Vitamix Ascent X4 Gourmet SmartPrep Kitchen System, Professional-Grade Blender, Stainless-Steel Blades, 12-Cup Food Processor Attachment with 4 Discs, 48 Oz Blender Container, Black

LOL We've only made ice cream with the blender so far and sliced up carrots for carrot cake but they've preformed beautifully.Will *attempt* to update when I've used it a bit more.I also had an issue that customer service was *VERY* on top of and resolved completely in a matter of days.

Love it

The media could not be loaded. Está muy hermosa y muy potente la recomiendo estoy encantada de la licuadora y del peocesador

Very good system I really recommend it easy to clean very useful

Fine product over all

We were hoping this set would allow us to open up some room on our counter since the one base operates both the blender and food processor. Unfortunately, all the pieces are larger than the ones we use now so the space-saving idea is not happening in our kitchen.That aside, the blender is more impressive than I thought a blender could be. Vitamix advises starting out with recipes from the included booklet to get a feel for how it works. This is a good idea because it does operate a little differently than the blenders I’m used to using. It has a tamper which is used for pressing down ingredients while blending to make sure everything gets mixed up together. This alleviates much of the need to keep stopping the blender and scraping it down as I’ve had to do in the past. I was a little intimidated about using it, but if you select one of the pre-programmed recipes, a tamper icon will illuminate letting you know if and when it’s needed during the blending cycle. It also blinks on and off while you are using it to help you keep a steady rhythm.The pre-programmed selections are very helpful. They run the machine through the correct speed and time while also helping with tamper timing as mentioned previously. I think I saw someone mention that the machine will recognize what you want to make based on the ingredients you add. In my experience, that is not correct. You have the opportunity to select whichever setting you want no matter what you have in the blender.The plastic containers, lids, etc. are extremely thick and feel super durable. You can put them in the dishwasher, but the cleaning cycle program makes that unnecessary 99% of the time.I’ve mainly been sticking with the recipes that came with the machine. The hummus recipe is incredible. You use sesame seeds instead of tahini because the blender is so powerful it can blitz them into nothing. We’ve been going through a jar of chickpeas every two days because the whole family loves it so much. Some other hits have been the frozen margarita, smoothies, and a butter pecan ice cream from Food52.My other blender had a smaller attachment for smoothies which I wish this had, but they blend up great in the bigger container so it’s not much of an issue. I would recommend getting a blender spatula because it can be a little hard to get concoctions like nut butter out from under the blades.The food processor attachment is good, but I don’t love it like the blender. I was having an issue with it when it first arrived. Vitamix customer service was excellent. They diagnosed the problem and sent me a new part which fixed it. Still, even now that everything is working the way it should, it’s not knocking my socks off.Because it doesn’t lock into the base, sometimes it will move slightly so that the power stops and you have to resituate it mid-cut to get it going again. It operates at only one speed which makes it hard if you’re trying to chop things differently. The pulse button takes a while to master. It keeps going for a tiny bit even after you lift your finger off.The bowl of the processor is really big. I prefer having the choice between a little bowl or a big bowl you can change out depending on what you’re making. The lid is hard to snap on and off. Everything just seems a little more difficult to use than it needs to be. It works fine, but no better than any other food processor I’ve had.This set comes with a 10 year warranty, and my recent experience with the customer service department makes me feel very confident in that warranty. I’ve heard how great Vitamix is for years. I never really believed it until I had this chance to try it out. It’s expensive, but I think the quality and warranty make it a practical splurge,

First time owner of a Vitamix system like this. I've had several "mixers" and a food processor and even small handheld choppers. I didn't know what to really expect with a system like this, especially because it's not on the low end of cost at all. The lesson here is simple, you get what you pay for. I'm literally blown away by this machine. Comparing it to the food processor I have and the mixer and chopper would be like comparing my push mower to a zero turn mowing machine. They are on a different plane altogether.So, what do you get with this? As I unboxed it, I was amazed that they included a disk storage for all the disks. If you have another appliance that does not have storage included for all it's parts, you understand why this is above and beyond. So there is a place for everything and everything has a place. All the food processor disks are very well made and very sharp. I can't wait to use all of them but I'm anxious to make this review. The food processor bowl comes with a chopper as well and it's all very well made with amazing fit and finish. One thing that stands out is the feed chute. It's large enough for a whole potato. Or you can use the smaller one for carrots and such. And everything is nicely sealed.Ok, moving over to the mixer attachment. This mixer has a self clean setting and when you look at the mixer you can see why. I don't think this was meant to be put in the dishwasher. It's all one piece with the blade and its so well put together, I don't think you will need to ever do anything except rinse and use the self clean. Its large and stable.I decided to test it with a banana smoothie. Bananas, yogurt, peanut butter, chocolate powder, milk and ICE. Now the ice has always been a problem in the other blender. Chunks are left and it really distracts from the smoothie. But not this time.First - this Vitamix detected what I was wanting to make. Yes, you read that right. It detected this was a smoothie and the on screen prompt had that selected. I pressed the GO button and it took over. In 45 seconds, it was done. It ran the program and the smoothie was perfect. No ice chunks, just smooth and delicious. I didn't have to hold down the lid or anything.Now looking at the book, there are many recipes for drinks, soups, dips, etc.. I'm seriously blown away by this appliance. I think this will make cooking fun again and it will easily replace several items.- Food processor: I'll be getting rid of that- Mixer: yeah, that thing is gone..- Food chopper: I have a hand held unit that is convenient but it may leave too- Cheese grater: I think this will need to leaveIf you have never made a big purchase on an appliance like this and wonder if it's worth it, well, it is if you will use it and this is so amazing I think it will encourage you to use it.