Review on 🍹 Vitamix A3300 Ascent Series Smart Blender: Professional-Grade with 64 oz. Low-Profile Container in Black by Jason Hymon

Very happy with this blender. It's definitely very powerful. I'm deducting a star mainly because of the value. I don't mind paying a few hundred dollars for a quality instrument, but I get pretty high expectations. This mixer can take whatever I put into it. So far I have made vegan cheese sauce, avocado cream, soup and of course a wide variety of smoothies, from individual to "family". It all comes together very well - much better than my 2010 Ninja system. I love that this model has a handy pulse button for chopping (some older Vitamix models don't have these). However, I am dissatisfied with a few subtleties of the blender: 1. There is no spout, so in order to pour the contents you have to remove the lid completely. I liked the thoughtfulness of the spout built into my Ninja.2 large jugs. Comes with no accessories other than a 64-ounce blender jar, and additional accessories are expensive too. A 64-ounce blender is great for large batches of food, but it's definitely not ideal for small batch sizes. I can still make a custom size shake in a 64 ounce blender but it doesn't seem to do as well as it does with large batches. I've had a few mishaps with smaller batches of side dishes because there just wasn't enough in the jar to mix well (most of the ingredients got stuck under the blades). Obviously, this "problem" can be solved by buying a smaller pitcher or a separate smoothie jar, but again, these accessories are separate and expensive. The blades cannot be removed for cleaning. Admittedly, this aspect doesn't bother me anymore as I've found that soaking or rinsing the blender and then adding some dish soap and warm water cleans the blender nicely. However, removing the blade is what I originally wanted. The plastic cover of the base looks ok but a bit cheap.5. A little high when the pitcher is at the base. Doesn't fit in some closets including mine. I got around this by placing it somewhere with no cabinets.6. I don't like having to use a tamper to pop air bubbles or push ingredients toward the blades. An artifact of habituation to the ninja system, with blades reaching to the center of the jar. Advantages: 1. Easy to clean and maintain2. Like the 10-year warranty on this particular model3. Ideal for blending smoothies. No "bits" left.4. The controls are simple (although I haven't taken the time to learn how to use the timer function yet)5. The modern style is sophisticated and good looking which is good for me as I keep mine on the counter. However, this particular model is housed in a plastic body which is not the highest quality material. solid base. All in all I would recommend it if you can afford this machine and the extra accessories that you may need. I certainly haven't gotten the same mix quality with other less expensive machines I've tried (even my favorite Ninja system). However, in my opinion you are compromising performance. I think it just depends on your financial health and priorities. I use my blender almost every day so I felt it was a good investment, especially with the 10 year guarantee. Over time I will be adding accessories to help me with small tasks/batches which will alleviate some of my personal issues. If you're struggling to swallow the price of Vitamix, aren't picky about texture, and don't mind a few bites in your smoothie, then something like Nina Systems would be the best option cost-wise. I don't regret my purchase, but I do regret the lack of included accessories and the cost of adding them to my Vitamix system.