Vitamix is recalling over 100,000 blender containers—here's what you need to know
Smoothie lovers, beware
Credit:
Vitamix
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We’re not trying to sound like a late-night news ad, but your expensive blender might be trying to kill you. Vitamix recently recalled around 105,000 units of two popular models after 11 people reported getting injured by the spinning blades.
The recall specifically affects the Ascent and Venturist Series 8-ounce and 20-ounce blending containers, which can separate from the blade’s base and pose a laceration hazard to consumers. While Reviewed doesn’t include either of these blenders in our round-up of the many Vitamix options on the market, they’re popular with smoothie lovers looking for single-serve alternative to the company’s much-loved larger models.
If you own one of these machines, don’t panic—check the manufacturing date on the blades. The recall affects products made between April 2017 and March 2018. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the blade date code is laser-etched onto the top of the blade in the blade base. “If the blade base is marked on the bottom with a green or orange dot, the container has already been repaired,” says the recall announcement.
Vitamix recently recalled these 20-ounce cups, 8-ounce bowls, and accompanying blender blades for the Ascent and Venturist Series.
If your blender was manufactured during this period and doesn’t have a mark indicating it was already repaired, Vitamix recommends that you stop using the product immediately and contact them for a free repair kit. You can call them directly at 888-847-8842 or visit the Vitamix site, where you can enter your name and ZIP code to find out whether you have a recalled product, and whether Vitamix has already scheduled a replacement kit to be sent to you.
"We implemented a new gasket into the design," Vitamix’s director of communications Scott Tenant told Consumer Reports. “For those consumers who own 20-ounce cups or 8-ounce bowls manufactured prior to the design change, we will send free of charge an easy-to-use repair kit. You'll replace the orange gasket, no tools needed, with a new gasket.”
The blenders and their containers were sold at Costco, Williams-Sonoma, and the Vitamix website from April 2017 through July of this year, and ranged in price from $24 to $500 (with the first price being for a container alone—good luck finding a Vitamix for under $100).
If you’re looking for an alternative to the Vitamix during these trying times, Reviewed recommends the Breville Boss Super Blender, our top pick for pro-style blenders. Or if you want the look and feel of a Vitamix but need to blend on a budget, try the new Eufy MiracleBlend, which we recently put head-to-head with the Vitamix Pro Series 750.