Omega also makes commercial kitchen grade blenders that are similar spec to the Vitamix (3hp motor). But they will often sell for half the price ($220-$250 instead of $450-$500), and are frequently on sale.
Another cheaper option is to get an Indian brand "mixer grinder". The mixer grinder is a workhorse in an Indian kitchen, along with a pressure cooker, because of the daily need to grind lots of stuff for meals (chutneys, curry powders, curry pastes, dry spice grinding etc).
They are not 3hp motors but 1hp but are very well built and reliable and in most cases, a 1hp or 700W motor is enough and gets the work done. But they cost $100, which is significantly cheaper than the commercial grade blenders. And with every day use (literally), most will last for years in a home kitchen. Here are some options: