Refurbished Vitamix Blenders: A Savvy Insider’s Guide

Table of contents

• Recon A3500 worth it?
• The warranty
• Extended warranty worth it?
• Setting expectations
  • Look and feel
  • What’s the packaging like?
  • On gifting them
• All other options
  • All refurbished from Vitamix
  • Renewed from Amazon
  • Ebay, Costco, etc
• Returns and shipping
• Conclusion and final thoughts

Recon A3500 worth it?

The Recon A3500 is usually not worth it because of its 5-year warranty compared to a new one’s 10-year. Amortize the price over warranty life and the math doesn’t make sense. But every once in a while, the Recon A3500 goes on sale making the savings absolutely worth the shorter warranty. Sales like these are pretty rare, so generally not worth waiting for. Instead, go with a new A3500 in any color or get the Recon V1200 pack (usually around $400 with code 100RECONV).

The warranty

Most Certified Refurbished (Reconditioned) Vitamix models come with a 5-year warranty. This warranty is identical to the ones included with new models, but for the duration. If anything needs repair, Vitamix will send you a shipping label, have it picked up, repaired or replaced as needed, and send it back to you all for free. (Fun fact: The Vitamix repair team is four people; enough to service the astonishingly small percentage, around 2%, of the five million Vitamix blenders in households that ever need service.)

Extended warranty worth it?

You can purchase an extended warranty on your refurbished Vitamix. But, you shouldn’t, and here’s why: You can add an extended warranty onto your Vitamix at any time before the original warranty expires. So you can call Vitamix Customer Service in four years and 364 days to add the extended warranty. So save your money now and skip the extended warranty. 👍

Setting expectations

You’ll read a lot about the 17-point inspection process. But here’s what to actually expect when you get a refurbished blender directly from Vitamix.

Look and feel

A refurbished Vitamix purchased direct from the manufacturer should look and feel like new. Each one comes with a:

• New container
• New lid
• New lid plug
• New tamper
• New cookbook package

If the (not sharp, by design!) blade assembly isn’t new, it’s high-temperature dish washed before being fixed to the new container. The rest is quarantined, sanitized, buffed, tested, and inspected to make sure it’s like-new.

What’s the packaging like?

Refurbished Vitamix purchased direct from the manufacturer come in a simple cardboard box. There’s also a card inside that congratulates you on the purchase of your Certified Reconditioned blender. But beyond that, you’d think it was new. It’ll be shiny and wonderful and difficult to tell it’s not new.

On gifting them

You can absolutely gift these. But you should set expectations with whomever you’re gifting it to. So send them this video: You’re getting a refurbished Vitamix.

Or, you can copy paste the following:

All other options

Here’s what you need to know about the other refurbished Vitamix options.

Certified Reconditioned Vitamix we don’t recommend (and why)

• Reconditioned Explorian — too loud, though it’s not bothersome for some people. If you do get it, we recommend ear muffs*.
• Certified Reconditioned Standard — this is a reconditioned 5200, a great pick. But for the extra few dollars, the Certified Reconditioned Standard Programs* is worth the upgrade because programs are nice to have.
• Certified Reconditioned 5300 — a fine model especially when on sale. The Recon 7500 has the same features and performance with a more streamlined look.

Renewed from Amazon

Amazon sells renewed Vitamix models. These are different from the Certified Reconditioned refurbished models sold from Vitamix. The renewed Vitamix blenders from Amazon go through *their* repackaging process and are only covered for one year. This is very different from the 17-point inspection process that happens inside Vitamix headquarters*. The original manufacturer’s warranty may still apply, but it’s hard to say. Basically, feel free to take a chance on these. But I can’t, in good faith, recommend it.

Returns

Every refurbished Vitamix bought directly from their website comes with free 30-day returns. (Actually, last I spoke to management, they’re still accepting returns within 60 days since extending it for COVID.) They want you to love your Vitamix and if you don’t for whatever reason, you can always return or exchange, no questions asked.

Conclusion and recommendation

If you’re looking to get a great deal on a Vitamix, getting a refurbished one that’s Certified Reconditioned is a great decision. Is there anything I missed? If so, please leave a comment or send an email — we’re here to help.