What we love: We have been recommending Vitamix blenders for years, always with the understanding that their high price point is a bit of a barrier for many home cooks. But Vitamix has done its part to try and meet the market where it’s at, offering models at a variety of price points. That now includes the VX1, a less-expensive, slightly more powerful, but otherwise nearly identical counterpart to the 5200. And we’re thrilled to say our initial testing of this model met our high Vitamix expectations. With a 1,440 watt motor, the VX1 technically packs a bit more oomph than the 1,380-watt 5200, while offering the same capacity and only slight concessions on features. The tactile controls (no touch screens here) feature manual on/off and pulse switches, and a variable speed setting dial, which ranges from one to 10 as well as a cleaning setting. When starting with the speed on the lowest setting, the blade doesn’t jolt into action, tossing ingredients all over the pitcher, helping everything incorporate evenly. The standard 64-ounce pitcher is the same you’d find on the 5200, but we also like that this model is compatible with Vitamix’s (optional) 48-ounce pitcher and personal blending cups, meaning for some added investment you can tailor your blending to a variety of sizes and needs. And while no blender is whisper quiet, this one isn’t the loudest by any stretch while still pulverizing everything effectively and efficiently. It comes with a tamper stick, but in our relatively chunky smoothie and soup tests, we never had to reach for it, and everything turned out smooth and silky. At $100+ less than the 5200, we’re calling this our new, go-to Vitamix pick for the average user and first-time Vitamix buyers.
NOTE: You may still find a 5200 cheaper than the list price of the VX1 during the big sales events around Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday.
What we’d leave: As we have noted/complained about with other Vitamix models, the one “fail” we’d claim is that our smoothie was warmer than we would have liked, especially when compared head-to-head with other blenders on this list. (Though, in fairness, that’s probably as much a function of us learning not to overblend as it is due to a warm motor base.) The lid snaps on with two tabs, but it is a soft plastic material that also doesn’t feel like it’s completely sealed when compared with some other models that lock in or have rubber gaskets. And at about 19.5 inches tall, it’s shorter than the 5200, but you still may run into some storage issues under especially low cabinets.
