Top pick
This high-performance machine is worth the investment if you use a blender regularly to make things like thick smoothies, pureed soups, or motor-taxing nut butters.
The Vitamix 5200 offers the best performance you can get in a home blender. This model has been one of our favorite blenders since 2014, and it’s the classic Vitamix that has remained the standard for pro chefs and blender enthusiasts. It produced the most consistently good results across all of the tests, and this blender was the most delightful to use.
The Vitamix 5200 consistently blended more gracefully than any other blender. The combination of the jar’s shape and the motor strength created a vortex that pulled ingredients down into the blades with ease.
It also made some of the smoothest smoothies in our tests. Though the prize for the absolute smoothest drinks went to the Cleanblend Blender, the difference between drinks made in the Cleanblend and the Vitamix was marginal. The smoothie made in the Vitamix had just a few more whole raspberry seeds.
The Vitamix 5200 excelled at nut butters and mayo. This blender was the only model we tested that smoothly blended peanuts and almonds into butter. Other picks spit bits of mayo up the sides of the jar and out the lid’s center hole. But the Vitamix kept the mixture moving smoothly and evenly around the base of the blade.
It had the best range of speeds. The Vitamix 5200’s low is really low, and this blender produces a noticeable shift as you advance through each number. This range of speeds made the Vitamix the best blender we tested for hot liquids: You can start at a lazy swirl and gradually increase the speed so that hot liquid is less likely to shoot up toward the lid. By comparison, on its lowest setting, the Cleanblend has a forceful start, which increases the chances of a painful eruption of hot soup.
The Vitamix 5200’s tamper helps it blend really fast. A tamper is essential for breaking up air pockets and pushing ingredients down toward the blade while the machine is running. By keeping the ingredients moving with the tamper, we were able to whip up a smoothie in less than 60 seconds.
When we used models that didn’t have a tamper, we often needed to stop the blender to burst air pockets or scrape ingredients down the sides of the jar with a spatula. In some cases, we also had to add more water to the smoothie to get all of the ingredients to move around the blades. So it took longer to blend a smoothie in those machines—often with more-watery results.
Its Tritan-plastic jar is sturdy and comfortable to hold. And in the five years we used ours in Wirecutter’s test kitchen, it also remained clear and free of cracks.
It’s easy to clean. Just blend 8 ounces of hot tap water with a couple drops of dish soap for about 30 seconds, and then rinse out the jar.
And it’s quieter than others we tested. No high-powered blender could be described as quiet, but we found the Vitamix’s noise to be quieter than other models we tested.
The Vitamix 5200 is equipped with an automatic-shutoff feature. Should its motor overheat, this keeps it from burning out. In our experience, this blender should be able to handle a lot before it gets to that point. But if yours does shut off, it’s best to let the machine rest for an hour before you try to use it again.
It’s backed by a seven-year warranty. This softens the blow of spending $400 on a blender. According to Vitamix’s customer service, the approximate time between filing a claim and receiving your blender back in working order (or a certified refurb) is six to 10 days. For an additional fee, you can buy a three-year extended warranty for the 5200.
Attachments for the Vitamix 5200
In 2022, we tested some attachments that are available (as separate purchases) for the Vitamix 5200: the Vitamix Personal Cup Adapter and a 48-ounce stainless steel blending pitcher.
We tested the Personal Cup Adapter package (which includes two 20-ounce double-walled blending cups with lids and an adapter fitted with blades) against our personal blender picks.
The Vitamix Personal Cup Adapter works just as well as the personal blenders we recommend. In our tests, it performed on a par with both models at pureeing vibrant kale pesto, silky date shakes, and thick smoothies.
The trade-off is that the tapered cup is small, with a capacity that’s 12 ounces less than the Nutribullet’s. And the bottom is quite narrow, so if you want to maximize the Personal Cup Adapter’s blending capacity, you need to be strategic about filling the cup (tiny fruit first, chunkier fruit later). By comparison, the Nutribullet has wide cylindrical blending containers that can accommodate large chunks of fruit and ice, no matter how you load them.
If you already own a 5200, it’s convenient to get the adapter instead of another standalone personal blender. But you have to weigh that convenience against the cost: Compared with our recommendations in our standalone personal blender guide, the Vitamix adapter is more expensive than our top pick.
If you’re looking for an alternative to a plastic jar, consider the Vitamix 48-ounce stainless steel blending pitcher. The advantages to stainless steel are that it doesn’t stain or retain smells. But the 48-ounce stainless steel blending pitcher has less capacity than the full-size, 64-ounce plastic container that comes with the 5200. And like other low-profile blending containers, the stainless steel jar also works best when it’s at least one-quarter full. That said, in our tests it easily blended a thick, 24-ounce berry-kale smoothie, with few seeds left whole.
How the Vitamix 5200 has held up
Editorial director Marguerite Preston has used her Vitamix 5200 on a weekly basis since 2019, and she says it’s held up great. Her family uses it mainly to make smoothies, herb-based sauces, and the occasional batch of oatmeal-banana pancakes.
We also used a Vitamix 5200 in our test kitchen for five years and had nothing but excellent results. It finally did burn out, but only after we put it through strenuous use over the course of many tests for this guide and others. Still, it easily outlasted other blenders, and it made many more (and better) batches of nut butter and extra-thick smoothies before we pushed it to its limit. Since our Vitamix was still under warranty when it burned out, we contacted customer service, and the representatives promptly replaced it.
Christine Cyr Clisset, deputy editor and author of a previous version of this guide, said she finally bought herself a refurbished Vitamix 5200 after years of long-term testing various Wirecutter blender picks. Christine said the first five (or so) times she used her 5200, she noticed a slight burning smell while making her morning smoothies.
During a call with customer service, she learned that when you’re blending a thick smoothie, Vitamix recommends that you start the blender at the lowest variable speed setting, and then immediately turn the dial to 10—while vigorously tamping at the same time. Christine had been starting on low and then very gradually increasing the speed, likely stressing the motor. She reports that the burning smell has subsided since she’s followed the advice from Vitamix.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
For many people, the biggest issue with the Vitamix 5200 is its steep price. This blender is normally at least twice the price of our runner-up, the Oster Versa. But after years of testing and using the Vitamix 5200, we find that it’s more durable and overall more effective than any other blender we’ve tried.
You can save some money on a Vitamix if you opt for a certified-refurbished model. A certified reconditioned Vitamix comes with a five-year warranty (with an option to extend coverage three more years, for an additional $75).
At more than 20 inches tall, the Vitamix 5200 is a big appliance. It’s too tall to fit under some kitchen cabinets. If size is an issue, and you’re willing to give up some of the functionality you get from a tall, tapered jar, Vitamix makes other blenders (as mentioned below) that have a shorter profile.
The Vitamix 5200 doesn’t come with any presets, just a variable-speed dial. However, even though it’s nice to be able to press a button and have your blender run through a smoothie-making program, this is not really essential. You’ll probably stick close to your blender anyway, in order to use the tamper to get things moving, and it’s not hard to adjust the dial if you feel the need to. With this blender, it’s also easy to get good results without any presets.
