The Explorian Series is a great choice for anyone considering a Vitamix blender for the first time. The Vitamix E320 from this line comes across as a machine that delivers the epic Vitamix performance but at the brand’s most affordable price yet.
In this Vitamix E320 review, you’ll see how this is possible by offering a machine that is devoid of all bells and whistles such as touch screens, presets, wi-fi connectivity, or other features found in Vitamix’s higher-end models. Instead, it offers you your basic, no-frills Vitamix.
There are two models in this series, the E310 and the E320. Both come with an identical design and similar specs with the E310 featuring a 48-oz low profile container and four 3-inch blades. The E320, on the other hand, features a 64-oz low profile container and four 4-inch blades.
So, if you’re not looking for any bells and whistles, then the Vitamix Explorian Series is for you.
Vitamix E320 Review: Overview
Vitamix makes powerful blenders and the E320 is no exception.
Powered with a 2.2 HP motor, the Vitamix E320 is up to the task of blending almost anything. It can work just as well with super smoothies as it can with nut butter, hot soups, frozen desserts, dips and sauces and much more.
Despite its simple construction and minimal design, the E320 can make everything that every other Vitamix blender can do.
Read More: Best Vitamix for smoothies
Operation
Operating the E320 is fairly simple as the blender only has three controls. There is an On/Off switch, a Pulse switch and a Variable 10-Speed Dial. These three controls let you manage your blender’s entire functions.
Because the Vitamix E320 blender comes with ample power, the motor runs loud when in operation. With power, comes the risk of overheating, but the E320’s automatic cooling system prevents that from happening. The embedded cooling system works by shutting down the engine and activating the cooling fan automatically while the motor carries more heat.
Design and Construction
The Vitamix E320 blender is designed to help you enjoy luxury food in the comfort of your own home. Some of the really interesting facts that impressed with respect to the design was that the blender has no bells and whistles like that in Vitamix A2300 with a countdown timer and touch screen.
It doesn’t require any wi-fi connectivity, pre-set modes, or even touch screens like the high-end models but delivers the result of high-end blenders with purely basic mechanisms. The entire blender is designed, keeping in mind durability and every other factor that an average customer like me would expect.
Container
The E320’s 64-oz container is on the larger side making it suitable for preparing large volumes of smoothies or other meals. You can also get additional attachments to make the blender more versatile.
The container is made using Eastman Tritan Copolyester which yields a premium quality, shatter-resistant, glass-like, see-through polycarbonate pitcher. The container also has a spout for easy pouring and is marked with ounces, cups, and millimeter graduations to adapt all recipes.
The jug comes with a rubber grip on the handle to reduce the risk of slips, cracks, or other kinds of damage.
Vitamix E320 Review: Power and Speed
The high-speed motor of the Vitamix E320 blends up things in no time, be it salsa, smoothies, sauces, soups, or dips. The motor of the E320 is similar to that of the Vitamix E310 at 2.2HP speed, and it performs at its best and gives out the best results like any other high-end blenders but with very simple constructions.
Unlike some other blenders, there is no need to chop vegetables before I put them inside the blender. The motor’s speed and the function of the blades make it blend even whole vegetables into smooth dips and juices.
Pulse Feature
I often use the blender’s pulse feature to chop my vegetables, and the blades of this blender and their design ensure precision in chopping them up but within no time. This pulse feature can be found in various other Vitamix models, too, like E310, but cannot be found in the older models of Vitamix like 5300, 7500, and 2300.
This feature helps make salsa and soups or juices where I want chunks of my fruits or vegetables to have a little bite and texture to it. The blender has a thermal protection system and a radial cooling fan that helps to cool down the machine as the speed at which the entire blender works can even heat my chilled ingredients inside it.
Functions and Blade
The Vitamix E320 comes with ten different speeds that help you handle different materials in the blender. This is also yet another feature that is common to Vitamix E320 and 310. The speed control is done through a knob that ensures a smooth transition from one speed to another.
The 10-speed dial lets you perform a number of functions with the Vitamix E320. Using different speeds, you can work with everything from smoothies, purees, and sauces to frozen desserts and kneading the perfect bread or pizza dough.
The cyclonic motor power, ranging from 1600 RPMs to 23000 RPMs, yields smooth and chunk-free blending results for everything that you blend. This makes sure that the end product is lump-free and smooth. The different speeds give you full control over the desired consistency that you seek for your recipes. I shift between the various speeds, and shifting from one speed to the next is a smooth endeavor that doesn’t affect the recipe.
The blade on the E320 is a 4-inch, four-pronged stainless-steel one that works well for various blending and mixing tasks. The blade can grind or churn the toughest of ingredients including nuts or coffee beans easily. That is why the E320 is able to deliver the smoothest nut butter quite effortlessly.
The 4-inch long blade in this blender is made out of stainless steel for long-lasting life and is also four-pronged, which is one of the main reasons for such a smooth result on the food product.
This blade, which was designed keeping in mind the desired smooth finish of wet ingredients, also performs exceptionally well in the case of dry ingredients and blends them up in no time. Like even coffee beans, the hardest dry nut and bean can be blended very effectively using this blender.
The blade is durable so won’t need to be replaced very often. In fact, unlike many other blenders where it’s recommended to chop vegetables before putting them in the container, the E320 can handle whole vegetables well and will do the chopping for you.
This feature supports bending up of both wet and dry ingredients together and comes very hand to me when I have to prepare huge batches of dough for my pizzas or puff pastries to feed my hungry guests at my pool parties.
For even better results, I recommend following the manual line up your ingredients accordingly, especially while blending a mixture of dry, wet, soft, and hard ingredients at one go. I usually put my liquid ingredients at the bottom first, followed by the dry ones, the leaves on top of them followed by fruits and vegetables, and then finally, the frozen ingredients or the meat. This indeed gives me a better result every single time.
Vitamix E320 Review: Accessories
The Vitamix E320 Blender is accompanied by a 64 oz container just like the Vitamix 750 and A3500 that helps in making large batches of food like smoothies, dough, and various other varieties of food. This is ideal for those who host a lot of parties and fun stuff at home.
This blender comes in handy and whips up my dips and drinks in just one batch in no time. Various additional attachments can be bought separately and attached to the blender to enhance its performance and versatility.
One of the major differences between Vitamix E320 and Vitamix E310 is the capacity of the container. While the E320 has a 64oz container, E310 comes with a 48oz container. This 48oz container is sufficient to whip up food for 3-4 people or a small family.
While preparing food for my parties and sleepovers, I would suggest the E320 blender is the best choice. It helps me make everything that I need to feed in my party right from my salsa, dips, sauces, smoothie, juices, and even the dough for my pizzas and breads.
My blender package had:
- A 6 feet long cord the motor base of the E320.
- A 64oz see-through container.
- A tamper.
- A recipe guide for the E320.
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The container is similar looking to that of a see-through jug. This container has a rubber grip for better hold and is made out of polycarbonate, making it transparent and making me see how less or how more I need to blend the stuff more.
This rubber grips help me better handle the container and prepare huge bowls of dips and shakes hassle and mess-free as it eliminates the possibility of the jar slipping from my hands owing to the amount of food inside it.
The container has a spout that makes my pouring job easier. It also has scales mentioned on the container itself like ounces, millimeters, cups, etc. that makes the blender adaptable for all kinds of recipes. As they popularly call it, the container is “low profile,” which means that it easily fits into my kitchen cabinet.
This is because it is designed to be short and wider for its capacity, keeping in mind that the jar’s height and height will make it difficult for me to store it inside my cabinet. This premium quality container, I believe, is made of Eastman Tritan Copolyester that gives it shatter-resistant qualities. So, I need not worry about accidentally dropping the jar down!
Cleaning and Maintenance
The blades in the Vitamix E320 blender are inbuilt ones, and there is no need to detach them from the blenders for cleaning. This is one of the very few blenders that make the cleaning work very easier for me. I just add a bit of the liquid soap and lukewarm water to the blender, whip it up for 45 to 60 seconds. I throw away the soap water and cleanse it with a clean one and yay!
My blender is just as clean as before in just a few minutes, or maybe in lesser time, it took to blend my food. This blender is not dishwasher friendly like Vitamix A2300 because of the inbuilt fixed blades.
On the other hand, the blender also comes with a self-clean feature that makes the job even easier for me. But no matter what, handle the entire cleaning process with care and make sure no sharp or abrasive tools are cleaning scrubs used for this purpose that might damage the container or the blade.
Clean up of the Vitamix E320
The Explorian series comes with inbuilt blades which means there is no disassembly required when it’s time to clean the blender. It also has a self-clean feature that provides an easy cleanup experience.
All you do is use liquid soap and some warm water poured into the container and run the blender at high for one minute. Remove soapy water from the container and rinse with clean water. Once dry, the container is ready for use again.
Warranty
The entire mechanism and the components of the Vitamix E320 are designed with the intent for them to be long-lasting and durable, coupled an exceptional performance and result. Adding on more to this, I am given a warranty of 7 years, which I feel is huge for high-performance blenders like this.
They also have really low rates of warranty claims and returns, which impresses me about the product’s standards and quality and its offered accessories.
Which Explorian Model Is Better?
Although this review is for the Vitamix E320, it’s inevitable that when you look at the Explorian series, a comparison between its two models is bound to come up. And that’s why I feel a quick look at the two blenders side by side may help you decide which is better suited for your needs.
As mentioned earlier, the E310 has a smaller container which makes it better suited for working with smaller batches.
Being the bigger of the two containers makes the E320 more suitable for working with larger ingredient servings. You do need to have at least 2 cups of ingredients for the blender to blend properly so it’s not the best model if you’re looking to work with smaller portions or single servings. Here, the E310 would serve you better.
But don’t let the container size limit you, as both blenders are compatible with smaller sized containers as well. You can use the 32-oz container available in the Classic series to work with either model when you’re looking to prepare smaller batches.
Needless to say, both are powerful and durable to serve you for a long time. However, there is a slight difference in the price with the E310 being slightly cheaper than the E320.
Vitamix E320 Review: Final Thoughts
The Vitamix E320 is a popular blender given its durability and price point. The blender is backed by an impressive 7-year warranty but will likely last longer (as per customer reviews) if used with care and maintained well.
Even though you may be thinking of your blender primarily as a smoothie maker, with the E320 you get much more than that. You’ll find that your machine works like a beast pulverizing everything from hard vegetables and ice to nuts. And when you throw in the sturdy and quality construction that the Vitamix brand is known for, you get a blender that will stay operational for a very long time.
Now that you have read this Vitamix E320 review, you’ll see why it is a favorite among users for never skimping on performance but yielding all the deliverables at a much lower price.
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