Blendtec Total Blender: "It's great, but others are better"

Blendtec is a renowned brand in the blender industry, but sometimes they do have a tendency to make confusing names for their blenders. For example, many have found it confusing to differentiate between the older Blendtec Total Blender and the new Blendtec Classic 575 (the latter of which is usually cheaper).
The truth of the matter is that the new Classic model is based on the previous Total Blender, which has now been discontinued by the company But you can still buy them from a few sellers or you can get a refurbished Total Blender.

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Table of Contents

• What’s Noteworthy about the Blendtec Total Blender 1560w?
• What Do Reviews of the Blendtec Total Say?
• Blendtec Total vs. Classic
• Verdict: Is It Worth Buying?

What’s Noteworthy about the Blendtec Total Blender 1560w?

So why do people still buy a Blendtec Total Blender? The main reason is that it offers many useful features and some people also don’t like the “improvements” in the latest Blendtec 560 model.

Here are the features of the Total Blender which you might appreciate:

• It measures just 7 inches wide and 8 inches deep. And it is only 15 inches high. That means it doesn’t occupy a lot of space on your kitchen countertop. It is available in white, red, or black, so you can pick the color that fits well with your kitchen. But if you’re going to store it away, it only weighs 7.28 pounds so you won’t have trouble moving it from one place to another.
• The 3-peak horsepower motor offers a tremendous 1,560 watts of power. That’s more than enough for just about any ingredient you may want to put inside the pitcher.
• Part of the crushing ability of the Blendtec Total Blender comes from the 4-inch blade. The single-blade design lets the jar ingredients fall easily in front of the blade. The special vertical wingtips and the precise angles make sure that the ingredients are pulverized efficiently. The blade is attached with stainless steel shock-mounted ball bearings, reduces the friction so that the jar and the motor aren’t overworked.

You won’t have any trouble crushing your ice into the snow to make your smoothies. In fact, it even comes with Blendtec’s “Ice-crushing Guarantee”. The blade is even blunted to make sure that you don’t cut yourself when you’re handling the edge of the blade.

• You have 6 different preprogrammed cycles. These cycles are activated with the push of a button, and you have different buttons for “ice cream frozen yogurt”, “ice crush milkshake (or protein shake if you prefer)”, “soups, syrups, fondues”, “sauces, dips, dressings, batters”, “whole juice”, and “smoothie”.

Just press a button, and it will work its magic on its own while you work on another task. It will perform its preprogrammed pattern of pulses and blending at the right speeds.

• You also have 10-speed settings with pulse control. You just press the up or down speed button to get the speed you want. Each speed is on a 50-second timer, but pressing any other button will stop the cycle.
• The LCD display is illuminated and shows you a timer that counts down the time left for the cycle you’ve chosen.
• You also get 2 different jar options to choose from. The original is the traditional FourSide jar, which contains up to 32 ounces of the load.

The WildSide jar is much bigger at 90 ounces, and it features a fifth or “wild” narrow side that shortens the time needed to make your blends. It is made from BPA-free Tritan copolyester and the blade is already attached on the inside.

• Cleaning the Blendtec Total Blender is also very easy. Just add water and a few drops of dish soap. Pulse for about 5 seconds and then rinse. With the flat panel design, you’ll find it easy to wipe the motor base, and you won’t have to deal with spills and food particles getting stuck between the buttons or on the dial.
• Durability is guaranteed, as at least 75% of each unit is made in the US. The blade is made to last, the coupling is steel on steel as it uses a metal drive socket, and the ball bearings are sealed with carbon steel. That’s why you get a very lengthy 7-year warranty.

What Do Reviews of the Blendtec Total Say?

On Amazon, it has received plenty of reviews and received a near-perfect rating.

Most of the reviewers rave about the excellent results they get from the Total Blender. Just about everyone said that their smoothies were much better than what they used to get from their previous blenders.

Its ability to deal with various types of ingredients was also mentioned in the reviews, and the results were very quick. They put in frozen bananas, and in 45 seconds they get a smooth banana drink.

They also find this blender easy to use, and they really like the one-touch buttons. Just by pressing a single button, they were able to make puli thogayal and coconut chutney. Or they turned fruits into ice cream. Puddings also became much easier to make.

Reviewers also find the cleanup very easy, as the flat sides of the jar allow users to get every little bit out of the container. There are no decorative grooves on the side for the thick drink or food bits to get stuck in. And they also like the fact that they don’t have to use the tamper.

Some, however, have complained about the old FourSide jar, and the consensus so far is that the WildSide jar is much better. Others also note that the pitcher has a small hole for ventilation, causing some of the liquids to spill.

A few have made comments about the noise, but they mostly don’t mind it all that much. After all, that kind of power will certainly cause some noise when you use it. Most of the reviewers think that the noise is tolerable since you’ll only blend for a few seconds anyway.

Blendtec Total vs. Classic

The Classic 575 is supposed to be an improvement on the older Blendtec Total, but that may be hard to understand. The Classic may be tougher as it is newer, but the warranty for the Total is for 7 years already. That means the 8-year warranty for the Classic isn’t really a vast improvement. The only way you’ll think that the new warranty is much more impressive is if the Total you’re buying comes with a much more limited warranty. For example, the “new” Total Blender offered on Amazon only comes with a 3-year warranty for the motor base and a 1-year warranty for the jar. But the warranty for the coupling and blade is for a lifetime.

The Classic 560 only comes with 4 speeds plus a pulse, which doesn’t really seem like much of an improvement compared to the Total’s 10 speeds plus the pulse. And the Classis has no preprogrammed cycles at all while the Total has 6!

It does seem like Blendtec is promoting simplicity as a virtue. But for some people, reducing the number of options is hardly a welcome improvement. With the older Total, you get the 6 preprogrammed cycles that can really make your blending tasks easier, while the 10 speeds offer greater customization options.

vs Blendtec Designer 725

The Blendtec 725 is a jump up in price compared to the Blendtec total, and for those extra bills, you get more speed options (100 to be exact), a quieter motor, and a much bigger (Wildside) jar. You might consider the 725 instead, if you plan on using it for multiple food prep tasks, for a family bigger than 3, at least 4 days a week.

vs Blendtec Stealth 885

The Stealth 885 is a commercial blender that would be overkill in a home (though plenty of people still use it at home). The Total of course is a home blender that could work in a small cafe or juice bar. The Stealth 885 has incredible features like the ability to create your own blending presets, as well as more than 90 possible speeds.

vs Vitamix

The Blendtec Total compares well to lower-priced Vitamix models like the Explorian E320, Explorian E310, or the Refurbished 5300. You get very similar container sizes, motor sizes, and blending capability. In fact, the Total has 6 pre-programmed blend cycles that you don't get with any of those Vitamix models.

Verdict: Is It Worth Buying?

You have to be very careful when you buy a discontinued or refurbished model because you simply cannot be certain about how durable it is. And you also can’t be sure about its warranty conditions, either. So you have the option of buying a “new” model from retailers like Amazon or a refurbished Total Blender from Blendtec. This way you get the full 7-year warranty with either option.

And it’s even cheaper too! The low price + tons of preprogrammed cycles and 10 different settings and a high-quality build makes the Blendtec Total Blender an option you really need to consider. It kind of makes you wonder why Blendtec discontinued it (and you may be worried about whether it’s a good choice) but on the face of it, you do get a lot of bang for your buck with the Blendtec Total Blender.

Blendtec Total Blender Classic - Includes FourSide Jar (75 oz) - 10-Speed Professional-Grade Countertop Blender - High-Power Kitchen Blender with 6 Pre-Programmed Cycles - Black

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