Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series Review
Pros: Excellent at crushing ice, perfect at pureeing, superb at smoothies
Cons: Pricey
Bottom line: This burly blender tied for the top score overall but comes at a premium price
Editors' Rating:
Power: Peak 2.2 HP
DImensions: 11" x 8" x 17"
Manufacturer: Vitamix
Our Verdict
Matching the performance of the Cuisinart Hurricane Pro, the Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series also earned an Editors' Choice award and is one of the best blenders that we tested overall. This product performed extremely well across the board in all of our metrics. While it is substantially more expensive than the Cuisinart, it showed no signs of wear and tear and the end of our tests like the Hurricane Pro did, so we felt it merited the top award as well.
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Our Analysis and Test Results
Review by:
David Wise and Austin Palmer
David Wise and Austin Palmer
Last Updated:
Monday
October 16, 2017
Monday
October 16, 2017
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A trio of top-notch blenders all tied for the highest score of the group, with the Hurricane Pro, Vitamix A2500, and the Vitamix Pro 750 all meriting an 88 out of 100. Performing essentially identically across all of our tests, it is mainly price and relative durability that set these three apart for determining awards. As mentioned above, the blade on the Hurricane Pro showed some signs of damage and the Pro 750 costs a bit more than the A2500. However, the Pro 750 would be an excellent choice if found at a discounted price.
To determine which product is truly the blender that tops them all, we conducted extensive research, then bought the best models available today and tested them side-by-side with a comprehensive testing process. We spread our tests among five weighted rating metrics — Convenience, Grinding, Pureeing, Ice, and Smoothies — with the sections below providing details about the performance of the Vitamix A2500 and how it compared to the rest of the blenders in the bunch.
Carrying the most weight out of any of our rating metrics, Smoothies account for 30% of the final score for each product. The A2500 delivered an exceptionally great performance, earning a phenomenal score of 9 out of 10. We used four different recipes to make evaluation beverages, grading the A2500 on how well it made a berry smoothie, fruit and oat, green, and an Oreo shake. The following chart shows how this product stacked up against the competition when it came to blending smoothies.
The A2500 did a fantastic job at mixing a green smoothie, creating a silky-smooth drink that pours right through a sieve.
This matched the performance of the other Vitamix models and the Cuisinart, with no flakes or chunks of greens in the beverage and a very consistent flavor profile throughout the entire glass.
This blender continued its excellent performance in our Oreo shake evaluation, blending a perfect beverage that wasn't grainy at all. We also didn't have to intervene by scraping the sides of the pitcher or shaking it in the slightest to get the mixture to blend.
The A2500 continued its stellar performance into our berry smoothie challenge, perfectly blending the mixture and completely destroying any of the seeds to create a velvety-smooth texture, outperforming the Cuisinart Hurricane Pro.
For the last test, the performance of the A2500 took a substantial hit. This blender didn't do particularly well with our fruit and oat smoothie, leaving behind plenty of larger almond chunks. The Cuisinart Hurricane and the Vitamix 5200 did much better, with the 5200 performing the best overall. However, the parts of the smoothie that were completely blended were quite smooth.
Our next metric, Ice, consisted of two tests — crushing ice and blending a margarita — and is responsible for 20% of the overall score. The Vitamix A2500 crushed it, earning a perfect score of 10 out of 10
This blender completely crushed the ice without any signs of difficulty, completing the task in less than 15 seconds or so.
It also made an excellent margarita. This perfect drink was evenly mixed throughout, without any large ice chunks.
Meriting the same weight as our Ice metric, our Convenience metric also takes credit for 20% of the total score. We ranked and scored each blender on how easy it is to operate, the difficulty of cleaning it, and if there are any other helpful features that make it even easier to operate. The Vitamix A2500 continued its great performance, earning a 7 out of 10 for being very easy to use — one of the best
The A2500 is quite easy to clean manually, with a large pitcher and plenty of space around the blades. There also aren't any lips or crevices that were prone to collecting food. Even better, the pitcher, lid, and blade assembly are all dishwasher-safe, if don't feel like washing them yourself.
You can also place the pitcher back on its motorized base in a way that it will dry, freeing up valuable space in your dish rack.
The A2500 has a handful of different preset functions, as well as a built-in digital timer.
However, they aren't the most intuitively labeled, so you definitely have to consult the manual on their use for the first few times. Unfortunately, this appliance is definitely a little on the loud side, measuring in at 88 dBa on our SPL meter.
Responsible for 15% of the overall score, our Pureeing metric is comprised of three different tests: making almond butter, mixing tomato soup, and heating up that soup. The A2500 again delivered a stellar performance, earning a perfect score of 10 out of 10 and tying for the top spot of the whole group, as shown below.
This model delivered a perfect performance when it came to making nut butter, producing a smooth and creamy spread after about 8 minutes of blending. This blender also gave an excellent performance in our soup test, perfectly liquefying the mixture to the extent that it passed entirely through the sieve without any getting caught.
This appliance also heated the soup up enough to serve right out of the blender, reaching a temperature of 153.2°F after 5:45 of blending.
Accounting for the last 15% of the total score, our Grinding metric evaluated each blender on how well it did at making powdered sugar, grating hard parmesan cheese, and milling popcorn into corn flour. The A2500 again scored very well, earning an 7 out of 10, though not quite enough to claim the top spot, as shown below.
The A2500 did an excellent job at milling the corn flour, with 99% of the finished product passing our sieve test.
It did decently well with our parmesan cheese, though there were a few larger rogue chunks interspersed throughout the mix. The A2500 also finished out the test with a good showing at making powdered sugar, creating a very finely ground mixture without melting any.
The A2500 is a fantastic blender, but it is quite expensive, making it a poor option if you are shopping on a budget.
Tying for the top spot and earning an Editors' Choice award for its performance, the Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series is a fantastic blender that won't disappoint. It excelled in all of our tests and showed no signs of wear and tear, even after pureeing almond, crushing ice, or grinding popcorn. For those that want the very best, this hefty blender is definitely one to consider — if you can stomach paying close to $500 for a blender.
Our Editor's Choice winner, the Vitamix A2500.
Performance Comparison
To determine which product is truly the blender that tops them all, we conducted extensive research, then bought the best models available today and tested them side-by-side with a comprehensive testing process. We spread our tests among five weighted rating metrics — Convenience, Grinding, Pureeing, Ice, and Smoothies — with the sections below providing details about the performance of the Vitamix A2500 and how it compared to the rest of the blenders in the bunch.
The A2500 did exceptionally well at making smoothies.
Smoothies
Carrying the most weight out of any of our rating metrics, Smoothies account for 30% of the final score for each product. The A2500 delivered an exceptionally great performance, earning a phenomenal score of 9 out of 10. We used four different recipes to make evaluation beverages, grading the A2500 on how well it made a berry smoothie, fruit and oat, green, and an Oreo shake. The following chart shows how this product stacked up against the competition when it came to blending smoothies.
The A2500 did a fantastic job at mixing a green smoothie, creating a silky-smooth drink that pours right through a sieve.
The green smoothie poured effortlessly through the sieve.
This matched the performance of the other Vitamix models and the Cuisinart, with no flakes or chunks of greens in the beverage and a very consistent flavor profile throughout the entire glass.
The A2500 made a fantastically smooth and delectable green smoothie.
This blender continued its excellent performance in our Oreo shake evaluation, blending a perfect beverage that wasn't grainy at all. We also didn't have to intervene by scraping the sides of the pitcher or shaking it in the slightest to get the mixture to blend.
The A2500 ready to ascend to the top of our tastebuds with this mouthwatering Oreo shake.
The A2500 continued its stellar performance into our berry smoothie challenge, perfectly blending the mixture and completely destroying any of the seeds to create a velvety-smooth texture, outperforming the Cuisinart Hurricane Pro.
The A2500 was a top performer for our berry smoothie test.
For the last test, the performance of the A2500 took a substantial hit. This blender didn't do particularly well with our fruit and oat smoothie, leaving behind plenty of larger almond chunks. The Cuisinart Hurricane and the Vitamix 5200 did much better, with the 5200 performing the best overall. However, the parts of the smoothie that were completely blended were quite smooth.
The A2500 makes efficient work of ice and frozen drinks.
Ice
Our next metric, Ice, consisted of two tests — crushing ice and blending a margarita — and is responsible for 20% of the overall score. The Vitamix A2500 crushed it, earning a perfect score of 10 out of 10
This blender completely crushed the ice without any signs of difficulty, completing the task in less than 15 seconds or so.
The A2500 crushes ice so well you might think you ascended to a mountain top and found snow.
It also made an excellent margarita. This perfect drink was evenly mixed throughout, without any large ice chunks.
Unlike the older model Vitamix, the Ascent Series is dishwasher safe, except for the motor base.
Convenience
Meriting the same weight as our Ice metric, our Convenience metric also takes credit for 20% of the total score. We ranked and scored each blender on how easy it is to operate, the difficulty of cleaning it, and if there are any other helpful features that make it even easier to operate. The Vitamix A2500 continued its great performance, earning a 7 out of 10 for being very easy to use — one of the best
The A2500 is quite easy to clean manually, with a large pitcher and plenty of space around the blades. There also aren't any lips or crevices that were prone to collecting food. Even better, the pitcher, lid, and blade assembly are all dishwasher-safe, if don't feel like washing them yourself.
The wider pitcher makes this easier to clean by hand.
You can also place the pitcher back on its motorized base in a way that it will dry, freeing up valuable space in your dish rack.
The A2500 has a handful of different preset functions, as well as a built-in digital timer.
The A2500 has a nice digital display and what we feel is all the presets that you need.
However, they aren't the most intuitively labeled, so you definitely have to consult the manual on their use for the first few times. Unfortunately, this appliance is definitely a little on the loud side, measuring in at 88 dBa on our SPL meter.
The A2500 Ascent Series climbed its way to the top making a top notch nut butter.
Pureeing
Responsible for 15% of the overall score, our Pureeing metric is comprised of three different tests: making almond butter, mixing tomato soup, and heating up that soup. The A2500 again delivered a stellar performance, earning a perfect score of 10 out of 10 and tying for the top spot of the whole group, as shown below.
This model delivered a perfect performance when it came to making nut butter, producing a smooth and creamy spread after about 8 minutes of blending. This blender also gave an excellent performance in our soup test, perfectly liquefying the mixture to the extent that it passed entirely through the sieve without any getting caught.
This appliance also heated the soup up enough to serve right out of the blender, reaching a temperature of 153.2°F after 5:45 of blending.
Consistently blending hard foods can pot mark and damage the pitcher, consider getting a second pitcher or a dry blades pitcher if you are going to do a lot of grinding.
Grinding
Accounting for the last 15% of the total score, our Grinding metric evaluated each blender on how well it did at making powdered sugar, grating hard parmesan cheese, and milling popcorn into corn flour. The A2500 again scored very well, earning an 7 out of 10, though not quite enough to claim the top spot, as shown below.
The A2500 did an excellent job at milling the corn flour, with 99% of the finished product passing our sieve test.
The A2500 created a quality corn meal, most of which passed easily through our sieve.
It did decently well with our parmesan cheese, though there were a few larger rogue chunks interspersed throughout the mix. The A2500 also finished out the test with a good showing at making powdered sugar, creating a very finely ground mixture without melting any.
Value
The A2500 is a fantastic blender, but it is quite expensive, making it a poor option if you are shopping on a budget.
Conclusion
Tying for the top spot and earning an Editors' Choice award for its performance, the Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series is a fantastic blender that won't disappoint. It excelled in all of our tests and showed no signs of wear and tear, even after pureeing almond, crushing ice, or grinding popcorn. For those that want the very best, this hefty blender is definitely one to consider — if you can stomach paying close to $500 for a blender.
—
David Wise and Austin Palmer
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