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Comparing Smoothie Blenders - A HOW TO Guide January 25 2014

Comparing blenders in this competitive smoothie making industry is an important task; also difficult. Many competitors focus on gimmicks that consumers easily fall for. Others are focusing just on price by faking a high quality blender however at a dear cost at the consumer's expense.

Horsepower

The horsepower (hp) strength of a motor is not necessarily the final output. A motor can have the capacity of a 5 horsepower blender, but only 1 or 2 hp strength or equivalence to watt output are used, measurable in watts. For example, the Omni Blender has a 3 horsepower motor output capacity. It is really inefficient and also puts a big potential overload strain on a motor if used to its fullest capacity. That is how motors blow out and burn out.

The OMNI Blender motor is a 3 horsepower motor which has been optimized to run as efficient as possible, as powerful as possible, while at the same time being as quiet as possible and because it is running cooler than others it also lasts longer. And then, the bottom line is that it still blends as good and powerful with same texture results in smoothies, hot soups, ice cubes into snow, sauces, purees etc... blended. Price, quality, performance and customer service should be carefully be the considering purchase factors only.

A more efficient motor that does not over-exert itself (not pushed to its limit) will last longer, thus our durability guarantee.

 

Watt consumption

The watt declarations of various blender manufacturers are simply incorrect and deceiving. For example some smoothie blender companies suggest on their label a 1200 or a 1500 watt output consumption. But just like it is with all labeling, factories for marketing sakes push the envelope to its outer possible legal gray areas. Theoretically correct, a lie can be presented with lots of sugar coating. And unfortunately, many consumers fall for it because they will never find out the truth anyway because they are not going to use their blender often enough to experience a breakdown. If a 3 hp smoothie blender actually would measure or consume 2275 watts, it would blow the motor, maybe not right away, but it would rather sooner than later burn out quickly.

Just like with a car. If you know what fuel efficiency means, if you have a bigger robuster motor with a low fuel efficiency that does not mean that the same 8 cylinder motor with high fuel efficiency is not as strong. Gas mileage does not determine the final strength of a motor these days anymore. Which motor is going to get the job done better? A 4 cylinder motor with 160 hp or a 6 cylinder motor with 220 hp? Which motor will last longer? Therefore, as our competitors are claiming a 2 hp peak motor, probably just a 1 hp motor turbo charged, the 3 horsepower blender motor will last longer, especially when optimized to run slightly slower for better cooling and lower noise output, and still blending the smoothies and soups equally we..

 

Brand name recognition

Some companies that manufacture high performance blenders have been in business for 90 years, 60, and 30, or in our case 25 years. Yes, the OMNI Blender has been made for more than 25 years, and it is settling in the USA smoothie market only just now since about 2008/2009. The OMNI JTC Blender, aka TM 800 A blender has been imported as one of the finest and high performing power blending machines for about 5 years. Competitors' brands boast market domination using age. But as you know, age is not everything. The OMNI Blender is built and engineered with modern day technological advancements such as motor efficiency, that you can have a high powered 3 hp blender motor without the boasted 1500 watts or 2275 watts actual consumption. The blender lasts longer and costs less.

 

Design

The designs of blenders, at least of the mainstream power blenders, those that matter in the high performance blender industry, including the OMNI Blender, have a very similar design in blade performance, jar or container shape, and the operating system. Some blenders, like Nutri Bullet or the Ninja blenders are poorly designed. The Ninja especially has a blade design, well, how shall we put it???? - Is not very smart. Well it blends well like a food processor. But you can get a Black and Decker food processor for $ 50 bucks, why paying $200 for a Ninja? The Ninja blade does not make any sense when it comes to most efficient power blending in the smoothie and soup industry. It just does not perform well.

 

Features

Blender features are important to consumers, not necessarily for functionality - make-sense purposes, but mostly because they are shiny objects. Humans are attracted to gimmicks, especially when not practical or not needed. They more shiny gadgets, as useless as they may be, the bigger the jaw-dropper effect on many people.

Consider this education: Any high performance smoothie blender between 2 hp and 3 hp motor performance can make a hot soup. Although the factory puts a label and a button on the blender housing that says "hot soup", "ice cream"... etc., that does not mean that the blender has actually a refrigeration system built in or a heating element. Yet people fall for it all the time. It should actually be conceived as an insult that factories actually do think we consumers fall for every gimmick. And yet, the sad thing is that many consumers do fall for it. The saddest part of that is that many blenders are purchased based on the gimmick factors and not for practicality quality or price factor, and at the end, these consumers often times don't even use their blender beyond 2 days of ownership. Thus the high blender return rates - just see how many refurbished blenders are offered.

The only practical features that a powerful high performance smoothie blender should have is a powerful durable blender motor, high quality parts, good blade design, and simple blend features like low - medium - high - pulse and if timer settings then a choice of 3 suffices. The more options the more difficult to use. Simplicity is the name of the game in all things.

 

Conclusion

Not that these few matters are the only ones that should matter with a good high performance blender choice, but in the case of the OMNI Blender, it has been found that it performs equally well if not better than its higher priced competitors. The retail price is much lower and the warranty is 7 years on the motor. The bottom line is the performance, smoothie texture, how long the motor lasts, the final cost, and the customer service.

 

(C) 2014 123Vita LLC - for questions contact (801) 623-3225


Vitamin D and Macular Degeneration Risk December 05 2013

Can Vitamins and Antioxidants Improve Eye Health?

 

After recently released study results, doctors are beginning to pay attention to their patients’ vitamin D levels and ask them more questions about eye health. Researchers are finding that when vitamin D as well as other vitamins, minerals and foods rich in antioxidants are present in sufficient amounts, the risk of blindness is reduced. Smoothies made with ingredients for proper nutrition can keep your eyes healthy in later years.

The two main causes of blindness in the elderly are age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Studies published by the Archives of Ophthalmology and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed a link between nutrients and eye health.

 

Antioxidants and Protection Against Cataracts 

A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye and can result in blindness if not treated. Current medical technology allows those with cataracts to undergo an operation that removes the clouded lens and replaces it with an artificial one.

Although surgery procedures have become routine and most people with cataracts can be treated on an outpatient basis, it is better to take steps to reduce the risk of getting them in the first place. One study that was published in June 2008 by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that the combination of antioxidants lessened the cataract risks of 2,400 older adult subjects. 

Fruits and vegetables have been rated on the degree to which they function as an effective antioxidant.  The standard measurement is called the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and the chart below lists raw fruits and vegetables that have a high ORAC score (see below). All of these foods can be used to make raw smoothies, soups or sauces in your high performance blender.

 

Fruits

Vegetables

Blueberries

Beets

Strawberries

Spinach

Cranberries

Red bell pepper

Acai

Kale

Raisins

Onions

Dark grapes

Eggplant

 

 

The macula is the central point of vision in the retina.  Macular degeneration is a progressive disease characterized by a dying off of light sensing cells, which eventually results in blindness. There is no medical treatment available that will reverse the disease process of macular degeneration at this time.  Of the men and women in the United States who are 40 years old or older, 15 million are said to have some degree of age-related macular degeneration.  

One study conducted by the University of Buffalo’s School of Public Health*** found that women younger than 75 with above average vitamin D levels had a decreased risk for age-related macular degeneration.   The recommended daily allowance of vitamin D is 400 IU up to age 18, 800 IU for ages 19 through 50, and 1200 IU for those over 50 years of age.   

Unlike the water-soluble B and C vitamins, vitamin D is fat-soluble and can collect in the liver and tissues. While the skin when exposed to sunlight absorbs some amount of vitamin D, this method alone will probably not provide the recommended daily dosages. Dietary adjustments need to be made to reach the recommended allowance.

You can find out what whether your vitamin D intake is sufficient through a simple blood test. Many lab forms used by doctors to order these tests include a place to indicate that vitamin D assessment is necessary. Doctors consider that someone with less than 30 nanomoles of vitamin D per liter of serum is deficient.  

If you want to increase your intake of vitamin D to protect your eyes, try including these foods in your diet: canned tuna, herring, salmon, dairy milk, almond milk, orange juice with vitamins added, and fortified cereals. Follow smoothie recipes that use milk or orange juice and whip up a few in your smoothie blender each day to increase your vitamin D level.

A healthy diet throughout life that includes raw fruits and vegetables can keep you seeing clearly in your older years. The antioxidant benefits of berries together with the vitamin D advantages of dairy milk or fortified orange juice is a recipe for delicious smoothies and healthy eyes.

 

Reference***

http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/macular-degeneration/news/20110411/vitamin-d-levels-may-affect-macular-degeneration-risk

 

(C) 2013 OmniBlender.COM LLC