Blendtec Total Classic Review

Blendtec is known for its commercial-grade blenders, and the Total Classic offers the same professional-level power for home kitchens. A unique feature of this 1560-watt blender is its blunted blades, which are incredibly effective and particularly easy to clean.

Smoothies

It takes a few seconds for the Total Classic to get going, particularly with heartier recipes. But once it generates the vortex needed to swirl and mix ingredients, there's no stopping this powerful blender. The blunted blades appear to pulverize ingredients, resulting in a perfect pour. The only downside to the lack of sharp or serrated blades is that it doesn't always slice through the smallest fruit seeds. But that's a small price to pay for exceptional smoothie quality.

We used the 60-second Smoothie preset to mix a basic, frozen-berry smoothie, which was delicious ("really yummy," as one tester put it) with a very uniform consistency. We used the same setting to blend an Oreo milkshake, which was thick and creamy, though it carried the undertones of melted ice cream. We concluded that this must be the result of friction heat generated by the blunted blades, which slightly melt frozen ingredients, though not to the detriment of quality or taste. We also expected that this blade design might result in a louder blender. However, with an average reading of 84 decibels on the Smoothie setting, the Total Classic is no louder than other comparably powerful blenders.

Don't be fooled by the oversized appearance of Blendtec's patent FourSide jar; we learned the hard way that if the pitcher is overfilled past 32 ounces, the Total Classic will require mixing or two blend cycles to get the job done. But if you follow manufacturer recommendations, this blender excels at mixing thicker smoothies. The green shakes we made required no mixing or tamping, and in 60 seconds, the Total Classic turned out a satisfyingly consistent green smoothie with zero ingredient separation. The texture was awesome, and there was no built-up foam to contend with.

This blender also made easy work of our notoriously thick fruit, nut, and oat breakfast smoothie. Showing its affinity for blending hefty recipes, this smoothie was much thinner than the chunky mixture we anticipated, though there were admittedly two slightly unblended strawberries in the mix. Aside from those loose berries, it was easy to drink this robust and flavorful smoothie. This result is notable and impressive, considering that this same recipe was so thick from other blenders that we needed to eat the smoothie with a spoon.

Pureeing

The Total Classic does a fantastic job of pureeing nut butter. However, it was quite the journey to eventually achieve the super smooth, deliciously creamy nut butter we eventually turned out. Initially, this blender was overwhelmed and shut itself down out of preservation, and continued to do so periodically throughout the nine-minute process. But with the right amount of oil, the Total Classic generated a powerful vortex that blew through the nuts, turning them into a fan-favorite nut butter for its flavor and silky smooth consistency.

The Hot Soup preset lasts for 180 seconds, and in order to effectively blend the fresh ingredients in our homemade tomato soup, we needed to run the Total Classic for two cycles. The result was an impressively smooth puree, evenly seasoned with a velvety texture. The soup reached a temperature of 129°F, even after a six-minute cycle. Although we were a bit disappointed that the combination of blunted blades and squared-off jar didn't generate enough friction and couldn't heat our soup as quickly as Blendtec claims.

Frozen Drinks

Blendtec's marketing material specifically references the Total Classic's ability to “turn ice to snow in mere seconds,” and it's true. The high-powered, 1560-watt motor and thick, blunted blades are a formidable combination.

We used the aptly iconed Ice Crush preset (indicated with a mixed drink icon) to mix a batch of frozen margaritas. The Total Classic was fast, mixing the blended margaritas in only 35 seconds. Although the drinks weren't the pinnacle of perfection we experienced with other high-end blenders, they were pretty darn close, with a remarkably silky texture that put the “mmm…” in “margarita”.

Controls

The Total Classic has an elegant, simple, user-friendly design. The variety offers six presets: Smoothie, Whole Juice, Ice Cream, Ice Crush, Hot Soup, and Batters, making the Total Classic a convenient one-stop shop as a substitute for other appliances.

The manual settings include ten speeds and a pulse feature. All of the buttons are labeled with icons, and while the plus, minus, and pulse “sinus wave” images are ubiquitous, it may take a few uses with the user manual in hand to memorize the other icons. The simple LCD readout includes a countdown timer for each preset cycle, and we particularly enjoy that it includes a counter to track how many smoothies you've made.

Additionally, one thing we greatly appreciate about the Total Classic is the lid design. Even though it's a gasket-style, the pressure change generated by the blender never causes it to suction to the pitcher—it's always incredibly easy to pull off, and unlike other lids of this style, it never results in splashback.

Ease of Cleaning

The Total Classic, in general, is notably straightforward to clean. Although the parts can only be put on the top rack of a dishwasher, we prefer to pair some warm, soapy water with one of the presets as an unofficial cleaning cycle—this makes it easy peasy to clean quickly without having to babysit the blender.

Handwashing this blender is also simple. The square base of the pitcher doesn't have any awkward nooks and crannies to clean, and the intentionally blunted blades ensure you won't accidentally slice your finger. There's nothing tricky about scrubbing it down.

Should You Buy the Blendtec Total Classic?

While our assessments of this blender's ability to puree and grind may appear hypercritical, the Blendtec Total Classic is, without a doubt, an impressive blender worthy of your investment. Its top-tier performance in blending frozen beverages is only comparable to other premium models that cost hundreds of dollars more. While it doesn't excel at heating soup like other premium blenders, it is more than serviceable as a versatile appliance. Considering the time-tested durability of this heavy-duty blender, the Total Classic is our top choice for longevity.

What Other Blenders Should You Consider?

At the same price point, the Hurricane Pro slightly edges out the Total Classic in terms of convenience. It's much easier to clean thanks to fully dishwasher-safe parts and its handy auto-clean feature. Another favorite workhorse blender is the Vitamix Explorian E310, which makes a divinely smooth frozen cocktail that even surpasses the Total Classic's amazing marg. If the price point of any of these blenders is a bit unwieldy and you don't need any fancy features like soup heating or auto-clean, consider the Nutribullet Combo, a more affordable yet still quite impressive blender that blends a delicious and refreshing smoothie.