I am so glad to see Vitamix commercials on television. There really is nothing better on the market. I found an old machine with a metal blender jar at a garage sale for $5 close to 20 years ago, and it is still going strong.

Before we bought this we were destroying at least 2 blenders a year because we just asked too much from them. There is nothing you can throw at a Vitamix that it can't handle. My machine is living proof that these machines are meant to last.

I ordered merchandice from the Vita-Mix booth at the State Fair of Texas in the fall of 2010 and it never arrived. It is a great blender but their vendors are incompetent. Do not order from them.

Vita-Mix saved my daughter's life! We had purchased our Vita 5200 in 2008 at Costco as a result of watching a demo there. Both my husband and I are really trying to get healthy. So it had been a central part of our daily routine for awhile. When my daughter got sick and almost died from hyponatremia after contracting the Noro-Virus where she worked, I brought her home with me as soon as she was released from the hospital. After 4 days and 8 bags of IV electrolytes, she was still a very sick girl.

Immediately we started Pedialyte and fresh fruit and veggie smoothies. It was about all she could keep down, and tasted so good to her. Within 2 weeks, she could stand unassisted and got stronger from there.

Last week she finally got her own Vita 5200 and is now happily making daily green smoothies and feeling wonderful!

I finally purchased my Vita 5200 3/27/10 after seeing a great demo in person. Purchasing & carrying the kitchen power tool home & actually using it is so convincing & satisfying. Carrot juice, fruit smoothy, celery soup, & iced cappucino. After using it I immediately returned to the wholesale club the next day & purchased my dry container for grains before they left town. Everything is working great. I firmly believe this blender if used within its limitations & reasonable expectations it will last a very long time. In the realistic world my food processor cannot handle large quanties of liquid. Becuase of the Vita container size / diameter I will still use my professional food processor for slicing & chopping meat & onions into uniform attractive shapes.

Testimonial from Richard A. of Ipswich, MA....
I bought my Vita-M 3600 many years ago. It has worked flawlessly ever since. I like, among other things, the instantly reversible motor and the ability to do virtually any heavy duty kitchen prep you can think of. I used it everyday for years.
I have made ice cream, fruit and veggie-cicles hot soup and many forms of juice and fortified drinks that one could imagine. When I was heavy into weight training [up to 4+ hours a day], this machine was a Godsend.
We made our own protein drinks with fresh vegetable and fruit juice. [Had three a day.} After I had to give up running 10 miles a day for 6 days a week due to a serious injury from an accident, I continued to walk 5 -6 miles per day and rode my road bike 25 - 30 miles per day at least 3 days a week.
The Vita-Drinks as I called them, gave me all the energy I needed!
Then there are the pie and cake fillings. Now I process fresh fruits and vegetables to fortify my home-made whole grain breads, home-made yogurts and lasagnas! [I usually many give away as gifts to friends.]
I see a couple competitors that say only their machine can do this or that. It is the only one that can do this or that. HA! It's obvious they either don't want to mention the Vita-Mix, or "gee" maybe they never heard of it! HA! I saw a review of two of these machines. The advice was save your $.
When Vita-Mix is compared by retailers, some chefs and consumer advocates to other "blenders," they put VM in a class all its own.
My model 3600 looks a bit beat up after, I'm guessing 20 -25 years of use. [Now use it at least once a day again.] I am out of the heavy weight training as I approach 65 years of age, but I am able to produce hearty drinks and foods with healthy carbs and little or no fat. A great bonus for this aging, lifelong diabetic!
BUY ONE and you will not regret it!Vita-It-Up!