Montel Williams HealthMaster Elite Review – A Budget Version Of The Vitamix 5200

What’s the brand that first comes to your mind when it comes to blenders? Is it a Vitamix, Blendtec or even a Ninja?

I’m pretty sure that those brand names stand out because of their marketing and time they have been in the market.

But the downside to those brands is the price.

Let’s look at the Vitamix for instance. Their bestselling model is the 5200.

It has garnered rave reviews all over the blogs and tech sites.

But the biggest downside is the price, priced at around $400, frankly not everyone can afford. Or is willing to spend that amount of money to a piece of appliance inside the kitchen.

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While it is a versatile piece of machinery and worth every penny, I’d do you injustice if I insisted that you buy it because there are other brands like this Montel Williams Health Master that can do what the Vitamix does at a fraction of the price.

This machine is powered by a 1,200 watt motor and has 8 speeds capable of not just blending.

But also emulsifying foods into a smooth consistency without you needing to heat it over a pan.

The HealthMaster was created by Montel Williams, a former naval officer turned health advocate and entrepreneur. He has hosted his own show The Montel Wiliams Show for over 17 years and talked to over 30,000 guests.

A quick look at the features

• Comes with a 72 ounce (or 2 liters) pitcher that is BPA free
• The extra-large lid has an opening in the middle where you can add ingredients even with the machine turned on
• 1,200 watt motor (with 8 speeds) that produces 2 HP of power
• Capable of making hot dishes like soups or sauces as well as cold beverages like smoothies and frozen desserts
• LED control panel
• Ice crush preset button included
• 60 day money back guarantee and lifetime warranty on the motor
• 19.5″ tall

Pros

• For less than $90 you get a powerful blender with a lifetime warranty on the motor
• Strong 1,200 watt motor with 8 speeds
• Versatile – capable of replacing your food processor and mixer (yes it can mix dough)
• Easy to use
• Large pitcher

Cons

• Only has one preset control (ice crush)
• Motor is prone to overheat when you leave it on (you will have to follow the instruction manual on recipes like dough)
• Not dishwasher safe
• No warranty on the other parts outside the motor (it does come with a 60 day guarantee but you still have to pay for shipping)

What to expect from the Montel Williams HealthMaster Elite?

When you look at the controls this blender is pretty unique. Instead of adding a bevy of pre-programmed buttons like what the Shred did, it went the other direction.

Interface

It has a total of 8 buttons (that includes the off) which make this pretty simple to use. But you will have to read the manual and know what speed setting to use for a particular recipe so there is some learning curve involved.

Here’s how the control panel looks like…

It has a total of 8 speeds that you can control with the plus and minus button on your right and you can also set the time the recipe should be blended.

At the bottom part of the controls you’ll see the pulse, run/stop button and the ice crush preset button which by the way is the only preprogrammed setting available.

It comes with a 72 ounce pitcher or around 2 liters so this can make a lot of smoothies for a family of 5 or more. The pitcher is made from BPA free plastic but it isn’t dishwasher safe but cleaning this isn’t hard at all.

What can this make?

This machine is pretty versatile. If you look at the manual this machine can make a total of 31 kitchen jobs, these include – pulverize fruit, blend smoothies, grid nut butters, whip cream, crush ice, beat sauces and much more.

Let’s look at how this blender performed on some of these tasks.

Smoothies

Here’s a basic all fruit smoothie that includes banana, watermelon, berries, orange and honey…

You’ll notice that before adding water, the blender had a hard time pulverizing the ingredients.

Here’s a blend-off against the Ninja blending a bunch of fruits and a handful of spinach.

One important note when blending green smoothies – you’ll have to add the spinach first then the fruits last so that the blades will get to chop up these though to blend leafy greens first.

The HealthMaster won this test as it was able to blend everything into a smooth drink while the Ninja had trouble with the leafy greens.

Almond milk

YouTuber SlimByFaith will show you how to make almond milk…

Another demo from QVC…

The manual also states that you can pour in hot ingredients in the pitcher just make sure to remove the lid so that steam comes out but you can put in ingredients at room temp and allow the friction from the blades heat up the soup or sauce recipe.

This can also chop vegetables and replace a food processor

Mixing dough is also possible just make sure to follow the guidelines listed in the manual which is to add dry ingredients first then the wet ones and not allowing the motor to run for more than 8 seconds so it does not burn out.

Is it easy to clean?

All blenders are generally easy to clean just make sure to clean this as soon as you’re done blending so ingredients don’t dry up.

You can scrub it with a sponge soaked in water and dishwashing liquid or fill the pitcher halfway with water, add a few drops of dishwashing liquid then pulse at low speed then rinse.

This machine is not dishwasher safe.

See it in Action

Montel Williams in the Rachel Ray showing how he makes his favorite green smoothie recipe…

Warranty

This machine is backed up with a 60 day money back guarantee and a lifetime warranty on the motor but you will have to pay for the shipping when claiming the warranty.

Product Specifications

Motor	1,200 watts
Height	19.5" (more or less)
Jug capacity	70 ounces (BPA Free and shatter-proof)
Blade Type	Stainless steel
Max RPM	30,000
Preset blending cycles	Nut butter Puree Frozen Treat Grind Frozen Drink Soup Hot Beverage Smoothie Emulsify
BPA Free
Dishwasher Safe
Tamper/Plunger
Crush ice?
Smoothies
Juice
Nut Butter	* Don't turn on the motor for more than 30 seconds so it does not overheat
Warranty	60 day money back guarantee + lifetime warranty on the motor

Customer Reviews

So far so good, out of the 22 people who left a review in Amazon only one gave a negative review. Most of the people loved how this machine was able to make really consistent smoothies without the chunks or bits and pieces of green leafy vegetables that plague blenders with weaker motors.

The ability to set the time and speed was a nice feature to have according to one review. You can just set the time turn on the machine and walk away. If you look at one of the videos above, the machine is pretty stable and does not bounce around but one consumer warned that the pitcher does not lock in place.

The one complaint said that the motor overheated when he tried to blend raspberries. Since the motor has a lifetime warranty that should not be an issue, he can either return the blender and get a refund or claim the warranty.

Where can I buy this?

You can buy this in Amazon but they don’t sell it direct. A third part distributor sells this for over $700. I suggest you look at other Vitamix alternatives if you’re considering this.

To Wrap Up

This blender is a great budget option to a Vitamix or Blendtec blender that can cost as much as $500. Unfortunately though, Amazon does not sell this blender direct and the manufacturer no longer makes this. So price in Amazon will be quite expensive.

Based on reviews and Youtube demonstrations this machine is capable of doing a lot of kitchen tasks from the simple smoothie recipes to mixing dough.

But it has some limitations like the need to turn it off after 8 seconds when you’re mixing dough and 30 seconds when making nut butter.

Aside from that the strong 1,200 watt motor is capable of making recipes that can be made with a Vitamix or a Blendtec only $400+ cheaper.