I’ve been using Ninja blenders for years and was tired of replacing them every 3 years. When I asked  friends  what  I  should get, almost all of them said Vitamix so I decided to make the investment. I am glad I did! It grinds everything! No raspberry seeds stuck in my teeth anymore and it even makes pizza dough! Its quieter than my Ninja up until speed 8 and then its pretty loud. But if you needed to be quieter, you could just blend at the lower speeds. I am officially a Vitamix fan for life!