Vitamix 5200 Vs Vitamix 5300: Pros & Cons and Final Verdict

Having been around for almost a hundred years, Vitamix, a family owned company, has become one of the leading blender manufacturers in the world. As well as making commercial products used by industry giants such as McDonalds and Starbucks, Vitamix also produces blenders for consumer use.

These powerful consumer products don’t vary much at all from their commercial counterparts. With any Vitamix product you’ll be getting a high-quality appliance able to take on just about anything you throw at it. Vitamix blenders aren’t just great for juicers and health-nuts but come with an almost endless array of uses.

Blending soups, salsas, making ice-cream, making creamy hummus, blending fruits and veggies into smoothies—Vitamix blenders can do it all. Today we’re going to be comparing the Vitamix 5200 and the newer Vitamix 5300.

Both blenders share many of the same features, a large base, one dial in the center for controlling speed, and a 64 oz glass pitcher. There are, however, some significant differences between the two. Perhaps the biggest of these differences is the motor.

The Vitamix 5200 features an older 2 horsepower motor, while the 5300 has been upgraded with a second-gen 2.2 horsepower motor.

While .2 horsepower isn’t a huge deal, combined with a wider blade, the second-gen motor is able to produce more torque, giving you more blending power. The next biggest, and perhaps most significant difference, is the pitcher size.

One of the only complaints with the ever-popular Vitamix 5200 blender, was its height. With a 20’ inch tall pitcher on top of a large base, the 5200 was just too big for some users to easily store.

Vitamix did a good job responding to these complaints, cutting the pitcher size for the Vitamix 5300 down by 3’ inches, while also making the base a bit shorter.

Along with these upgrades, the Vitamix 5300 also comes with a higher price-tag compared with its predecessor. Depending on your budget and specific wants and needs, either of these blenders could be a great choice for you. Let’s take an in-depth look at the two, comparing all their features and flaws.

How We Tested

Previous to our testing, I owned and used the Vitamix 5200 as one of my personal blenders. I was, therefore, really excited to purchase the newer version and try out all of my usual recipes with the upgraded features.

We also went ahead and purchased a new Vitamix 5200 as well, since comparing a brand-new blender against a used one is potentially unfair.

Since it’s what I use my blender for most often, I started the testing out by mixing a batch of hummus. A food-processor is generally considered to be the best appliance for making hummus, but my old Vitamix has proven to be quite capable.

First up, I used the newly purchased Vitamix 5200. Since I already knew the Vitamix 5200’s capability in this regard, this was more of a test of longevity. Had my old Vitamix blender’s performance fallen without me noticing? Would this new Vitamix 5200 outperform its used counterpart?

The answer to both questions is “no, not really”. The Vitamix 5200 blended the chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon juice together with ease. I prefer my hummus thick as opposed to thin, so I often don’t add as much water from the chickpeas as I should.

This thicker concoction usually requires a little extra time from my Vitamix to blend down into smooth, creamy deliciousness. The new Vitamix 5200 was no different. The new and used versions performed almost identically, which is a nice testament to the longevity of the product.

Next up, I gave the blender a quite different test in the form of a chunky soup. As opposed to hummus, which you generally want to be as smooth as possible, a thick soup benefits from a less powerful blend, as it can easily become too thin if over-blended.

The Vitamix 5200 has a toggle switch to the left side of the speed-dial which allows you to switch between high and variable speed. For this test, I turned the switch to variable speed, allowing me to adjust the speed dial.

With the speed dial set to 4, I only had blend for about 10 seconds to get the desired consistency. Lastly, I tested the Vitamix 5200 by making a Strawberry Pineapple Kale smoothie.

When blending fruit and vegetables together, you always need to be careful to let the vegetables blend all the way down, as tiny pieces of tough leafy greens in every swallow is far from appetizing. My old Vitamix 5200 has always done a great job for me, and needless to say, the new version did just as well.

Now, how did the upgraded Vitamix 5300 handle these same three recipes?

I started by testing it with the exact same hummus recipe. The Vitamix 5300 handled my hummus with ease. Similar to the 5200, it still required an extra second or two to make sure the thick concoction was as creamy as possible.

The new pulse function, however, came in handy immediately, allowing me to clear a few ingredients that had been stuck beneath the blade.

In my next test—another batch of the same chunky soup—the pulse feature really showed its value. While simply setting your blender to a low speed and blending for a few seconds usually works well enough, in the past, I have over-blended things with the Vitamix 5200, and I’m always worried about it.

The Vitamix 5300’s pulse feature, however, is wonderful for this. I just hit the button a few times and watched it chop and stir my vegetables into a perfect consistency.

For the last test—the Strawberry Pineapple and Kale smoothie—the results were unspectacular. The Vitamix 5300 made easy work of the fruits and kale, quickly blending them to perfection, no stubborn pieces of greenery left behind.

I say “unspectacular” because I expected no less from such a high-quality machine. I must say, however, that the newer 5300 blender reached this result more easily than the older 5200.

Sometimes, when blending kale into a smoothie with the 5200, I would take a drink only to realize there were still small chunks left. Of course, an extra 15 or 20 seconds usually did the trick, but with the more powerful Vitamix 5300 hundred, this isn’t necessary.

Similarities and Differences

Motor: Vitamix 5200

The popular blender features a 2-peak horsepower motor. This motor, designed and manufactured in Sweden specifically for Vitamix, is capable of spinning the blades at an impressive 37,000 rpm. This motor, while not quite as powerful as the motor featured in the Vitamix 5300, is still very powerful and capable of easily blending almost anything you could want it to.

Motor: Vitamix 5300

The Vitamix 5300 features a 2.2-peak horsepower motor. This is the highest horsepower motor that Vitamix offers in their Home products. Its biggest strength, however, comes not so much from the added power—both motors are more than capable of handling whatever you throw at them—but more so from the reduced noise.

Despite having the more powerful motor, the Vitimix 5300 manages to blend more quietly, making it a good option for noise sensitive users.

Although both motors are great, the Vitamix 5300 is slightly more powerful and a lot quieter, giving it a definitive—though not extremely significant—edge in this category.

Controls: Vitamix 5200

The controls for the Vitamix 5200 are exceedingly simple. Positioned in the middle of the motor-base is a speed-dial which allows you to adjust the speed of the blades. To the left of this is the High/Variable Speed switch.

Switching this to High means that your blender will blend at the highest power possible, while switching it down to variable allows you to adjust the speed using the dial in the center. To the right of the speed dial, is the power-switch.

Since Vitamix failed to include a pulse button on their older product, some users have taken to quickly switching the power on and off to achieve this pulse effect. While this is possible, and not ineffective, it is still inferior to a designated pulse button.

Controls: Vitamix 5300

The controls on the Vitamix 5300 are very similar to that of its predecessor. The same speed-dial in the center, the same power switch to the right, but, instead of the unnecessary high/variable speeds switch, to the left of the dial is the “pulse” button.

The inclusion of this feature really takes the blender to the next level. The pulse feature allows you to give small, powerful bursts without having to blend your ingredients into nothingness. Great for salsas, soups, and anything else that needs to maintain substance.

The controls for these two blenders are nearly identical. The one difference, however, is a big one. The Vitamix 5300’s pulse button provides users with a valuable feature that was senselessly omitted from the otherwise great older model.

Vitamix 5300 has a significant edge here.

Blades: Vitamix 5200

As well as the motor, the blades are the most important factor when it comes to a blender’s performance, and the blades featured in the Vitamix 5200 are nothing short of exceptional. The Vitamix 5200 comes equipped with 3’ inch stainless-steel, laser-cut blades.

While still smaller than the Vitamix 5300, these blades are larger, and perform better than blades featured by almost any other blenders on the market today.

This really highlights Vitamix’s dominance. Even their older generation products are able to easily outperform most of the current competition.

Blades: Vitamix 5300

The Vitamix 5300 features exceptionally large blades. To save size and lower the vertical footprint of their product, Vitamix decided to make the pitcher featured in the Vitamix 5300 significantly shorter than that of its predecessor.

This short, wide pitcher naturally requires a larger blade, and so, the Vitamix 5300’s increase to 4’ inch blades is due more to necessity than performance upgrade. Nevertheless, these huge blades, combined with a more powerful engine, allows the Vitamix 5300 to absolutely obliterate foods with ease.

Aside from some industrial blenders, this might be the most powerful blender on the market today.

Same as the Vitamix 5200, these 4’ inch blades are made from stainless-steel and are laser-cut.

Aside from the size, the blades featured in these two blenders are identical. While the Vitamix 5200’s narrow pitcher allows it to achieve similar results with smaller-size blades, the huge blades of the Vitamix 5300 being powered by an upgraded motor take Vitamix’s next gen product to another level. The Vitamix 5300 has the edge here.

Pitcher: Vitamix 5200

The Vitamix 5200 features a 64 oz glass pitcher. This pitcher is quite tall and narrow which can be a good thing for single users. This narrowness allows you to blend small amounts of ingredients without having those ingredients spread too thinly.

The downside to having such a tall pitcher, however, is storage. The pitcher featured with the Vitamix 5200 is 20’ inches tall by itself. After you put it on the motor, it’s even taller. This can make storage quite difficult. If your home has short cabinets, you can forget about the Vitamix 5200 fitting in them.

Pitcher: Vitamix 5300

The Vitamix 5300 also features a 64 oz glass pitcher. Hearing the complaints about the imposing height of the 5200 model, Vitamix decided to trim their next-generation product down to a more manageable 17’ inch height.

While it might not seem like a huge difference, these 3 inches really help the Vitamix 5300 fit conveniently into more places.

Naturally, to facilitate this change while keeping the same 64 oz capacity, Vitamix had to make the pitcher for their new product a lot wider. Consequently, they also had to lengthen the blades, enabling them to reach food on the outside of the pitcher.

Vitamix did exactly that, and overall, the performance doesn’t suffer much from it. For single users however, this wide pitcher can become a problem. If you’re trying to blend a small amount of food/liquids, the wide pitcher means that your ingredients are spread further apart, which can negatively impact your results.

Neither of these pitchers is perfect. The Vitamix 5200 may be better for users who only need to blend a small amount of ingredients at a time, while the Vitamix 5300 may be better for users with limited storage space.

With the newer product, some users may be forced to make larger batches of smoothie than they would otherwise want, and with the older Vitamix product, users might struggle to find a storage place for the tall blender.

Although each product could be seen as flawed, the storage concerns associated with the older-gen blender are clearly more troubling, making the Vitamix 5300 the winner here.

Product Features

It’s essential to discuss the product features to have a broad understanding what these two blenders have to offer. So, let’s dive in:

Alternatives

Blendtec Total Classic Original Blender

Vitamix is the most popular and most highly esteemed blender company on the market today. The one downside to Vitamix, however, is the price. You get what you pay for, and the Vitamix 5200 and 5300 are two of the more expensive options on the market right now.

The Blendec Total Classic Original Blender is a very affordable alternative for budget users who are still looking for a powerful blender. The Blendtec Total Classic Original Blender comes in two different sizes, 75 oz and 90 oz respectively.

These professional-grade blenders also feature unique dull-blades, making them a perfect option for somebody who wants to let their kids operate the blender.

Blendtec Designer 675

Alternatively, if you’re looking for an even more-advanced option, the Blendtec 675 might be the blender for you. The Blendtec Designer 675 is an absolute powerfouse. It features a peak 3.8 horsepower motor, almost doubling the Vitamix 5200.

While this is undoubtedly overkill for the average user, this power combined with the convenient touchscreen and extremely customizable blending settings makes the Blendtec Designer 675 a great option for somebody looking to start their own smoothie-shop, or for any user who wants the absolute most out of their blender.

Vitamix is the most popular and most highly esteemed blender company on the market today. The one downside to Vitamix, however, is the price. You get what you pay for, and the Vitamix 5200 and 5300 are two of the more expensive options on the market right now.

The Blendec Total Classic Original Blender is a very affordable alternative for budget users who are still looking for a powerful blender. The Blendtec Total Classic Original Blender comes in two different sizes, 75 oz and 90 oz respectively.

These professional-grade blenders also feature unique dull-blades, making them a perfect option for somebody who wants to let their kids operate the blender.

Who Should Get This?

Vitamix 5200

The Vitamix 5200 is a great all-around blender with a few small flaws. The biggest of these flaws is the hard-to-handle height of the pitcher. If you have plenty of storage-space and aren’t trouble by the height concern, however, the Vitamix 5200’s narrow pitcher design actually becomes a positive-attribute.

This thinner design allows you to blend a smaller amount of ingredients more easily, making this blender a great option for single-users who rarely need to blend things in large batches.

The senseless lack of a pulse button also disadvantages the older Vitamix 5200. This is only really a factor when making chunky soups or salsas, however. If you plan to use your blender mainly for making smoothies and shakes, then the lack of a pulse feature won’t be an issue for you.

Aside from its ability to easily blend small amounts of ingredients, the main reason that somebody would choose the Vitamix 5200 over Vitamix’s next-gen model, is money. The older-generation Vitamix model can be purchased at a slightly more affordable price than the new-upgraded model.

The Vitamix 5200 is perfect for anybody looking for a powerful blender at an affordable price, and who’s not concerned with storage-space or the lack of a pulse feature.

Vitamix 5300

The Vitamix 5300 is one of the most powerful blenders on the market today. The upgraded motor as well as the larger blades ensures that your drinks are as smooth as possible every time.

There’ll be no need to try your smoothie to make sure there’s not any chunks leftover. The Vitamix 5300 does the job the first time, easily blending even the most stubborn ingredients.

The pulse feature allows you to preserve the chunkiness of your recipes, while also allowing you to handle ingredients that require a bit of chopping and cutting before blending.

The shorter pitcher makes storing the blender convenient and easy for users who might not have large cabinets.

The one drawback is that the wide pitcher makes it a bit harder to blend small amounts of food or liquids. Users who need to do this often may be forced to look elsewhere.

Overall, this is an excellent product, great for anybody looking for a powerful, professional-grade blender that’s easy to use and capable of handling any recipe.

Our Pick

The Vitamix 5200 and the Vitamix 5300 are two great blenders that consistently outperform most other blenders on the market. Vitamix is a grandfather of the industry, and with either blender, you’ll be getting a product you can rely on from a company you can trust.

With that being said, the Vitamix 5300 is superior to its predecessor in almost every way. Although it might struggle to properly blend small amounts of ingredients, this concern is far outweighed by the many upgrades Vitamix has incorporated into the next-gen blender.

With a quieter, more powerful engine, larger blades, the useful pulse-feature and a much smaller foot-print—the Vitamix 5300 is undoubtedly the all-around better blender.

Our Pick is: Vitamix 5300

Although the older Vitamix 5200 is still a fine option, unless you’re on a tight budget and can’t afford the relatively small price-increase, it only makes sense to go with the Vitamix 5300.

If you do, you’ll be getting a powerful, well-made blender that’s sure to stand the test of time and that’s more than capable of handling all your needs.