I recently got a divorce. I also recently got a new blender.
I got the blender because I'd grown accustomed to having a
Vitamix at my disposal, and now that I didn't have it anymore, I was finding myself growing increasingly annoyed at the fact that I could no longer make homemade almond milk or strawberry-spinach smoothies.
I've spent the last few months re-stocking my house, buying new shower curtains, chairs, a couch, a bed... you name it: I needed it. The blender is probably my last of the post divorce replacement purchases, and I've only had it a day, but I'm so glad I made it!
I found this new-ish blender that seems to be a pretty spot-on low-end replica of the Vitamix--the
Dash.
Is The Dash Blender Secretly Made by Vitamix Inc?
The whole thing HAS to be made by Vitamix Inc. or they'd be screaming bloody murder about patent infringement. The pitcher is almost identical. The removable plug for the pitcher is almost identical. The tamper is almost identical. The fittings are metal--hell, the Vitamix pitcher even fits on the Dash! The blades are almost identical with a few slight tweaks. The motor is almost identical, if not slightly more powerful.
I do not know that this is true, but as someone who's been involved in product development in my career, I can imagine Vitamix Inc.'s motivation: if they chose to sell a lower end model under the Vitamix brand, it would completely kill their high end consumer sales. Who would spend XX if they could get away with only spending YY? So they split it off and created a whole new brand, ultimately owned by the parent, and the two streams remain separate. The low end product competes with the under $200 blenders and the high end competes with the higher end models out there.
The Dash Blender Is Probably Not Secretly Made by Vitamix Inc.
OK, scratch that. Now that I look at their
entire product range more closely, I'd be surprised if it actually were a Vitamix company... there's a lot listed that is foreign to VM. Interesting. So maybe this is really just a fantastic rip-off. From the looks of things, I'd say that
the company specializes in copies of high end machines, trying to democratize them.
Maybe they are licensing the patents? Maybe the Vitamix patents ran out? Who knows.
I watched the
side by side comparisons on YouTube, but those people are usually selling Vitamixes, and so may have a vested interest in doing slightly skewed tests. I'm pretty glad I ignored them, because for what I'm doing, this model (so far) works like a charm.
What I would advise for all Vitamix converts out there is to
skip the presets for now. They work pretty well for set and forget things, but they might not get things to your ideal consistency. That's why there's also a
manual setting with speed adjustments just like your VM has, and that works pretty well. I've been using that to reach my preferred consistency with great results.
My First Test: Simple Smoothie
My first test was to make a simple yogurt and frozen fruit smoothie using the preset Smoothie button. I put the liquid & yogurt in first, frozen fruit next. Used the preset. It was fine afterward but I realized I'd wanted to add some ground chia so I had to blend it a bit longer and it was just fine and dandy. A fab simple smoothie.
My Second Test: Brazil Nut Milk
My second test was out of left field: who makes Brazil nut milk, anyway? My sister brought me a gorgeously rich and creamy brazil nut milk drink from Miami and I wish I'd made a photo of the bottle before recycling it because now I can't stop dreaming of how to re-create it. So I tried.
I used this recipe and the Dash's "Puree" setting, and about another 30 seconds on a higher speed manual run. I do not yet own a
nut milk bag so just wound up leaving the solids in my drink, which makes it grittier than you'd like but hey,
fiber is a nutrient so I'm running with it, at least for today. A lesser machine would have left me with small chunks, but so far I have not found a single one, and I'm drinking it unfiltered, so that's a pretty good indicator of how well it's working.
Raspberry Seeds
They say that the ultimate test of a blender is in blending raspberry seeds. Flax Seeds are a close second, but I digress. Today I will go to the store and get my hands on a pound of frozen raspberries and give it a whirl so to speak.
Update: I forgot that I was supposed to be doing a test of the raspberry seed pulverizing abilities and added a ton of ground flaxseeds to my first raspberry smoothie at the last minute, so I'll have to re-do it. D'oh!
Will post a more indepth review later on and/or adjust this post should my opinion change.
