Oster 12-Speed Blender

Some professional reviews rate the Oster 12-Speed blender and similar Osterizer models right up there with blenders such as the Cuisinart Smart Power SPB-7 (*Est. $70) and the Oster Beehive Blender 4096 (*Est. $70) , which are more expensive. Owners posting to Amazon.com mostly agree, saying that the Oster 12-Speed is a good value for a budget price. They like the glass jar and say it makes smoothies from soft fruit and purees soups with ease. However, both professional reviewers and consumers report that the Oster 12-Speed Blender is noisy and sometimes leaves chunks of ice behind in smoothies and icy drinks. Some find its many buttons, which stick out from the base, difficult to clean. The Hamilton Beach 54615 Wave Station Express (*Est. $20) , on the other hand, performs well in ice-crushing tests and does better in user reviews, which is why we chose it over the Oster 12-Speed as a Best Reviewed blender.

More experts focus on alternative Oster blenders, overlooking the Osterizer line as whole in most cases. We found the most comprehensive review, at Cook's Illustrated magazine, where editors pitted inexpensive blenders against one another in thorough comparative testing. Still, Good Housekeeping does provide a relatively detailed review of the Oster 12-Speed. We found many owner reviews for the Oster 12-Speed Blender at Amazon.com, where owners can comment on durability as well as performance.