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Video: The Case of the Ninja Professional vs the Vitamix 5200
So you’d love to have a Vitamix. But, you think a Ninja is just as good.
Totally normal.
Why Vitamix when a Ninja can do everything you need?
But can it?
And if it’s nearly “as-good”, isn’t a Ninja still a better buy?
The short answer is no. đ
The long answer when comparing Ninja vs Vitamix depends on you.
- Why do you want a blender?
- Why do you want to make smoothies?
- Why do you want to look good, feel good and get a better life for you and your family?
What do you REALLYÂ want?
Let me explain.
But first, you should knew a few things about me.
Yes, it’s scannable. But, it’s meant to be read from beginning to end. It’s a story. If you want to skip the introduction, here’s a shortcut. đ In college, I studied accounting. After, I got registered as a Certified Public Accountant. What does that mean? Well, basically I’m a nerd. But it also means that I value: 1. Trust I am all about honesty and forthrightness. 2. Due diligence My research is thorough. I use complete data sets to make decisions. 3.  Expertise I know the importance of having a knowledgable advisor. But that’s just where the story begins. I left my CPA consulting job to pursue my TRUE passion. I’m passionate about helping others live a better life. Through health. Through wellness. I lead through advocating for YOU. I only publish work that serves my mission. So the purpose of comparing Ninja vs Vitamix is to help you make the right decision. If you succeed, I succeed. If you fail, so do I. As such, in this post about Ninja and Vitamix, I’ll do my best to help you make the right decision. The decision that helps you achieve your goals and live a healthier, better life. While money has nothing to do with my advice, you should read the following disclosure. Life is NOYOKE takes us hundreds of hours every month to create and maintain. If you appreciate what we do, please consider supporting our work by using our referral links to make purchases. It’s free for you and every bit helps. It’s true. I have a partnership with Vitamix. But I don’t work for them. I work for YOU. I do research, do testing and provide recommendations. Why would I give advice that isn’t in your best interest? That’s not in MY best interest. Because here’s the deal: I think of myself like a doctor. (With all due respect to actual doctors, of course) I aim to keep you out of harms way. And if that means warning you about products that will prevent you from achieving your goals, I feel it’s my duty to do that. Same with products that will HELP you achieve your goals. What’s more, I have done more than just research on this Ninja vs. Vitamix topic. I’ve used both products in my home. I’ve bought both products with my own money. Sure, I may be more of an authority on Vitamix. But I know exactly what it’s like to own a Ninja, too. Bottom line: I’m going to tell you what I know. You will benefit from the information. And I’m here if you have further questions. Now that we have that out of the way, here’s a story: The following is a REAL story. The name has been changed on condition of anonymity. Here it goes: Sarah, the mother of two young children, had her birthday coming up. Her husband knew what she wanted as a gift. A new blender. Why? Sarah wanted to make smoothies for her whole family. Green smoothies. She knew exactly which blender she wanted. Her husband, however, did not. He just knew she wanted a blender. And he had a pretty good idea WHY she wanted a blender. Ask Sarah what she wanted for her birthday. She’ll say, “I want a blender.” Ask her WHY she wants a blender. She’ll say, “I want to make smoothies.” Ask her WHY she wants to make smoothies. And then, we hear the REAL goal. She’ll say she wants a blender to make smoothies so she can: Then, smoothies become just the beginning. Eventually, she’d want to make nut butters, hot soups and ice cream. Not just for her. For her kids. For her husband. For her friends and family. And she knew there was one single blender that could help her do that. Deciding between Ninja and Vitamix is not easy. So, Sarah’s husband did his homework. He wanted what any good husband would want: Fortunately, there’s a lot of information on the topic. So much that it got overwhelming. And confusing. So Sarah’s husband decided between Ninja and Vitamix. He went with his gut instinct. Why not? That’s worked for him in the past. Sarah got what she wanted for her birthday. A new blender! No, it wasn’t THE blender she hoped for. But she was grateful for the gift. And she believed her husband when he told her Ninja Blenders are just as good as a Vitamix for a fraction of the price. So Sarah had her new blender: A Ninja. And she began using it daily. Here’s how it went: It took Sarah a few minutes to unbox the Ninja and put it together the first time. With the kids away at day-care, she made a smoothie for herself. It wasn’t bad. Then, she cleaned the Ninja by-hand and put it away. The next few smoothies went similarly. But these smoothies were just for her. It was time to make a green smoothie her kids would enjoy. Here’s how that went. Sarah wanted to use her Ninja to make her young kids green smoothies. What a great way to get them to eat more fruits and vegetables, right? In theory, yes. But here’s the problem. Her kids hated the Ninja-made green smoothies. They were a strange color and had big chunks of kale. Of course, she tried other recipes. But they all had the same problem. The Ninja’s green smoothies were not smooth enough to conceal the presence of green vegetables. And that’s the whole point! Sarah was disappointed. By not being able to make green smoothies her kids would enjoy, she was: It wasn’t her fault. She knew this. But she didn’t want to blame it on the Ninja. After all, it was a gift from her loving husband. A nice gift! So even though her kids didn’t want her Ninja-made, chunky green smoothies, she pressed on. Sarah kept using the Ninja to make smoothies for herself. She didn’t mind the texture. She kinda liked it. But after a couple weeks of daily use, things changed. The Ninja’s blend quality started to decline. To be fair, the decline in blend quality eventually leveled-off. If the first few blends were a 4 out of 5, it was a 3 out of 5 going forward. Sarah was starting to lose steam on her daily smoothie routine. But the Ninja’s poor blend quality was only the beginning. The first time Sarah cleaned her Ninja, it took several minutes. But she didn’t mind. It was probably just the learning curve. Or, perhaps because she was taking special care because it was still her “new baby.” But practice (and apathy) didn’t make the Ninja cleaning process any faster. No matter how she did it, it took a long time. She had to: Yet, Sarah pressed on. (She’s a trooper) And she tried to make other healthy choices in her Ninja. Sarah wanted to try different recipes in her Ninja. Why not? Maybe her Ninja could prove itself in other areas. So, she tried a blended hot soup recipe. After six minutes on high, it was just luke warm. Not hot. She tried peanut butter. It was definitely NOT the creamy peanut butter she expected. It was chunky. While she kinda liked chunky peanut butter, her kids (and husband) do not. Finally, she tried to grind some grains. She didn’t get the “dust” she needed. And after all that, what did Sarah do? Her smoothies weren’t turning out how she wanted.The clean-up process took WAY too much work for a busy mom. And the other recipes she tried to make didn’t work. So, despite her best efforts, Sarah stopped using the Ninja Blender completely. The worst part? She was not able to achieve the healthy lifestyle she wanted. The lifestyle she was ready for. The lifestyle she wanted for herself, her husband and her kids. Certainly, Sarah is fair. And rational. She knew she shouldn’t blame Ninja for her failure. Why? Blaming Ninja is essentially blaming her husband. He got her the Ninja as a gift. So that’s not fair either. But that won’t stop stop Sarah’s husband from being disappointed at his bad decision. Sarah’s husband eventually realized he made the wrong pick when choosing between Ninja and Vitamix. But he isn’t mad at Ninja. After all, their marketing machine told him everything he wanted to hear. So who is he mad at? He’s mad at: But let’s not point fingers. Let’s, instead, walk through the science of why all this happened. Ninja Blenders are a relatively new brand. They were brought to market around a little before 2010. But Europro, the company who owns the Ninja Blender brand, has been around for decades. Europro’s primary business? Cleaning products. Read: Vacuums. No, there’s nothing with vacuums. But Europro is a vacuum company. They have been for 95% of their existence. To be fair, any company that’s been around as long as they have deserves some credit. It shouldn’t matter if they’re a company of door-to-door vacuum salesmen. đ So how did Europro get into the blender business? Well, the name of their vacuum brand says it all: Sharks. A little before 2010, Europro saw an opportunity in the household blender market. While there were low-end and high-end options, there were no mid-tier blenders on the market. Yet, the blender market was BOOMING. So they created the Ninja Blender brand as a mid-tier alternative to Vitamix. The idea was to sell the same performance for less. They said, “Introducing the Ninja Professional. Your Vitamix equivalent for 25% of the price.” Yes, Europro has made a killing selling Ninja Blenders. And that should come as no surprise. It’s their goal. Europro has achieved their goal in the household blender market. They’ve made a lot of money. But here’s the problem: Buyers of Ninja Blenders are falling short of THEIR goals. Their true potential. And, many of them wish they had made the right choice THE FIRST TIME. But again, Europro and its Ninja Blenders don’t care about your goals. They don’t care if you fail. Because once Ninja has your money, they’re ready to sell you a newer, more feature-rich version of their machine. One that, as they say, will fix all of your problems. The problems that were Ninja’s fault in the first place. But how do they do it? Why are so many people buying Ninja Blenders? Here’s why. Europro uses a complex strategy to sell their Ninja Blenders. But in essence, they use two tactics: 1. Confusion Ninja aims to confuse you through all stages of the blender buying process. When comparing Ninja to Vitamix, Ninja shows several things: Ninja also has huge lineup of their own models aimed to confuse buyers. The features and prices range aggressively. 2. Bombardment Ninja has a massive marketing budget to get their message out. Let me repeat: It’s MASSIVE. Have a TV? You’re almost guaranteed to see a Ninja Blender informercial. So Europro is in control of the Ninja Blender messaging. And, it’s coming at you from every direction. (The irony is incredible) But, who can blame Ninja for getting the word out on their product? Business is business. But here’s the problem: It happens all the time. People pick Ninja over Vitamix. But half of those people are disappointed. Let me repeat: 50% of Ninja owners regret their purchase. Sarah’s story is the perfect example. People decide to spend money on something to help them achieve their goals. Sure, sometimes they’re completely satisfied. But often they’re not. Why? That product actually PREVENTED them from achieving their goals. Here’s a big reason: They know what else is out there. They know what they actually needed. A Vitamix Machine. Let’s discuss. It’s well documented that I love my Vitamix. But I’m not alone. Millions of others proudly proclaim how they love their Vitamix, too Millions, including UNPAID celebrities like Ryan Seacrest. And of course, UNPAID top chefs. 100’s of commercial quick-serve restaurants that make smoothies and other blended drinks as well. They all swear by their Vitamix Machine. Personally, my Vitamix has played a key role in my healthy lifestyle. It’s the one and only purchase I recommend to readers of my blog. Why such a hero? Look no further than Vitamix Corporation’s history as a family-owned, health and wellness company. The story begins in 1921 when William Grover Barnard began selling can openers during the great depression. His original goal? Protect consumers against hurting themselves. (Interesting how the essence of this goal will continue.) By helping an ailing friend, Barnard, known as “Papa G”, discovered the power of health and nutrition. This laid the foundation for his company’s mission. He renamed his business to the “Natural Foods Institute.” In 1937, Papa G introduced a new product: The blender. From then on, he focused his efforts on this product alone. From the recommendation of a family member, he named the product a Vita-mix. Why? Because “vita” means life. In 1949, Papa G introduced his Vita-mix blender to the world through a new medium: The infomercial. And it was a huge hit. (See the original Papa Barnard informercial here.) Imitators caught on to the success quickly. They would slap an “as-seen-on-TV” sticker on their imitation blenders. (Sound familiar?) But Vitamix chose to “not battle in the red ocean.” Instead, Vitamix Corporation went off the radar. They chose to focus on innovation, not competition. In 1964, Papa G’s grandson and 2nd generation President, Bill, officially renamed the company Vitamix Corporation. Soon after, they introduce the Vitamix 3600, the fist blender that could make hot soup and ice cream. Third generation family President, John Barnard, was an engineer by training. With this background he helped Vitamix introduce its first commercial blender. John’s daughter, Jodi (Barnard) Berg, grew up witnessing her grandfather, Bill’s, dedication to his customers fist-hand. She heard him spending hours on the phone teaching customers how to use their Vitamix. Today, Jodi, the fourth generation President, leads Vitamix. The recent work of her and her family’s business, Vitamix, is impressive. Let’s discuss. It may have taken several decades and four generations. But there’s no denying it: Vitamix Blenders are the best. Over 4.3 million (and counting) households have a Vitamix Blender. Most of them agree: It’s life-changing. And the numbers don’t lie. 97% of household Vitamix Blender owners LOVE their machine. What does that mean? When independently surveyed, 97% of household Vitamix Blender owners were either “Extremely satisfied” or “Very satisfied” with their purchase. In other words, 97% gave it a 4 or 5 star rating (out of five). That’s incredible. What’s more, these people recommend Vitamix to an average of nine friends. I don’t even have nine friends! đ But it’s not just households that swear by Vitamix Machines. The Vitamix Machine played an interesting role on a nationally syndicated cooking show recently. And its placement was completely unpaid. On this competitive cooking show, six cooks were battling for best chef. One of these cooks dominated by having a secret weapon the others didn’t have. A Vitamix Machine. The winning chef used his Vitamix Machine as a finishing tool. He said, “No other machine can create the light, airy, silky texture for my purees.” The losing chefs were outraged. They said it wasn’t fair. It was like a symphony conductor without a violin section. Sure, the cellos could basically do the job. But it wasn’t even close to what the audience was looking for. Eventually, the cooking show’s producers called Vitamix and bought Vitamix Machines for the other contestants. It made the competition fair again. And the contestants were THRILLED. All over the world, top chefs use Vitamix Machines in their kitchens. And they’re not even making smoothies! (Here’s a clip from the International Chef’s Congress.) But what if you make smoothies and other blended drinks professionally? Why are store-bought smoothies so good? I’ll give you a hint. It’s not the ingredients. Your store-bought smoothie is probably: And it was probably made in a Vitamix. That’s right. Vitamix Blenders are used in a majority of commercial settings. Starbucks, Jamba Juice, even the despicable McDonald’s. Plus, several more… Here’s the coolest part: The Vitamix Blenders used by these stores are nearly identical to the ones you can buy for your home. That’s right. The Vitamix Blenders sold to consumers (you!) are commercial quality. But what does that actually mean? We already know they’re: But what’s the science behind why Vitamix Machines are so great? Vitamix Blenders are a high-performance blenders that deliver results like non other. The short answer to why they’re so great: Let’s discuss each of these in detail. To understand the blend quality you get from a Vitamix, you have a couple of options. First, you could search Twitter. Here are a couple of examples. @Vitamix arrived! I am making THE most amazingly smooth smoothies đ pic.twitter.com/3MhxajBt â Em Colley (@HomeopathEm) February 13, 2013 Once again, I have the best girlfriend. She will be rewarded with smooth soups and purees. #vitamix pic.twitter.com/5qNsrmSk â Marc Hudacsko (@human_ortolan) February 12, 2013 But that only gets you so far. Blend quality is subjective, right? Not really. Sure, blend quality has a lot to do with taste and mouth feel. But there’s science behind WHY some blends taste better than others. Here’s the objective explanation. The science. Basically, a Vitamix Machine blends particles into the tiniest pieces. Smaller particles make for better tasting food. What happens to your blends when you have the tiniest particles? More intense flavors. Powdered sugar is a great example. In essence, size matters. Sure, you may be able to stomach a chunky smoothie. But the pickiest eaters (children) won’t. The difference is clear in berry smoothies: In green smoothies. And in alcoholic drinks. (Don’t give these to the picky eaters mentioned above) But it’s more than blended drinks, people. Much more. Let’s face it. Most people get a Vitamix Blender to help them make smoothies. But that’s only the beginning. The Vitamix Machine is an all-in-one kitchen tool. It can do much more than just make the best smoothies. The versatility is what makes them so great. The Vitamix is designed to make a million different things. Things beyond smoothies with fresh produce. Things like: Here’s what peanut butter looks like: But those are just the well-known ones. There’s more. They’re good for all sorts of applications. So with a machine this versatile, what’s the result? Healthy choices all day long. Day after day after day. Seriously, these things last a lifetime. Here’s what I mean. Diamonds,real estate and your values. Those used to be the only things you could expect to pass down to your kids. Now, add your Vitamix to that list. I’m not exaggerating. Vitamix Machines are built so well, people are passing them down to their kids. You will have your Vitamix for a lifetime. That is, unless you pass it down preemptively to upgrade. How is it possible? There are several reasons Vitamix Blenders are so durable. Vitamix has been passionate about helping people eat better since 1919. After all those years, the Vitamix Blender design has stayed basically the same. Why? The design is rock solid. Sure they’ve made improvements (see the quieter, more powerful Next Generation Line). But the many-times patented designs are made to perform in high-speed environments. They’re designed to last. And, they’re designed for use. The materials in every Vitamix Machine support the design. 75% of the materials are sourced from the USA. But where are 100% of them sent to? Cleveland, Ohio, USA. That’s where all Vitamix Machines are manufactured. They’re still made by hand, with love on the same land that Papa G originally made ’em. What else is great about the materials in a Vitamix Machine? Here’s my favorite little-known facts about Vitamix Blender materials: The blade is made of hardened stainless steel. It’s actually quite dull right out of the box. The Vitamix relies on engineering to perform. (Not sharp blades) Cool, huh? And the container is made of BPA-free Eastman TritanÂź copolyester. Read: quality and safety. Vitamix Blenders are rigorously tested under independent supervision. They’re made to ensure: It’s not a coincidence their service department has only three employees. Yup. Three employees are enough to service over four million households. As such they’re able to back up their products with an incredible warranty. Get this: The warranty even covers normal wear and tear. Plus, Vitamix will pay for shipping BOTH WAYS. You deserve to. Don’t let one of EuroPro and their Ninja Blenders get in the way. You’ll be disappointed on several different levels. It’s a poor decision to get a Ninja. Make the right choice. The universally trusted Vitamix Machine is the one blender to help you achieve your goals. They have: Get yours today directly from their website. You may sense bias because I’m the Vitamix guy. But, know this: You deserve to know these things about Ninja blenders and how it compares to the Vitamix machine. Bottom line recommendation for you: Watch the video and see what I’m talking about. 1. Make sure you’re getting the right Vitamix for you. 2. Make sure you’re getting it in the right place. 3. Make sure you get the best deal.Your Health and Wellness is My Passion
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Why I AMÂ The Guy to Ask About Ninja
Sarah’s Story: A Blender for Her Birthday
The Real Goal: To Live a Healthy Lifestyle
Ninja vs. Vitamix: Which One To buy?
Her Birthday Gift: A Ninja Blender
Initial Blends With The Ninja Were Good
The Ninja and its Chunky Green Smoothies
The Decline of the Ninja’s Blend Quality
Difficult to Clean
How the Ninja Handled Soups, Nut Butters, and Grains
Sarah Gave Up on Her Goals and Her Ninja
Regretting The Bad Decision
Introducting EuroPro: The Force Behind Ninja Blenders
Europro Begins Selling Ninja Blenders in 2010
Europro’s Mission with Ninja Blenders: Make Money
Europro’s Ninja Marketing Tactics
The Result: Many Ninja Buyers are Disappointed
The Vitamix Machine: The One Blender to Help You Achieve Your Goals
1921: The Beginnings of Vitamix Corporation — A Family Company
Household Vitamix Owners Agree: It’s Life-Changing
Vitamix Machines are the Secret Weapon of Top Chefs
Made in a Vitamix Blender: Your Store-Bought Smoothie
Why Vitamix Blenders are So Great
The Blend Quality from Vitamix: What you Ought to Know
Simple Versatility: Why Vitamix Machines are More Than a Blender.
Incredible Durability: Vitamix Blenders are Built to Last
1. Design
2. Materials
3. Testing
Don’t Let Ninja Fool You: They’re Not Better than a Vitamix
You CAN live that healthy lifestyle you want.Recommendation
Next Steps
lots of seeds left behind when I used S30 to blend blueberries and raspberries.
Great comparison (esp. enjoy the pictures of what the Ninja did vs the Vitamix)
Thanks! Now, I’ll have to leave this up so the hubs can see it. đ