Cooking Appliances review
Vitamix 5200 Review: Perfect Scores on Everything Except Ice
One reviewer gave it ten out of ten on smoothies, protein shakes and nut butter, then measured 19 percent of a load of ice still unblended. Two others say it turns ice to snow in seconds.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 2 min read
Photo: Anna Powell, CC BY-SA 4.0
Vitamix
Vitamix 5200
Good · researched from 4 sources
The blender to buy if you make smoothies, soups and nut butters daily and want it to still work in a decade. Measure your cabinet clearance before ordering, and do not expect a quiet kitchen.
- Buy if
- Daily smoothie and soup making · Anyone who wants an appliance that outlasts several cheaper ones · Nut butters and thick mixes, where the motor is the point
- Skip if
- Kitchens with standard 18-inch cabinet clearance · Early mornings in a shared house · Anyone who wants a button that says smoothie
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
The one thing it is not perfect at
ShouldIt ran timed, scored tests and the results are almost monotonous. Smoothie: 10 out of 10, one minute. Protein shake: 10 out of 10, one minute. Almond butter: 10 out of 10, one minute. Frozen fruit smoothie: 9.8, a little over a minute.
Then crushed ice, and it scored 8.0 with 19 percent of a 12 ounce load still unblended.
Kitchen Apex says it crushes ice within seconds to a snow-like consistency. Kitchen Wink says it crushes ice with no effort at all.
ShouldIt themselves supply the reconciliation: reducing the ice quantity gave a finer consistency. A blender this powerful moves the load by creating a vortex, and dry ice cubes in a large batch can ride above the blades rather than falling into them. Smaller batches, or a splash of liquid, and the problem goes.
What the motor actually buys
Two horsepower, and blade speeds ShouldIt puts between 1,419 and 23,122 RPM.
The practical result is not that it blends better than a cheap blender. It is that it blends the things a cheap blender cannot attempt at all. Nut butter is the test case: Kitchen Apex specifically notes it handled thick mixtures without overheating, and an underpowered motor faced with almonds either stalls or cooks itself.
Kitchen Wink's summary is that the blades shredded nuts and crushed ice with no effort while making creamy smoothies and silky soups.
The noise is not exaggerated
ShouldIt measured 99.8 dB during the ice test. That is motorcycle territory and it is one of the loudest figures we have published for any product.
Kitchen Wink offers the honest mitigation: the noise never lasts long, because the machine finishes in about a minute. Kitchen Apex offers the honest warning: it is noticeably louder than newer machines with sound damping, and that matters if you blend before anyone else is awake.
Both are true. It is very loud, briefly.
Measure your cabinets first
ShouldIt puts the total height at 19.7 inches and points out that standard clearance between counter and wall cabinets is about 18. Kitchen Wink measures 20.5 inches overall.
Either way, the machine as sold does not live under a cabinet. Vitamix sells shorter containers and Kitchen Apex notes they are compatible, which fixes it at the cost of capacity. Worth knowing before it arrives.
The old-fashioned parts
There are no presets. A dial, a tamper, and your judgement. Kitchen Apex lists this as the machine feeling dated, and for occasional use they are right.
ShouldIt's more specific complaint is that the container has no locking mechanism, which leaves it feeling unstable on the base. That is worth weighing against the seven-year warranty, which is the longest on anything in our kitchen coverage and the clearest signal of what Vitamix expects the machine to survive.
How it scored
The overall 7.6 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Blending performance
ShouldIt scored smoothies, protein shakes and almond butter 10 out of 10 each, all inside about a minute, then scored crushed ice 8.0.
Value
ShouldIt gave it 9.6 out of 10 overall. Every source raises the price, and Kitchen Apex notes it lacks the preset programs cheaper machines include.
Build quality
A seven-year warranty per ShouldIt and Kitchen Apex. Kitchen Wink describes it as built to last.
Ease of use
Self-cleaning with warm water and soap in 30 to 60 seconds. ShouldIt's complaint is a container with no locking mechanism, which makes it feel unstable.
Noise
ShouldIt measured 99.8 dB blending ice. Kitchen Wink describes it as sounding like a small jet warming up.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- ShouldIt scored smoothies, protein shakes and almond butter a perfect 10 each
- Every test they ran finished in about a minute
- Self-cleaning in 30 to 60 seconds with warm water and a drop of soap
- A seven-year warranty, which is unusual on a kitchen appliance
- A 2 horsepower motor that Kitchen Apex found handled nut butter without overheating
What we didn’t
- ShouldIt measured 19 percent of a 12 oz ice load still unblended and scored crushed ice 8.0
- ShouldIt measured 99.8 dB, which is motorcycle territory
- At 19.7 to 20.5 inches tall it will not fit under a standard 18-inch cabinet clearance
- No preset programs at all, which Kitchen Apex lists as dated
- ShouldIt found the container has no locking mechanism and feels unstable
- Hand wash only, not dishwasher safe
Specifications
| Motor | 2 horsepower; 1500 W rated per ShouldIt, about 1380 W per Kitchen Apex |
|---|---|
| Blade speed | 1,419 to 23,122 RPM per ShouldIt |
| Container | 64 oz, BPA-free Eastman Tritan |
| Noise | 99.8 dB measured by ShouldIt during an ice test |
| Height | 19.7 in per ShouldIt; 20.5 in per Kitchen Wink |
| Speed control | Variable manual dial, no presets |
| Cleaning | Self-clean in 30 to 60 seconds, hand wash only |
| Warranty | 7 years |
How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
4
sources reviewed
ShouldIt is the only source that ran scored, timed tests and measured noise, and supplies the blade speeds, the per-test scores and the 19 percent ice figure that the other two contradict. Kitchen Apex and Kitchen Wink both cover extended kitchen use and agree with each other on ice while disagreeing with ShouldIt, which is why the FAQ reports the split and the likely cause rather than picking a side. Vitamix's own page was not read, so the wattage figures are attributed to the reviewers who state them, and they differ.
What we read
Common questions
Does the Vitamix 5200 crush ice properly?
How loud is it?
Will it fit under my kitchen cabinets?
How do you clean it?
Is it worth it without preset programs?
The bottom line on the Vitamix 5200
The blender to buy if you make smoothies, soups and nut butters daily and want it to still work in a decade. Measure your cabinet clearance before ordering, and do not expect a quiet kitchen.
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