Which blender is the best?

I'm not looking for a new blender but every so often, a friend on Facebook will ask "What is the best blender to buy?".  I didn't go looking for blenders to compare but the opportunity surfaced and I decided to go for it.

I used a Blendtec blender while we were staying in Basye, VA. It worked well but really bugged me that there was no way to tap down the contents while making a smoothie. I had to stop the blender and use a spatula to push the contents down. Then it worked well and chopped things up making a mean smoothie - my grandkids loved it!

Now we are in Charlottesville, VA and have a Ninja. Our host left us Greek yogurt, OJ, and bananas in addition to other things including chocolate chunk cookies, croissants, and apples; it was too much of a challenge for me to pass on so I bought frozen fruit yesterday to check it out! It made good smoothies but I had to pulse a button to blend. I did not like the way the container poured but maybe there are other choices; I don't know. It did seem to do a good job of blending.

I own a Vitamix and I love it. I make smoothies but I also use it to make and heat soup, to make peanut butter, and to grind wheat berries into flour. Sometimes I mix muffins and I do lots of shredding with it. In any event, I'm NOT looking for a new blender. I just thought it would be fun to compare the ones that many of my friends talk about. Of course, I only compared the blenders by making smoothies so my test wasn't the best!

When I make smoothies, I usually use

• plain Greek yogurt
• a mixture of frozen fruit usually including a banana If there is no citrus fruit or mango, I'll add the juice of an orange.
• milk
• Optional: carrots or spinach (which will not affect the taste but will affect the color)

Do you suppose I could be a little biased? I have lots of Vitamix experience and really know nothing about Blendtec or Ninja blenders. What I do know is that we've enjoyed a few smoothies on this trip and there will be more tomorrow morning!