

Here is the post from one year ago about the first week with my Blendtec Total Blender:

Well, my children and myself, we did receive the much awaited for and admired Blendtec Total blender right on schedule. We were eager to pull it out and start blending, but we did keep self control and watched the video that came with it, looked over the very nice and informative cook-book and scanned through the instruction manual.

So, It’s time to start blending… We, of course, started by making a green smoothie.

I had not planned very well and was out of fresh bananas so I used frozen ones I had put up weeks before awaiting this exact moment…drum roll please…. Read more

Hamilton Beach Blender Review

Hamilton Beach Wave Maker® 10
Speed Blender Review

By L.A. O’Neil

When I was in my early twenties, I
realized that I could eat fantastic food without having to go to a
restaurant.  Of course, I already knew that, but I didn’t really
put it to the test until I had to pinch the proverbial penny.  I
learned everything I could by recreating recipes that were family
favorites, as well as creating my own. My love for cooking lead me to
spearheading a catering business and an intimate, log cabin restaurant,
and it was during those years that I used many different kitchen
appliances – especially blenders.  I still use a blender several
times a week and I can’t do without it!

The Hamilton Beach Wave Maker® 10 Speed Blender makes a fantastic
wedding, birthday or ‘just because I feel like giving you something’
gift for the novice cook, as well as the cook who doesn’t have a lot of
extra time to hang out in the kitchen. The reason I say it’s a ‘beginner’s blender’
is because it’s not what I call ‘heavy duty’ and it’s cheaply made. You
can find it for about $30 to $50 depending on which exact model you are looking at.

Beware, this blender has been upgraded over the years and is now getting
much higher reviews.  I would be careful with reviews dated before 2009, as the container
is now glass and not plastic and it seems to do a much better job crushing ice than before.

The older models that are still available on amazon.com  have very low reviews due to
the issues discussed below.  If this price range is a good fit for you, I would recommend looking
at this version of the Hamilton Beach WaveMaker 10-Speed Blender, Black.

 Upgrades to the newer model are:

-48 oz dishwasher safe glass container (upgraded from plasitc)

-3 year limited warranty (read the fine print to see what it is limited to)

-Patented stainless steel Sabre ice blades

-550 peak watt motor (upgraded from 450 peak watts)

If you’re new to cooking, you might realize you’re not into blending
sauces, soups or drinks after using the Hamilton Beach Wave Maker®
10 Speed Blender. That’s actually a good thing, because if you use your
blender once or twice a month, the Hamilton Beach Wave Maker® 10
Speed Blender will be just perfect for you. It isn’t a workhorse and,
with repeated use, it will wear out quickly.

What makes the Hamilton Beach Blender a lightweight blender? A
couple of things, really. It comes with a plastic container that, after
repeated use, will look scratched and possibly stained. It’s a good bet
that a tasty tomato and basil pasta sauce will leave ‘its mark’ on the
container and, before too long, your clear blender container no longer
looks fantastic on your counter. The dishwasher will mess it up, as
well, and the container will soon look dull and etched. So, you’ll,
probably relegate it to under the counter, tucked away for its
infrequent use. Then you’ll have to drag it out from under the counter
– and that usually doesn’t go well. (I always seem to get the cords
tangled with the other small kitchen appliances that I’ve ‘tucked away
for later use.’ )

The motor at peak power is only 450 watts, maybe 550 watts if you’re
pushing it, and motor burnout has been reported in a few user reviews.

Why wouldn’t it? Nearly the entire blender is made out of cheap plastic (which is reflected in
the price), and if I were a cynical gal, I’d think it smacks of
‘planned obsolescence.”

The bottom line is that it simply won’t last if you plan to use it a
bunch.

Would I use The Hamilton Beach Wave Maker® 10 Speed Blender to
blend frozen berries? No.

Would I use it to crush ice? No.

Would I blend anything thick, like a chocolate malt, in the Hamilton
Beach Blender? Nope.

That probably says it all. The bottom line is I wouldn’t buy the
Hamilton Beach Wave Maker® 10 Speed Blender, because I’m an
experienced cook and I use my blender all of the time.

However, like I said, if you want to use a blender only once in a while and
you want it to look cool on your counter, then the Hamilton Beach Wave
Maker® 10 Speed Blender is a smart purchase.

After all, why would you spend hard earned money on something you won’t
use? …. You wouldn’t.

Hamilton Beach WaveMaker 10-Speed Blender, Black	KitchenAid 5-Speed 56-Ounce Blender	Waring Pro PBB2Food and Beverage Blender	Vita-MixSuper 5200 Blender	Oster 12-Speed Blenderwith Glass Jar
About 9 lbs.	12 lbs.	Approx. 14 lbs.	10 lbs., 9 oz.	About 11 lbs.
40 or 48 oz. glass container	56 oz. container shatterproof carafe	40 oz. glass carafe	64 oz. and 32 oz.	40 oz.
10 speeds	5 speeds	2 speeds	1 speed	12 speeds
About 16 inches	15.19 inches	16.75 inches	20.5 inches	15 inches
No	Crushes ice	Crushes ice	Crushes ice	Not for long
450 or 550 watts	.09 horsepower motor	3 horsepower motor~2200 watts	2 horsepower motor~1500 watts	450 watts
3 year limited warranty	1 year warranty	3 year warranty	7 year warranty	No warranty

 

While traveling in Texas this past week we happened upon a neat frozen yogurt shop, Red Mango Frozen Yogurt.

The sign on the door caught my attention. It read:

• All Natural
• No Artificial Sweeteners
• Gluten-Free
• Probiotics

Wow! We had been half way looking for an ice cream shop for the kids (and us) a treat. This shop made us stop in our tracks and enter. Read more

KitchenAid KSB560ACS Architect 5 Speed Blender Review

By: L.A. O’Neil

When I was in my early twenties, I
realized that I could eat fantastic food without having to go to a
restaurant. Of course, I already knew that, but I didn’t really put it
to the test until I had to pinch the proverbial penny. I learned
everything I could by recreating recipes that were family favorites, as
well as creating my own. My love for cooking lead me to spearheading a
catering business and an intimate, log cabin restaurant, and it was
during those years that I used many different kitchen appliances –
especially blenders. I still use a blender several times a week and I
can’t do without it!

KitchenAid is a pioneer in the world of small kitchen appliances. One
of the first companies to offer professional tools to the home kitchen,
KitchenAid products are revered by home chefs and they are available in
fashionable colors, styles and sizes.

Enter the KitchenAid KSB560ACS
Architect 5 Speed Blender. In the ‘60s,
the home blender started to show up on kitchen countertops and now
they’re a must-have small appliance in many homes. The KitchenAid
KSB560ACS Architect 5 Speed Blender leads the charge and it’s a good
purchase for the money. With a little bit of surfing, you can find this
blender for a little under a hundred bucks – retail is around $140 and
sometimes more.

If you’re considering purchasing a blender, there are a few things to
consider. First, is the carafe (sometimes called the ‘container’) made
of glass or plastic? The KitchenAid KSB560ACS Architect 5 Speed Blender
is equipped with a 56 oz. shatterproof polycarbonate carafe with a .9
horsepower motor. It sounds good, but when you compare it to other
blenders like the Waring Pro PBB204 Food and Beverage Blender that has
a 3HP motor, it doesn’t measure up. And, while the carafe is
shatterproof, ‘polycarbonate’ is simply another word for ‘plastic.’ It
is shatterproof, but unlike glass, scratching and staining may dull the
carafe’s finish over time. If you place your blender on your
countertop, it might not retain the out-of-the box sparkle. Keep in
mind that ‘scratch and stain resistant’ doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
That said, the polycarbonate is stronger than glass and much lighter –
that’s a real plus. The 56 oz. carafe is great and you probably won’t
have to blend double batches if you’re cooking for a crowd.

If you deciding which blender to buy, consider reading other

Kitchenaid blender reviews starting at the home page.

Do you really need five speeds? I don’t think so. Blending is blending
and I think a simple low/high blending speed option will work just
fine. But if you’re dead set on having more speeds, the KitchenAid
KSB560ACS Architect 5 Speed Blender will be a good choice, because it
does offer some blending control. Crushing ice is a snap on any speed
with the KitchenAid KSB560ACS Architect 5 Speed Blender, so it will do
double duty as a bar blender. You will blend smoothies or cocktails in
seconds!

Let’s recap. The KitchenAid KSB560ACS Architect 5 Speed Blender comes
with a one-year warranty, which is good, but when you compare the
three-year warranty available with a Waring Pro PBB204 Food and
Beverage Blender, it comes up short. The .9 horsepower is a
disadvantage and the chance of burning out the motor is much greater.

All in all, the KitchenAid KSB560ACS Architect 5 Speed Blender is a
good choice for moderate use. I always recommend that before you buy,
surf to your
heart’s content and take your time to make your decision. You’ll
probably wind up being glad you did and, with proper care, you’ll have
your blender for a long time!

If you are ready to purchase one, I recommend amazon.com.  Just follow the link below.

Oster 12-Speed Blender with Glass Jar

By L.A. O’Neil

When I was in my early twenties, I
realized that I could eat fantastic food without having to go to a
restaurant.  Of course, I already knew that, but I didn’t really
put it to the test until I had to pinch the proverbial penny.  I
learned everything I could by recreating recipes that were family
favorites, as well as creating my own. My love for cooking lead me to
spearheading a catering business and an intimate, log cabin restaurant,
and it was during those years that I used many different kitchen
appliances – especially blenders.  I still use a blender several
times a week and I can’t do without it!

The Oster 12-Speed Blender with Glass
Jar is what I call a middle-of-the-road small kitchen
appliance.  You can find it just about anywhere for about $40 –
even less, if you’re a crafty online shopper.  When I compare it
to several other blenders on the market, the phrase ‘you get what you
pay for’ comes to mind and it’s too bad, because Oster used to be ‘the
blender’ in the ‘60s and ‘70s.  Not anymore.

If you’re a part timer in the kitchen, the Oster 12-Speed Blender with
Glass Jar may be just right for you.  It will handle small
blending jobs just fine – by ‘small blending jobs’ I mean a cup or two
of liquid and a couple of ingredients such as mushrooms and
broccoli.  In fact, it’s perfect if you’re blending soup for two
on a cold snowy day.  Other than that – not so much.

So.  What is the major difference between the Oster 12-Speed
Blender with Glass Jar and  . . . say, a $130 blender?  It
comes down to the most important feature of any blender – the motor
speed.   The Oster 12-Speed Blender with Glass Jar offers a
paltry 450-watt motor – and, when you compare that to one of its top
competitors that has a 2 HP motor, the performance difference is
clear.  If you’re planning to make smoothies, it may be O.K., but
don’t plan to crush ice with the Oster 12-Speed Blender with Glass
Jar.  The motor simply isn’t strong enough and the chances of
motor burnout are high – once you begin to have motor problems, you may
as well chuck the blender in the trash.

The Oster 12-Speed Blender with Glass Jar will look snappy on your
kitchen counter and looks count for a lot!  It does have a feature
that I really like – the glass jar.  I like glass because it
doesn’t stain, but if your chances of dropping it on the kitchen floor
(kids!) are high, by all means, choose a blender with a plastic
container. (I find that children and blenders sometimes don’t
mix!)

Do you really need a blender with 12 speeds?  I don’t think
so.  Two speeds, low and high, should perform all blending
functions that you can throw at – I guess I’m not cool enough to
recognize the difference between speeds 7 and 8, 2 and 5 and so
on.  Twelve speeds sounds great, but it’s a marketing ploy
designed to impress the potential buyer and, I don’t know about you,
but I want a small kitchen appliance that will do the job and one that
I won’t have to replace within a year.  Remember:  you get
what you pay for!  Would I buy an Oster 12-Speed Blender with
Glass Jar?  No.

KitchenAid KSB560OB 5-Speed Blender	Waring PBB25 Professional Bar Blender	Vita-Mix Professional Blender	Oster 12-Speed Blender with Glass Jar
12 lbs.	Approx. 14 lbs.	10 lbs., 9 oz.	About 11 lbs.
56 oz. container shatterproof carafe	40 oz. glass carafe	64 oz. and 32 oz.	40 oz.
5 speeds	2 speeds	1 speed	12 speeds
15.19 inches	16.75 inches	20.5 inches	15 inches
Crushes ice	Crushes ice	Crushes ice	Not for long
.09 horsepower motor	3 horsepower motor	2 horsepower motor	450 watts
1 year warranty	3 year warranty	7 year warranty	No warranty

Vita-Mix Super 5200 Blender Review
By L.A. O’Neil


When I was in my early twenties, I
realized that I could eat fantastic food without having to go to a
restaurant.  Of course, I already knew that, but I didn’t really
put it to the test until I had to pinch the proverbial penny.  I
learned everything I could by recreating recipes that were family
favorites, as well as creating my own. My love for cooking lead me to
spearheading a catering business and an intimate, log cabin restaurant,
and it was during those years that I used many different kitchen
appliances – especially blenders.  I still use a blender several
times a week and I can’t do without it!

The Vita-Mix Super 5200 Blender is the ‘big gun’ of blenders.
That’s all there is to it.  If you’re looking for a blender that
can grind granulated sugar into powdered sugar, or grind wheat berries
into whole-wheat flour, then the Vita-Mix Super 5200 Blender is for
you.  It’s that powerful and incredibly versatile!

If you are searching for more Vitamix blender reviews start at the

home page.

I received my first Vita-Mix about twenty years ago as a gift – I
hadn’t heard of it until then, so I didn’t have any idea as to its
power and capabilities.  As blenders go, how different could it
possibly be?  That question probably crossed my mind, because I
tend to be a little leery about a sales pitch that claims superior
performance.  With that doubt in mind, I clearly remember putting
it to the test – I bought a bag of wheat grain, dumped a couple of cups
of it into the Vita-Mix blender and flipped the switch.  After
several minutes, I had perfect, whole-wheat flour that I could use for
anything for which I would have purchased wheat flour.  As you can
imagine, I was excited about the fantastic results!  That wasn’t
enough for me, though, so I tried again with granulated sugar.
Same process, same results.  After a few minutes, I had perfect
confectioner’s sugar!  It was almost too good to be true – the
claims of the manufacturer were, indeed, accurate.  It was the
best blender on the market!

Fast forward to 2010.  The Vita-Mix Super 5200 Blender is a
fantastic blend (pardon the pun) of function and technology.
You’ve heard of the saying ‘everything from soup to nuts?’  The
Vita-Mix Super 5200 Blender brings that saying into your kitchen – you
can prepare piping hot soups, flours for nutritious bread and
gluten-free items (which you will pay a fortune for in the grocery
store), in addition to peanut butter from whole dry-roasted peanuts.
The Vita-Mix Super 5200 Blender truly is an ‘everything from soup to
nuts’ product!

The straight skinny.  In today’s economy, and if you’re anything
like me, you’re always looking for a way to save money.  By
grinding and blending grains, sugar and just about anything else,
preparing food with the Vita-Mix Super 5200 Blender will save you more
than you may think.  Bread will cost pennies, gluten-free products
will be fraction of the cost you’ll pay at grocery store, and the price
for a great bowl of soup will be negligible.  By putting your
Vita-Mix Super 5200 Blender and freezer to work, you’ll save a small
fortune.

The specs.  The Vita-Mix Super 5200 Blender comes with two
containers – one 64 oz. wet blade container and a 32 oz. dry blade
container, both made from Eastman Tritan™ copolyester.  This is
where function meets technology – Eastman Tritan™ copolyester provides
glass-like clarity, toughness, chemical resistance, strength and heat
resistance.  A 2 peak horsepower Swedish motor (custom designed
for Vita-Mix), coupled with a high efficiency radial fan make the
Vita-Mix Super 5200 Blender a true workhorse for consumer and
professional use.  The thermal protection system protects against
motor burnout, making the Vita-Mix Super 5200 Blender a purchase that
will last a lifetime.

By this time, you’re probably wondering about the cost.  Brace
yourself, because it’s pricey – retailing at about $725, you can find
it for approximately $550.  Either way, you’re shelling out a
chunk of money.  If you’re an infrequent blender user, this
purchase probably isn’t for you.  You’ll be able to find something
much cheaper that will suit your needs just fine.  If you’re a
‘live in the kitchen’ kind of person and you’re looking to cut your
grocery costs over your lifetime, then the Vita-Mix Super 5200 Blender
is a goldmine.

I’m a ‘live in the kitchen’ kind of gal!

I’m a pretty good cook. So over the years, I’ve used a bunch of different blenders and I always come back to the same one – the Waring PBB204 Food and Beverage Blender
. As far as I’m concerned, it’s unsurpassed in performance, it’s easy to use and the cost is middle of the road. If you’re a savvy shopper on the ‘net, you can find one from about $95 to $115. That’s not bad!  If you are looking to read other reviews before deciding which blender to buy, return to the home page for more Waring blender reviews. Read more

Ten reasons why I choose Blendtec vs Vitamix:

Some of the items below were gained from personal experience and others just from doing an obsessive amount of research on the Internet …  and of course everybody knows everything on the Internet is true .

1. Having a Blendtec blender in your kitchen really makes it easier to eat more raw fruits and vegetables.  There are just some foods that require a professional grade blender to create a smoothie without waltzing chunks.  Also, having a professional grade blender allows you to blend more frozen food without fear of doing damage to your blender.  To be perfectly honest, either one will get the job done but keep reading below to understand more about my choice.
2. The BlendTec vs Vitamix is smaller in height (15″ vs.  17.4″)  and weight (8 lbs. vs. 10 lbs. 9 oz.), so it’s more convenient to stored on your countertop and not as heavy to move around the kitchen.
3. In my opinion the Blendtec is easier to clean than the Vitamix.  To be honest, I don’t own a Vitamix, but looking at all the reviews this is a common issue since the Vitamix has more nooks and crannies to remove food from.
4. Only the Blendtec has the large flat sided carafe, which they call the wild side pitcher. this larger pitcher really does seem to do a better job than the smaller ones and decreases the blending time.
5. Automatic settings, one of the nice features of the BlendTec is that it will automatically turn itself off when the cycle is finished. This option is not available on the Vitamix.  This makes it easy for my young children to help out in the kitchen.
6. I know this isn’t really a buying decision, but Blendtec has the coolest videos.  I mean how many times have you seen someone try to blend a broom with the Vitamix.
7. Customer service, since I have never had to use the Vitamix customer service I have to say they’re both probably equal as far as I know. But the one time I had to call BlendTec their customer service people did a great job making me happy. Since this first incident with my leaking picture I have called for friends over temperture issue and they continue to stand behind their product and have satisfied all of the claims I have submitted.
8. Fast food, this is another one that doesn’t matter whether it’s a Blendtec vs Vitamix, but you can really make some fast food with any blender.  But I think we tend to use the Blendtec more because it’s easier to clean up, easy to move around the kitchen and has lots of horsepower.
9. Wet and dry blending in the same container. That’s right with the Blendtec, you can use the same container to blend both dry foods such as flax whole-wheat grains etc. and smoothies.  The Vitamix has a wet container and a dry container, so you have to purchase the dry container separately for milling seeds and grains.
10. Less oxidation – Yeah I know you’re probably thinking what oxidation?  That was my first response to some of the reviews on YouTube.  But here’s the deal, with some combinations of the foods tested in the Vitamix and Blendtec, it tended to take less time to blend them in the Blendtec than the Vitamix, which resulted in less oxidation.  How do you determine there was less oxidation?  For instance, when they blended avocado …  the avocado blended in the Vitamix was noticeably darker than the avocado blended in the Blendtec.  So the conclusion was the avacado oxidized less because it did not take as long for it to blend therfore it was exposed to less oxygen and temperature.  The temperature of the food in the Blendtec at the end of the cycle was also noticeably cooler than than the Vitamix.

I recommend purchasing the Wildside Combo directly from the Blendtec website to insure you get the latest model and the full 7 year warranty.

I hope you find these 10 reasons helpful in your research process.  Please post your questions below in the comments and share your reasons for choosing Blendtec vs Vitamix or Vitamix vs Blendtec.

Either way you go have fun blending,

April

These were the tips sent to me from Blendtec after I had my jar/pitcher replaced, due to the stiffness of the blade turning (would not turn freely by hand).

1. The more you use your jar, the longer it will last you. When the jar is used frequently, it self lubricates the bearings inside keeping them intact with the vegetable based oil that is located within. If you go a while without using the jar (1 week or longer) it is recommended to dab on a little bit of vegetable oil on the seals.

2. Twisting the blade 3-4 times using the drive shaft below before you use it each time with break away any microscopic sugar seals that build up between the blade and the bearings. This can cause stress on the seals if you put in on the motorbase and have it shoot up the cycle speed rather than doing it by hand. It’s much more gentle.

3. The way you clean it makes a huge difference. It is suggested using 2-3 cups of hot water, a drop of dish soap, blend it up using a cycle and rinse it out in your sink. When you rinse it out, try your hardest not to get the underside seal wet. If this seal gets wet, it tends to wear down sooner than later.

The unwrapping  my new pitcher … shipped under warranty with no issues from Blendtec.

In Summary:

-Oil the seals between each use with vegtable oil.

-Turn the shaft by hand before each use to make sure it’s not stuck

-Use lot’s of hot water when cleaning, but don’t get the bottom seal wet.

Hope these tips help extend the life of your blender jar.

April

My First Blendtec Warranty Claim

So, it was  a very disturbing day when I discovered after only  487 cycles, one of my two pitchers was leaking from the bottom seal around the blade pinion.

So, I grabbed the file full of my purchase information and compiled the email below to the Blendtec customer support staff to start my warranty claim.

8/8/10

Dear Customer Support,

I ordered my Blendtec total blender on 02/01/2010. WebOrder: xxxxxx, Customer # xxxxxxx

Very recently I noticed my large pitcher, with the 4 in (blendtec part no. 40-508) has the following issues:

• leaking from the bottom seal
• blade does not turn freely by hand

If someone could please get back with me as soon as possible I would appreciate it.

Sincerely,
April

8/10/2010 Update:

It has been two days and I have not received a reply from Blendtec regarding my warranty claim. I am sad indeed … but, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and picked up the phone and called their 1-800 number. So glad I did.

I talked to Kristen, who was very nice and very helpful, and she informed me their email was down and since I did not get the quick response I deserve she waved the $17.95 I was expected to pay for a replacement pitcher (shipping) and is sending me a prepaid label along with my new pitcher! That just made my day.

My new pitcher should be here on Tuesday. The call took just a few minutes and once she found out the reason for my call, she immediately processed my replacement with absolutely no problems.

I was also sent some tips on keeping my pitcher in tip top shape that will extend it’s life. I’ll be posting them soon.

Wonderful customer service! First rate.

8/17/2010 Update:

I received my new pitcher today and it came with a return label for my old pitcher. Things are looking up in the blending arena again. It has been a juggle for me to blend using only one pitcher, but I did it … I just washed alot!   I did not realize how much I used both of my pitchers until one was out of commission.  If you have any experience with a Blendtec warranty claim please post a comment below.

9/17/2011 Update:

Since this original post I took care of a Blendtec warranty claim for a friend and I am happy to report Blendtec customer service was very prompt and resolved the claim to my satisfaction .

I consider the Back to Basics Blender Express
a hand blender because it is great for single servings and quick clean up.

Don’t expect a blender in this category to take on tougher tasks like blending ice or frozen bananas, but it is great for quickly blending protein drinks, making fruit smoothies and green smoothies.

The function is very similar to the hand blender and clean up should be a snap.

I have never owned this blender, but I have owned the Magic Bullet and feel that they are very similar.  I consider blenders in this category kind of a “gateway blender”.  This could be the small step to working your way up to a professional grade blender.

I think you get a lot of value for the price and function.  Please note I do make a small commission if you decide to purchase through my amazon affiliate links.Back to Basics Blender Express

When it comes to the kitchen there are some things you need and others you could live without. A stove and oven is certainly a positive. So are a refrigerator and possibly a microwave. The question is whether or not you need a food processor, a coffee mill, or a mixer. The right answer to this is no. You can actually replace these, and several other appliances, with a high quality Vita-Mix Professional
multi-purpose blender. Read more

When you need a blender it needs to be one that will get the job done, so read carefully before deciding to buy this blender. How many times have you tried to prepare frozen drinks that still have chunks of ice in them? You don’t have to let this happen to you. This blender is ok for occasionally crushing ice and mixing drinks, but based on the online reviews I not would expect this one to be around for the long haul. For the price, it is versatile for light tasks in the kitchen that you need to do such as making graham cracker crumbs. But this may not be the blender with all the power for your needs. Read more