Their restaurant has run two 5200s, kitchen and bar, all day every day for ten years without a motor failure, though they've gone through several jars.
- Category
- Blender
- Type
- High-speed blender
- Capacity
- —
- Model number
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- Power
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What owners keep saying · from 37 reviews
Reviews
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Has had their 5200 since 2013 and gave up trying to kill it; it's immortal.
Their 5200 is over 15 years old; the circuit board failed after a couple of years leaving only fast or slow, but it has worked since they replaced the board.
Their 15-year-old 5200 operates just like new.
Got their 5200 for $100 from someone who had it a year; no issues.
Their 5200 just arrived and is comically huge, far too big for their smoothies, so they're returning it.
Their reconditioned 5200 from 2013 looked brand new and still works great.
Their VM0103 from a 2012 estate auction works great.
Would pick the 5200 with the stainless container: it's so simple that replacement parts like the speed control are cheap.
After eight years with a 5200 for smoothies and frozen cocktails sees no need for alternatives; values its simplicity and serviceability.
Their 5200 just does its thing: spins really fast with no smart features.
Bought a reconditioned Vitamix over a decade ago and it's still going strong with a lot of weekly use.
Their 5200 kept having issues after two repairs and finally died.
Their 5200 from 2012 lost variable speed when the potentiometer failed; Vitamix quoted $239 to repair or a $100 trade-in credit.
Really likes their 2016 VM0109 (5200) manual model with no smart features or presets.
Has a 12-year-old 5200 used almost daily and calls it a beast.
Their new 5200 hasn't struggled with anything so far: peanut butter, oat flour and frozen-fruit smoothies.
Has used their 5200 for over 14 years for super-thick smoothies; the tall narrow container, blade shape, ingredient order and tamper make it work where their son's Ninja can't compare.
Bought a new 5200 to replace a ten-year-old KitchenAid blender, but its narrow jar won't mix their cookies-and-cream milkshakes evenly the way the old blender did.
Has owned a 5000, a 5200 and a Total Nutrition Center, all essentially the same VM0103 machine and comparably rugged; still uses the 5000 and won't give it up.
Absolutely loves their 5200: a powerhouse still going as strong as the day they got it.
Could not be happier with their 5200: the best container for smoothies, a manual process to dial in, repair parts readily available and a great warranty.
Their only downside of owning a 5200 is having no small container for small batches.
Got a new-in-box 5200 for $140 as their first Vitamix; its smoothies have much better texture than their hand immersion blender.
Just got the 5200 to replace a Ninja and is amazed how much smoother it gets, even pulverising strawberry seeds, with the tamper keeping thick blends moving.
Bought a 2009 5200 on eBay for $100; it works flawlessly and blends insanely fast.
Has a 5200 and absolutely loves it.
Their 5200 went strong for over ten years, and after servicing by Vitamix it came back like new.
Their 5200 is over ten years old, used multiple times daily and still as powerful; but a new 5200 bought two years ago had a much lighter base and blended worse, as did its replacement.
Their new 5200 doesn't feel as powerful or blend as quickly as the 2013 Total Nutrition Center it replaced, and the base and pitcher feel cheaper; they're considering returning it.
Just bought a 5200 and is underwhelmed: it didn't feel more powerful than their old KitchenAid blender on frozen fruit, milk and yogurt.
Their 5200 is sturdy but its motor and blades don't cope with thick blends, so they're always tamping to unstick the blades.
Their new 5200 is amazing on its first smoothie, though they noticed a faint burning smell after a couple of minutes on high.
Has used their Costco Classic (VM0103) for 10–15 years, sometimes daily, until the blade seized up.
Moving up from an old Oster they use only occasionally, they feel they over-bought with the new 5200: they keep losing the vortex, aren't sure how to use the tamper, and found chickpea pieces left after blending a stew base.
“I want to love my new blender (it is the 5200), but I lose my vortex and then panic. My ancient Oster was suitable for my occasional blender needs and I feel like I over purchased.”
Their 5200, bought in 2010, is still going strong; they cook a lot at home and are amazed how sturdy it is.
Their 5200 started overheating, which they put down to age, but a loose set screw in the drive socket was rubbing and making the motor work harder; tightening it fixed the problem.
Has had a 5200 for 17 years and also bought an Alta Pro on sale; both are very good, but they prefer the 5200 and plan to fix it, though the newer Vitamix handles heat better.
Their out-of-warranty 5200 broke and Vitamix quoted about half the price of a new blender for the repair, so they fixed it themselves for under $1 in parts.
Made small batches in the 5200's 64 oz container for years without problems, but now prefers a 48 oz container for pestos and vinaigrettes because it is easier to get food out of.
Owns a 5200 and loves it: very basic, powerful and noisy.
Their new 5200 kept overheating and needing a 30-minute cool-down while puréeing a thick roasted squash soup with skins, never got past speed 5, and then died when they switched to high.
Can't get their 5200 to overheat even trying; they make skin-on roasted squash soup several times a year and just let it rip, adding stock as needed.
Bought the personal cup for their 5200 and it works less well than the big container: the small cup won't blend a frozen spinach cube in their shakes, which the standard container handles fine.
Got a 5200 on Prime Day last year and finds it outstanding.
Has used their 5200 for 13 years with all original parts and calls it one of their best purchases, though it is big so they keep it in a cabinet.
Loves their 5200: loud, but it makes everything super smooth, and its simpler design means less to malfunction and cheap, easy replacement parts.
Bought a refurbished 5200 about 15 years ago and recommends it as the one to buy.
Bought a new 5200 to replace their 2014 Vitamix and finds it flimsier: the base is 7.2 lb against 8.6 lb and the plastic feels less sturdy, though it draws similar current and the speed control is really nice.
“I just bought a new 5200 on Amazon to replace my 2014 CIA version that doesn't have a speed control knob. After opening it, I feel like it's a lot flimsier than my old one.”
Bought a 5200 last year, found the bottom half was clipped and returned it right away.
As a chef they have abused many 5200s, reheating soups, pureeing whole fish and even running one on high for an hour by accident, and have never broken one.
Bought a 5200 on sale last week: it is loud, about like a hair dryer, which is fine for a minute-long smoothie but too loud for early mornings in their apartment, and nut butter pushed their tolerance.
Their 13-year-old 5200 wobbled on high, gave off a plasticky smell and smoke from the motor, and the bottom of the jar turned out to be damaged.
Their 5200 still works like it's brand new, so they would find it hard to part with it.
After more than 10 years of near-daily use their 5200's container failed; they plan to buy a genuine Vitamix replacement container despite the $175 price.
Bought a 5200 recently and is unimpressed with the build: the plastic feels cheap, it blends decently but not noticeably better than their previous Ninja, and a piece of carrot got stuck under the blades.
Their 5200 blends things to a consistency other blenders never could: on high there are no visible bits, just completely smooth.
Bought a 5200 this year and hasn't felt any build quality issues; it blends like a champ and is everything they expected.
Has had a 5200 for about 10 years and it works as well as when they bought it, with no issues at all.
Has used the 5200 for 22 years in professional kitchens and owned one at home for six and a half years; it has never let them down.
Their 5200 blends big chunks of pineapple, oranges, unpeeled ginger and turmeric root with coconut water without struggling, and handles nut butters too.
Their 5200 shuts down from overheating whenever it is more than a quarter full, even following recipes and advice exactly; customer service won't accept it is defective, leaving them with thin smoothies at best.
Has been sold on their 5200 since buying it at 60% off on Prime Day six years ago, though mayonnaise from the included cookbook has lately come out too thin.