I purchased this Vitamix 6300 for $499.99 at the Nashua, New Hampshire Costco in December of 2013. While it seems that it is not as good a deal (if you can call any Vitamix a "deal") as the Vitamix 5200 available in the warehouse for about $100 less or the Vitamix 5200 package on Costco.com that includes a dry mix container, the 6300 has worked very well for me. The main difference between the 6300 and the 5200 models is the inclusion of three pre-programmed settings on the 6300 that automatically blend smoothies, frozen desserts and hot soups. I use the smoothie switch nearly every day. Because I make all my own bread, tortillas, noodles, rice skins, etc., I did purchase the extra dry blending container at the warehouse on the same day I bought the 6300. This container is designed for grinding grains into flour and cost $99 at the warehouse. It does a very good job, but most people probably wouldn't use it enough to justify the additional expense.
I still feel guilty about the price of this blender, but I must say that it has done a consistently excellent job of breaking down just about anything I've thrown into it. I still have a fairly new Ninja blender that, honestly, cannot hold a candle to the Vitamix when it comes to creating a silky smooth blend. I'm a vegan, so I now reserve the Ninja for chopping meats for making burgers and sausages for my omnivore husband.The Vitamix could surely handle these tasks, but because the Vitamix container does not come apart for cleaning, I'd rather not risk contaminating my fresh veggie and fruit concoctions with any possible meat residue. Fussy? Yeah, I admit that I am!
