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A lot of people buy an appliance with a specific purpose in mind, whether it is making a smoothie, baby food, ice cream or puree ingredients for soup.
What if I tell you that there is a blender that does all of these things for you would you consider it?
If it’s a yes then scroll down and see how this commercial grade blender is a great option.
Related: Looking for a great blender deal? Check out this page to get the best blender deals in Amazon just in time for Christmas!
Yes you heard that right this is a commercial grade blender which means it will be able to handle any abuse you throw at it.
It’s this versatility and flexibility that make this one of the consumer favorites not only in Amazon but also other online stores.
However there’s a catch – it will cost caround $255 which is cheaper than a Vitamix which makes this a good alternative.
Features at a glance
- Preset controls that saves time and guess work
- Equipped digital touchpads
- Auto-shutoff feature kicks in when the motor heats up
- The 2-prong stainless steel blades spin up to 29,000 which is fast enough to crush ice
- Has a lightweight 2 quart jar (weighs only 18.7 ounces)
- Versatile enough for multiple applications – crush ice, make smoothies, make a batter, puree and make ice cream
- Comes with a 1,560-watt motor (3HP)
- 3 year warranty on the motor, 1 year on the jar and lifetime warrant for the coupling and blade
- Pitcher is BPA free
- 15.5″ tall
Pros
- Has 10 speeds plus a pulse option which means a lot of flexibility in terms of what you can make
- BPA free jar
- Lightweight jar that weighs only 18.7 ounces
- Stainless steel blades will last longer and resist corrosion
- Not as tall as other blenders so storage won’t be a problem
- Has an auto shutoff system that turns off the motor when it gets too hot
- Comes with pre-programmed settings for a specific purpose – this eliminates guessing and saves time
- The shape of the jar makes it easy to clean
Cons
- Expensive
- Relatively short warranty
- Noisy
What to expect from this Blendtec?
This model is not a full sized blender but it still packs a punch. First, it has a 3hp motor that produces over 1,500 watts. The motor spins the stainless steel 2 prong blades at a blistering 29,000rpm fast enough to crush ice.
Did I mention that this is commercial-quality? This means it will be able to withstand the wear and tear of everyday use.
My current Oster blender has a jar made of glass while great for longevity it is heavy.
The jar in this model is made from plastic which contributes to how light it is – weighs only 18.7 ounces (only 1.1 pounds).
It has a digital interface with 6 preset controls:
- Ice cream/frozen yogurt
- Crushed ice
- Soups/Syrups/Fondues
- Salad dressings
- Whole juice
- Smoothies
In addition to that it has an up/down button to adjust the speed manually (10 speeds) and a pulse option.
The pre-programmed buttons eliminate guess work in figuring out the speeds for each application and saves time because it goes through the different speed cycles needed depending on the need.
What can this make?
The 3HP motor allows it to make pretty much anything including crushed ice.
This machine has preset buttons to make ice cream, frozen yogurt, ice cream, milkshake, soup’s, syrups, fondoues, sauces, dips, dressings, batters, juice and smoothies so it is a pretty versatile machine. I like the preset buttons because it eliminates having to guess the right speed of what you want to make.
For more control in making recipes, Blendtec added a variable 10 speed control.
The manual controls will run up to 50 seconds if you don’t turn it off, there is also a pulse button.
All the controls are digital and LED so it looks pretty sleek.
Product Specifications
| Model | Blendtec Total Blender, FourSide |
| Motor | 3HP (1,560-watts) |
| Jug capacity | 64 ounces (2 quarts) |
| Blade Type | 2-prong stainless steel |
| Max RPM | 29,000 |
| Preset blending cycles | 6 1. Ice Cream/Frozen/Yogurt 2. Ice Crush/Milkshake 3. Soups/Syrups/Fondues 4. Sauces/Dips/Dressings/Batters 5. Whole Juice 6, Smoothie |
| Tamper/Plunger |  |
| Crush ice? |  |
| Smoothies | |
| Juice | |
| Warranty | 3-years (motor) 1-year (jar) Lifetime (coupling & blade) |
Warranty
This product has been discontinued by Blendtec so I’ll base the warranty on what’s written in Amazon which is 3 years on the motor, 1 year on the jar and a lifetime warranty for the coupling and blade.
See it in Action
The Blender Dude compares the Fourside and Wildside. How it will perform on different types of ingredients.
The main difference between the two is the jar. The Fourside has the smaller jar (32 ounce vs 36 ounce) and smaller blade compared to the Wildside. If you want to make larger batches of smoothies, go for the Wildside.
Where can I buy this?
This blender is available in Amazon for less than $260. And get free 2-day shipping if you join Prime. Another reason why I recommend buying from Amazon would be the availability of an extended warranty up to 4 years. Get it if you want extra peace of mind.
What do consumers think?
Consumers were nice enough to share detailed reviews and even compare this with its rival the Vitamix.
How is different from a vitamix?
Biggest difference would be size. This blender is shorter compared to the 5200 that measures over 20″. This by comparison only measures 15″ so it’ll fit under most cabinets.
If you have space issues then the Blendtec is a no-brainer choice. But for folks with lots of space in the kitchen Vitamix is a good option if you don’t mind the lack of preset buttons.
Preset controls a popular feature
Consumers really liked the preset controls. It allows you to make certain recipes without having to be hands on. This comes in handy when you’re in a hurry.
If you want to make a smoothie and in a hurry, just press the smoothie preset and let the blender do the work for you.
It saves you time and provide consistent results.
With the Vitamix, you still need to start at speed one then slowly increase the speed to 10 while pushing on with the tamper.
Watch this video to see what I mean…
Some potential issues
The Blendtec does not have a hole on the cover that will allow you to add additional ingredients on the fly.
You’ll need to remove the whole lid and close it again, a minor inconvenience – a subjective one to be honest.
There are complaints about leaking and the seals not holding up when you use this very often (like twice a day) but other consumers refuted that saying that newer batches that came out resolved this issue.
I don’t think this is a big concern because a lot more people would complaint if it were that big of an issue.
Another issue would be ingredients going underneath the blade.
One consumer had an ingenious idea – shaking the jar, since this one does not come with a tamper.
Take note that when blending whole fruits or vegetables make sure to chop it into smaller pieces to minimize this issue.
One big factor why consumers would pick this over the Vitamix would be size.
This product is almost 5″ shorter than a 5200 and it’s more than $100 cheaper. The preset controls also saved them time. They simply didn’t need a bulky heavy-duty blender that is more expensive.
If you like making sorbets or ice cream then the Blendtec may not be the best choice. But for everything else it is a good cheaper alternative to the Vitamix.
But remember these are personal preferences so you have to weigh your options and list down that what you’ll use this machine for then prioritize what’s important.
To Wrap Up
This compact commercial grade blender would be great for people who have a smaller home where space is a concern. The motor is still pretty strong at 3HP and capable of spinning the blades up to 29,000 ice crushing rpms.
Unfortunately it lacks a tamper so it’ll struggle a bit when it comes to blending recipes with no liquid such as nut butter or frozen desserts.
Based on video and written reviews this machine can pretty much make anything raw food related from smoothies to dips so it saves you from buying a food processor.
In terms of price, it is cheaper than a Vitamix 5200. And this would be a good alternative for people looking for a blender with a digital interface and preset controls.
Warranty is a bit of a concern, if you base it on Amazon the Jar only has a 1 year warranty, a replacement jar would cost about $85. That’s the biggest downside in my book when you compare this to the Vitamix. Other than that it will be a good addition to any kitchen.