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Earlier versions of Vitamix blenders all use manual controls that combine toggle switches and rotary dials.
From the earliest 1782 model up to the professional series 750, all of these use manual controls. So it is kind of surprising that Vitamix goes in a different direction with the 780.
What am I talking about?
Well, the 780 is the first Vitamix that comes with a touch screen control panel.
Longtime Vitamix customers may find this new design strange but it’s another option for first time buyers.
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New motor
Under the hood, the 780 has the same motor as other new generation Vitamix blenders, namely the 750 and the 7500.
This is the 2.2 peak hp motor that produces 1,440 watts.
This spins the 4 inch stainless steel laser cut blade at 37,000 rpm which is enough to cut through anything from frozen fruits, leafy greens to peanuts and mixing batter.
Henry from Blending with Henry says that the touch screen controls may suit the typical home user more because it is easier to clean. And the easy access to the pre-programmed controls.
But you will have to pay more for this compared to the 750 that uses manual controls.
Let’s look at the features and the performance of the 780 and see if this blender will suit your needs.
Let’s start with the features…
- The first Vitamix to utilize a fully digital control panel
- It has 5 preset settings for making smoothies, soup, pureeing and frozen dessert
- To go with the preset options you can use also manually control the speed the blades spin by using the speed control (from 1 to 10) and pulse option
- Powered by a 2.2 peak hp motor (1,440 watt motor)
- Backed up by a 7 year warranty
- Comes with a 64 ounce low profile BPA free pitcher (it is not dishwasher safe)
- 17.25″ inches tall
- Comes with the “Create” professional cookbook used by professional chefs
- Has a built-in cord wrap underneath the motor base
- Cookbook with gourmet recipes used by professional Chefs
Pros
- Utilizes perhaps the most powerful motor in the blending industry
- A versatile machine that has both pre-programmed buttons and a manual speed option to give you the most control on the way you blend food
- Low profile pitcher reduces vertical real estate and will fit under more cabinets
- Easy to use and clean touchscreen interface
- Powerful motor will blend through anything you throw in it
- Long warranty
- Better insulation reduces noise
- Better cooling efficiency allow you to turn on this machine for longer periods without overheating it
Cons
- Very expensive at over $600
- Noisy at high speed
What to expect from this next generation Vitamix?
This is the first vitamix with a digital control panel. While longtime Vitamix customers may raise an eyebrow, it represents a new direction for this company.
More and more blenders are going digital and it wouldn’t be wise for Vitamix to ignore this trend. Nokia is a prime example of the potential ramifications of not adapting and embracing change.
All digital controls
Make no mistake that the rotary dial is robust and will last. But it can be hard to clean especially when you spill something on it because you will have to reach into tight nooks and crannies.
With the 780 that will no longer be a problem because all you need to do is wipe it down with a microfiber towel.
The touchscreen control is pretty much water resistant and even if you have wet or oily hands you can still use the control panel.
Here’s how the control panel looks like
This vine is courtesy of Lenny from Life is No Yoke.
It really looks nice with its glossy finish.
To use the variable speed setting you can either slide to up or down or push on the speed setting you want and If you want to go directly to let’s say speed 7 or 10, just push on speed 10.
Using the variable speed setting can be tricky and some consumers say that it gives them less control. They’d prefer the manual dial of the 750 compared to the digital control of the 780.
Henry (from Blending with Henry) explains in detail the features of the Vitamix 780 in this video.
What are the new features?
This pretty much sums up the features and the consumers that will benefit the most…
Watch the whole video to see how make protein shake without even using the tamper on the smaller 32 ounce wet container without the lid.
Even with the oatmeal and blueberries, the protein shake came out smooth without any hint of blueberry seeds or flakes from oatmeal.
The second recipe you’ll see (or you’ve seen) is the recipe for making homemade wheat bread.
You’ll notice in the video that Henry used wheat berries instead of buying just wheat flour. This is a natural as you can get.
To blend the wheat berries, he used the dry container that have special blades that push ingredients upward away from the blades as opposed to the wet container that pushes the ingredients downward to the blade.
Great for hot soup
Another recipe that you’ll see in the video is the tomato basil soup that includes hot low sodium vegetable broth, sun dried tomatoes, red bell pepper, basil, parsnips, black pepper and, korsher salt.
You don’t need to use hot liquid to make hot soup. The soup cycle will run long enough to heat up the liquid and make hot soup for you.
As you can see with the Vitamix 780, you can make a wide variety of dishes like protein shake, soup, wheat bread and orange honey butter.
This is basically a complete meal, all from one machine.
Doubles as a food processor and mixer
This basically replaces a food processor and a mixer so even though this machine costs over $600 it also saves you in the long run because of the long warranty and robustness of the motor.
Though you’ll still have to buy the 32 ounce dry container to make this possible but consider it an investment if you like to cook your own food.
This is just a teaser of what the 750 can make. Please check out the section below to see more recipes.
What can this make?
First recipe I’ll share is a delicious cauliflower soup from Lenny (Life is No Yoke).
This recipe includes a whole stalk of cauliflower, vegetable broth, garlic, shallots, raw cashews, and salt.
To see the complete details on how to prepare this recipe, head over to this post and watch the video below…
Lenny says that this soup is so good that it will make you cry and from the looks of it, it looks great. Almost restaurant quality and you don’t have to spend a fortune in a fancy restaurant just to taste it.
Detox salad
Here’s another recipe from Lenny, he calls it the Detox Salad.
You’ll need cauliflower, kale, red cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, red or green onion, raisins, sun flower seeds, cilantro, chickpeas, avocado, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, ginger, honey, salt and pepper.
While you can chop it by hand, you can speed up the process using the Vitamix 780 using the lowest speed setting and the tamper.
Second phase would be making the dressing. Again this is where the 780 comes in handy.
Just drop in all the ingredients – avocado, honey, lemon, salt and pepper then blend on high speed until it has a smooth texture. Remember not to overblend or it will heat up the ingredients.
While you can do this with any decent blender, I just shared with you to demonstrate the versatility and power.
Green smoothies, frozen desserts, hot soup, etc.
In this video, Williams and Sonoma demonstrates how this blender is capable of making smoothies, frozen desserts, hot soup, and nut butter.
Comparing the Vitamix and Blendtec
Here’s a raw video comparing the 780 with the Blendtec 675, making smoothies, frozen desserts and nut butter…
Some notes with the video above. Based on the video, it didn’t do a good job making nut butter and frozen dessert. But the 64 ounce container isn’t design for small batches.
If you’re planning to make nut butter, you’ll have to put in more peanuts to be able to get a smooth consistency. For smaller quantities, you’ll have to purchase the smaller 32 ounce wet container.
When making frozen desserts, make sure to use the tamper to push down all the ingredients and don’t be afraid to fill up the jar.
Is it easy to clean?
Like the Vitamix 750, this blender also comes with a pre-programmed cleaning setting so after using this machine make sure to clean it up ASAP.
Just fill a third of the jar with water, add a few drops of liquid dishwashing soap, then hit the clean button and it turn on and off automatically.
Make sure to rinse the jar after doing this. You don’t want any soapy residue on your blender. Store this upside down so that water runs down and does not stay inside the container.
Product Specifications
Motor | 1,440 watts (2.2 peak HP) |
Height | 17.25" |
Jug capacity | 64 ounce |
Blade Type | laser cut stainless steel |
Max RPM | 37,000 |
Preset blending cycles | Smoothies Frozen desserts Hot soups Puree Cleaning |
Metal Drive? | |
BPA Free | |
Dishwasher Safe | |
Tamper/Plunger | |
Crush ice? | |
Smoothies | |
Juice | |
Nut Butter | |
Warranty | 7 years |
Customer Reviews
Amazon consumers say that the 780 has lots of power to blend anything you put inside it.
Unlike cheaper blenders like the NutriBullet, this machine will blend up even the seeds of blueberries leaving behind a smooth textured smoothie.
If you like adding stuff like chia seeds or oatmeal into your protein shakes, this blender will also pulverize these ingredients into a smooth chunk free drink.
Responsive interface
Consumers also like the touchscreen interface that they say is responsive. The water resistant design means you can even use it with wet or oily hands.
Cleaning up is equally as easy – use a clean, slightly damp microfiber towel to remove any stick or oily residue.
More than a smoothies maker
Not only can this product make smoothies but it can also ground dry ingredients into a consistent powdery finish.
One consumer tried pulverizing dried cinnamon sticks and was able to ground them into cinnamon powder.
This is a key ingredient in making tikka masala and you don’t have to pay $4 for a jar of cinnamon to do so.
This is just an example of how versatile this product is and even with the high price tag, it is worth every penny. Consider this an investment.
Where can I buy this?
You can buy the Vitamix 780 from Amazon for just under $700. And it is eligible for the 2-day free shipping if you join Prime. Yes, even the trial membership gives you this benefit.
Another reason to buy in Amazon would be the availability of an extended warranty up to 4 years. So if the 7 year warranty isn’t enough, this is a good deal.
You can also buy this blender direct from Vitamix but it’ll cost more.
To Wrap Up
This blender would be great for people who loves to cook and is looking for a tool that will help them in their meal prep and food processing.
Great for smoothies
Green smoothie drinkers will also love this because it will chop up leafy greens into a consistent smooth shake every time.
Just make sure to follow the rule of thumb which is liquid at the bottom (or watery ingredients), solids at the middle (e.g. leafy greens, carrots, etc.) and ice at the top.
It can also blend hard stuff
If you like to use hard to blend stuff like oatmeal, flax seeds, chia seeds and berries, the 780 has the food processing power to chop up these ingredients into a smooth finish.
Unlike less powerful blenders that may leave behind bits and pieces of seeds – this blender will not.
All digital
The digital controls is a great upgrade over the older Vitamix blenders that used manual controls. Not all people will like it but there are several advantages of using such.
First and biggest advantage would be it will be easier to clean since it is waterproof. The manual controls in older generation models crevices that are hard to reach. And if you accidentally spill liquid on it, it’ll be a pain to take apart and clean.
Second is if you’re familiar using smartphones, using this new interface will be intuitive.
Other options
If you don’t like digital controls, just go with the Vitamix 750 and save yourself around $50 bucks.
Both these blenders have the same motor and the difference will just be the controls. So choosing between the two will boil down to preference and budget.
It’s hard to deny that this product is one of the more expensive ones in the market. But it is hard to deny the combination of power and versatility when you learn how to use it properly.
This is the biggest reason why Vitamix has sold a lot and will continue to be one of the bestselling blenders in the industry.