Vitamix A3500 Blender Review

The Vitamix Ascent A3500 is a large blender. It's about the same size as the Vitamix A2300, and it's quite heavy. That said, it's best stored on your kitchen counter or in a large cupboard.

This blender has an outstanding build quality. The base is made of high-quality solid plastic with metal siding. The transmission and gears are metal, which makes the blender feel very sturdy overall. It has a thick power cable and its display and speed dial have a premium look and feel.

The Vitamix A3500 comes with one large main jar that feels very well-built and solid. It can be placed in any orientation on its base, and you can put it in the dishwasher for an easy clean.

The Vitamix A3500 doesn't come with any additional jars. However, you can purchase additional jars in different sizes from Vitamix.

The Vitamix Ascent A3500 has four sharp, thick blades. They aren't meant to be removed and although you can service them via their nut assembly, this voids their warranty. Luckily, the blades are dishwasher-safe.

The Vitamix A3500's lid is clear and has two clips on each side to create a seal. The middle part can be removed if you want to add ingredients or use the tamper to mix food in while blending. This center part can be used as a 30ml measuring cup, which is handy in a pinch.

The Vitamix A3500 has a long, thick power cord. You should have no problems reaching most outlets and you can even store it away when not in use.

• Motor base
• User manual and cookbook
• Tamper
• 64 oz blender pitcher and lid (with removable center)

The Vitamix A3500 has a touch-sensitive control panel. The white button on the left changes its pulse mode while the white one on the right is to start/stop. There are also controls to set a timer that runs up to 6:30, as well as several preset modes: 'Smoothies', 'Hot Soups', 'Dips and Spreads', 'Frozen Desserts', and 'Self-Cleaning'. The Vitamix Perfect Blend companion app includes 17 additional modes including 'Spice Grind' and 'Baby Food'. There's also an on/off toggle on the right side of the body.

This blender makes exceptional almond butter. It takes about four minutes to make a smooth, sticky almond butter that you can easily spread on toast.

The Vitamix A3500 is great for making smoothies. It takes a couple of minutes longer than the Vitamix A2300 to make a well-blended drink. The result is a thicker smoothie with a bit more foam. There are also pieces of kale that aren't completely liquified, which makes the drink a little grainy. If you want a blender that does an even better job at making smoothies, check out the Vitamix Explorian E310.

Even though this blender, the Vitamix A2300, and the Vitamix A2500 use the same Ascent Series jar and have similar overall performance, the results for these blenders can vary in texture and time to blend. This is mostly due to how their presets function and how you ramp up your speeds.

This blender doesn't come with an additional jar.

This blender makes incredible crushed ice. It can make snow-like ice in less than a minute when using the 'Frozen Drink' mode.

The Vitamix A3500 has a few programs and modes. Its timer works like a stopwatch, so you just choose a speed setting and let it run. If you want a specific time, you can use the '+' and '-' buttons to control it up to six and a half minutes. As this blender is Bluetooth-compatible, you can access additional presets using its Vitamix Perfect Blend companion app: 'Smoothies', 'Hot Soups', 'Frozen Desserts', 'Spreads', 'Dry Chopping', 'Nut Butters', 'Cold Skim Milk Foam', 'Dressings', 'Spice Grinding', 'Baby Food', 'Marinades', 'Frozen Cocktails', 'Nut Milks', 'Thick Dips', 'Batter', and 'Acai Bowls'.

The Vitamix A3500 is very easy to clean. You can easily clean most messes by rinsing the jar, filling it up with soap and hot water, and running it at max speed. You may need to wipe the jar and lid with a sponge afterward if there's still some sticky residue left, but it's pretty easy to wash. It can be a little trickier to get under the blades or around the lid though, as food debris can get stuck in these areas. All the jars, lids, and blade assemblies are dishwasher-safe too, which is useful in a pinch.

This blender doesn't have many extra features. It comes with a tamper to help you distribute food more evenly in your blend. You can also hot blend, which is great if you're making soup.

It should be noted that while the blender doesn't adjust its speed to match its included container, if you purchase any of the Ascent jars, it automatically adjusts its settings to match their size.