I came from a Pro 500 Vitamix and I upgraded to this new Ascent series. It is worth the upgrade and worth the investment. As soon as you open the box you will notice the high quality standard that Vitamix put into this product. I like everything with this blender. At first I thought that the rubber lid will be better, but once you see and hold the new lid, it is very well constructed and the clips on the side is very strong. I like the new container as I noticed that it blends better, less need for the tamper because it is wide and having the huge 4" blade is a plus. It seems that the gears on the container that goes into the drive socket is longer than the old one, which to me it will last longer. The self detect feature is great as well for safety, as you can only run the blender when you place the container on top of the blender base. The blender base is heavy which make it more stable when blending. It is definitely much quieter than the Pro 500 that I had. The rubber pad on the top feels good to the touch which I think helps to reduce the noise. The toggle switch for pulse and start/stop have a great rugged feel to it. The digital timer is one of the great feature of this blender as it shows you for how long you are blending already and when you are using the pre-sets it will show you as to how long it will blend. Overall, this is a great blender. If you want the manual controls, pre-sets, digital timer, the new container and the 10 YEAR WARRANTY!!!. Then, this blender is for you. You can never go wrong with this. I can't wait until the new single single cup container becomes available.

I have been using a Legacy Series 5200 for about ten years and felt ready for an upgrade. I did a lot of research and decided on the A2500 over the A3500 because I felt as a long time user I would be more comfortable with the manual controls. I love the A2500. It is noticeably quieter than the 5200 and I think it blends a bit better overall. I did buy the additional 48oz container and I haven’t even used the larger container that comes standard yet. I’m glad that I did because I think the larger container would be way too big. I too wish that Vitamix would offer a choice of containers as the 48oz I think would be a better choice for most people. I love the preprogrammed options. I use smoothie everyday when I make my morning smoothies and it always comes out perfect without me having to do anything. I also use the smoothie program to clean it when I’m done. So far I have made smoothies and nut milks in it and am super impressed. I would definitely recommend it to someone looking to upgrade but who still wishes to have manual control.

I have two Vitamixes - the 5200 and this one and I actually like the tactile feel of the 5200 better - this one sometimes won't register the container and feels a bit delicate. I love that I can always depend on the 5200 - still use the A2500 but never if I'm in a hurry because I know I may or may not have to struggle with it - ESPECIALLY if I am using the small containers. I did notice that is if I used if regularly for several days in a row, I can usually make it work nearly every time - it's a great, powerful machine ... I just prefer the lower tech for being less fussy if I'm in a hurry - and it can still use the self-detect containers. I use the aerator a lot of fresh lemonade and fresh mayo.

I bought my Vitamix machine on 11/30 received on 12/1 and used it yesterday 12/3 for the first time and it's absolutely amazing. The power this machine has is worth every single penny. I used it to make sea moss gel and I couldn't believe it. With my Ninja, I needed to blend for so long and would still find chunks with my Vitamix a minute and a half and done.

First time Vitamix buyer/user. Been using it for a month and so far so good. Powerful motor makes quick work of raw ingredients. So much in fact I thought it might fly off the base at full speed (it doesn't). Consequently it's pretty loud, which is to be expected. Really the only con for me is the size of the container. 64oz is a lot of volume for fill and I regularly blend smoothies in the 20 oz range. A pureeing sub 8oz batches of things isn't really feasible. Thus you need to buy additional accessories to cover your bases. Overall though, happy with the purchase.

It is my first vitamix. The machine is great but it happened that the container could not be detected until I turned the knob to Speed 1 or the preset programme. I have also got the stainless steel container but have not tried it yet. I hope it can be detected. Fingercross. I purchased the blender to make black bean milk, hot soup, nut butter (haven't tried yet), and some Asian healthy drinks. The black bean milk was so smooth and delicious.

I wasn’t going to buy a Vitamix. I felt my regular blender was doing a good enough job of making my morning smoothie. Then I watched a side by side comparison between the A2500 and a household blender, and was surprised at how much better the Vitamix did. I’m so glad I ordered it. It makes a really smooth smoothie (no chunks clogging up the straw). I can’t wait to make other things with it.

I bought the A2300 reconditioned about a year+ ago and have been totally addicted to it ever since. It was hard to make the move at first because it seemed too pricey for us, but totally worth the money after all. I have been telling all my friends about it, and a few of them even got their own. It makes the best and most creamy soups, the smoothies are so easy to make every morning, as well as hummus and tapenade. Would 200% recommend! My container got a bit stained because or fresh turmeric, but except for that, it's like new.

Finally purchased a Vitamix after 20 years of longing for one. Smoothies have been a breeze with the very powerful motor & thorough mixing action. Cleanup of the container is easier than I expected-the shape inside is easy to use a spatula on to get the last bit of smoothie out before washing. And I was able to get a container that can sit on its base & fit under my cabinet. Can't wait to try some more recipes!

I just received my Vitamix last Thursday & set it up on Monday after buying all my fruits and so on to make a smoothie. After putting all of my ingredients in the pitcher I put it on the smoothie preset. It began working and after a couple of seconds it jumped and got extremely loud. I turned it off immediately and removed all of the contents. I washed it and dried it and put it away. On Tuesday morning I decided to give it another try. I put in my soy milk, yogurt and berries. I set it on smoothie and it began blending and as it worked for about three seconds it got louder and louder. I turned it off and decided to use the settings between 1-3. I didn’t take it up to ten. It worked fine. It was loud but not as loud as when you use the smoothie settings. As much as I love the idea of having a Vitamix blender, I don’t think that I will keep it. I spent a lot to have a quality blender and I certainly didn’t pay to have a blender jump up and get louder after a couple of seconds. It’s sounds horrible as if it’s going to explode. The sound frightened my dogs as it did me. I don’t know if this is normal for this blender or if anyone else has experienced this too. I just don’t think it’s worth keeping.