Chinese Vitamix Knock Off 220v
Last year or so I wrote about my green smoothies, and how I was enjoying getting into those. It is really exciting for me as I look towards my eventual retirement in the Philippines, because frankly it had been a little difficult to see how I was going to eat healthy there. The change of my diet to these smoothie (or shakes as they are known as there), allows me to take advantage of one the true benefits of the Mindanao region, the abundance of delicious fruits and vegetables.
At the heart of my smoothie making is the Vitamix blender. I have an older model – Total Nutrition Center VM0103. I do have plans to take that with me, if it’s still running, when I finally make the move. The problem with it is the voltage, which I’ve touched on before. In anticipation of that I have plans to use a 2000 watt step up/step down transformer, as the Vitamix consumes 1380 watts at peak. I consider this a temporary, or back up, solution.
Since my last trip to the Davao area I’ve been trying to track down a decent 220v blender for use when I visit and eventually when I move. I saw what I considered a suitable one (Dynamex) at one of the malls, but it was only 850 watts, and seems they are sold out now. Out of stock, sir. Do not know if or when they will be back in stock. So I looked elsewhere.
I’ve been searching the internet and other resources as I had the time, and I was eventually able to find a couple of units that were rated 1200 watt, and seemed exactly like my Vitamix. I tried contacting a few of the dealers for these, with mixed results, and finally settled on one that was in stock and could be delivered to the Davao area.
The one I purchased is a ST-767. That’s the model number but no brand that I could find was listed. It very clearly states “High Performance Commercial Blenders” under some Chinese, so possibly the brand is in there. As you can see by the photos, it looks just like the Vitamix. The only discernible differences, other than the obvious writing and branding, are the ON/OFF switch are on different sides of the knob, and the Maximum switch must be held down. Of course there is the difference of voltage, which is the reason I was looking for one in the first place.
I’ve not had a chance to put it to the test yet. That’s coming on my next visit. I’ve had it examined to insure that it runs. We had to get an universal adapter because it came with a three prong Chinese plug. P35 took care of that. I’m not sure if I can just cut that plug off and put another on, but I plan to check into that down the road. More for my own knowledge than anything else.
The unit cost P5800, with another P300 for the shipping from Manila. There were cheaper, but again whether they were in stock, or I could not get a reply being the issues there. Compare that $135 I paid to a smiliar Vitamx here, about $450, and you can see that I can use up about three of these to equal the cost. I’m not expecting this to last as long as the Vitamix do, but that is yet to be determined. Parts are available.
I also plan to make coconut milk and hummus in this. Two other items that I use often. I consider this a pretty important item, one of the few I hope, for my existence there. I suppose I’ll find out if that ends up being true over time, but in the beginning I certainly expect so.
Looks great – ebay purchase? Let us know how it works. Is it available in 110v? I am vegetarian and Elizabeth is raw food vegan
I didn’t know you were vegetarian. I still am, but with some cheese and eggs on occasion. My oder brother, Rod, is vegan. No, it was purchased over there through a friend. Don’t know if they make it in 110v, not even sure who makes it, but might be able to figure it out once I see the manual.
Finally got to try this unit and I’m pleased to report that I see no difference in it’s performance than my Vitamix for the smoothies that I make. Very happy with it so far. Not sure if it will hold up as long, but for a third of the price I can afford another down the road.
Is the chinese unit you bought still working? I am just curious because if yours is still working I would like to buy one for myself. Do you have any contact information for the company in Manila that you bought it from?
I used the one I got for about 2-3 weeks when I was there recently on vacation. It worked fine. No difference than my Vitamix really. For the price it can’t be beat.
There are various models of the same thing out there. I think they all come from the same factory.
I got mine from http://www.sulit.com.ph. The vendor is barsupply. There are cheaper ones on there, and I wouldn’t hesitate to jump at one of those. If you are in the Manila area, some of the bigger stores might carry these. I saw one at Gmall that was a lot less than I paid.
hi all! am just starting on a raw food regimen and its hard not using a high powered blender. vitamix is beyond my reach. am scouring the internet, sulit.com specifically for something like the real thing at much much lower price. randy you mentioned seeing one in gmall in manila. where is it exactly? i plan to go there and check it out for myself. thanks a lot and happy healthy living to us all.
HI rafatine – the GMall that I was referring to is in Davao. I’m not familiar with the ones in Manila.
The good news for you is that almost all the vendors on Sulit are in the Manila area. You should be able to find a good price and someone willing to meet you.
Good luck.