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A Few Solutions to Common Smoothie Blender Problems December 10 2015

I could be talking about healthy foods this time. But what our business is really about is healthy equipment so you can blend up your healthy foods. You have already a great blender, either that being a Blendtec, Vita Mix, Waring, or an Omni blender.

Blenders don’t easily break, but the blades and jars wear out. Sometimes blades wear quicker. So let’s go over a few things to help you extend the life of your blender blades and jars, regardless of what brand of a blender you have.

Problems and solutions (most common) that could arise during blending:

  1. Blade bearings (and bushings) can seize up - Rinse and dry by hand only
  2. Jars can crack - Keep bottom plate tightened
  3. If you blend heavy low-water-content ingredients (puree) you can get temporarily stuck or have a little delay getting the vortex / swirling of the smoothie miracle going - Use a tamper or when blending smoothies, make sure the solids to water ratio is right for the vortex

Problem 1: When you over-expose a blade bearing of your blender jar to water too much, water getsseized up blade assembly into the blade assembly housing and will wash out grease. You will see rust powder coming out on the bottom end of the blade assembly at the gear seal. This leads to damage to the bearings which then will not turn smoothly anymore. Bearings are getting hot already when they are in good condition. They become much louder and hotter when there is more friction due to bad bearings. This will lead to oil exit on the bottom outside of the where the gear sticks out of the blender container. When the blade seizes it can also transfer energy to the drive socket and snap it or strip it (Drive socket is on the blender motor).

With the Blendtec blender jars (Wildside, Fourside, Twister), as the picture above left indicates, the the Real Rebel Jar by Alterna Jars for Blendtec with replaceable sharp bladesblades are permanent fix installed. If that breaks, you cannot just change the blade assembly, but you have to change the entire jar. There is a big advantage if you have a jar with a removable blade assembly because you just change the blade – see to the right – if you run into a problem. That said, there are in both cases preventative solutions that can help you preserve the blade assembly bearing and help you get more usage out of it

Solution 1: Always wash or rinse the blender jar by hand and then dry by hand to limit water exposure. For additional sanitizing, use a non-caustic water-diluted spray on sanitizing solution to briefly apply to the inside of the jar. Don’t leave jar in sink with water puddle or wash in dishwasher. If your blade has seized up, or shows signs of seizing (roughness of turning, noisier blending, smoke / smell), replace the blade right away to prevent further damage to the driver socket.

Problem 2: Jars, if they do crack, they mostly crack on the very bottom around the hole where the damage to bottom of hole in blender jar where the blade assembly is insertedblade assemcrack in blender jar bottombly inserted into the jar. This occurs mostly when the blade assembly is starting to seize up or has already seized and you keep blending with it and in addition the bottom plate may not be completely tight, or tight enough.

tamper in wildside Blendtec jarSolution 2: Make sure the blade assembly works well and there is no rust around the gear. If there is and/or you experience leakage on the bottom, immediately remove the blade assembly and inspect the jar and the blade. Replace the blade if the jar is still good. Or else replace the whole jar with blade. We do have new better working blending jars with sharp efficient advanced blending knives. Frequently check the bottom plate to see if you can manage turning it clockwise to tighten it, to make sure it stays tightened.

Universal Tamper fits inside multiple blender jarsProblem / Solution 3: Simple, if you get stuck or your blender has a hard time getting the ingredients blended or started up, either add more liquid, or if liquid is not part of your recipe, use a tamper stick specifically designed for the use with your blender jar. In our case, we have a Universmultiple blenders with alterna jars and universal tamperal Tamper that can be adjusted to work with any blender jar, from Blendtec to Waring or Hamilton Beach. Make sure you use the tamper to push down on ingredients with the flanges positioned correctly to avoid touching the blades and only inserting the tamper through the lid hole with the cap removed, the lid on the jar, of course.

If your Universal tamper accidentally touches the blade knives during blending, this is not a serious problem for the tamper. The material is a food grade FDA approved material, but it is not edible. You will lose your smoothie. But you can save the tamper with sand paper and/or a saw. The Universal Tamper is solid.

If the flangOmni and Waring blender with Alterna Jar and universal tamperes come apart, use tape to secure the flanges. If you use a wooden tamper it will splinter into oblivion unfortunately and if you use a tamper made with injection molding plastic, it will break and not be usable anymore. If you do not have a tamper, I suggest you get one, even if think you never need one or needed one before. It takes only one time of difficult blending when you lose your hand or your fork. Never insert a fork, knife, or spoon into your blender jar during blending to push down on ingredients.

Even blenders made to work well without the use of a tamper need a push every now and then. And if you have a blender from a factory that recommends regular usage of a tamper to eliminate their air pocket, you will find,Vita Mix and Blendtec Blenders with Alterna Jars and broken container with the right solid – to – liquid ratio, you do not need to use the tamper.

Please check out our new Alterna Jars, sharp blades, advanced finer better smoother blending, interchangeable between Blendtec – Vita Mix – Waring – Omni, etc… blending volume of 80 ounces. Now available with a $10 OFF discount. Use Coupon code $10AlternaOFF (use with purchase $80 and up – good till supply lasts and/or subject to be discontinued without notice)

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us by phone 801-623-3225 or by email customerservice@alternajar.com.

 

Thomas Fox

www.alternajar.com

801-623-3225


Pros and Cons of Aftermarket Replacement Blender Containers October 26 2015

Aftermarket replacement blender container for BlendtecAftermarket components and products are produced and sold to consumers in various different markets. It is very common in the consumer technology industry as well as in the automotive industry. Aftermarket products and components / replacement parts usually are an indicator that a certain product is very popular. It is also associated to money savings to the consumer. In the pharmaceutics industry, the term ‘generic’ is often used. Perhaps the latter is not really an aftermarket component in the sense this article is referring to.

 

Blendtec®, Waring™ MX series of blenders, as well as Vita Mix® blenders are just three blenders from among a few other high performance smoothie blenders, of which a whole ton of are presently in use globally. It is estimated some 100 million of these particular powerful blenders roam the Earth in peoples’ kitchens and restaurants. About 60% of them, according to a study, are not in use. Why they are not in use is not really known. It could be in part a reluctance of user-interest and/or that and being broken down and just never having gotten to it to make a ‘replacement’ attempt of a broken blender blade or jar.

 

Most people are not very technically inclined. When their jar breaks, or the blade bearing of blade assembly in the jar seizes up, they interpret it as a broken down blender. The blender gets put aside until time and effort is made to make the warranty call, or if the warranty is expired, a new jar is purchased. If the blender is misdiagnosed as dead and broken, not being sure what is bad, time may tell that these high percentage consumers have their ‘broken down’ blender collect dust in storage.

 

In the case of these blenders, aftermarket components, such as replacement blade assembly cuttingAlterna aftermarket jar with replaceable blade unit (left), Blendtec jar with broken seized up blade units (the knife, or in other words the blades) will be a money saver and a convenient solution, if only the consumer in possession of the broken down Blendtec or Vitamix blender (or Waring and others – non one brand in particular) would dig into finding out more about alternative replacement parts.

 

It is however not just about replacing a broken part, in the aftermarket industry. Additional jars offer opportunities to have spare parts for just in case, and an additional container for the purpose of alternating blender jars. The Kosher blending enthusiasts of course always use 2 jars. There are certain advantages to the number 2, two jars in possession rather than just one, especially when they are different. Blending is often better in one jar than in another depending on what one blends up.

 

The Alterna™ Jar, the aftermarket jar reported on in this article, brings several advantages to the table. Current users have reported an increase in finer blending, smoother concoctions, more thorough emulsification. The actual blending capacity is 80 ounces of ingredients. The jar is also, like the OEM factory containers, a BPA-Free copolyester material, with stainless steel removable blade assembly, and tamper stick accelerator tool available.

 

The advantages are certainly not always enticing to everyone, for example money savings. Some people may find a Blendtec Fourside replacement container for $60 plus shipping. Why would one purchase an aftermarket non-factory container for $80 including shipping? Those that do, are not buying it for immediate savings, or not for money savings reasons at all. The reason for that is that the old type Blendtec jar is always the same, no improvement with a blade that is just going to break again eventually and a new complete whole jar has to bought again, even if the price is only $60 instead of $80. If that same scenario happens with the Alterna Jar, one would have to simply just purchase a replacement jar for $35, instead of $60 for a new jar by Blendtec. Of course, Alterna has a package deal available for real blender enthusiasts, which is the jar with a blade already installed, plus an extra replacement blade for $99, including shipping.

Alterna jar fits on Vitamix Blendtec and Waring and JTC omni Blenders

Let’s assume the Alterna blade goes out at the same time the Blendtec blade would seize up, in the Blendtec jar. At that point the OEM factory enthusiast would have spent $120 while the aftermarket consumer fan spent only $99. But, again, not everybody may be interested in the cost factor issue. The Alterna jar blends better, blends bigger volumes, and is a heavier duty jar overall.

 

Waring MX series blenders, those that are truly 3.5 horsepower monsters, come with rather inferior blade and jar design. The OEM Waring container has a poor warranty, to one hand. On the other hand, the vertical jar wall goes into the bottom of the jar without curvature straight in a straight 90 degrees. There are numerous reports of poor performance and warranty issues and poor customer service. Plus a 2 Liter replacement jar from Waring costs anywhere from $120 to $160. The Alterna aftermarket container configured for the Waring MX series blenders performs better, hold up better and costs less as well.

 

Vitamix… ditto to Waring.

 

In conclusion, aftermarket is not for everyone. OEM has its advantages especially when the blender is still under warranty. In Europe or in Asia, Australia and South America, Blendtec and Vitamix warranties are general between 2 to 4 years maximum. Waring already has a 2 in 1 year warranty in the USA which means 2 year parts and 1 year labor. Costs of replacement jars in non-USA markets are mostly prohibitively expensive. In Brazil a Blendtec Fourside jar is $150 USD and $200 has to be coughed up for a Wildside jar. The same in Europe, the UK, in Australia and all over the Asian Rim.

 

Those consumers that consider the advantage of aftermarket recognize that aftermarket means that the OEM brands are going to stick around more likely longer, aftermarket components will bring the prices down everywhere, and aftermarket blender containers offer a convenience, a choice, a versatility, especially when this one blender jar actually fits on all, Vitamix, Waring, JTC Omni, Klarstein, Optimum, Omega blenders, and the Blendtec blenders.

 

Note, how the Alterna Jar sits on the various blenders, straight on Blendtec, and diagonally by 45 degrees on Vita Mix, Waring, and JTC Omni blenders. This is a little different than with any other blender jars, but it works, and is actually mostly designed that way so the same container can be used namely on different blender bases, such as the Blendtec and the Waring kinds.

 

Pros and Cons, if a blender were still under warranty, and consumer wanted to use the aftermarket Alterna jar, it is most likely assumed that the given factory might tell the consumer that such application is not authorized and will likely void the warranty. If the Blender motor might break, such use opens up the question of whether the jar and the aftermarket blade bearing may have contributed to, or perhaps was the cause of premature motor failure. However, there are several issues to that.

 

If the blade seizes up on any blender jar, it is the consumer's responsibility to stop using it, replacing the whole jar or the blade assembly from the Alterna jar with removable replaceable blade assembly unit. Plus, who is to say that a given consumer has not already over exerted their blender motor when running the blender motor with a seized up blade unit in their jar for far too long of a time and have not noticed it. Sure, if it can be proven that there is a relationship between the Alterna jar aftermarket container and a broken motor, it would only be fair that warranty is assumed, if there is a warranty. However, in every possible scenario, it should be taken into account, that it just cannot be proven. There are too many variables from abuse to a defect from the blender factory to begin with or simply just heavy normal use and therefore wear and tear having lead to an early natural death of said blender motor. It is simple, anyway, it should be considered to always pay close attention to the condition of the blade assembly and bearing, no matter if the user operates an OEM factory brand blender container or an aftermarket blender jar.

 

In any case, OEM brand factories should be exited about aftermarket blender jar availability. It is a sign that the market has reached a certain saturation and the brand is here to stay. The consumer views more choices and availability as convenient and as a great advantage, actually and eventually bringing down prices and helping to improve quality.

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