Customer Reviews

VIKING VBLG01SG Professional Blender Countertop Appliance - Stainless Gray

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I don't own a food processor and the couple I've had over the years did nothing to make cooking simpler. So, when I needed to replace my blender, I simply wanted something that was better than what I had before. (Cuisinart). I researched the subject and found this blender to be the most highly reccomended. I wasn't happy about having to pay so much, but the price, while significant, is not out of line. I was surprised to find that though there are all kinds of blenders to be had, they are almost all of about the same quality. Even the better ones have trouble crushing ice and if used regularly, can not last more than two years.

This is why I am willing to pay what looks like too much. This blender is a high quality appliance that does what it claims it will, lasts several years, and saves money in the end. I didn't buy it to make drinks. Yes, I discovered that nothing handles ice like this, but it does so much more that most blenders would choke on. I bought it primarily for dog food. I grind broccoli down to nothing. It's what killed my last blender. This just goes right through it. The trick, I learned, is to feed it small amounts at a time.

Like so much else, when you pay that much more, you end up with some strange thing with few "features". The face of this appliance has a dial and that dial has four positions; one of which is "off". There is a high speed, a low speed, and "pulse". That is all. That is all it needs. I have never seen anything like this. It chops quickly and grinds uniformly. I wouldn't try it, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that it could grind rocks.

If you don't mind forking over a bit more, well, you get what you pay for. This is in a class all it's own. Seriously: there are blenders, and then there is this. It has a strong motor that does not complain at tasks that slow most blenders. It handles ice cubles like they are butter. I expect that I won't be buying a new blender again for many years, if ever. I had serious reservations regarding paying so much for a device I have never had a good experience with. I am so glad I took the risk. I suspect I will still have no regrets about this purchase a decade from now. Most blenders can't go ten months!

I was raised around good food and high quality tools to prepare that food. I know that if you want high quality, you must pay for it. That said, I still feel the price of this device just a bit excessive and that is why I gave it four stars.

I love my blender. I have had more blenders than I care to remember. The only difference price made was that it was an indicator of how long the blender will last. The more expensive models tend to last longer, but still don't last. The cheap ones might be replaced as much as two times a year. They are that bad.

When it arrived, I tested it by making my version of a frappucino that includes ice cream and lots of ice. In about thirty seconds I had a mix that was the exact consistency of a real frappucino. The ice had been cut into tiny pellets and it's consistency was perfectly even. I was amazed. It not only did a good job, but it also didn't complain. It didn't slow down, it didn't bog down, it didn't just stop altogether under the load of ice. I was completely amazed.

I use this blender regularly, as I prepare my own dog food. The dog food calls for pureed broccoli. Broccoli is a vegetable that resists being blended, but this can handle that, too. We also make our own peanut butter in it. Again, its' performance is stunning and the results are usually perfect.

This is a wonderful machine and one could reasonably argue that it is actually worth the hefty price. I have not seen one yet that comes close to it. Not only does it perform beautifully, it's design is equally beautiful. Gone are all of the superflous buttons, dials and knobs that we've come to expect. I learned instantly that those things aren't necessary and just more that can break. The Viking has two speeds; low and high, and it has a "pulse" option. It is the definition of elegant simplicity.

If you insist on high quality, dependable and durable kitchen appliances, this will not disappoint you.

I've needed a good blender for years. I have had so many sub par blenders it isn't even funny. First I had one that only turned on half the time. Then I had one that had built in recipes, but the motor blew out on that one. Then I had one with 60 settings or something but it couldn't blend water. Finally I broke down and asked for a new blender for Father's Day and asked for this specific model as it came highly recommended by a man who knows Good Eats.

The first thing I wanted to do was a make a smoothie. I haven't had a good home made smoothie in years. Well, I made a rookie mistake and filled it with ice and fruit and flipped the knob over and basically nothing. I was quite let down. I expected this blender to make short work of the situation but it only disappointed.

I poured everything out and then started feeding it cube of ice and fruit at a time and it just destroyed everything. I had an awesome watermelon smoothie in no time flat. Since then I've blended every fresh fruit and vegetable that is available in August in Kansas and it has done an awesome job at it. Blueberries are reduced to nothingness as easy as pears. Corn stands no chance in the face of these blades.

I only have one minor disappointment: the carafe is a little bit small (on the volume side, it is plenty tall, but still fits under the counter). But really, 40oz is quite a bit of volume. Maybe I'm just filling it quickly because I get so excited sending chunks of fresh and frozen fruit to death by blade.

I'm not sure that this blender is actually 'professional' - I can't see it handling the volume of a busy bar or restaurant kitchen. However, for the home chef this thing is great.

It only has three speeds, but I haven't needed more than three. Speed #1 handles heavier grinding and chopping needs. Speed #2 handles purees and emulsions. The 'pulse' speed handles anything more delicate with flare.

Another bonus - everything comes apart and everything but the actual motor is dishwasher safe. The glass carafe is sensibly shaped; it has enough of a clover leaf shape to create a vortex but no nooks and crannies to hide nasty leftover food. The pour spout does seem prone to dripping, but I can live with it.

Other notes: the Viking is a very solid feeling machine. The buttons have very firm 'clicks' when changing between speeds, which I like. The 'stainless gray' finish is very matte, so if you're looking for something to 'match' your shiny stainless fridge and dishwasher, this might not be the machine for you. It looks pretty fantastic against our stainless prep table from the restaurant supply store.

I've had this blender for almost 3 months now, and I use it almost daily. (Yay smoothies! FYI - I have used it for other applications, such as soup, purees and emulsions.) It hasn't given me any problems. I give it two huge thumbs up.

I purchased this just under a year ago after my $40 blender died a smokey death. I decided to get a "good" one this time since buying a blender every year is getting old. At $150 it was not as expensive as the $500 Vita-Mix but more than I was used to spending. My first impression was that it wasn't any more powerful than my prior $40 blender. It wasn't really better in any way. The blender worked good with liquidy items but couldn't muscle through anything like smoothies or malts. Sadly after a smoothie every weekend it only lasted 42 smoothies and the smoke started pouring out. TOAST! Actually, it smelled bad from the start during thick stuff. Go cheap or go expensive. This one is a waste of money since it seems to preform the same as a much cheaper version.

Overall I love the product, but I do wish it was slightly easier to clean, in that taking off the bottom part does require a bit of strength, which at the moment (being sick and all) I don't have. That said, it's a wonderful product and well worth the money.

this is not worth the money.
the plastic parts that drive the blades broke after 2 months of mixing smoothies- one per day.

a pain to put together... do it JUST RIGHT or it will leak.
but that's not a problem anymore... today it died.

I purchased the Viking VBLG01SG to replace a waring that finally just gave it up (after years of service). Since we have an almost 100% Viking kitchen it seemed like a no brainer (an expensive no brainer I will admit). After less than a year it is toast. Oh, the blades are sharp still and container is sound and barely even used; but the cheap plastic contact between the jar and base wasted itself in a matter of a very few smoothies. It seemed so well designed (the two sections have to be twisted together to make the contact, not simply nesting together and thereby suseptable to not making good contact as many others are) that I thought it simply couldn't wear out. I was sooo wrong. It is ruined and now I am again looking for a new blender. I suppose the smart thing at this point would be to buy the cheapist one I can find and be prepared to throw it out after a couple of years. For what I paid for this Viking I could have had several others as replacements. BTW, the Viking oven is great, the microwave is mediocre at best, the dishwaasher is a cheap joke and the cooktop is nice but heats very unevenly. I wish I had gone with another name brand as Viking is way over rated in my humble opinion.

We only used this blender twice... I'm afraid to even plug it in now! The first time it leaked so we tightened the base... We were making margaritas (don't let your pups near spilled tequila), added ice- and when the motor cranked up, smoke appeared from between the two pieces. The blades were locked up... WD40 at the underside of the glass dispenser fixed this... it worked, but is a good idea to add mechanical lubricant to a product you use for food? Why should we need to do that?

The second time was smoothies- ice again, which wasn't a problem. No issues until we went to clean it and smoke came from the motor base. We are not using this thing again...

The other complaints about the product spoke of rubber parts falling apart- who ever gets it from Goodwill may have that problem, but I'm not letting my family anywhere near this appliance.

I have had this blender for a year or two now and it still works fine. I bought it to match my Viking range. Is it worth the money? Probably not. You can get an American made Waring blender for $50. This is $180 and it is Chinese. It has a powerful motor but I always get this unpleasant burning rubber smell when I use it. It is not a strong smell that fills up the room or anything but it is annoying. The pitcher and blade are machine washable which is nice but that is irrelevant to me because I have a Viking dishwasher so I have to wash it by hand.