Vitamix A3500 Review
Is the Vitamix A3500 worth buying? It makes the most sense for people who buy the A3500 if: you want preset programs (especially the soup and dessert presets); you want the 10-year warranty; you make nut butters, hot soups, or gra in f.
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Vitamix A3500
View on AmazonOur verdict
The Vitamix A3500 in brief. Who it's for: people who buy the A3500 if: you want preset programs (especially the soup and dessert presets); you want the 10-year warranty; you make nut butters, hot soups, or gra in f.
Two Years of Daily Use
The Vitamix A3500 has run at least once per day for two years in this test kitchen, green smoothies every morning, occasional soups, weekly nut butter batches.
The results: zero mechanical failures, zero degradation in blending performance, and one warranty claim for a lid plug that cracked (replaced free of charge with in the week).
The motor sounds exactly as it did on day one.
The blade assembly shows no measurable wear.
The 2200W Motor in Practice
For daily green smoothies with kale, spinach, and frozen fruit: 2200W is more power than necessary.
A Vitamix E310 at 1490W handles these tasks identically.
The 2200W motor becomes the decisive advantage for: Nut butters: raw almonds, cashews, and peanuts require sustained high torque for the extended time needed to process them from whole nuts to smooth butter.
At 2200W, the A3500 makes almond butter from whole almonds in 2 to 3 minutes without strain.
The Program System and Wireless
The A3500's five preset programs are the primary feature differentiation from the E310: Smoothies: 60-second cycle that starts low, ramps high, and ends with a pulse sequence.
Hot soups: starts very low to prevent splash, gradually increases to high for emulsification.
Dips and spreads: shorter cycle for chunky texture without over-processing.
Frozen desserts: sustained high-speed processing for dense frozen material.
The Touch Interface
The A3500 uses a backlit touch interface instead of the knob controls on the E310 and 5200.
Practical difference: the touch surface is easier to clean than knobs that accumulate dried smoothie residue in the crevices around them.
The trade-off: touch interfaces are less tactile, if you want to feel the control change without looking, the E310's physical dial is more satisfying.
Who Should Buy the A3500 vs. the E310
Buy the A3500 if: you want preset programs (especially the soup and dessert presets); you want the 10-year warranty; you make nut butters, hot soups, or gra in flour regularly; or you want the wireless app connectivity.
Buy the E310 instead if: you prefer manual variable speed control; your use is primarily smoothies and sauces; or you want to minimize the Vitamix investment.
The E310 and A3500 blend standard smoothies to identical results.
The A3500 premium is for the program system, wireless connectivity, touch interface, and the additional 5 years of warranty coverage.
Verdict
The Vitamix A3500 in brief. Who it's for: people who buy the A3500 if: you want preset programs (especially the soup and dessert presets); you want the 10-year warranty; you make nut butters, hot soups, or gra in f.
View on AmazonFAQ
Common questions
Is the Vitamix A3500 worth the price over the E310?
If you want preset programs, built-in wireless connectivity, and the 10-year warranty (vs. the E310's 5-year): yes. If you are fine with manual variable speed and dial operation, and want the lowest Vitamix entry price: the E310 provides the same motor class and blade quality for significantly less. The A3500's premium is for the program system and wireless, not for better blending of standard recipes.
How loud is the Vitamix A3500?
Approximately 88 dB at max speed, one of the loudest blenders on the market. Vitamix sells a separate sound enclosure (the Vitamix Blending Station) for households w here noise is a concern. Standard use: loud enough to require pausing nearby conversations but brief enough (30 to 60 seconds) that most households accept the noise.
Can the Vitamix A3500 blend hot soup?
The 64-oz Ascent container handles hot liquids safely, the lid is vented for steam release. Start at low speed and gradually increase to prevent the hot liquid vortex from forcing the lid. The A3500's preset soup cycle handles this sequence automatically.
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