Description
The Vitamix A3300 is the Ascent series machine in this catalog, and its distinguishing feature is a piece of wireless technology that most people misunderstand. Vitamix records a 64 fluid ounce capacity, dimensions of 11 inches deep by 8 wide by 17 tall, ten speeds, 120 volts, touch controls, BPA free materials, stainless steel blades, a listed weight of 11.86 pounds, a USA country of origin, model number A3300, first availability in January 2017, and a ten year full warranty covering parts, labor and return shipping both ways. In the box are the motor base, the 64 ounce low profile container, a tamper and a cookbook.
What it is and where it fits in a home
The low profile container is the practical design decision. A standard 64 ounce Vitamix container is tall enough to be awkward under wall cabinets, and the low profile version is wider and shorter to fit. At 17 inches assembled this is still not going to slide under a 15 inch cabinet clearance, but it is an inch shorter than the Vitamix VM0197 Explorian with its 48 ounce container, which is a strange but genuine outcome of the wider, shorter container shape.
64 ounces is a family capacity: enough for four to six servings in one run, without going to the 72 ounce pitchers used by crushing blenders such as the Ninja TB301.
Living with it day to day
Ten speed variable control and a tamper are the core of any Vitamix, and they work the same way here: start low, ramp up, and use the tamper to push thick mixtures into the blade. That is what makes nut butters, frozen desserts and very fine purees possible, and it is a different skill from pressing a preset.
The programmable timer is the feature that most improves daily use. Set a duration and the machine stops itself, which means a green smoothie gets the same treatment every morning without standing over it counting. It also prevents the common mistake of over blending, which heats the contents through friction and changes the texture.
The touch control surface is flat rather than a mechanical dial, which wipes clean in one pass. That matters on an appliance that gets used with wet hands and splashed contents.
Vitamix publishes no decibel rating and Ascent machines are loud, as high torque blenders are. Only the Vitamix Quiet One in this catalog is designed specifically around noise reduction, and it is a different class of machine.
Capacity in everyday terms is the other daily consideration. 64 ounces fills four to six glasses, handles a batch of soup for a family, or takes a full recipe of frozen dessert without stopping to work in stages. The low profile shape also makes the container easier to pour from and easier to scrape out, since the sides are less steep than a tall narrow jar. Against that, a wide container is less efficient for very small quantities: half a cup of dressing in a 64 ounce container will sit below the blade and need the tamper to keep it moving.
Controls and what still works without the app
This section matters here because the word wireless invites the wrong assumption. The A3300’s wireless connectivity is not app control and not a network feature. The machine reads a tag in the container to identify which size is fitted, then adjusts the program times accordingly. There is no phone required, no account, no network and no cloud service in the loop.
That is a genuinely well judged use of electronics on a kitchen appliance, and it is worth stating plainly because it means nothing here can be deprecated by a software decision. If Vitamix stopped supporting an app tomorrow, this machine would be unaffected, which is not true of the connected microwaves in this catalog where features such as barcode scanning depend on a phone.
Everything else is manual: the speed dial across ten steps, pulse, and the timer. There is no preset button that decides what a smoothie needs, which is a philosophical difference from the Auto-iQ approach used by the Ninja BN701.
Running cost and upkeep
No consumables, no filters, no water connection, nothing on a schedule. The self cleaning routine of warm water, a drop of soap and under a minute of running means the container is rarely disassembled and the blade never has to be handled.
The ten year warranty covering parts, labor and return shipping both ways is the longest cover in this catalog by a wide margin, and on an appliance in this class that is a substantial part of what is being bought. Return shipping both ways on a machine of this weight is not a trivial inclusion.
The wear parts are the drive socket in the base and the container coupling, both serviceable. The blade is blunt by design and never needs sharpening. The container is BPA free and dishwasher safe.
Electrically, Vitamix publishes 120 volts and lists the power source as ac. It publishes no wattage, no horsepower and no amperage on this listing, which is the same gap as on the Explorian and a real one given that motor capability is the reason to buy the brand. The rating plate underneath is the only source, and it should be read before deciding what shares the circuit.
Highlights
- Container recognition works entirely between machine and container, with no app or account.
- A programmable timer that stops the machine, which prevents over blending.
- Ten year warranty covering parts, labor and return shipping both ways.
- A low profile 64 ounce container, wider and shorter than the standard shape.
- Flat touch controls that wipe clean, plus a tamper for thick mixtures.
Things To Consider
- No wattage, horsepower or amperage is published, only the voltage.
- No decibel rating, and high torque blenders are loud.
- At 17 inches assembled it still will not fit under a standard wall cabinet.
- The power source field reads simply ac, which carries no useful detail.
- There are no preset programs, so the operator makes every texture judgment.
Who it is not for
Anyone who wants one button operation should buy a preset machine from the countertop blender category rather than a variable speed one. Single serving blenders make more sense for one person, and the personal size options in the personal size category cover that. Anyone who needs a quiet machine has one option here and this is not it. And anyone buying on published motor specifications will find nothing to compare, because Vitamix publishes no power figure on this listing at all.
