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

Honestly, if you told me this was a brand new product, I would have no doubt it's true. I couldn't spot any indication of it being refurbished.I wrestled with justifying such a big splurge, when my ancient blender still did just fine for most stuff (it's the only blender I've purchased previously, and I paid exactly $1 for it at the thrift store 25 years ago, glass jar and all), but the Black Friday deal swayed me. I wanted an upgrade for more versatility, but couldn't see spending decent money on a Ninja, with so many negative ratings for reliability.Like so many others, I can't believe I waited this long! I never thought an appliance would make me so happy, but the Vitamix truly draws you into all its fury and potential. Even the self-cleaning is fun, aerating soap to the point where the tiny bubbles want to cling to the sides during rinsing.Looking through the included recipe book, I was surprised to see rice milk, which can be a sizable cost and will quickly contribute to the Vitamix paying for itself. (Rookie pro tip: 2 cups water + 1 cup cooked rice is a bit vague, as one would expect a rice measurement to be pre-cooked. I tried it that way first and it was way too thick. 1 cup pre-cooked needs 5-6 cups of water blended in for a reasonable consistency. After some experimentation, I've settled on 6 cups of water & 6 spoonfuls of brown sugar, plus a splash of vanilla extract. Blend it longer than seems necessary, to get a smoother texture. Refrigerate it overnight, and preferably a full day, for it to thicken up nicely. Basmati is nice, but Jasmine is a real treat.)I was excited to try making hummus, and while it did turn out well, I probably won't be doing it again. The thick mixture overheated my Explorian a couple times and required an annoyingly long wait to cool down enough to resume. While waiting on that, I read a few things of interest: 1) thick mixtures like nut butters and hummus usually have that problem, 2) it takes 45-60 minutes to sufficiently cool the blender down, and 3) there's a trick to dramatically lessen the time of #2. Once it cools just enough to run, crank it up to high speed with no container in place. That'll get the fan running at maximum speed, and with no load on the motor, will cool it down in a minute or so.Also, the reason for blending stuff on the highest speed, as it turns out, isn't for the blending so much as for the cooling. Fan speed is tied to motor speed. I'm a little surprised Vitamix didn't find a way to un-link the two and allow the fan to either always run either at max speed, or independently variable speeds by heat dissipation demands.The built-in cord storage is a nice touch, looping around below the base instead of sticking off the back like most. Also, the cord is what you would expect to see on a high power shop tool, or a 10-14 ga extension cord. It's way meatier than that of most appliances, and hints at how much build quality goes into these blenders. It's weird that the high end blenders all use plastic jars nowadays, but I guess people are obsessed with blending ice (a total mystery to me; just get crushed ice or stick whatever it is in the fridge after) and need that extra layer of shatter-proof protection?Everyone raves about the tamper, but until you start playing with it and realize the purpose of the removable center cap, it doesn't fully sink in how useful it is. The lid itself is somewhat difficult to remove, probably as a safety measure with how much pressure is created by those blades of fury.

This reburbished Vitamix looks brand new, just like other reviewers said. I can't believe it's not new! I love it! I make my own almond milk every other day. It does everything that the most exspensive Vitamix does! Fantastic buy! I highly recommend buying this!

The media could not be loaded. I decided I wanted a good blender that could tolerate hot foods. I landed on this vitamix and could not be happier. It blended my roasted salsa veggies perfectly and was surprisingly quiet. It didn't even disturb my sleeping cat on the other side of the room. The lid is easily placed and removed not needing much force, but stays sealed to keep blending foods inside. I like that I can change the power level with the numbered not while it's in the on position. I highly recommend this vitamix blender.I will also mention that I got a refurbished machine, but it looks and works like brand new.

What you would expect from a Vita mix.

this brand beats its reputation. so powerful, well built and effective.

This is an amazing machine far superior to the Cuisinart it replaced. Some other reviews mentioned it was small, but I disagree, it is quite large for making smoothies. My only complaint is the loud noise level at higher speeds.

The finest beast mode blender. Powerful and well built. This think will last at least a decade.

I’ve had this for almost three years- works great and no complaints - other than noise level at higher speeds.