Vitamix 5200 Professional-Grade Blender, 64 oz. Container, Black

Why it's worth it

The Vitamix 5200 pairs a 2-horsepower motor with laser-cut stainless blades and a 64-ounce jar. It turns frozen fruit, ice and whole kale leaves into a uniform drink without stalling, and it's the machine owners keep running for a decade or more.

No other blender here handles a hard smoothie this calmly. The 2 HP motor pulls ingredients down into the blades instead of letting them spin above the vortex. That means no stopping to scrape the sides, no half-blended pocket of protein powder at the bottom. Frozen berries, a big handful of spinach and a scoop of powder come out smooth. Owners who blend whole kale stalks daily report the same thing years in.

The tamper is the underrated part. It's a plastic baton that fits through the lid, so you can push a thick frozen mixture down into the blades while the motor is running. If you like smoothie bowls thick enough to eat with a spoon, that one accessory saves you from the stop-start routine every cheaper blender demands.

From our review of 11 blenders for smoothies and protein shakes, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +No other blender here handles a hard smoothie this calmly
• +The tamper is the underrated part
• +Cleaning takes about as long as rinsing a glass
• +Vitamix's seven-year full warranty is the real reason to buy this one

What to know

• –It's loud. Not annoying-loud — lawnmower-loud, in a way that carries through apartment walls at six in the morning
• –There are no preset buttons
• –A small share of owners do report an early motor failure, usually within the first year and usually after light use