We have a K-tec Champ HP3 blender. The jars have provided little longevity and have failed numerous times. The Blender itself has not performed with the power described in the literature. It was repaired, but still fails to achieve those tasks.
The last jar that was sent to us, which was another new model, failed just like the rest, ruining our meals again. As we only eat organic foods, each of these jar failures costs us $8-00 in food for the final run alone, never mind the ruined batches leading up to the final run, which can be say 14 days (or more) at $8-00.
It failed sometime in the last year. There was no point in discussing a replacement jar again, as they don't appear to work, and the blender itself doesn't do the job it is supposed to. We purchased the product as it was billed to be more powerful than any other and last 8 years. We purchased it to rely on it. Our meals are based on it, so we simply couldn't be without one, for a week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks or a month repair. We've not only been without one once. We've been without one many times. We needed a blender, as we rely on it, so on this last failure we could no longer trust it. We had to go straight out an purchase a cheaper one, an Osterizer that we didn't want or expect to have to buy, and that's what we've had to use since.
Originally, when we were looking for a powerful blender we noticed sellers quoted these machines as the most powerful and they were used by the smoothie and coffee shop industry. Here are some current quotes copy/pasted from the web.
Blendtec EZ Blender. This Same Blender is used by: Starbucks, Barnes and Noble. The HP3 Blender has the exact same features as the EZ-Blender Note: HP3 has been updated to the New HP www.everythingkitchens.com
The Blendtec K-tec HP3 power blender is the same high-quality blender that Starbucks and Jamba Juice use.
Www.fruitvegetablejuicers.com
K-tec HP3 Blender Now known as the Blendtec home HP3A. Now all Starbucks, Jamba juice, and Disney use K-tec in place of the Vita-Mix and for good reason. The K-tec at your local Starbucks in encased in a lucite box and its base is black. The one you will get does not have the lucite box. Www.rawgourmet.com
The most powerful blenders, electronically controlled blenders, You can now see Blendtec blenders, dispensers, and mixers in some of the best restaurants, juice bars, ice-cream parlors and gyms all over the world., As the popularity of these products has grown, customers have inquired how they can get our equipment for their home. As a result, Blendtec introduces its Fine Living Products line of home appliances, which have all the same commercial quality and performance but was created with special attention to appearance and home use function.
There's a good chance you've had a smoothie, cappuccino, milkshake, or other frozen drink made with a Blendtec blender. Http://www.blendtec.com/aboutus. Aspx
In July it was advertised (see photo) K-tec had an 8 year warranty on both jar and machine (The jar = the Jug on machine). Which was another big selling point. We double verified this with the head person at this store, one of K-tec's largest distributors, before authorizing the sale. When the package arrived and we noticed the jar warranty wasn't the 8 years as described. We wrote a letter to K-tec detailing our warranty purchase with proof. They appeared to ignore the letter, later saying they didn't receive it.
The jar failed (the original K-tec version).
In September K-tec told us they would honor the 8 year jar warranty and provide a newly designed blender jar. Then a week later, out of the blue, K-tec phoned us. The person told us they were reprimanding the person that honored the jar warranty and they were taking the 8 year warranty back from us.in addition, she announced we would receive no more free replacement jars. We wrote a letter expressing our feelings regarding the initial associate acting responsibly and our horror that a company involved us in the reprimanding of someone we felt was doing the right thing and we complained about the removal of our warranty. They appeared to ignore the letter, later saying they didn't receive it.
The jar failed again (A newly designed Blendtec blender jar) after only 4 months. It was also absolutely clear that the motor wasn't coping with the items it was billed to be able process with its 3HP power.
January. We had to fight to get a free jar replacement on our 8 year warranty, the last time they'll do it they said again. The motor was repaired too to resolve the underpowered processing issue.
We gave this jar and motor an easy life, giving up on the more challenging recipes these heavy duty machines bill they are the only ones with the power to process.
The jar failed again (a newer K-tec version). The motor was no better at processing food.
We relied completely on a heavy duty blender for many meals by this time. We couldn't be without one. We couldn't use a K-tec or Blendtec again. With these items costing $400 we couldn't afford another heavy duty machine. We had to immediately purchase an ordinary cheap drinks blender, that we didn't want and shouldn't have had to purchase.
On the first jar failure, one of my children had detected something wrong, a taste in the smoothies, at least 2 weeks before the the end of the jar. Every day I brushed it off as kids taste buds, as I couldn't detect a problem. Then one day there was a worse than normal noise and a burning smell. We had smoothie, and it tasted bad. My child had been right, we'd been eating failing jar blade/bearing/coupling by-products for weeks, and finally heavily burned grease and seized metallic oxides (probably) on the last day, and probably many days before too? Whatever it was, it was bad.
On the second jar failure (The new Blenctec jar) the spline shaft in the jar seized.
On the third jar failure (this was the new K-tec jar so we've had 3 different jars styles from what I can tell) the child was detecting a taste in the food. The jar hadn't seized like the others yet, and still hasn't. When we realized what the child was saying, we looked at the machine. At the base I discovered a line of grease had been discharged from the bearing area close to the splined base to jar connection, but above that, the upper seal inside the jar must have been discharging it into the food! See photo showing a line of grease near base of jar (under that circle on the photo), which unfortunately was wiped at the time, but wasn't wiped off completely.
Apparently our rich tasting Smoothie Coffee shop recipes must have hidden the burning metal grease taste during most of these jar failures. We received a replacement jar each time, but it was far too much trouble to achieve it, and the process always left a very bad taste in our mouth. I think most people could accept an out of the blue problem, a single jar failure, if the company resolved it happily/easily. A second failure, now that's a real inconvenience in itself without the company fighting it.
After having 3 jar failures and a machine not performing as billed, real hassles with the company prior to this and having eaten heaven knows what for many weeks, there's a big problem and I think it is time for K-tec / Blendtec to resolve this problem properly. We can't risk eating the components of another jar (even if there is yet another new and improved one), and the motor will do nothing without a jar to work with it.
I want to know what all the materials are that are used to make the blade assembly bearing spline connector components in all the variations of the jars we have had fail, forcing my family to consume the results of these failures. Remember we've had the K-tec jar, the improved Blendtec jar which was supposed to better, and the improved K-tec one. I want to know what greases/lubricants were used amongst the blade assembly bearing components in all the variations of jars we've had fail. I want to know all the combinations of what it is we could have been consuming. Seized oxidized metals? Burnt rubber/silicone seals? And burnt grease/oils/lubricant combinations? What are all the possibilities? MSDS's for everything.
Are all those components rated Vegetarian and Vegan, or does use of this product compromise that during its failure? Are those components/failure of them known to compromise peoples health?
Some of our monetary costs for choosing K-tec Blendtec:
K-tec Blendtec machine we'd like refund for product/tax/shipping costs. Osterizer machine we shouldn't have had to purchase this.
Tainted and ruined expensive all organic foods. Let's estimate 14 days, 14 days and 2 days of for example fruit smoothie, Bag of berries $3-50, apple $1, bananas $1, Nuts/milk $1, Greens $1-00, Fruit Juice $0.50. This is $8 for 30 days. Total $240-00.
Who knows if they were actually tainting the meals the whole time?
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