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Ask any home cook what the best blender money can buy is and they’ll likely say, almost reflexively, a Vitamix (even if they haven’t ever used one or observed one in action). The American company’s approach is comprehensive — design, multi-functionality, customer service, warranty and ease-of-use are accounted for with every model, new and old. But the 5200, the brand’s longstanding unofficial flagship, is still $450 from its website.
Released in 2017, Vitamix’s Explorian line, and the E310 model, is a response to the real pressure from competitors making similarly powerful blenders at a fraction of the Vitamix price point. The E310 is $100 more affordable than the 5200, and promises virtually identical blending prowess, marking Vitamix’s first concerted effort to lower the point of entry for a full-sized, badass blender. Does the E310’s stack up to Vitamix’s classic 5200 blender and a cavalcade of lower-priced brands’ models?
The Good: Without a doubt, the E310’s performance stacks up to its predecessor. The 5200’s main selling point is an ability to pulverize virtually anything into whatever consistency you wish — chunks of veggies diced in 10 seconds; soups made, cold produce to piping hot, in six minutes; homemade frozen yogurt in 60 seconds, creamy nut butters and so on. Yes, it can make you a really, really smooth smoothie, too.
After making curried carrot soup (recommended on Vitamix’s site), pistachio nut butter (it’s as incredible as it sounds) and way too many walnut and mint chocolate milkshakes with the two models side-by-side, the E310’s performance basically mirrored the 5200. On top of this, though both have similarly-sized bases, the E310’s container is almost three inches shorter (48 ounces) than the 5200’s (64 ounces), allowing it to fit snugly under my kitchen cabinets.
