First of all, this comparison is not entirely fair because obviously a 3 hp and even 3.5 hp blenders are much stronger than 2 hp blenders. The Health Master is advertised as a 2 hp blender and it is not even a 1.75 hp blender.
The more power and torque (AMP) a blender has the better the results of the smoothies and raw ingredient soups could be assumed. In our research we have found that a 2 hp blender does exactly the same job as a 3 hp blender or a 3.5 hp blender. But the 2 hp blender takes a little bid longer.
Then, not only time is an issue with blending raw, but also the torque and noise as well. Because the noise level of a 2 hp blender is just about the same as a 3 hp or 3.5 hp blender, the blending cycle is often cut short to minimize the noisy torture. Ok, it is true, that sound enclosures nowadays in the below $ 80 range can help with noise reduction.
The torque is rather critical with blending. Although a 3.5 hp or 3 hp blender may not necessarily yield in its true motor’s abilities, up to the AMP and Watt limitations, the motor is still what it is. It is a 2 hp, a 3 hp, or a 3.5 hp motor. Logically it yields in longevity and durability. The watts and the AMP’s act like a throttle.
The company that sells the Health Master Blender is called Tristar and it is a marketing company which sells kitchen appliances that are custom labeled such as with the name Montel or Jack Lalanne, etc… Maybe Oprah will have a blender too some day, who knows. While Waring, Blendtec, and Vita Mix have dealer programs, the Health Master according to the customer service department is only for sale through Tristar, aka Health Master(TM).
The Montel Williams Health Master blender is nearly (it is not) a 2 hp blender with 1100 watts and torque of 10 AMP’s in its base configuration. The base model costs $ 200. This price is a lure. You need to spend $ 30.00 shipping, which takes about 3 to 4 weeks according to the distribution center.
You can upgrade the Health Master blender to a 1200 watts model with 11 AMP’s for $ 40.00. While the warranty is only a 90 days warranty in the base model you can upgrade for $15.00 to a 3 years warranty or for $ 35 to a 7 years warranty. The total upgraded Health Master blender with a 1 week’s accelerated delivery time, which is about normal for all other blenders, costs about $330.
The Montel Blender advertising says the motor has a 100 years limited warranty. Reading the disclaimers about limitations, a vague abuse or misuse note basically voids the warranty, which is not much different with any of the other manufacturers. So, that is why we are really not putting too much weight on the warranty issue anyway. But still, the Health Master is a new production while Blendtec, Waring, and Vita Mix Corporations have proven themselves for 30 years, 60 years, and 80 years.
The Health Master blender has an electronic push-button operating system with 8 variable speeds. The Blendtec 3 hp blender has already been seen for as low as $359 including shipping and 3 years warranty. It is equipped with an electronic master-computer system featuring 25 blending cycles pre-programmed.
The Vita Mix blenders have generally a manual operating system with the exception of some commercial “Touch and Go” models. The Vita Mix 5200 and Vita Mix 3 hp commercial version (Vita Prep 1005/3) have both a variable speed knob and the 4500 Turbo Blender has just the manual on/off switch and low/fast speed option. With some exceptions, the commercial version like the Waring MX1200XT, for example, is very similar to the Vita Mix system, with on/off switch, variable speed knob and an override pulse switch for extra fast. Waring has several other 3.5 hp commercial blender models with few operating variations.
The dimensions of the Health Master are very similar to the Waring size, but Waring with its nearly 17 pound weight, outweighs the Health Master by about 4 pounds. The Vita Mix 5200 weighs just about the same, with the Blendtec 3 hp blender leading as the lightest model at 9 pounds. Weight may be an issue for some consumers. The Blendtec appears little flimsy when on full power, kind of moving back and forth. It never falls over, of course, but appearance is an issue to some, while the Blendtec HP3A certainly has huge travel advantages. Nobody wants to haul a 17 + pound blender around.
The Vita Mix 2 hp 5200, the Vita Mix 2 hp 4500 Turbo Blender, and the Blendtec HP3A 3 hp blender come with a BPA Free 64 oz / 2 liters container while the Health Master makes no mention about this Bi-Phenol issue. Whether Bi-Phenol is really a hazard is in question. Of course, the company that manufactures Bi-Phenol says it is not a hazard, if we can sell you on that. Anyway, Waring blenders, and the Vita Mix 3 hp commercial blenders, as well as many of the Blendtec Commercial versions are packaged with containers that are not BPA-Free.
The BPA-Free issue may not be even a valid matter since we put in question why both Blendtec and Vita Mix are still making regular Polycarbonate containers started with Bi-Phenol when there is apparently a health threat? We think it may be just a marketing stunt, perhaps… Anyway, the FDA and EPA have not issued any concerns about the level of Bi-Phenol in the regular Polycarbonate containers.
The Montel Health Master Blender comes with an intriguing safety feature. The blender does not work until all, the cap on the lid, the lid on the container, and the container on the base have been put in place and locked-in properly. A safety contact system is built in. When hearing it clicking into place, the user can turn on the blender.
The Montel master piece also comes with a tamper as well as does the Vita Mix series. Blendtec and Waring are firm contra-Vita-Mix believers and won’t have anything to do with a tamper. Although, you can’t kid yourself; you still need a tamper anyway.
We were shocked about the Montel Blender disclaimer that you should not use the tamper in place for more than 25 seconds because it could cause overheating. The 2 hp Vita Mix 5200 or 4500 Turbo Blenders don’t have this limitation at all. And the 3 hp Vita Mix Blender basically can live with its tamper during the entire 5 minutes of soup making. Another big shocker was the section where the Montel manual states that consumers should not blend peanut butter more than 2 minutes because it could overheat the motor.
These concerns, however, do not mean that the Montel blender is bad. Remember, compared to the Vita Mix 4500, it is about 20$ cheaper, and about $70 cheaper than the Vita Mix 2 hp commercial blender Vita Prep 2. Of course, the Vita Mix Vita Prep 1005 / 3 hp blender is about $ 500 and the Waring MX1200XT costs about $470, there are some purchasing cost differences. Other Waring 3.5 hp blenders are for example the MX1050XT which can be bought for $350. It is really similar to the MX1200XT but is a slightly different operating system.
So, is it true that you get what you are paying for? When consumers reported to us that the 2 hp Montel Williams Health Master Blender costs $200, a closer look really has revealed that compared to its former and highly proven competitors, it is really only little less costly (about 3% less). We learned, the motor is only nearly a 2 hp motor while all Vita Mix motors are at least 2 hp + peak and higher.
The Waring commercial blenders are 3.5 hp blenders, which are starting at about $20 more than the Health Master. We appraised and accounted for the slight differences in these high performance blenders and their pros and cons in features respectively. The apple put against an equal apple, the Montel Blender really costs only about $20 to $30 less than the proven flag ships of Blendtec and Vita Mix Blenders.
Time and consumer feedback is perhaps the best judge and evaluator of which blender is better over time. To be fair, of course, a 3 hp blender and the 3.5 hp Waring blenders have been found to outperform the Montel Williams Health Master Blender, but they also cost significantly more money, while of course the witty Blendtec 3 hp HP3A blender is only $30 bucks more and you get a 3 hp motor.
Although a 3 hp motor with these heavy duty high performance blenders does not yield truly 3 hp, the torque is there, and the motor will outlast the 2 hp motor by a long time. The Waring commercial eXtreme blenders with its 3.5 hp motors are featuring 13 amps and 1500 watts, the Blendtec HP3A and Total Blenders have also a 3 hp motor, 13 amps, 1500 watts, the Vita Mix 3 hp blender comes with 12.5 amps and 1500 watts, and Vita Mix 2 hp blenders 11.5 amps with 1300 watts.
Our advice is to always read about the blenders as much as you can before buying. And if you buy one, make sure you are dealing with a company that has a history of good and honest customer service which will allow you to return the blender if not satisfied. You probably should always ask yourself the question, why is a blender more expensive or less expensive than another one?
Nothing is for free, and usually the statement “you get what you pay for” is true. And hopefully our purchase cost calculation of the Montel Williams “nearly” 2 hp Health Master blender makes sense to you. To us it does. It is a fine blender, very much so being competitively priced with the Vita Mix 2 hp Blender group in respect to power and features, with certainly some pros and cons on each side.
Still, the Blendtec HP3A with its 3 hp motor and selling for only about $30 more than the Montel Blender, leaves us breathless. And frankly, if you only have $230 to spend for a good blender, a nearly 2 hp blender with 1100 watts and a 90 days warranty may just have to do to get your raw food cooking to the next level.