Vitamix Classic C-Series (2007) vs Vitamix Smart System

The Vitamix 5200 is one of the very best Countertop Blenders that one can get for around $410. The Vitamix A3500, however, while a very good choice at its $530 price point, falls just short of being remarkable.

The Vitamix 5200 was loved by reviewers at Wirecutter (NYTimes), a highly trusted source that performs reliable in-depth testing. It did great in its "What’s the Best Blender for Smoothies?" roundup where it was named its "Top Pick", which, in itself, makes it a product worth considering.

Returning to the Vitamix A3500, Your Best Digs, a source that's known for its high-quality in-depth testing, has great things to say about it. In fact, it was named its "High-End Pick" in its "The Best Blenders" roundup, which is quite a feat.

We examined all of the review data that we could find and first took a look at sources that reviewed both of them, like Gadget Review, and found that they haven't shown a preference for either product.

Then we checked which sources liked these two Countertop Blenders best and found that the Vitamix 5200 got its highest, 10, review score from reviewers at TechGearLab, whereas the Vitamix A3500 earned its best score of 9.8 from The Spruce Eats.

Lastly, we averaged out all of the reviews scores that we could find on these two products and compared them to other Countertop Blenders on the market. We learned that both of them performed far better than most of their competitors - the overall review average earned by Countertop Blenders being 7.3 out of 10, whereas the Vitamix 5200 and Vitamix A3500 managed averages of 9.3 and 8.8 points, respectively.

Due to the difference in their prices, however, it's important to keep in mind that a direct Vitamix 5200 vs. Vitamix A3500 comparison might not be entirely fair - some sources don't take value for money into account when assigning their scores and therefore have a tendency to rate more premium products better.