Outperforms Vita-mix hands down

I was considering buying a new Vita-mix since I had an older model. However, the day I was looking I also found out about the K-Tec Champ HP3 Blender. I watched a demonstration and my jaw hit the floor when they put some ingredients to make a smoothie including the ice. My vita-mix would have taken 10 times the amount of time to chop through the ice. Just from that alone I was sold because I knew this was a power horse of a machine. I am sure some people bought it based on my amazement after that demonstration that day. I wanted to buy it and take it home immediately however my co-worker told me to really think about it because it wasn't in my budget at the time.

I am glad I waited because after doing some considerable searching online I was able to locate a great deal, better than you could get through ebay and with no shipping charges or tax.

So far, my experience with this blender has been like a dream. I have ground my own flour, made many smoothies, mixed muffin batter, made hummus, chopped up veggies, made peanut butter, made salsa and more. The only challenges are when you are trying to process certain items, when doing certain things you cannot put too much in there because it can do smaller portions - things like cheese, whole carrots, potatoes. If you read the manual and cookbook it tells you exactly how to do these, but of course sometimes we like to test it and see if we can do more, right? You can't.

Speaking of the manual and cookbook, it really features very informative and useful information about eating healthier, which is a big plus.

I found this machine makes excellent "shaved" ice and fast. I bought one of those ice shavers a few years ago, now I have one more appliance I no longer need.

I love the timers and that you can walk away while it is working and it will shut off for you when the cycle is done. You cannot overdo it because when it gets near overheating, it automatically shuts down until cool. Additionally, there are 2 other controls, the speed key and the pulse key along with the 4 timed cycles. My favorite is #4 which is great for making smoothies or really cold frozen (like ice cream consistency) drinks, it varies in speed throughout the cycle to pull the contents down into the blades, as it slows down everything is "sucked" into the blades, provided you have just the right mixture of frozen and solid ingredients.

I love the smooth control panel, it is so much easier to keep this machine clean than my old vita-mix and no gaskets to replace that I know of.

Cleaning the container is a breeze, just put some hot water and detergent and turn it on, then occasional sanitizing with bleach and hot water. That's it, you rarely ever have to do more than that.

Computer controlled blend cycles make perfect drinks with one-touch operation. No old fashioned knobs, switches, or dials to wear out. Solid state electronics and sleek touchpad ensure long life and dependable performance. No other blender offers the power, ease of operation, and state of the art engineering. Half-gallon capacity GE Lexan™ jar is lightweight and easy to clean. Powerful 3-peak horsepower motor makes any blending chore a breeze. Includes a 156 page cookbook.
Warranty: 8 years — home use only.

Once you get a chance to use it, you will know why every Starbucks and many smoothie stores use this company's product exclusively.

The company's web site is
http://www.k-tecusa.com/champhp3.html
- and if you want a good deal on one, here is where I bought mine http://www.livingright.com/

You will love this high tech blender!