Updated May 16, 2018
Today a lot of people are wondering how the Vitamix Creations GC 48-oz 13-in-1* blender compares to other models because of the QVC TSV. You can read my full page about differences between Vitamix machines, but I created this page for people who want a summary centered on the Vitamix Creations GC 13-in-1 (“galaxy class”).
The Vitamix Creations GC is essentially the same as the Vitamix 5200. The QVC marketing material lists the GC power rating at 2.25 peak horsepower, but I do not believe that it is any more powerful than the 5200. (The 5200 is sometimes listed at 2 and sometimes at 2+ peak horsepower.)
Update: The Creations GC 48-oz is nearly identical to the new E310. Blending performance is the same. The E310 just moves the maximum speed to 10 on the dial and turns the left switch into a pulse switch.
Compared to Vitamix’s usual pricing on the Creations GC and the 5200, the TSV is a good deal. [If you missed the TSV, I would pass on the Creations GC. In addition to the machines mentioned below, a 5200 will give you an additional 2 years of warranty for a lower price.] However, there are a few other machines that you should consider that I will describe below. For a value even better than the TSV, check out the Vitamix certified reconditioned machines. And for the latest and greatest blending experience, consider the Next Generation (“G-series”) models described below.
Note that as part of Vitamix’s deal with QVC, the QVC “Creations” models come with a 5-year warranty instead of the standard 7-year warranty. This is not because the QVC models are sub-par, but rather it is part of their pricing agreement.
If you are looking for the best deal, the reconditioned units direct from Vitamix are a better deal than the QVC TSV, in my opinion. The Standard Reconditioned for $329 is comparable and comes with the same 5-year warranty as the Creations models. The reconditioned units are essentially indistinguishable from new ones and have seen little, if any, use (for more details, see this page).
Another advantage of ordering direct from Vitamix is that if you decide to return your machine in the first 30 days, they will fully cover return shipping (that’s free shipping both ways!), whereas QVC will charge you for return shipping unless they made an error.
Vitamix now offers payment plans, which you can select during checkout online.
One last thing to note is that if your budget is a bit more flexible, you might want to consider one of the Next Generation machines (7500 or Pro 750). The difference is that the Next Gen machines have longer blades, a wider container, and a quieter motor. The updated design makes for better chopping/”food processing” tasks, greater ease of scraping thick mixtures out, less need for tamper, and slightly faster processing. The only slight downside to the Next Generation models is that the wider container makes small volumes of less than 2 cups slightly trickier to blend. (For this reason, some people like to pair a narrow 32-oz or 48-oz container with their wide Next Generation 64-oz container.)
Vitamix sells Next Generation units reconditioned for $429 (the 750 with preset modes starts at $519).
If you want preset modes at a lower price you can get them on a Classic style machine for $379 with the Standard Programs model.
I hope this helps you make your buying decision. If you have any questions, please feel free to enter them as comments below or contact me and I will try to answer throughout the day.
* Vitamix 13-in-1?
You may wonder what 13-in-1 refers to; it refers to the number of appliances that QVC and Vitamix say that the Creations GC can replace. (It used to be 12-in-1, but they recently added one more.) Here are the 13 appliances:
- Whole food juicer
- Ice cream maker
- Hot soup maker
- Blender
- Cheese grater
- Chopper
- Meat grinder
- Ice crusher
- Peanut butter maker
- Stick blender
- Food processor
- Hand mixer
- Fondue maker
The marketing line is: It’s not a blender, it’s a Vitamix. The truth is that it is a blender, but it happens to be a really good blender.
I inherited a Vitamix 5085 Barboss Advance (commercial blender) without a container. Will any non-commercial Vitamix container fit the Barboss Advance ?
Thank You
I have not used the Barboss Advance, but from what I know about it, it should work with any of the current full-size Vitamix containers. (i.e. 32, 48, and 64-oz C- and G-Series containers; NOT the 20 and 40-oz S-Series containers).
The Advance uses a centering pad with shorter posts, so in principle the narrow containers will be less stable on it. (The centering pad is the black rubber part with four posts that the container sits on.) It shouldn’t be an issue as long as you don’t knock the container sideways while it is running. (I have used the Advance centering pad on home models with various containers without issue.) You could also swap on a centering pad with the taller posts if you felt it was a problem.
Vitamix prefers to keep their commercial and home lines separate, so they will likely tell you they are not compatible.
Thank you. I just saw a Vitamix GC creations on Craigslist. Your information helped me greatly. I’m going to go ahead and purchase it. It is green. I have never seen that color. What dry blade/container should I purchase for it?
If you want a dry blade container, Vitamix currently only makes one. As far as I know, Amazon has the best price on it right now. Here’s the link to the dry container (it will work with the Creations GC).