Oster 6684

Some professional reviews rate the Oster 6684 and similar Osterizer models right up there with blenders such as the Cuisinart Smart Power SPB-7 (*Est. $70) and Oster Classic Beehive Blender (*Est. $65), which are more expensive. Owners posting to Amazon.com mostly agree, saying that the Oster 6684 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 6684 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 Kalorik BL-16909 (*Est. $40), on the other hand, performs well in ice-crushing tests and has an easy-to-clean dial control. It also does better in professional reviews, which is why we chose it over the Oster 6684 as a Best Reviewed blender.

We found the most comprehensive review of a similar Oster model, the 6663, at Cook's Illustrated magazine, where editors pitted inexpensive blenders against one another in thorough comparative testing. Good Housekeeping magazine also tested an Osterizer blender, the 10-speed model, although it didn't reveal the testing methodology. We found many owner reviews for the Oster 6684 blender at Amazon.com, where owners can comment on long-term durability as well as performance.