Wednesday 27 February 2019

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Magimix Power Blender (Le Blender 11626SK) vs Vitamix Blender Review


I currently have a mini-blender currently that I have been very glad for, especially for making baby food. It could make very small portions and is very easy to clean. But I started looking for a high-speed power blender that could also make nut butter, frozen dessert and a bigger batch of smoothies. My mind was pretty much set on Vitamix's blender after reading numerous positive reviews and test results about it, but in the end, I picked Magimix.

1. Glass Blender Jug

The main reason for choosing Magimix blender is because its blender jug is made of heat-resistant glass, while the Vitamix's blending jug is made of plastic, although it is BPA free. For me, it is important that the blending jug is made of glass, as I feel more comfortable having hot soup in a glass jug. It is for the same reason, that I used glass milk bottles for our children, when they were babies, even though there are high-quality milk bottles made of plastic. Furthermore, unlike plastic, glass blending jug does not retain cooking smells or get discolored. Lastly, I use my blender a lot to grind whole grains into flour. My current mini-blender came with a plastic blending container, which got scratched and turned cloudy-looking. Although high-quality plastic may not have the same effect, for my next blender, I have decided to go for a blender that uses a glass blending container.

Thus, I began to do more research for the best high-speed blender that uses glass blending jug and found that Magimix seems to have the best reviews and test results among blenders that use glass blending jug.



Magimix is a French brand, well known for its food processor. If Vitamix is the king of the blender, you could say that Magimix is the king of the food processor.

2. Smoothie

The smoothie function of Magimix takes one minute to wipe up a smoothie. It stops by itself when it is done. Thus, I can just walk away to do my cleaning up before returning to pick up my smoothie.

For any blender, even the high-end Vitamix blender, I understand that the order in which you add the ingredients may affect the smoothness of the smoothie. If your smoothie is not smooth enough, consider whether you are placing the ingredients into the blending jug in the right order. It is best to place the ingredients into the Magimix blender jug in the following order:

1. Liquids such as water, milk, juice, yogurt, etc.
2. Powder such as cacao powder, vanilla powder, cinnamon powder, etc.
3. Dry, hard or oily ingredients like grains, nuts and seeds such as oats, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, carrots, apples, goji berries, chia seeds, nut butter, etc.
4. Leafy greens and herbs such as baby spinach, kale, cabbage, parsley, basils, etc.
5. Soft ingredients like oranges, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, etc.
6. Frozen and sticky ingredients such as frozen strawberries, frozen banana, fresh banana, avocado, dried dates, honey, etc.
7. Ice

For making smoothies, with Vitamix, you get a smoother smoothie in 15 seconds less time. The Vitamix blender (according to the Vitamix recipe website) uses 45 seconds to complete its smoothie function, whereas the Magimix blender takes one minute for its smoothie function.

And if I want my smoothie to be even smoother or juice-like, I just run the smoothie function one more time, and the result is amazing. If I do so, in order not to wear out the blender, I usually let the blender rest for a while, perhaps a minute or so, while I am cleaning up the kitchen, before making a second run of the smoothie function.

This is one of our green smoothies made with the new Magimix blender. I added kale and its stem. It is able to pulverize the tough stems of kale very well:





This is a red smoothie made with the new Magimix blender:



3. Nut Butter

3a. Hazelnut Butter

I tried making a portion of hazelnut butter using just one ingredient, i.e. 3 cups of hazelnuts (with its skin removed) and was really impressed by how well and effortlessly the Magimix blender produces it in 1.5 minutes, without really the need to use the tamper except for the scrapping down the wall in between blending. I didn't even need to add any oil as well. All that is needed is to blend on Speed 1 for 30 seconds, stop the machine and scrape down the wall if necessary. Then blend on Speed 2 for another 30 seconds, stop the machine and scrape down the wall if necessary. Finally blend on Speed 3 for another 30 seconds, stop the machine and scrape down the wall if necessary. The end result was also really great - with smooth and creamy nut butter made. I used 3 cups (400 g) of hazelnut without skin and it yielded 1.5 jars of hazelnut butter. You can see more pictures here: https://www.familyfecs.com/2019/04/homemade-hazelnut-butter.html





And because the blade attachment can be taken off, it is very easy to scrap off the last bit of the hazelnut butter off the container and the blades using a silicon spatula. There is no wastage at all.


Because the blade attachment can be taken off, it can be easily washed and cleaned even in between the blades. I used a small toothbrush to brush the blade connector (not the blade), as nut butter is sticky and tends to stick there.


Vitamix blender seems to take a slightly shorter time - 30 seconds shorter to make chocolate hazelnut butter i.e. homemade Nutella (according to Vitamix's website).

3b. Peanut Butter

I also tried to make peanut butter with my new Magimix blender and it took slightly longer than making the hazelnut butter - 4 minutes of blending, Speed 1 for 30 seconds, Speed 2 for 30 seconds, Speed 3 three times for one minute each.


3c. Sesame Seed Butter - Tahini

I tried it on the Magimix blender and it could make Tahini with no problem. It took 3 minutes of blending, Speed 1 for 30 seconds, Speed 2 for 30 seconds, Speed 3 for 30 seconds and Speed 4 for 30 - 45 seconds. You can see more pictures here.



4. Dates

Dried dates can be hard and sticky, but the Magimix blender blends date in smoothies really well, so that the sweetness of dates are evenly distributed out to the smoothies or the mixture. Note: I use the juicy and relatively soft types of dates.

This is our simple date drink:

In the blender jug, add in 6 dried dates pitted.

Add in 2 cups low-fat fresh milk

This is our chocolate milk smoothie using dates:


It is no problem to blend dates without any liquid too:

 I placed 1/2 cup of 10 dates into the Magimix blender and

blend it on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute...

Here is the result - the dates are decently blended.

5. Homemade "Nutella" Hazelnut Spread with Dates

I would like to have a blender that can make Nutella and I would like to naturally sweeten it with dates. Who can resist Nutella, such a comfort food! Can the Magimix blender deliver that? Yes, it does.


I added 5 dates into the hazelnut cacao powder mixture.

I started at speed one and gradually increase it to speed 3. Within a minute or so, all the dates were nicely blended in :-) I gave it a second run just to make sure that there is no lump left behind.

This is the finished product made with the Magimix blender :-)

I dip strawberries into it as an after-school snack for our Litte FECS when he comes home from school.

You can find my recipe here:

Yes, the Magimix blender not only is capable of blending hazelnuts into hazelnut butter easily, it can also blend dates along with it very well. I can now rest assured that I can use dates to sweeten many of the things I want to make with my Magimix blender :-)

6. Rolled Oats

I added 1/4 cup of rolled oats into my chocolate or coffee milkshake in the morning, if I am in a rush and would like to make my chocolate or coffee milkshake into a breakfast. The Magimix blender pulverizes rolled oats into my smoothie very well:


7. Ice

The Magimix blender crushes ice superbly, I would say. I have tried to crush 300g of ice and it took 1 minute using the ice function and produced this flawless result in my opinion:




17 Feb 2019 (2Y9M1D & 9Y11M12D): Our Baby FECS and our Little FECS enjoying their fruit Slurpee :-)

8. Ice-cream

I have used my Magimix blender to make ice-cream, mainly berries sorbet for our children using frozen berries (a mixture of raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants and redcurrants) and frozen banana.

My Magimix blender passed "The Frozen Dessert Test" well, meaning that when the blending jug is turned over, and the frozen dessert does not fall out of it.

Many blenders, including Vitamix, advise that to achieve a more ice-cream like texture, it is recommended to keep it in the freezer for 30 minutes for a frosted texture but not more than 4 hours (otherwise it will crystalize). But I don't really think that it is needed.

If I use only frozen strawberries and frozen banana in my Magimix blender, it is firm enough achieving ice-cream-like texture instantly without popping it into the freezer to firm up. See below the ice-cream (or what the vegans call nice-cream) I made from my Magimix blender by running the frozen dessert program twice, with an interval after each run, and using the spatula to scrape down the side and guide the mixture into the centre of the blender. For this ice-cream/nice-cream below, I used a handful of frozen strawberries, 1 frozen banana, 1/2 fresh avocado and 1 teaspoon of nut butter of choice:


I also tried making a chocolate ice-cream. You can see the recipe here:


Mixed berries sorbet made using the Magimix blender:


Here is another version of my chocolate ice-cream:




9. Almond Milk

This is the almond milk I made with the Magimix blender. I filtered it using a filter cloth to remove the almond pulp, which I re-used to make Almond Pulp Balls (I will make a post on this later):


10. Energy Balls

I have tried to make energy balls with my Magimix blender by blending the ingredients, usually nuts, and it turned into a paste nicely for energy balls. You can get the recipe here.



11. Berries

a. Strawberries

What about blending smoothie made of berries? This seems to be one of the major interests among people looking for a blender. I have tried making a strawberry milkshake by running one or two cycles of the Magimix's smoothie function, depending on the type of strawberries I use. The strawberry seeds are nicely blended in, but not pulverized. Having said that, it is definitely smooth enough for me to use only just one cycle of the smoothie function. Our children love this too and didn't notice the strawberry seeds that sink down to the bottom of the glass.

b. Raspberries

I also tried to make a raspberry sauce with 1 cup of frozen raspberries and 1 fresh banana. I use one run of the frozen dessert program with the spatula followed by one run of the smoothie program. The raspberry seeds remain. This is one area that the Magimix hasn't passed the test. However, I really wonder if there is any blender that could pulverize berries' seeds as they claim. Nevertheless, both our children, our Little FECS and our Baby FECS finished up the raspberry sauce. Our Little FECS said that he could not feel the raspberry seeds at all. Thus, this is not a problem for us.






c. Blackberries

Blackberry seeds are also known to be notoriously pit-like. When I tried blending 125 g of blackberries with 1 cup milk, it was very gritty and large flecks of the blackberry seeds remained. thus, the Magimix blender hasn't passed the test.

I believe all blenders will leave some seeds unblended, even Vitamix, although the Magimix blender does not blend blackberry seeds well at all.

Conclusion for berries, the Magimix blender isn't good at blending the seeds of berries.

d. Fruit Yogurt Bowl


Our kids love the berry-fruit yogurt bowl I make using the Magimix blender. You can find our recipe here:


12. Meat

a. Fish

I blend fish fillet with the Magimix blender to make the Danish fish cakes called "fiskefrikadeller" and it works well. 

I first cut the fish fillets into smaller fishes. I then add it into the blender with the other ingredients...

 as well as 50 ml of milk.

I start at speed 1 and slowly work it up to speed 2 with the last few seconds on speed 3.


I also use the spatula to scrape down the side and guide the mixture into the centre of the blender while blending.


This is the finished product of minced fish batter ready to be formed into fish cakes and fried on the pan or bake in the oven

Danish Fish Cakes called "fiskefrikadeller"

You can get the full recipe here.

b. Chicken

I blend chicken fillets with the Magimix blender to make the Copy-cat McDonalds chicken nuggets and it works well. I start at speed 1 and slowly work it up to speed 2. You can see the full recipe here.



Blended chicken meat for making chicken nuggets

13. Pancake Batter

The Magimix blender is very versatile and can be used to make the pancake batter - just make sure you put in the eggs last and don't overbeat them, or should I say, blend it. Otherwise, the pancakes will be very hard.





30 May 2019 (3Y14D): Our Baby FECS enjoying pancakes

You can get the recipe here.

13. Hummus

You don't need a food processor to make hummus. The Magimix blender was able to make hummus too. You can get the recipe here. Sorry, I did this at night, thus the photos did not turn out so well without natural light.

Use the dessert program, using the tamper to scrap down the side.
Then blend for 45 seconds at Speed 3 (Turn on at Speed 1 and slowly move up to Speed 3)

Now it's done :-)


14. Edamame and Green Peas


 Consists of 1 cup of Edamame, 1 cup of green peas, 2 cloves of garlic, the juice from half a lemon, 3 tablespoons of tahini, 1/2 spoon of salt.

Blend no high...

 Now it's done :-)

Enjoy it for example as a dipping sauce to carrot sticks :-)

14. Grain Milling

An add-on mill attachment can be purchased with the Magimix blender. You can say that this is similar to the dry container of the Vitamix. I like that the Magimix mill container is also made of glass. I have used it to grind whole millet into millet flour, and I am very pleased with the result. I prefer to grind my flour in small portion the day before using it, thus the small size of the Magimix mill attachment is just perfect for me.

The only shortcoming is that since the parts are all removable, when you remove the lid, you have to be careful to remove the blade, as otherwise, the flour will easily fall out and onto the counter surface.

The mill attachment can also be used to make baby food, grind coffee and spices, make sauces and dips with herbs. The blade is detachable from the glass container.

Note you can't use the main blender to grind seeds, as it needs liquid to work. I tried it, but it didn't work. Thus, if you wish to grind seeds, I would say having the mill attachment is a must.




15. Ground Flax Seeds

Flax seeds are very small and tend to pass through our digestive system before the nutrients can be absorbed. Thus, the best way to consume flax seeds and absorb the nutrients is to grind it. I add ground flax seeds to smoothies and salad and as a marinade for fish and meat - it usually gives a very nice flavor on pan-fried fish and meat. The Magimix blender actually grinds flax seeds beautifully. Below are flax seeds ground using the Magimix mill attachment:




16. Flour

I tried to grind a cup of millet into flour to make our millet pancakes. It turned out well, much better than my previous mini-blender:



I also tried grinding rolled oats into flour too:



17. Chopping Vegetables

I use the mill attachment to chop two small onions and two garlic cloves with 3 pulses without adding water and it performed to my satisfaction:




I have also tried chopping other vegetables such as carrots using the "water method" and pulsing 5-6 times. A large piece of carrot got stuck under the blade, otherwise it chopped fine:




18. Red Bean Paste

I blend cooked red beans with dates to make red bead paste Anko and it worked beautifully. I use the dessert progam and the spatula to scrape down the side. You can get the recipe here.



Now it's done, red bean paste :-)

Red bean paste on bread

Red bean paste with oat groats, wheat germ and milk for breakfast

19. Sweet Milk

I use it simply to blend fresh milk and dates to make sweet milk as a natural sweetener to our oatmeal breakfast.  Instead of using the unhealthy condensed milk as sweetener, I use sweet milk as a substitute for many Chinese desserts such as black glutinous rice dessert, adzuki bean dessert, mung bean dessert, etc., instead of using the unhealthy condensed milk.

You can find the recipe here.

20. Self-Cleaning Program

The Magimix blender has a self-clean program, which I find very useful. It is very powerful and it does a very decent job cleaning the blending container. It runs for 30 seconds and stops by itself. Of course, for sticky recipes such as nut butter, the self-cleaning program will not be effective for any blender, even Vitamix. Thus, manual cleaning by hand would be needed.





21. Electricity Bill

The higher watts the blender uses, the higher will be the electricity usage of course, and thus lead to a higher electricity bill. The Vitamix has a higher horsepower - 2000 to 2200 w, compared with Magimix 1300 w, which means that it consumes more electricity, each time it is run. Thus, besides paying a much higher price for a Vitamix blender, it will also cost more to maintain in the long run, compared to a Magimix blender.

22. Blending Containers

Similar to the Vitamix, the Magimix blender comes with a variety of containers. You can purchase a mill attachment mentioned earlier that is also made of glass with a blade attachment made for dry ingredients. You can also purchase the To-go containers, where you can blend and bring it to school in the same container, without having to pour your smoothie into another container. You can wait for sales promotions where Magimix bundle the To-go containers for free along with the blender, which was what we got. I have heard that in the UK and Australia, there are also sales promotions that bundle all the containers for free with the Magimix blender.

23. Design

Look and design-wise, Mr. FECS and I actually prefer the Magimix blender to the Vitamix blenders. It is sleek and clean line, especially the design of its glass blending jug. And it is also compactly designed and doesn't take up so much space.

Thus, I can squeeze it into the slot next to our Hurom juicer (that we simply love) without our kitchen counter looking cluttered. It should also fit easily under most kitchen cabinets, although we don't have the upper kitchen cabinet to worry about:


Similar to the Vitamix, the cap in the middle double up as a measuring cup. It also comes with a spatula that acts like a tamper which is long enough, but doesn't touch the blades, to stir and push down the contents of the jug.

The motor unit is well-protected and designed with a drainage so that any accidental liquids won't be able to enter the motor, but run down the drainage instead.



The rubber suction foot it stands on prevents it from vibrating from the counter and helps to dampen the resonance. And you can roll your cord neatly underneath, making it very easy and compact to store, when it stands on your kitchen counter-top:


The five pre-set programs for crushing ice, making a smoothie, pureeing soups and pulverizing ice-cream are very convenient to create anything I want without fuss. And I like that besides having the symbols to represent the different pre-set programs, the Magimix blender has them written in words too:




The parts of its glass blending jug are fully detachable for ease of cleaning the difficult to reach manner.



Since the blade attachment is detachable, scrapping all the good stuff, especially ice-cream, from under the blades is easy, and resulting in less or almost no wastage:


However, you must remember to screw it back properly and tight after cleaning of course. If the bottom isn't screwed on sufficiently tight after cleaning, you will end up having smoothie all over your countertop.

24. Value for Money

The Magimix blender is really well-made. Many people have commented about how heavy the glass blending jug is. However, to me, this means only quality, and I actually don't find it too heavy or cumbersome to handle.

Furthermore, the older version of the Magimix blender 11619SK is the test winner 2014 of the Danish consumer association, which is known in Denmark for being trustworthy and impartial. Our Maimix power blender is the updated version 11626SK. The differences between this updated version of Magimix blender (model no. 11626SK - 11630SK depending on the color) is the horsepower and the pre-set programs. The newer version wasn't included in the 2018 test.

I think for the quality of the blender and materials, it is very good value for money.

25. Soup

Some high-speed blenders such as Vitamix can make hot and creamy soup from scratch. The Magimix blender has a soup function, but it is not in the same league as Vitamix, as it only purees the soup after it has been cooked in a separate pot on the stove. This means that you need to cook your soup in a pot on the stovetop first, before transferring to the Magimix to blend it into a creamy soup. This is a disadvantage of Magimix blender compared to high-end blenders such as Vitamix.

However, I don't intend to use my blender to make soup. So this disadvantage will not affect me. I have the Philips HR2200 / 80 Viva Collection Soup Maker and absolutely love it. It cooks the ingredients into the soup before blending, and as a Chinese, I like my soup boiling and piping hot when served, something that no blenders can do, not even Vitamix. Even though the soup made by high-end blenders such as Vitamix is hot, it is not hot enough for me. And even if it is really possible to make a piping hot soup in a Vitamix blender, I don't feel comfortable to have a piping hot soup done in a plastic blending container, BPA-free or not.

Sorry for side-tracking a little, but the Philips soup maker is so amazing at making cream soup that I've got to tell about it. When I use my Philips soup maker, I basically chop up vegetables into chunks and add them to the stainless steel soup maker along with water and salt. I choose the program for creamy soup, press start and it will bring to boil the ingredients and thereafter simmer it and blend it, all within the same vessel, so no transfer is required. When it is done, I just need to pour the creamy soup into a soup bowl and enjoy it. It makes 6-8 portions each time and takes 23 minutes from the moment you place all your ingredients into the soup maker to when it is done. The soup that comes out each time is unbelievably smooth and creamy:

https://www.familyfecs.com/2014/12/tasty-quick-easy-tomato-soup-made-with.html


Thus, although Magimix can puree hot soup (as long as it is not above 60 degrees celsius), I won't be using this function. Of course, for the raw vegans, using the blender to make soup would be much sought after, since no cooking is done. But I don't like raw cold soup. Thus, it depends on your needs, preferences and requirements. Nevertheless, there are some reviewers who are very happy with the Magimix soup program:

http://amsterdamflavours.com/pea-mint-soup/

https://jennyeatwellsrhubarbginger.blogspot.com/2014/02/pulverisation-fun-with-magimixs-le.html

Here is a soup recipe from Magimix the manufacturer themselves:

https://www.magimix.co.uk/recipes/Vegetable-soup_b

26. To-Go Containers

The To-Go containers are a joke - they don't work at all! Don't waste your money to buy them as an add-ons. When the blender is turned on, the lid will loosen and the liquid flowed out. I think there is a fundamental manufacturing design fault. I have tried a few times, and given up plus the mess with cleaning up.

The To-Go containers are a joke, they don't work with the blender at all, so don't get them.

However, the 1.4 L glass blending jug that comes with the blender is a saving grace as it is able to blend a very small portion of serving, that the To-Go containers supposed to do. I have made smoothies with only 3 strawberries and 1/2 cup (125 ml) of milk and it came out beautifully. Thus, just use the versatile glass blending jug that comes with the blender and forget about the To-Go containers.

3 strawberries, 1 cashew nut, 1 walnut, 1 almond and 1/2 cup of milk

Press start using the smoothie program

It yields 1 cup of strawberry milk :-) the 1.4 L glass jug is able to make small portion of smoothie like this, no problem at all :-)

27. Recipes

The Magimix comes with a recipe book, but there isn't a picture for each recipe. It's fine with me, as I would rather keep it this way, than if they raise the price of the blender to cover the cost of a glossier recipe book.

The on-line recipes are rather limited compared to Vitamix. This is one disadvantage of Magimix.

28. Warranty

The Magimix blender only comes with 3-year warranty compared to 7-10 years for Vitamix. But I think it is fair enough that the warranty is only 3 years, considering that the price is 20% that of a similar Vitamix blender.

29. Life Span

I don't know about the life span of the Magimix blender yet, only time will tell. There are some reviews that said the Magimix's blender lasts only between 1.5 to 5 years. I reckon that at this price, it is performing very well. I don't expect that it can last as long as a Vitamix.

When my Magimix blender stops working, I hope that by then Vitamix would have developed a blender that uses glass container and of a smaller 1.4 L volume rather than 2.6-litre volume (my family of 4 aren't able to consume that amount of smoothies and even if we could, we will be consuming too many calories in that kind of size and will struggle with weight gain. Thus, 1.4 L or less works best for us.) If so, I may consider buying a Vitamix blender for its proven long-lasting quality that many users talk about.

30. Other Brands

The reason why I didn't choose KitchenAid Pro Line with thermo jar (known in Denmark as KitchenAid Power Plus 5KSB8270) is that the blender jug not made of glass and it also doesn't come with a variety of blending containers that you can buy as add-ons. You have only the 2.6-litre blending jug that comes with it. This means that I cannot make food in smaller batches such as dips and sauces and even make a smoothie in a to-go cup.

After seeing the few reviews of Braun JB3060 blender on the internet, I have also ruled it out. It seems that in the category of blender with glass container, Magimix is the best, and its performance comes closest to Vitamix, at least in Europe.

31. Unboxing

Here are some pictures of the Magimix blender packaging before our unboxing :-):





  

32. Specifications

Below are the technical specifications of the Magmix Power Blender 11626SK
  • Model code: 11626SK
  • Wattage: 1300 watts
  • Speeds: 8 speeds and auto programs
  • Capacity: 1.8L glass jug
  • Working capacity: 300g crushed ice, 1.8litre smoothie, 1.8litre soup, 300g frozen fruit and 4 scoops of ice-cream
  • Goblet type: Glass
  • Auto programs: 5
  • Dishwasher safe all parts except base
  • Removable blades: Yes
  • Ice crushing function: Yes
  • Cord storage: Yes
  • Non-slip feet: Yes
  • Finish: Cream
  • Dimensions: 40.5 x 16.5 x 16.5cm
  • Weight: 4750g
  • Motor guarantee: 3 years
  • Safety information: As per instruction manual
  • Additional accessories included in the box: Watertight lid with measuring cup, spatula, inspirational recipe book and free Magimix app
33. Summary: Pros and Cons of Magimix Blender

In closing, if you find this review too long to read, here is the to-the-point summary:

Pros:

1. Its blender jug is made of thick high quality and durable glass.

2. Its 1.4-liter glass blending jug is very versatile and could easily make a personal portion of smoothie without the need for a "To-Go" container. In fact, I think it is not necessary to buy the "To-Go" containers as they are not really needed, unless they come with it free like mine did.

3. It is able to crush ice really effortlessly and perfectly within a minute.

4. It is able to make hazelnut butter and peanut butter effortlessly within 1.5 minutes, but need to stop and scrape in-between the 1.5 minutes run.

5. It is able to blend dates very well, when dates are included in smoothies.

6. It is able to chop and dice garlic, onions and carrots using the wet-method.

7. It has an effective self-cleaning function that allows "walk-away" cleaning.

8. It comes with an add-on such as a small size mill attachment with mill blade attachment to grind flour and smaller portions of dips and sauces as well as baby food.

9. The mill attachment is great at grinding whole grains into flour and I love it.

10. It comes with an add-on such as the "To-go cups" that uses the main blade attachment, without having to purchase another blade, unlike Vitamix.

11. It comes with a good size 1.4-liter blending jug that could easily make personal portion of smoothie without using a "To-Go" container. In fact, I think it is not necessary to buy the "To-Go" containers as they are not really needed, unless they come with it free like mine did.

12. Its blade can be completely disassembled from the blending containers and assembled easily, enabling ease of cleaning in otherwise hard to reach areas.

13. Because of its detachable blades, wastage is minimized as one can easily scrap the good stuff off from below the blade with a silicon spatula.

14. It comes with four pre-set program that allows "walk away" blending, that I have found useful.

15. It is a well known French brand trusted for its reliable food processors.

16. It is a lot cheaper than other high-speed blenders like Vitamix and considering all the things it can do with a much lower price point, I think it is very good value-for-money.

17. It is in my opinion a very sleek, clean line, compact and ascetically design that comes with a choice of colors.

18. At 1300 watts, it uses less electricity compared to other high-end blenders, but is more than powerful enough to make smoothies smooth, crush ice to perfection and make nut butter effortlessly.

19. Relatively quieter in comparison with other high-speed blenders such as Vitamix or KitchenAid.

20. It is able to make hummus.

21. It is able to make energy balls.

Cons:

1. It can't make soup from scratch using Magimix, unlike Vitamix, as its soup program is made only to puree hot soup.

2. It can make cashew nut butter and sunflower seeds butter, but if oil is added. If oil isn't added to the cashew nuts,  it will be very laborious and needs to stop for 10-15 minutes after each run to avoid over-heating. The Vitamix's recipe also calls for oil to be added as well.

3. It doesn't pulverize strawberry seeds and raspberry seeds well, and is unable to pulverize blackberry seeds at all. But blackberry seeds are also the hardest berry seeds to blend, and reviews on Vitamix are mixed on whether a Vitamix blender can actually pulverize it reasonably. Some reviews may even be biased, thus unless I try it out for myself, I don't completely believe in those reviews. And all high-speed blenders will leave some raspberry seeds behind no matter what.

4. Although it comes with the "To-go" cups, it is not working at all. The lid of the to-to containers loosens, when the blender is turned on, even if you press on it as instructed by the manual, leaving lots of liquid mess. When it does work occasionally, it gets messy when removing the blades after blending, due to the fact that the blade is completely detachable, which is a plus, but also a minus. Your hands will come into contact with the metal round plate with the blades and the mixture. You will thus need to wash your hands, before putting on the lid for the "To-go" container. I find it easier to use the blending jug to make smoothie first and then transfer it to the "To-go" container, but this defeats the purpose of having a "To-go" container, as you will have to wash two separate containers :-(

5. It comes with 3 years warranty, compared with 7-10 years for Vitamix and Kitchen Aid.

6. Its life span is relatively unknown and unproven, compared to the Vitamix, although its shorter warranty of 3 years may hint that it is not made to last a decade, but only time will tell.

7. Its 1300 watts are lower than other high-speed blenders which vary between 2200 watts horsepower (Vitamix) to 3500 watts horsepower (KitchenAid), but it is highly effective and definitely powerful enough to blend well, not to mention that it helps me save a bit of electricity.

8. It has fewer recipes on its website, compared to Vitamix.

9. It has 8 variable speeds, unlike 11 for Vitamix, but that is not an issue for me.

10. When crushing ice, the ice program and pulse function can't be used with its plastic "To-Go" blending cups, but only with the main 1.8-liter glass blending jug.

11. Some owners reported that if the blade attachment is screwed on too tightly, the plastic surrounding the blade attachment may break, but I haven't encountered this.

12. It doesn't seem to have any trade-in possibility, unlike Vitamix, but this is not an issue for me.

32. Conclusion

After personally trying it and weighing the pros and cons, I still think Magimix is an excellent blender. There is no perfect blender, and I am sure that if I try out other high-speed blenders such as the Vitamix blender personally, I will also find things that I like and things that I don't like.

The Magimix blender is the test winner 2014 of the Danish Consumer Association (det danske forbrugerråd Tænk) and the Swedish Consumer Association (det svenske forbrugerorganisation Råd & Rön). It comes with many functions and meets the majority of my requirements of having a blending jug made of glass, making hazelnut butter, blending dates, pulverizing strawberry and raspberry seeds and making frozen dessert.

The Magimix blender is similar to Vitamix, but without the price tag of a Vitamix. It can do many of the things that a Vitamix blender can do, except making soup from scratch and pulverizing raspberry seeds or blackberry seeds. But I am not 100% sure if a Vitamix can handle hard seeds like blackberry seeds as well, as the reviews I have found are mixed in this regard. The Magimix blender does not come with as that many recipes as the Vitamix, and may not have the proven long life span as Vitamix, but I can accept that as a trade-off for the much lower price - at only approx. 20% cost of a Vitamix blender.

However, I would like to have a blender that lasts. Thus, if my Magimix blender burned out in less than five years (which I hope not), assuming that Vitamix has come up with a blender that uses a glass blending jug that is of a smaller size - 1.4 litre, I will consider buying a Vitamix blender.

The Magimix blender does not seem to be retailed in the US. If you live in the UK, you can buy it from Amazon UK:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magimix-11610-Blender-Black-Finish/dp/B005VBTZNQ/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=magimix+blender&ie=UTF8&qid=1551334386&sr=8-2&ref_=nav_ya_signin&_encoding=UTF8&

Update 14 May 2020:

It's been more than a year now, and my Magimix blender is still going strong. I use it to blend dates and bananas to make Banana bread too. You can find the recipe here:


Update 22 March 2022:

I have used my blender for three years now, and it still works beautifully.

Apology I don't have the time to reply individually to all the comments. To response to a reader's comment below, here is my reply:

1. I haven't use it to make vegan cheese with cashews previously soaked for vegan pasta, thus I can't answer this question.

2. The mill attachment is worth it, in my opinion, if you need to grind dry ingredients including spices. You can't use the standard jug to grind spices or any other dry ingredients, as it needs liquid to work.

Useful Links:

https://www.greenleafygael.com/blender-review-magimix/
https://theveganword.com/best-blenders-for-vegans/
https://theveganword.com/vegan-kitchen-tools/
https://jennyeatwellsrhubarbginger.blogspot.com/2014/02/pulverisation-fun-with-magimixs-le.html
https://forbrugsguiden.dk/blender-test-find-bedste-blender-dine-behov/
https://youtu.be/nq3iUvV5ZQI
https://www.johnlewis.com/magimix-power-blender/p3336949
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magimix-11613-Blender-Red-Finish/dp/B00FJ3LTMG/ref=pd_sbs_79_4/258-9482236-3159224?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00FJ3LTMG&pd_rd_r=e1cff2a9-3243-11e9-845a-d34f13cb6820&pd_rd_w=5gNSo&pd_rd_wg=Vll9W&pf_rd_p=18edf98b-139a-41ee-bb40-d725dd59d1d3&pf_rd_r=GY4W437AEP1T4KNPYS5R&psc=1&refRID=GY4W437AEP1T4KNPYS5R
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magimix-11613-Blender-Red-Finish/dp/B00FJ3LTMG/ref=pd_sbs_79_4/258-9482236-3159224?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00FJ3LTMG&pd_rd_r=e1cff2a9-3243-11e9-845a-d34f13cb6820&pd_rd_w=5gNSo&pd_rd_wg=Vll9W&pf_rd_p=18edf98b-139a-41ee-bb40-d725dd59d1d3&pf_rd_r=GY4W437AEP1T4KNPYS5R&psc=1&refRID=GY4W437AEP1T4KNPYS5R
https://deliciouslyella.com/2014/11/19/kitchen-equipment-food-processors/
https://theveganword.com/best-food-processor-for-nut-butter/
https://www.productreview.com.au/listings/magimix-le-blender
https://www.vitamix.com/vr/en_us/Recipes/Chocolate-Hazelnut-Spread
https://www.blenderbabes.com/blender-babes-101/blender-reviews/vitamix-vs-blendtec/blending-raspberry-blackberry-strawberry-berry-seeds-blendtec-vs-vitamix-vs-ninja-review/
https://blenderladyblog.com/1298/seeds-stems-skins-leaves-vitamix/
http://blenderlady.com/vitamix-vs-blendtec/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magimix-11610-Blender-Black-Finish/dp/B005VBTZNQ/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=magimix+blender&ie=UTF8&qid=1551334386&sr=8-2&ref_=nav_ya_signin&_encoding=UTF8&
https://kitchengearpro.com/best-blenders-glass-jar/
https://happyhealthymama.com/vitamix-blender-vs-cuisinart-food-processor-which-kitchen-appliance-cant-i-live-without.html
http://plantsforfuel.com/2019/01/30/best-smoothie-blenders/
https://test.no/beste-blender
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/product-reviews/electricals/a656188/magimix-le-blender/
https://www.vandenborre.be/blender-soepmaker/magimix-power-blender-11628b-black
http://lauriekoek.nl/magimix-power-blender/
https://best-blender.co.uk/magimix-11610-1-8-litre-blender/
https://www.fonq.nl/product/magimix-11628nl-power-blender/230046/
https://www.gadgetgear.nl/2015/03/review-magimix-le-blender/
https://appliancereviewer.co.uk/best-blenders/
https://www.pricerunner.com/test/blender
https://www.biohackerslab.com/reviews/best-blender-bulletproof-coffee/
https://www.emag.ro/power-blender-magimix-1200w-22-000-rpm-vas-sticla-borosilicata-1-8l-0-bpa-5-functii-predefinite-program-auto-curatare-carte-cu-retete-rosu-power-blender-11623/pd/DTBDWMBBM/
https://www.vitamix.com/ca/en_us/Recipes/Blackberry-Herb-Fruit-Puree
https://www.chowhound.com/post/impressed-vitamix-922821?page=2
http://www.city-data.com/forum/food-drink/1670128-blenders-vitamix-not-vitamix-question-3.html
https://thenaturalnutritionist.com.au/all-natural-cashew-butter-vitamix-recipe/
https://joyofblending.com/vitamix-almond-butter/
http://www.healthnutnation.com/2014/10/18/make-sunbutter-vitamix/
https://lifeisnoyoke.com/vitamix-nut-butters/#burning-smell
https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/the-best-order-of-ingredients-to-make-a-superfood-smoothie/
https://www.smartnutrition.ca/nutrition-2/how-a-vitamix-blender-will-pay-for-itself-and-improve-your-health/

34 comments:

  1. Great review how nice to take the time and create such a useful post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My pleasure :-) It's helpful for myself to remember, when I buy my next blender :-)

      Delete
  2. Thanks for the great overview of this blender.
    But I'm a bit confused though.
    Is the Magimix power blender and the Magimix le blender the same one? Can't seem to figure that out

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, I can totally understand. I was also confused in the beginning. Yes, I believe it is the same blender - one is in English, and the other is in French (since Magimix is a French brand). However, it is best to look at the product code, when comparing, which in this case it is 11626SK. I hope this helps.

      Delete
    2. Actually the Le Blender is an earlier model and apparently getting phased out, to be replaced by the Power Blender. The difference is in wattage - 12000 before and 13000 for the Power version. There are 5 presets in the later 'Power' version, compared with 4 in the earlier 'Le Blender'. There is also a rather steep difference in price, with the later version costing an extra £20 or more. Interestingly, 'Which?' (the UK consumer association) tests place the older Le Blender quite a few percentage points higher than the newer Power model. However, it is much harder to find in stock now.

      Delete
    3. Oh I see, thanks very much for sharing this market info. It's disappointing to hear that the newer blenders are not as good. I hope the Magimix company would maintain its quality for future blenders :-)

      Delete
  3. Thanks for the post. I know how you feel about spending a lot on a new blender. I have had mine forever and I have been swooning over a Blendtech. Of course it does everthing in the world. I mean do I really need to make a raw soup and have the food processor heat it for me?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lena, glad to hear that I am not alone :-)

      Delete
  4. Thanks for the postis very useful. I need a blender and I don't want a plastic jar. The main purpose is to make vegan cheese with cashews previusly shoaked. The result has to be a Fine pasta. Do you know if the magimix could do it effortlessly?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, I haven't tried making vegan cheese and cashew pasta with it, so I can't reply you. But I have tried to make cashew nut butter and in my opinion, the nut butter is fine enough. If you get to try to make vegan cheese and cashew pasta with the Magimix blender, would be great if you could let me us know if the pasta turned out fine enough :-)

      Delete
  5. What a brilliant review. I'm very interested in getting a new blender and mill so your info about grinding flax seeds and flour are really useful. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks so much for providing such detailed information with lots of equally useful images. I've had my leg Blender for 6 years now though only with intermittent use. However I'm now intending to get the mill attachment and this has helped me decide.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Really great review! Is it possible to grind seeds without using the milling attachment?

    ReplyDelete
  8. it's too long article but really interesting and great suggestion. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for making this detailed review! It's the most rigorous and helpful one I've seen about the Magimix power blender (a surprising number of online reviewers just make one smoothie, which doesn't allow for much comparison).

    My question is whether you've tried using the standard jug for grinding flour/spices? The mill attachment here in Sweden amounts to almost half of what the whole blender costs (700-999 SEK compared to 1819 SEK for the blender), so I'm wondering if it's worth the extra cost. I'm looking for a versatile blender that can also be used for the occasional South Indian cooking, including dry grinding whole spices and wet grinding rice/lentils soaked overnight (for making dosas).

    Would really appreciate to hear if someone has experience with this.

    Thanks, Ebba

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, I use the grinder to grind spice into powder. The standard jug can't be used, as it is designed to grind liquid stuff. I tried to grind dry stuff, it doesn't work so well.

      Delete
  10. Thank you so much for this review! Is the blender still working and going strong? 😊

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Apology for only replying now. It's 26 January 2024, and it is still working in perfect condition for me :-)

      Delete
  11. Very interesting article but try to cover to the point

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry about the long post, unfortunately that's not one of my strengths, I can see :-)

      Delete
  12. Wow, what a brilliant review. It has helped me a lot. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi does it ever smoke when you make nut butters/hummus? My blendtec tends to over heat and smoke whenever I make these ..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Apology for only replying now, no, it doesn't ever smoke for me with Magimix. But if I used for too long, i.e. more than 2 minutes in one go on high speed, then it can feel hot. But this goes for all blenders. We should not overwork it, and have to let it rest for a minute or two in between making nut butter.

      Delete
  14. Thank you very much for that very detailed review, very useful, and all the nice receipt going with:)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Just wanted to say thank you for this post. Very helpful since we've just got a magimix and I came across your page and not only found lots of great ways to use the magimix but also recipes for the little one! Will be looking through for.more recipes now

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are most welcome. I hope you like the recipes after trying :-)

      Delete
  16. This is super helpful since we just got a Magimix. But realised there was also recipes for kids in this blog. Awesome! Then realised that I relate a lot to the blogger because I am a Christian who grew up in Singapore now married to an American and living in Australia trying to raise my toddler using the Montessori method. Haha! Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aahhh... sweet... You are most welcome. I am so happy to hear that from a fellow Singaporean :-)

      Delete
  17. Thank you so much for your review, it was very helpful. I have a Vitamix and whilst it does exactly what it’s advertised to do I don’t like the bulky look and the plastic jug. It has just broken but under warranty so is being sent back for repairs. I’m waiting for the Magimix 5XL to be back in stock and will be replacing my Vitamix which will find its way to eBay! The advantage of the Magimix is that all the size jugs fit all the bases which is why I’m going for the 5XL (their most powerful blender) but also buying the size 3 jug. That way I can also get rid of my NutriBullet.

    ReplyDelete

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