Vitamix is one of the premier names in blenders and for good reason. The Vitamix brand’s origins can be traced back to 1921, meaning they have now been around for over 100 years. Throughout their existence, they have focused on promoting whole foods and nutrition. Even today, their products enable people all around the world to get more whole foods into their diet through blending.
With all their years of experience building high quality blenders, it’s no wonder their name is so well known today. While their brand’s quality is well know, it’s also fairly well known that their price tags match their reputation. To sum it up simply, Vitamix blenders aren’t cheap. While you certainly get what you pay for, they certainly aren’t a brand for people who aren’t serious about blending.
If you’re looking to get into the Vitamix line of products, their Explorian Series E310 is a great place to start. It blends the high performance you would expect from Vitamix with their lowest price point for a full function blender.
In this review, we’ll take a deep dive into the Vitamix Explorian Series E310 to help you decide if it’s the right blender for you. We’ll look at some of the basics of this blender, what you can use it for, what other users have to say about it, some pros and cons, and finally we’ll look at some alternatives if you decide this isn’t the right fit for you.
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If you’re ready to dive in, let’s get started.
Vitamix E310 – The Basics
The Power
Like most Vitamix blenders, the Vitamix E310 has quite a powerful motor. This Vitamix blender has a 2 horsepower motor and can generate 1,380 watts of power. While it’s not the most powerful motor to ever be in a blender, it’s definitely on the higher end. For reference, I think of anything over 1,000 watts as being considered high powered.
With this much power, you won’t have to worry about the Vitamix E310 powering through things like tough vegetables or ice cubes.
The Blades
The Vitamix E310 has hardened stainless steel blades that are laser cut. These blades are super powerful and are built to last. There are four points to the blades of the Vitamix Explorian E310 which helps to blend up your items extremely efficiently.
The Size
This Vitamix blender is a great size for a countertop blender. All in all, it measures 11″ x 8″ x 18″ with the container attached. At this size, it should fit on most kitchen counters with no problem.
If you live in a smaller apartment or don’t have much kitchen space, then it may take up more space than you’re comfortable with. If you think you’ll have to move it around quite a bit, it’s important to keep in mind that it weighs just over 10 pounds. If you don’t want to deal with moving it around a lot and don’t have the space for it to stay on the counter, it may not be the best blender for you.
The included container is a 48 ounce container made from BPA free plastic. At this container size, this blender is perfect if you’re blending for up to 4 people regularly. One of the best things about Vitamix models is the availability of accessories for them. If you want some added versatility, you can get additional blender containers in larger or smaller sizes than the included 48 ounce container.
The Controls
The Vitamix E310 is super simple to use, like other Vitamix blenders. It does not have any preprogrammed settings, but it does have 10 speeds to choose from with an added pulse feature. Overtime, you will get a feel for what speed certain recipes need to be at.
With just one dial and two switches, the Vitamix E310 is super user friendly.
The Clean Up
When considering a new blender, it’s important to learn what it takes to clean the blender after use. Some blenders can be a total pain to clean, so you’ll be happy to learn the Vitamix E310 has a self cleaning function.
In order to use the self cleaning function, just add some warm water and dish soap to the container and turn the blender on. After running for about 30 seconds, you can rinse the pitcher out and you’ll be left with a clean blender.
As the container is made from BPA free plastic, you can also put it in the dishwasher, but it may reduce the life of the container and the blades.
The Vitamix E310 – What Can You Make With It?
The Vitamix E310 is a super versatile blender. With it’s variable speed control and powerful stainless steel blades, the Vitamix E310 will be able to handle anything you can throw at it.
The Vitamix E310 can handle your morning smoothie and will have no problem with frozen fruit. Any thicker vegetables will quickly the smoothed out thanks to the efficiency of this blender.
While you’ll certainly be glad to know this blender can handle more “traditional” blending tasks, it can go much further than that.
In addition to smoothies and juices, the Vitamix E310 uses blade friction heating to allow you to be able to make hot soups right in the blender. This mean’s you’ll be able to make thick vegetable soups without even turning on the oven.
If you’re looking for some help making batter or dough for cookies or pancakes, the Vitamix E310 will be a huge help in that department too.
Looking to get creative with a frozen dessert? The Vitamix E310 will help you make milkshakes and sorbet with a perfect consistency in seconds.
Pros and Cons of the Vitamix E310
Pros
- Very reputable brand – Vitamix is the go-to high quality blender brand
- Powerful blender will have no problem crushing ice cubes or getting through tough vegetables
- Very versatile – you can make everything from nut butter to hot soup
- 5 year warranty included
- BPA free plastic container is easy to clean with dish soap and warm water
Cons
- Smaller container (48 ounces) can make blending for larger groups a hassle
- Not a budget blender
What Do Others Have to Say About It?
Vitamix machines have developed quite a following of loyal users and for good reason. These blenders are super high quality and people are happy with them. For some objective evidence, just look at the Amazon reviews.
The Vitamix E310 has over 4,000 reviews on Amazon and has 4.7/5 stars.
That’s about as highly rated as you can get.
For some specifics, people loved how simple it is to use and how well it blends up harder vegetables like carrots. After reading though many of the Amazon reviews, I found it was common that users bought this as an upgrade from a beginner blender like a Ninja blender. Some seemed hesitant to spend several hundred on a blender but are more than happy with the purchase as this is best for people who are blending quite frequently.
Due to the container size, users said that its best to blend in medium batches. By blending medium batches, you can make the most of the blender container size and ensure everything in the container get’s blended to your liking.
Like many high powered blenders, people said it was very loud. At the end of the day, you can expect that all blenders won’t be very quiet. If you are looking for a blender that specifically aims to reduce the noise when blending, this one may not be a great choice.
At first glance people notice that this blender doesn’t have any preprogrammed settings or LCD screens. While those are nice to have, Vitamix left them off of this model to bring a lower cost model to market. Users of this blender seem to agree it doesn’t have many frills but does its job and does it well.
People also love how easy this blender is to clean. With just a few drops of dish soap and warm water, this blender will be looking good as new in a few seconds.
Alternatives to the Vitamix E310
If you’ve decided this Vitamix Explorian blender isn’t the best one for you, don’t worry. There are tons of high performance blenders on the market that are great Vitamix alternatives. Here are a couple blenders to consider if you want to continue your search after learning about the Vitamix E310.
Vitamix E310 vs. Cleanblend Commercial Blender
If you like the Vitamix E310 for the easy to use interface and high powered motor, you’ll love the Cleanblend Commercial Blender. The Cleanblend Commercial blender has 1800 watts of power and a 64 ounce jar.
If the Vitamix E310 is a bit too small for you and you don’t want to look at higher price point items, take a closer look at the Cleanblend Commercial blender. With it’s high powered motor, 64 ounce jar, and easy to use interface, it makes a great alternative to the Vitamix E310 and is price considerably lower too.
To check out the Cleanblend Commercial blender, click here.
Vitamix E310 vs. Blendtec Total Classic Original Blender
The Blendtec Total Classic blender is a great Vitamix alternative if you’re looking for a blender with some preprogrammed cycles and a bigger container.
The Blendtec Total Classic has 6 preset functions to choose from as well as the ability to choose your own speed, this blender also has a pulse feature like the Vitamix E310. There is also a small LCD display that will show you how much time is left if you use a preset function. This blender also comes with a 75 ounce blender container so it’ll make blending for larger groups a lot easier.
This Blendtec blender will keep you around the same price point as the Vitamix E310, but you’ll lose the Vitamix name.
Wrapping Up
All in all, the Vitamix E310 is a great blender for anyone new to blending or looking to upgrade from an older blender. The Vitamix E310 is a great entry point to the family of Vitamix blenders as it’s Vitamix’s lowest priced blender in their full size.
While this is a relatively no frills blender compared to other Vitamix models, it’s still super functional and won’t let you down. The variable speed control gives you complete control in how fast you’re blending and you can use this blender for just about any recipe you could imagine. As a new Vitamix owner, you’ll enjoy making everything from your own almond milk, to blending coffee beans, and ending your day with your own frozen desserts.
If you’re ready to take a closer look at the Vitamix E310, click here!
