Owners of Vitamix blenders — the expensive pulverizing machines adored by foodies and celebrities, and used by Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Jamba Juice — have taken to the internet over the past year to complain of a mysterious substance coming from the machines’ signature angled blades: tiny black particles. “O-ring tiny abrasions leak into my smoothie!” noted one Amazon review. “Not sure what it is but I’m guessing this isn’t the spontaneous generation of vitamins,” quipped another on YouTube. “I find it quite irresponsible that they keep selling these defective blades and making their customers (women and children and babies) eat black plastic,” said a post on Slickdeals. The shards are made mostly of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), the non-stick chemical more commonly known as Teflon, the company told BuzzFeed News. The PTFE flecks apparently come from a seal at the bottom of the containers used in all blender models, Scott Tennant, director of communications at Vitamix, told BuzzFeed News.

PTFE “has been used in pots and pans and other cookware for more than 50 years.” The flecks also contain about 2% graphite, which gives them their black color, Tennant said. Vitamix conducted an internal analysis late last summer, then contracted an independent standards company to conduct similar tests. Vitamix has not published any of these scientific results. Vitamix sold 1.4 million blenders last year, typically retailing between $400 and $700. Though news of the mysterious “black dust” has set many customers into panic mode, ingesting PTFE is not harmful, according to independent health experts. The reason PTFE works so well as a non-stick coating is because it’s chemically inert: Nothing reacts with it. So if the particles are indeed PTFE, as the company claims, then there’s nothing to fret about, experts say. “It’s unsightly, and not many people want to have the visual of having black flakes in your food,” Edward Boyer, director of toxicology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, told BuzzFeed News.

“But it’s probably better for you than eating a cheeseburger every meal.” Since last spring, angry customers have been posting evidence of the tiny particles, which become visible if you run the machine with water inside.Very Expensive Black Dust,” wrote one customer above this photo. Vitamix is working on a new, shard-free model. “We are working toward possible modifications to the seal that we hope to have in place later this year,” Tennant said. The company will not be recalling the old models because the flecks don’t pose any safety risks, he added. “We do care very, very deeply about customer preferences,” he said. “This was not a safety issue.” It is true that pure PTFE is usually safe. The exception is when PTFE gets very hot — above 500 degrees Fahrenheit — and turns into vapor. People who breathe in these fumes, such as workers who mill PTFE, can get chills, fever, and respiratory distress. Vitamix machines produce a lot of heat: The blades spin so forcefully that, after running for several minutes, it can heat the contents of the container, making hot soup.

But that’s not enough to vaporize PTFE. “The good news here is it’s very, very difficult for household equipment to heat up to the point that it can vaporize PTFE,” Boyer, the University of Massachusetts toxicologist, said. osterizer blender 852-08b“Unless you’ve got a burning Vitamix mixer, you’re not going to have a problem with it.”blenders pride whisky price in odisha Some customers are frustrated by the company’s lack of transparency about its investigation.kitchenaid mixer k5ss flat beater Linda Newnham, a Vitamix customer from Hobart, Tasmania, first learned of the black flecks last October, when someone posted about it in her Vitamix Facebook group. great lakes blenders adell wi

She reached out to Vitamix Australia and Vitamix U.S. several times, by phone and Facebook message, and company representatives told her they were aware of the problem but didn’t have any answers. “I also posted comments on Vitamix US Facebook page asking for information about the black specks which were just ignored!!,” Newnham told BuzzFeed News by email. “I was quite surprised that a company with such a good reputation had such a bad customer service!!!” A few months ago, Steven Palmer, an attorney from Cleveland, Ohio, was searching online for a new container for his Vitamix 5200. He came across several of the YouTube videos showing the black dust, then discovered that his own machine made it too. Palmer sent the company a message through its website: “I am worried that I may be ingesting something harmful. Can you let me know what this is, and how it can be fixed?” A few days later, a customer service representative acknowledged the problem and explained that the flecks were PTFE.

Palmer wrote back again, asking more about safety concerns. But the company did not respond. “We got the machine to make baby food,” Palmer told BuzzFeed News. “They haven’t given a satisfactory answer from my perspective.” Despite his frustration, Palmer hasn’t ditched the machine. He’s using the powerful Vitamix base with a different container, made by Waring Products, one of Vitamix’s main competitors. (The first Waring container he tried made the same black flecks, but the second one, so far, is clear.)Two of the top high-powered consumer blenders on the market these days are the Ninja Mega and the Vitamix 5200. Both offer similar features, however, there are some key things that differentiate the two. Let’s take a closer look at these machines and examine the advantages and disadvantages of each. First off, let’s answer the question:  why does anyone even need a two, three, or even a six hundred dollar blender?  Won’t any blender do the job?

The truth is high-powered blenders such as the Vitamix or Ninja are necessary for blending up tough ingredients and pulverizing them releasing the essential nutrients inside. For example, green smoothies that use tough leafy greens and other fibrous vegetables can be easily made with one of these blenders. On top of that, you can do much more than just make smoothies or juices. The high-speed blenders are great for making soups as they can heat up the contents to very high temperatures. Likewise, they are great for frozen ingredients and can crush ice with ease. Ever want to make nut butters at home? Is so, a powerful blender like the Vitamix can be used to grind up nuts and other solid ingredients that would destroy lesser powered blenders. The extreme versatility of these machines allows them to be used for all kinds of food processing applications. Both the Ninja Mega and Vitamix are capable of mixing dough and dry ingredients with a special dry blade and container furthering the possible uses for each machine.

The Ninja Mega is truly a complete kitchen system that boasts the ability to provide professional blending and food processing all in one machine. It starts with a very powerful 1500 watt/2 horsepower motor that gives the machine enough power to do about anything desired. The main container is a very large 72 oz container (one of the largest in the industry) that includes the blade assembly. In addition to the 72 oz container, the Ninja Mega also comes with a 64 oz processor bowl with blade assembly. The Ninja Mega also comes with a dough blade attachment which gives the ability to knead dough and process dry ingredients. On top of all of this, the Ninja comes with 2 single-serve blending cups with blades and to-go lids. This provides a level of convenience that few other blenders in this class can provide. All of this gives the Ninja Mega the ability to provide professional level blending, frozen blending, juicing, food processing, and dough mixing. The Ninja company also stands behind its product offering a 60 day money back guarantee and 5 year VIP agreement (warranty).

The Ninja Mega Kitchen System also boasts a very attractive price tag at only $199.80. The Vitamix 5200 is considered the primary consumer model in the extensive line of Vitamix blenders and offers high-powered blending and food processing. At the heart of the 5200 model is a 2 horsepower motor that gives the machine the power to chop, crush, blend, grind, and purée just about anything. In the standard starter package, the 5200 comes with one 64 oz container with blade. Additional containers can be purchased separately or there are also deluxe complete kitchen packages available that include a 32 oz dry grain container and blade for kneading dough and grinding dry ingredients. Vitamix always offers reconditioned machines on their website which are available for a hefty discount. The great thing about these machines is they are as good as new and are backed by a full 5 year warranty. Vitamix has one of the best warranties in the industry providing a full 7 year warranty on all new products and an impressive 5 year warranty on reconditioned blenders.

There is also an extended warranty option available for $120 that extends the warranty an extra 3 years. The Vitamix 5200 model is available in a starter kit at $449 on the Vitamix website. Refurbished models are priced significantly lower at $329. The Vitamix 5200 Deluxe Complete Kitchen (which comes with additional dry container) comes in at $649. The Ninja Mega is an extremely versatile machine that comes with a number of handy accessories at a very attractive price. In comparison, the Vitamix 5200 has a hefty price tag and does not come with any accessories unless the deluxe kitchen system is purchased, which adds an additional $200 in cost. Unfortunately, the Vitamix does not come with or offer single serve containers like the Ninja Mega. This requires the dirtying of at least two containers for single server beverages, a slight inconvenience. Yet another drawback to the Vitamix is the size of the unit and more specifically its height. When the blender is fully intact, it stands quite tall often failing to fit underneath kitchen cabinets.

Clean up for both machines is simple and easy requiring a blend cycle of soap and water and maybe some light scrubbing. Cleaning the containers in a dishwasher is generally not advised because the extreme heat of a dishwasher can weaken and damage rubber and plastic components, especially the seals around the blades. There really is no wrong choice when it comes to Vitamix 5200 and the Ninja Mega. Both machines are top in the class of high-powered blenders. For those on a budget I recommend the Ninja Mega because it packs a lot of firepower and is extremely flexible for its sub $200 price tag. The additional food processing container and single serve containers are also very enticing. For those who want the absolute best, I recommend checking out the extensive line of Vitamix blenders. Vitamix is a proven winner and is used in the world’s top kitchens (like Food Network) by the world’s top chefs. Also, I would personally recommend purchasing a reconditioned Vitamix if looking to save some money.