Vitamix Ascent Series Explained
Posted on 2/2/2018 by Keith Knittel
Ascent is Vitamix's newest series of blenders. These Vitamix machines offer a sleeker look and have a few more bells and whistles than the legacy or personal series machines. One of the most notable updates is the addition of wireless connectivity to help the Ascent motor base talk to the container and adjust blend times automatically. New Ascent series machines come with a 10-year warranty, an improvement over their previous 7-year warranty on legacy machines. The machines within the series have their differences as well, and below is a table to help you quickly realize the differences.
The main differences in Ascent series models
(Using a table & avocado emojis)
Comparing the Ascent Models
All of the Ascent machines use the same 64-ounce Low-Profile containers. At the time of this writing, the 64-oz containers are the only containers available for the Ascent series, but Vitamix is revealing 20-oz and 8-oz containers sometime this year. The real differences, for now, are only the lower motor bases/features.
Vitamix A2300 - $469
The Vitamix A2300 features built-in wireless connectivity, variable speed, pulse, a digital timer and a 10-year warranty.
Vitamix A2500 - $519
The Vitamix A2500 features built-in wireless connectivity, 3 program settings, variable speed, pulse, a digital timer and a 10-year warranty.
Vitamix A3300 - $519
The Vitamix A3300 features a touchscreen interface, built-in wireless connectivity, variable speed, pulse, a programmable timer and a 10-year warranty.
Vitamix A3500 - $619
The Vitamix A3500 features a touchscreen interface, 5 program settings built-in wireless connectivity, variable speed, pulse, a programmable timer and a 10-year warranty.
Containers
The new 64-oz Low Profile Self Detect containers have a NFC chip in them to let the Ascent motor bases know which container is being used, and adjust the time accordingly. It is worth noting that Legacy or S-series containers will not work on the Ascent machines. Containers need to have a NFC chip in them to run the motor. If you do not have the container on the motor base, the motor will not start at all.
Conclusion
Given the range of the Vitamix Ascent machines, I've personally grown to favor the A2500 the most. It is the Vitamix I own because I've grown to love programmed settings and I use the smoothie and soup settings the most by far. I didn't see the need for 2 more additional settings and the touchscreen that the Vitamix A3500 offered. I love the idea of touchscreen interfaces, but in the kitchen, I personally prefer the old-fashioned, tactile program settings knob.
If you like the best of the best though, I would recommend the Vitamix A3500. The touchscreen is nice to use and offers a pretty awesome display of which programmed setting/variable speed is running and time remaining.
If you're looking to buy an Ascent machine and don't need the program settings, the Vitamix A2300 is a great option to save some money and get a great machine with only the bare essentials. The Vitamix A3300 seems to be the odd one out for me in this series. The touch screen is nice, but if you're going to be at that price point with that nice of a machine, I recommend going for the A3500 and get the 5 program settings.