Review on Calphalon Activesense Blender: Blend-N-Go Cup & Powerful Performance in Dark Stainless Steel by Jenny Cordero

Kitchen appliance reviews are my specialty and I'm always looking for the holy grail of the perfect blender. We use a premium Vitamix 6300 daily as well as a very good Breville BBL620. What fits best? Read on to find out: COST & WARRANTY: Vitamix These are expensive machines, and cost is a factor. We spent money on a Vitamix 6300 but bought a refurbished one with a full 3 year warranty for less than $300. It used to be impossible to buy Vitamix for less than $400, but today they have very good competition: prices have come down. They now sell a very similar Vitamix Explorian that can be restored for about $270. PRICE AND GUARANTEE: Calphalon. This stylish new Calphalon ActiveSense costs $220 at the time of writing this review, but I expect it will end up around $200, which is quite reasonable for a blender of this quality. It comes with a 10-year limited warranty. When properly validated by Calphalon, this is the device's exclusive warranty. Expect the warranty to cover the motor but not the jug. PRICE AND GUARANTEE: The Breville BBL620 is popular and now in its second generation replacing the similar BBBL605xl. It looks aesthetically pleasing on any countertop. We also used this blender daily and it lasts well. It costs around $200 and comes with a three-year limited warranty. Having owned several Breville lights they hold up well over time and we have never required warranty service. Our 7 year old Breville toaster has issues with the casing but we think 7 years is long enough for a daily use appliance. WHO HAS THE MOST POWERFUL MOTOR: Vitamix, Calphalon or Breville When it comes to even blending and tough chopping of fibrous vegetables, motor power is key. Vitamix leads the way with a 1300W motor that never disappoints. It can also grind many types of seeds, hard work for most blenders. The all new Calphalon ActiveSense represents a huge leap in performance over all previous models from this trusted brand. It's 1200W and in my early testing it didn't disappoint! Breville is less powerful than the others. That's still a respectable 1100 watts. WHO HAS THE JAR BEST AND EASIEST TO CLEAN: Vitamix, Calphalon or BrevilleVitamix has been copied by many brands including Blentec another good brand. This durable plastic material of Tritan glass has been copied many times. All three blenders are equipped with a Tritan jug. All of them are equally easy to disassemble and clean in my opinion. Before purchasing a blender, decide whether you prefer a larger pitcher or a sturdier pitcher. The most important question: does it fit under your worktop in terms of height? Measure before you buy of course! WHAT'S MOST POWERFUL: Vitamix, Calphalon or Breville The Vitamix has the most powerful motor, making it the only one to boast of being able to make hot soups. Well, that's a powerful blender when it can spin so fast that the liquid gets hot! However, I have never used this feature in the four years of Vitamix's existence. Sounds cool, it really works, but do you really prefer to cook soup this way? I don't want my blender motor to wear out so much that I run it for long periods of time until the liquid is warm. However, when comparing an 1100-watt Breville to a Vitamix, the difference in performance matters. Vitamix never disappoints. Breville very rarely disappoints with some of the toughest fibrous vegetables. Seeds are more commonly eliminated from Vitamix. To be fair, Breville has a more expensive $470 model that can compete head-to-head with the Vitamix. I didn't try. Since a great refurbished Vitamix can be had for $270, it never makes sense for us to pay $200 more. So far, Calphalon has mixed like a champion and its very powerful motor has exactly the power that the Vitamix has. But, sorry folks, "No soup for you guys!? (an old Seinfeld episode you should watch!) I'm not a big fan of the touchscreen and additional programming modes. I prefer a simpler design without the indicator sensor which could fail much sooner than the motor. However, Calphalon is a real beauty. I would highly recommend and also love their excellent mix and go smoothie mug. CONCLUSION: Vitamix, Calphalon or Breville All three are luxury winners. Both are a very welcome gift and will please almost anyone in daily use. When I'm forced to rank, I go for Vitamix #1, Calphalon #2, and Breville #3. However, they're all excellent. I hope this overly long review has been of some help. Thanks for slowly scrolling through the details. HAPPY MIX YOU AND YOURS!