Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Over the past several months I have looked at a LOT of blenders. First let me say that I am soooo happy that I found this blender. I originally wanted to buy the Oster Pro 500 (which is the next model down from this one). However Amazon and Costco were out of it. While we’re on the subject of blender models, there are TWO versions of this blender. One has a Shatterproof Boroclass® glass jar, and the other one has a triton plastic jar. Get the one with the glass jar because triton plastic has been linked to health issues (even though the manufacture claims otherwise). The side of the glass jar has measuring marks on the side, which is a nice touch. I primarily wanted to use a blender to make smoothies when I juice. I looked at the vitamix, blendtec, and many other high-end blenders but their high cost did not necessarily give me better mixing performance. This blender has a metal drive system, high power cool-running motor, and stainless steel blades, just like the vitamax and blendtec use, but you could buy ten of these blenders for the cost of one of those. Another nice feature of this blender is that the blades are around twice as big as other blender blades. When you add-on the 1200 watt motor to those larger blades you can easily see how it blends so well and so quickly. This blender has one important feature that none of the other blenders have, and it’s called a dual-direction motor. Typically when you blend something chunks of what you’re blending get caught in the bottom of the jar and they don’t mix or blend well. This is why many blenders need to be ‘pulsed’. When you turn this blender on it’s smart enough to know this, and the motor changes direction 4 or 5 times every 10 seconds when you first turn it on. In this day and age all blenders should have this smart and useful feature. Since I will be using this blender everyday (sometimes several times a day) cleaning is kind of a big deal to me. I am happy to report that this blender is very easy to clean. A neat feature is that the blenders filler cap can be used as a 2 oz measuring cup, and a tool to tighten the jars bottom. It looks great in my kitchen. Oster says it’s a brushed nickel finish. I say it’s closer to a chromed stainless steel look to it. The picture makes it look like the base has a matte finish, but ours is gloss (chromed). Yes the 1200 watt motor is loud, but all blenders with big motors are loud. It’s not real bad, but if you’re looking for a blender to use while the baby is asleep then look for one with a much smaller motor than this one has. This blender has 7 speeds and many programmed controls for one button ease, but it also has manual controls and pulse controls. Each button has its own L.E.D. function light. There is also a food processor accessory which I will purchase later. I love that it comes with a smoothie cup which attaches directly to the blender base. This way you can make your smoothie in the cup that you’ll drink from, and won’t have to get other cups dirty. The power cord is around 16” long. This blender has a 10 year metal drive warranty. The other parts have a 3 year warranty. The manufactures website had this blender for 55.00, and it’s the best 55.00 that I’ve spent in a long time. The only thing that I don’t like about this blender is that the 24 oz. smoothie cup is plastic, and not glass like the jar, but I can deal with that since the rest of the blender is so nice. Still, I wish they offered a glass smoothie cup as an option.