Blendtec Stealth Review

Good things: The Blendtec Stealth is in a class of its own. Its look, hushed sound and incredible power make it a true elitist’s high-end blender.
Not good things: What makes the Stealth good is what makes it not good. It’s quite expensive and requires more maintenance than a normal Blendtec unit. Plus, the warranty is only good for three years.
All things considered: The Blendtec Stealth, with its 3.8 HP motor, in-counter mounting ability and professional hood is in a category all alone. Early adopters will recognize the opportunity to get the quietest, most powerful, most elite blender in their home.  Others will wait for the price to come down and for the warranty to improve.

Tips

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Notes

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In this Blendtec Stealth review, I’ll be as thorough as possible. Even if it’s something that doesn’t portray this product kindly, I will make note. My goal is to help products like this get designed better. At any price, nobody likes buying a poorly designed product, right? Nor does anyone deserve to be misinformed or misled.

I do earn a little money from links out. But beyond referral fees, I am not paid to promote any products. Nor do I accept repeated offers to place ads on the site. My goal to to create a resource that I would use. A place I would go to. A community I’d subscribe to.

Of course, the commentary in this review is from my eyes. My experience and perspective. So, while I tell it like it is, sometimes I make mistakes or leave stuff out. So for the benefit of the Life is NOYOKE community, let me know if you see any errors or omissions. Thank you.

Overview

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The Blendtec Stealth stands in a class all alone. Just from the looks, you can see there’s nothing like it. Buyers of the Blendtec Stealth will appreciate the its:

• Hushed running volume.
• Massive 3.8 HP motor.
• Bonus Twister Jar.
• In-counter mounting ability.
• Lack of comparable Vitamix.
• General eliteness.

Overall, the Blendtec Stealth is a commercial blender rebranded for the general public. For most, its features are a bit robust for most of the general public. Plus, the warranty is only good for three years. If money was no issue and I wanted a conversation piece in the home I was building, I’d buy a Stealth today. Otherwise, I’d probably wait. But, that’s just my opinion.

Unboxing

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In these massive reviews, I’ll open up the box and explore what’s inside. Credit to my friend Ray Maker for showing me how enjoyable these unveilings are. Here it is. The Blendtec Stealth unboxed.

First, here’s the necessary box shot. The Stealth box was incredibly tall. But since it came packed with the hood down, I’m not sure why it needed such a big box. Also, note that this Blendtec doesn’t come with a fancy, colorful box. Why? Well, commercial Blendtec buyers don’t care. And the Stealth is normally sold commercially.

If it’s not apparent, I was a little underwhelmed by the boxing. Outside and in, I yearned for more. Especially for the big price tag. I was much more excited opening a Blendtec Designer box. Maybe that’s a sign to never open a restaurant!

Once again, another sign of a commercial blender. Usually there’s a welcoming pack of books and such on top of the blender itself.

I swear, I really think the Stealth is gorgeous. This is the last ugly pic.

The accessories. Kinda just thrown into a box within the box.

The twister jar with commercial lid. If your lid looks like this (no large plastic vent in the middle), give Blendtec a call. At this point, there’s virtually zero chance you’ll be sent a non-vented lid. NOTE: I’m happy to be the guy who discovered this oversight (and not you).

Twister jar and vented twister lid. The actual twister lid is to the right. I loved this spatula.

Top left is the recipe guide. Warranty to the right. User guide at bottom.

All together now.

Cost

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The Blendtec Stealth costs a lot. Even for a high-end blender, it’s quite expensive. See current price.

The Stealth’s high cost includes:

• Sound-dampening hood.
• 3.8 HP motor
• 40 pre-programmed settings with USB customization

To me, the 3.8 HP is not necessary. And, the ability to customize blending cycles via USB isn’t very useful for home-use.

So, what you’re really paying for is the quiet. With the hood on, the Stealth is shockingly quiet. With young babies and money burning a hole in your pocket, it’s worth the cost. The quietness is awesome and for real.

Warranty

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The Blendtec Stealth comes with a 3-year warranty. Most of Blendtec’s blenders sold for home use, however, come with a 7-year warranty.

When speaking with my friends at Blendtec, they recognized that anything less than a 7-year warranty is a legitimate concern for buyers.

Why just 3-years? It’s not because of a lack in confidence in the product. It’s because the Stealth is almost always sold commercially. And since the their commercial blenders are covered for 3 years, the Stealth sold to the general public is, too.

Why would someone want to pay 3x the price of a normal Blendtec and get less than half the warranty? Not sure.

Controls

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The controls on the Stealth are entirely electronic. It can operate by slider control, as shown below.

Or, it can run with pre-set programs.

Compared to the Blendtec Designer, the pre-programmed controls were lacking. Yes, it comes with 42 programs standard out-of-the box. But, on the Stealth, they displayed as numbers. Not very intuitive. On the Designer, however, the programs have little symbols.

Like most other new generation Blendtecs, there are no physical buttons or dials. Just touch-screen. Some like this functionality. I, however, feel less in control. But not everyone is a control freak like me.

There is a USB port for further customization. I did not attempt to create my own preset programs. Aside from a restaurant, I’m not sure who would take the time to do this. Not to mention, you get 42 preset programs when out-of-the-box.

Power

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The Stealth is a beast. 3.8 HP is nearly 2x the size of any blender sold to the public. But is it necessary? I’ve never stopped using my Vitamix or a regular Blendtec I was testing because I needed more than 2HP of power.

I also drive a Prius, so power isn’t a priority for me.

Sound

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With the hood on, the Blendtec Stealth is ridiculously quiet. Yes, you can still hear it, but it wouldn’t necessarily wake anyone up.

The difference in sound with the hood up and down is apparent by ear. And, it’s confirmed by my decibel measurement (unofficial).

With the hood up, the Blendtec Stealth was quite loud. Louder than any other Blendtec or Vitamix I’ve ever tested. The Stealth, with the hood up was consistently in the mid to high 90’s range for decibels. With the hood down, in “Stealth Mode” however, it dropped to the mid 70’s. That may not seem like much, but busy city traffic is around 85 decibels.

Accessories

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The Stealth comes with a few accessories. I wish it came with more. And I wish the ones it came with were more value-add.

Recipe book

Actually, I wouldn’t call this a recipe book. It’s more like a pamphlet. In the recipe pamphlet, the recipes are designed for the Twister jar. There are a few good ones to get you started. But it’s not really something to add to your bookshelf.

In total, there’s about 20 pages and maybe 15 recipes. The photos inside are pretty good though!

User guide

The user guide is like most user guides that come with electronics. There’s too much information to be useful. A “Getting Started” guide, like something you’d get with a Vitamix, would have been nice.

Wildside jar

This is the standard Blendtec Jar. It’s the jar that you get with any other Blendtec.

Twister Jar, lid and spatula

The Stealth comes with a Twister Jar. It’s a nice bonus because buying it separately is about $100.

A note on the lids

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Be sure your Stealth came with a vented lid. The vented lid allows steam to escape during blending cycles. Since this is generally sold as a commercial blender, and most commercially owned blenders aren’t used for soup, some Stealths have been shipped with non-vented lids.

My first experience with the Stealth was with a non-vented lid. Let me say it got messy. Soup and then soap suds got everywhere.

Once I got a vented lid, the Stealth ran just fine.

Update: Blendtec recognized they were sending the wrong lids. Anyone who received a non-vented lid should have been contacted by now. If not, give Blendtec a call and they’ll happily take care of you.

Blendtec Stealth vs Vitamix Quiet One

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At the time of publishing, the Vitamix Quiet One was only available to commercial accounts. But, for all intents and purposes, they’re similar. Compared to their respective retail models, the Stealth and Quiet One are significantly:

• More powerful.
• Quieter.
• More expensive.
• Under shorter warranty.

But, early adopters will recognize the opportunity. There is only one way to get the quietest, most powerful, most expensive blender in your home. Right now, it’s get the Blendtec Stealth.

Maintenance

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Maintaining the Stealth is made more challenging by the hood. Yes, it sound proofs the unit. But if you spill, which you will, you gotta wipe the hood.

Fortunately, the Stealth’s hood is removable. It still requires cleaning occasionally. But, with the hood off, it’s a heck of a lot easier.

To remove the Stealth’s hood, just pull the hood out from the outsides. The large round pegs should (pretty) easily come out of their slots. Think of it like removing a football helmet. You gotta put your thumbs on the inside, pull both sides outwards, then remove.

Design

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The Stealth, by design, is sharp. It’s shiny black with a silver plaque on the front. The colors of the controls also really pop.

With the hood closed, the Blendtec Stealth fits under most cabinets. It’s about the same height as a Vitamix Pro 750.

With the hood open, the Stealth is pretty tall. Get the full specs at the Blendtec website.

The Stealth is designed to be in-counter ready. The only other blender that can do that is Blendtecs Tom Dickson Extreme model. So if you are building a new home and want an in-counter, hooded blender, the Blendtec Stealth is an option.

Conclusion

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The Blendtec Stealth is an incredible machine. It’s more powerful and quieter than anything else available to the public. For someone looking to really show off, and won’t mind a little extra maintenance, this is a good pick. Just be sure you’re okay with the three year warranty.

I tested the Stealth for weeks and definitely see the appeal. Four stars.

Bottom line recommendation: Today, it’s not for me. But I still own an iPhone 4s.

Good things,

P.S. If you appreciated this review, be sure Life is NOYOKE gets credit by purchasing through my link out to Blendtec.

P.P.S. Feel free to use this Blendtec promotion code to get FREE shipping.

Reviewed by Lenny Gale on

2014-01-24
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Rating:
4