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

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.

This is only the second Vitamix blender we've purchased in over 40 years. The first one we purchased was an all stainless steel unit. We were sold on its build quality and versatility. We have used it for everything Vitamix claimed it would do, bread, hot soup, smoothies, etc. and we have never been disappointed. However, even though it still works like new, we really wanted something with the more conventional design of a clear container and sharp blades to get those especially smooth blends. This Explorian meets our needs perfectly while still exhibiting the same quality as our old unit. Even better... it is more powerful, quieter, makes the smoothest drinks and smoothies we've ever experienced and yet cost less than our old stainless steel model. We almost purchased this same unit for a higher price at Costco but, when Vitamix had a promotion for factory refurbished units at a big discount, we jumped on it and have never regretted it. We expect to get another 30-40 years of service out this blender and highly recommend it!

This blender will grind out into a Smoothie anything you put in it. May it be greens, fruits, nuts whatever you put in it grinds out. Very powerful and sturdy blender. Easy to clean after use. Doesn't overheats. Great blender and I definitely recommend.

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?).