Immersion blenders like this Vitamix unit are a bit different than your standard countertop blender. Rather than a pitcher built around a blender blade, immersion units are just the blades attached to a handheld wand. You immerse the blade into a container of your choice.

For the most part, we’re of the opinion that affordability means little if the machine doesn’t perform well. However, to see whether cost is related to the blender’s efficiency, we tested the Vitamix against four other immersion blenders from different price ranges. This also helped give us a more comprehensive picture of how well the Vitamix performs, how it stands out from the rest, and whether it’s a worthwhile investment.