I have a Vitamix and I love it. I also love Consumer Reports, and their August 2011 magazine contains a very interesting blender comparison. The Ninja Master Prep Professional QB1004 is ranked just below the Vitamix, but costs a fraction of the price. I do mean just below. The difference between the Vitamix, reigning champion, and the much cheaper Ninja seems very small. The Vitamix rated an “excellent” for pureeing and grating, whereas the Ninja was “very good”. However, the Ninja was “very good” (vs.” good” on the Vitamix) with regard to noise. They rated equally well in blending ice, although the Vitamix was ranked higher in pureeing. At $60, if you just want to make iced drinks, you’re probably set with the Ninja. Heck, you’re probably good if you want to blend anything, although I’d be interested to see a puree from each one side-by-side. It’s almost certainly not worth the extra $300 for the Vitamix.
So why do I have a Vitamix? My mother had a Vitamix. I played with it my whole life, and now that I have my own place, I’ve been dying for one. Hers has lasted well over a decade, so I guess if you need a new Ninja every year, the Vitamix winds up cheaper in the end. Still, it’s one of the least scientifically informed decisions I’ve made, especially when it comes to fairly expensive purchases. For all that I try to use every resource to figure out whether the $30 sunscreen/wine/lotion/cheese/soap is really better than the $5, I still can’t help myself sometimes.
I have a Ninja, and it is amazing. Good to know it rates right below the Vitamix, I had always lusted after one of those bastards but couldn’t get Mike to realize why I would ever spend that much to make green smoothies. But yeah, the Ninja is super quiet and blends the shit out of my chard. I even put whole baby carrots into my smoothies now and Mike can’t tell. Baaaaadassss.