Vitamix vs Blendtec – Why not both?

The eternal question: Vitamix or Blendtec? Behold this chimera of a Vitamix base with a special Blendtec Rebel+ Jar. It’s the best of both worlds.

The Blendtec jar is great – so great that Vitamix copied it. It’s short, easy to pour, and easy to clean. However, the controls on the Blendtec Total Blender are lacking. I never used the pre-programmed cycles, which meant I had to press the “speed up” button 10 times to reach maximum power during prep. Each cycle automatically shut off after 50 seconds, which was annoying for longer jobs.

In contrast, the Vitamix controls are great – instant max speed and no timer. However, the jar is horrible because it’s hard to get the last bits out from underneath the blades, there are no right angles that form a convenient pouring channel, the lid latch is awkward, and it requires a tamper.

The solution is the Blendtec Rebel+ Jar that fits on Vitamix blenders.  I couldn’t be happier with this combination – total control over prep with an easy pour, easy clean jar. It’s perfect.

Interestingly, this is similar to the setup at my local Jamba Juice. The blenders all have Vitamix bases, but all of their jars look like Blendtec FourSide jars.