1
Best overall
Vitamix Ascent X5
The most complete blender here. Its 10 automatic programs (hot soup, nut butter, non-dairy milk, spice grinding and more), digital timer, tamper indicator and self-cleaning cycle go well beyond the Vitamix 5200's single speed dial, and its 10-year warranty outlasts the 5200's 7 years and the Blendtec's 8. RTINGS rates it the best Vitamix it has reviewed and quieter than the Ascent A3500 it replaces here. The catch is capacity: its 48 oz jar handles smaller ice batches than the 5200's 64 oz container, and it costs the most.
2.2 HP (1,500W) motor with variable speed and pulse10 automatic programs, including hot soup, nut butter and non-dairy milkDigital timer, tamper indicator and self-cleaning program48 oz container is small for a full-size blender; RTINGS found it works best with about six ice cubes per batch, versus about twelve in a 64 oz VitamixA single Smoothie program cycle can need extra manual blending for the smoothest result
