Why You Can Trust CNET Vitamix S30 review: A pricey but handsome way to blend on the run
If you have $409 burning a hole in your pocket and often drink smoothies on the move, then the Vitamix S30 is your blending ticket to ride.
In a nod to today's trend of mix-and-go blenders, the historic appliance maker Vitamix has thrown its hat into the travel blending ring. The Vitamix S30 blender is designed to tackle personal blending tasks and is a compelling solution for small-batch smoothie-making and single-person food prep. This is especially true if premium build quality and craftsmanship float your boat. Costing $409, though, it's hard to get over this kitchen gadget's sky-high cost of entry.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Design and features
After the string of budget Hamilton Beach blenders I've reviewed recently, specifically the Stay or Go and MultiBlend machines, I must say that the Vitamix S30 is a welcome change of pace. Tipping the scales at a hefty 12 pounds, the first thing I noticed about this kitchen gadget is its imposing physical size and sheer girth.
Standing at a full 15.7 inches (with main 40-ounce jar), the S30 isn't technically any taller than its competitors. The blender's base, however, is significantly more massive. Even if you discount its staggering weight, the device's lower portion takes up almost two-thirds of its total frame. Indeed, the Vitamix's motor housing is practically monolithic in appearance. Furthering the S30's statuesque looks are a glossy-black piano finish, tastefully rounded curves, and impressively solid construction. Honestly, if you ever wondered what Darth Vader's personal smoothie maker might look like, this armor-plated monster is pretty darn close.
Built primarily for individual use, the S30 belongs to a growing number of food mixers designed to offer convenient small-batch blending for busy commuters. Along with a traditional pitcher-style mixing jar (40 ounces), Vitamix also includes a 20 ounce container and matching flip-top lid which transforms the vessel into a handy travel cup.
Crafted with the same care as the blender's base, this container feels extremely durable and sports a stout lid-locking mechanism that seals securely with a satisfying snap. Heck, there's even a large u-shaped plastic loop for attaching the jar to bags and straps. Frankly, it puts the 32-ounce travel cups bundled with the Hamilton Beach Stay or Go to shame. They lack a loop, or any way to close them completely for spill-proof toting. That said, Vitamix pins the replacement value of each S30 travel cup at a steep $29.95, almost the entire cost of the Stay or Go blender, cups and all ($39.99).
I also must point out that the Ninja Ultima comes with a set of well-constructed travel jars as well (plus a large 72-ounce main jar). You also can combine ingredients and blend food contents from within the jar, too. Not bad for a $260 blender.
The S30's standard 40-ounce container isn't too shabby either. While it's shatter-resistant plastic, not fancy tempered glass, the jar boasts thick walls and a large rubbery lid that clamps down over its top firmly. A clear cap features vents that Vitamix promises will guard against spills during blending.
Usability
Thankfully the Vitamix S30 keeps its various parts and controls to a minimum, and that's mostly a good thing. The approach results in a device that's both simple to comprehend and easy to begin operating right away. True to the Vitamix design philosophy, all blender functions are handled by a circular dial on the appliance's front face. Twisting the dial to the right pushes the control mechanism through numbered blending speeds (1 to 10). If you want to perform a pulse rather than blend continuously, just crank the dial to the left (from the off position).
The drawback to this uncomplicated design, though, is that the S30 lacks any kind of fancy blending modes. There's no special button for, say, smoothies or iced drinks that other machines offer, such as the Breville Hemisphere Control Blender or Hamilton Beach MultiBlend . So what does that mean in everyday use? Essentially, you have to become comfortable fiddling with the S30's control knob to settle on right speed for proper blending to happen.
In the appliance's defense, Vitamix suggests that users start spinning the blades slowly until they "grab" ingredients then urges blender chefs not to fear pushing the motor up to level 10 once a vortex of food begins. The company doesn't skimp on the included documentation, either. In the box is a large quick-start guide and detailed paper manual explaining which types of food should be placed in the jar and where (top, middle, or bottom). My favorite perk, however, is the thick cookbook that's chock-full of blender recipes and lovely color photos. Within its glossy pages are instructions for creating drinks, sauces, batters, and nut butters.
One small fault in the Vitamix S30's design, though, is its blade assembly, which I found difficult to clean by hand. Its cutting edges sit in a shallow bowl. This makes it tricky to reach and clear debris from the blade's underside. Thankfully, the blade and jars are all dishwasher-safe. I also like the blade array's modular design, which acts as a coupling unit to fix either the 40-ounce or 20-ounce container to the blender base.
Performance
Since it bears the storied Vitamix name, you might expect the S30 to be one insanely souped-up mixing machine. Sadly you'd be wrong. That's not to say the device isn't adequately powered to handle most ordinary blending tasks. Its 840 peak-watt motor translates to roughly 1 horsepower, which is less than half that of competing products from Ninja, Blendtec, and even Vitamix's other blenders.
Ice
During a grueling trial where we tossed 2 cups of supermarket bagged ice into a blender's mixing jar, I'm afraid to say the S30 ran into trouble. After 15 pulses all the appliance could do was crush the bottom half of the ice cubes in its 40-ounce container. Worse, additional pulses didn't help, since at that point the blades couldn't catch onto any ice and spun in vain.
Smoothies
I'm happy to report that making smoothies wasn't too difficult with the Vitamix S30. Fifteen pulses of the blender's blades was all it took to mostly pulverize my mixture of frozen strawberries and orange juice. That said, I did have to employ the included tamping wand to push down any remaining material that moved to the sides of the 40-ounce mixing jar.
Pulsing the smoothie mixture a total of 30 times created a very fine slurry.
Pesto
Whipping a nice pesto sauce wasn't a problem for the Vitamix S30 either. Keep in mind it did take longer than I would have expected. After 45 pulses of the motor, the mixture of spinach leaves, nuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil was about 75 percent blended. I did have to run the machine continually for 2 minutes before I created a smooth paste. I also had to use the tamping wand again to compact my ingredients twice during the process.
Almonds
Crushing a hard nut like the almond is perhaps one the hardest trials for a blender to endure. Making things even more difficult is the fact that I used raw almonds, not roasted, for my test ingredient. Even so, I was impressed and surprised with the Vitamix S30's performance here.
The gadget made quick work of two cups of the almonds, pulverizing most of the jar's contents in 30 pulses. After that the blades lost their grip, so I was forced to use the tamping tool to press the mixture of almond flour down to reach the cutting apparatus. Still, I sensed the blender could go further so I persevered, grinding my test almonds for a good 30 to 45 minutes. While I had to constantly mix the nuts and clear the S30's blades regularly, in under an hour I had true, sticky almond butter on my hands. Of course, the blender's motor overheated and engaged its automatic shutoff feature until its parts cooled down.
Whipped cream
Oddly enough, beating whipped cream into an acceptably luscious texture was difficult for the S30. It typically takes anywhere from 20 to 60 pulses for a blender to create this sumptuous delicacy. Sadly, the Vitamix S30 failed to mint real whipped cream even after 90 pulses of its blades. To be fair, turning the dial up to 10 and letting the machine run for 1 minute more achieved the desired results.
Pancake batter
The S30 didn't run into any drama mixing up store-bought pancake batter. The device completely combined dry and wet ingredients (water) with only a tiny amount batter stuck to the pitcher when it came time to clean things up.
Conclusion
I'm certainly drawn to the Vitamix S30's unique blend of quality materials and mixing power. If making personal drinks to go is your primary goal and money is no object, then this device will certainly fit the bill. That said, it's hard to ignore the fact that this appliance is not as muscular as some blenders that cost a fraction of the price. For example, the Ninja Ultima boasts 2.5 HP, a nice set of travel cups, yet can be had for $260. Those who are on a strict budget always have the Hamilton Beach Stay or Go option for a mere $40, which is quite capable considering its rock-bottom price.