Products
The company's first blender, the Vita-Mix, was introduced in 1937 and sold at an $11.95 base price. It used stainless steel containers. At the time of the company's first 1949 infomercial, the Vita-Mix sold for $34.95 and had an optional glass container.[19] In 1950, the Vita-Mix Mark 20 blender was introduced, which featured variable speeds.[2]
In 1970, the Vita-Mix 3600 was introduced, which featured a more powerful motor originally designed for circular saws to handle tasks such as turning wheat into flour and peanuts into peanut butter. It also included more durable stainless steel blades and containers, and a spout at the bottom of the container was added.[3] In 1988, the Vita-Mix 4000, a commercial variant of the 3600 blender, was introduced.[2]
In 1992, the Vita-Mix 5000, also known as the Total Nutrition Center, was introduced. It was the company's first blender to use a boxier plastic base and a clear polycarbonate container, and included an 11 speed motor. A 1995 revision added a timer.[2]
The Vitamix 7500, introduced in 2012, was the company's first blender to feature a microprocessor that allowed it to use a ramp-up speed dial. It also features a more powerful motor to work with redesigned lower-profile containers with larger 4-inch blades; Vitamix's older blenders do not have motors capable of running the larger blades and are incompatible.[2][20] In 2014, the S-series blenders were introduced, which use a compact base and screw-on containers and personal cups, but were criticized for being less powerful than the company's full-sized blenders and having smaller containers but only costing slightly less.[21][22]
In 2016, the Ascent series was introduced, its first "Smart System" blenders that feature Bluetooth to connect to accessories and NFC to detect containers.[23] Smart System blenders are incompatible with older containers that lack an NFC chip and the base will not operate with them.[24] In 2020, Vitamix introduced a food processor attachment for its NFC-equipped blenders.[25] In 2021, the Vitamix One, a lower-cost compact blender, was introduced.[26]
Over 100,000 containers sold in 2017 and 2018 were recalled.[27] Fast Company headlined, "Vitamix recall: Your $500 blender might hurt you."[28]
As of 2023, Vitamix's full-sized blenders range in price from $350 to $650.[29] Vitamix's pricing has sometimes been criticized as excessive, and has been parodied on Saturday Night Live.[30][31] Vitamix blenders have consistently been top-performers for performance and durability in testing conducted by reviewers such as The New York Times, Consumer Reports, Good Housekeeping, and America's Test Kitchen.[32][33][34][35]
Non-blender products
In the 1970s and 1980s, Vita-Mix experimented with selling fitness equipment and juicers.[36] In 1985, the company introduced the Flurry (later renamed the Mix'n Machine), a commercial ice cream and frozen concoction maker.[2] The company also sold a vacuum cleaner, the Vita-Vac, until the early 2000s.[37]
In 2021, the company introduced its only current non-blender appliance, the FoodCycler, a home composter.[38]
