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AT LAST! TRUE QUIET BLENDING AT HOME!
WHY DO BLENDTEC MACHINES AT SMOOTHIE SHOPS LOOK DIFFERENT FROM HOME MODELS?
Blendtec 725 shown with 90oz Wildside Plus Jar.
If you've been to the smoothie shops, coffee houses or even a local deli, and ordered a smoothie of course, you've seen the blenders they use. Many times over you've seen a Blendtec, however the ones at those commercial establishments don't appear to look like the Blendtec machines you've seen at your local housewares stores, neither do they resemble many of the models shown on blendtec.com such as the Blendtec 725 shown above.
FINALLY, YOU MAY SPEAK WITHOUT SHOUTING DURING BLENDING
Blendtec Professional 800 shown with included removable sound enclosure hood to the right.
While all Blendtec machines designed for home use have a commercial-grade motor, use the same blending jars, and return the same great blending results as their commercial counterparts, the main difference from the commercial machines is the noise.
The commercial models have a sound enclosure hood that completely covers the blending jar to help dampen the noisy environment typically created by blenders. The Blendtec Professional 800 includes a sound enclosure hood that is engineered to dampen blending noise. In my testing I found it to reduce noise by around 10 decibels, which is very effective.
BLENDTEC PROFESSIONAL 800 VS. BLENDTEC STEALTH 875
The Blendtec Professional 800 is built in the same form as it's commercial cousin called the Blendtec Stealth 875. In fact they are nearly the same machine save for the Stealth 875 offering more preset blend cycles and a USB port allowing the business owner to customize their own blend cycles and upload them to the Stealth 875.
These features are necessary for commercial establishments such as smoothie shops since they are serving hundreds of customers daily with many different recipes being blended every second of the day. While the Professional 800 has a USB port (since they are essentially the same model) it's inactive and it is not designed for the user to program it.
Note: The Professional 800 has a 10 year warranty, while the Stealth 875 offers a 3 year warranty. It's important to know that the Professional 800 is not certified for commercial use and the warranty may be voided if used in commercial establishments.
BUILT LIKE A STEALTH BOMBER. STYLED BEAUTIFULLY FOR YOUR HOME KITCHEN
From the looks alone, the Professional 800 has an appearance of well-built quality. Both the sound enclosure and the blending base are made of very thick plastics and will withstand wear and tear in real world kitchens.
The 3 prong power cord is very thick and it's indicative of a high performance product. In fact it's thicker than all other home Blendtec machine's power cords. Other brands such as Ninja generally have very thin 2 prong power cords that are made for clock radios that will fray easily.
While blending quality is most important, style matters, as it's going to sit on your kitchen counter. I love the "BLENDTEC" name molded into the sound enclosure. The mirror-polished blending table is a thing of beauty and those red accents really add a touch of class to the Professional 800. The red accents on the blending table and the bottom of the machine serve as noise dampening tools, as they are made of rubber.
EASY TO READ TOUCH SCREEN BLENDING
Just as you see Baristas at smoothie shops simply touch a button on the blender and walk away, the Professional 800 is built as such. In fact, Blendtec's claim to fame has been about "Touch n' Go" blending.
The capacitive touch screen on the Professional 800 greatly mimics the experience of your smartphone. For smoothies, simply touch the Smoothie Preset. Tap the Pulse control to break down ingredients, and when you're done blending simply touch the Power icon and the screen completely shuts off, save for the Power icon.
The Professional 800 has 6 presets for Batters, Mixed Drinks, Smoothies, Frozen Treats, Whole Juice, Hot Soup and Pulse. There is also an 11 speed slider control that resembles the one shown on the Blendtec 725 above.
WILDSIDE JARS AND TWISTER JAR
When a specialized product is released such as the Professional 800, consumers are often concerned about compatibility with existing accessories, especially if they are legacy customers upgrading.
The Professional 800 is fully compatible with all Blendtec jars. The legendary 90oz Wildside Plus Jar comes packaged with the Professional 800. It's a 5-sided jar for more efficient blending and contains a blunt blade driven by metal gears which is very safe for the hands during cleaning and it pulverizes very tough ingredients into a smooth consistency.
The Pro 800 is also compatible with the Mini Wildside and Twister Jars that contain the same blade system, shown above.
A BOX CONTAINING A POWERFUL MACHINE, A JAR AND ACCESSORIES
When your Blendtec Professional 800 arrives at your doorstep, expect to see a very tall box. Blendtec packages their products very well for safe shipping and the box is beautifully detailed with pictures of recipes and features of the Pro 800.
Inside the box you get a very powerful 3.8 horsepower machine designed to blend several types of recipes such as smoothies, soups, nut butters, nut milks, dips and frozen desserts. Included is the 90oz Wildside Plus jar with an upgraded vented lid that snaps in place and it's a definite improvement from the previous lids shipped with Blendtec jars.
You will also get a Blending 101 recipe book and a warranty card for the 10 year warranty that covers all parts, all labor and shipping back and forth for service.
HOW TALL IS IT? IS IT IDEAL FOR EVERY KITCHEN DESIGN?
The Professional 800 appears as a very large machine however the dimensions (8.5" wide x 17.25" tall x 9.13" deep) are surprisingly comparable to other machines without sound enclosures. Take a look at the Blendtec 725 next to it (shown above), it's just 2" shorter than the Professional 800 but the Vitamix next to it (shown above) is the same 17" height.
Of course none of this matters if your cabinet height doesn't accommodate either of these machines, however this comparison is only to point out that the Professional 800 isn't quite as big as it may appear.
WHAT'S PERFECT AND WHAT'S NOT SO PERFECT?
The Professional 800 is the absolute perfect solution for quieter blending at home, however it's not the perfect solution for all kitchen designs nor is it the perfect solution for all types of blends.
Earlier I showed how it compared to other machines in terms of height, however it still presents a problem. In my first picture above you can see the Pro 800 appears to have several inches of clearance from the cabinet. In fact my kitchen cabinets are 21" in height. In the following pictures you can see when I lifted the enclosure hood there wasn't enough clearance for it fully open. I had to pull the Pro 800 out from underneath the cabinet to use it with the enclosure.
For blending smoothies and soups it's perfectly fine, however when using the Twister Jar (blending nut butters, frozen desserts or other thick ingredients) the enclosure hood is completely useless. The Twister Jar requires user intervention of hand-twisting the blades so the enclosure hood must remain open, or you may even find yourself completely removing it for convenience, if you're constantly using the Twister Jar.
HENRY'S THOUGHTS OF THE BLENDTEC PROFESSIONAL 800
Blendtec Professional 800
The Professional 800 is the absolute perfect solution for quieter blending at home and out of the two top selling brands of high-end blenders it's the only one of it's kind. Is it completely quiet? No. Will it be very acceptable for most people? Yes.
It's currently priced at $799.95 USD, which is a reduction from it's original price at $1099.95 USD, making it a more affordable solution for many, especially consumers who may be considering the Blendtec 725 which is priced at $679.95 USD.
In terms of appearance, it's beautiful and very eye-catching and will give that "Smoothie Shop" look in your kitchen. While it may fit underneath many modern kitchen cabinets, most likely you will find yourself pulling the blender out from under to fully open the enclosure hood. As I mentioned earlier, the use of most functions of the Twister Jar will require opening the enclosure hood, so quiet blending is not possible.
I like that the enclosure hood is easily removable for cleaning and I would recommend hand washing. The 10 year warranty is a huge plus and I like that Blendtec covers shipping back and forth for service.
So why aren't all blenders shipping with sound enclosures? They can present a higher cost to the consumer. The enclosure is not usable for every blending need. Machines with enclosures do present an overall larger footprint, and while the Professional 800 can fit underneath my 21" cabinets, it is still impossible to fully open it.
Would I recommend the Blendtec Professional 800? Absolutely. It's very easy to get used to, enjoyable to use and convenient for most common daily blends. 4 out of 5 stars.
YouTube video Review
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Order a Blendtec Professional 800 thru Blending With Henry and receive fast free shipping HERE!
