Statement on Motor Horsepower
In all products manufactured by Vita-Mix blending performance and durability are the key focus of our design. Blade design, container design, and motor horsepower and motor efficiency, though independent variables, are all relevant factors.
Horsepower does help determine the efficiency of the blend; however horsepower can be described in ways not always revealing to the true efficiency of the motor. Some of our competitors express the power of their machines by listing the misleading input horsepower rating rather than the more accurate peak output horsepower rating that Vita-Mix uses.
The input and output horsepower is not the determining factor of the blenders’ ability to effectively grind ingredients, breakdown cellular walls, or increase the bio-availability of nutrients. It is the overall combined design of a blender’s components that does this.
Input horsepower is misleading because it does not indicate the efficiency of the motor.
Input horsepower = useable output horsepower + wasted power in the form of heat
Horsepower does not translate into blade speed. Some manufacturers’ machines actually limit the speed by their design, whereas our variable speed products (such as the Drink Machine, Vita-Prep, Vita-Prep 3, TNC, and 5200) are not limited by performance ceilings.
Even more relevant is that our machines include a switch that lets you deliver maximum speed to the blades at any time. Other machines require stepping through lower speeds first, and even then, output speed may be limited by the circuitry. This full-speed availability is a distinct Vita-Mix advantage.
Our products are tailored to maximize performance for the expected application, not the horsepower of the motor. Only in certain applications have we determined there is a benefit of a 3 horsepower motor. Our commercial machines are designed for use under a significantly higher daily cycle count and heavier loads than our household machines. Commercial applications can produce hundreds of blends in a day of thick purées and thick drinks.
Higher horsepower motors draw more power and are louder, so we only recommend them for applications that demand continuous processing all day long, e.g. culinary chefs and professionals.
Extensive testing has shown that competitors’ 3 horsepower machines will not increase or even match blend performance over Vita-Mix 2 horsepower machines.
Our steadfast commitment to blending performance and our patented technologies put Vita-Mix products at the forefront of blending power and efficiency. When all is said and done, it is the entire machine design—including blades, container, tamper, motor, bearings and more—that makes the Vita-Mix blending machine exceptional.