So, you're looking for a new blender and you've stumbled upon Oster. If something about Oster grabbed your attention, and you just know you can't go with any other brand, this article is just what you're looking for. I know the Oster design is definitely appealing, and now you just need to learn which of their blenders is best for you.
The annoying answer is: It depends. Everyone needs something different from their blender. You might want the crowd favorite that's a compromise between price and performance, or you might want the cheapest option, or you might be looking to spend the big bucks and get the best Oster blender money can buy. Whichever it is, and whatever else you're looking for from Oster, you'll find it in our article of the best Oster blenders.
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What Should You Look for in an Oster Blender?
Especially if you've never bought one before, it can be hard to know what to look for you in a new blender. You'll see a lot of numbers and terms thrown around, but they might not mean anything to you. But that's why you have us. We'll break down all the numbers so you know what you're looking at, and we'll weigh them all together to find the best blenders. Here are the criteria we use when evaluating blenders.
Criteria #1: Motor Strength - The motor is the part of the blending that's doing all the work. It does the...well, blending. The blades of a blender are powered by the motor, and the stronger the motor, the faster the blades spin. The faster the blades spin, the smoother the blend and the better your sauce, dip, smoothie, or cocktail. Motors are measured in either watts or horsepower, with the average blender motor falling somewhere between 1000 and 1500 watts or 1 to 2 horsepower.
Criteria #2: Versatility - Even though you want a blender to have a strong motor, you also want it to be able to blend slowly at certain times. A blender that can only go 100 mph isn't a good blender. Different speed settings are critical when evaluating a blender. To make a dip, you'll need a different speed than to make a smoothie, and then you'll need the third speed to crush ice or nuts. Ideally, your blender shouldn't have less than five-speed settings, and the stronger blenders will have up to ten speeds, and on rare occasions even more than that.
Criteria #3: Design - This refers to both the physical material and layout of the blender and what features it has available. For example, a blender's pitcher could be designed in a certain way so as to make sure food doesn't get caught in the corners and avoid the blades. In terms of features, a lot of blenders will have different preset options for specific purposes. That means that instead of adjusting the speed to whatever setting you think is appropriate, simply throw your ingredients into the blender and press the "green smoothie" button. Good design and a decent amount of preset options go a long way in a blender.
Criteria #4: Price - I think you'll understand this criterion on your own. Nobody likes spending more money. Obviously, the better blenders will tend to be more expensive, but we've tried our hardest to find the blenders that give you the most bang for your buck to make sure you don't spend $400 on a blender that should cost $200.
Here's How We've Determined the Best Oster Blenders
We evaluated each Oster blender's standing in the above criteria both by looking at their listed specs (motor wattage, size, amount of speed settings, etc.) and by evaluating online reviews to make sure the blenders work as advertised. We also kept in mind that everyone wants something different, and there's no one best blender. You might want motor strength over everything, or you might want every feature you can get your hands on. You also might want to just buy the most recommended blender, or the cheapest one. Whatever you're looking for, we think you'll find it in our list of the best Oster blenders.
What Sets Oster Apart?
Price. I thought something was wrong when I first saw the price of Oster blenders. In a market where the average blender costs at least $100 and some cost as much as $400 or even $500 (looking at you Vitamix and Blendtec!) Oster is selling quality blenders for a fraction of that cost. Even Oster's "expensive" blenders go don't get very dear. Their motors are a little weaker than those of the competing brands, but at these insane prices, it's more than worth it. If you're trying to keep your spending in the double digits, there's no other brand to go to.
#1: Oster Precise Blend 200 Blender (Best Value - All-Purpose)
I've made it pretty clear how inexpensive the Oster products are, and our number one pick makes it pretty clear that I wasn't kidding. The Precise Blend 200 costs less than half as much as any comparable product from other brands. If I didn't know any better, I'd assume it was a terrible blender. But somehow this Oster classic manages to fit six stainless steel blades and sixteen speeds into an incredibly cheap package. With all those different options, you'll be able to make whatever smoothie, dip, or cocktail you want, and you'll be able to maintain whatever consistency you desire.
I should mention though, that if you're not a pro in the kitchen, all those settings could feel a little overwhelming. Though Oster mitigates that a bit by labeling each speed with a function such as "mix" or "chop" instead of just a number. Plus, the stainless steel blades are removable which will make for easier cleaning when you're finished with the precise blend.
There is a tradeoff for that cheap price. The motor runs on 700 watts, which is definitely weaker than the competition, though with 16 different speeds and six blades it's possible that won't matter too much. Another drawback of this blender is that it's a little small - only 40 ounces. Though depending on how many people you'll be making drinks for, that's not really an issue. Also, there's no cord storage under the base of the blender, so it could feel like it's taking up extra space.
That being said, customers were overall happy with this blender. The Precise Blend 200 was reviewed very highly by customers, especially considering how cheap it is. Most newer blenders are starting to use plastic pitchers, but this blender uses glass, which is better for the environment, but you might be concerned with it breaking. When all is said and done, this is a good blender at an unbeatable price, and you almost have nothing to lose by buying it. If it were any cheaper, it would be free.
#2: Oster Pro 7-Speed Food Processor (Best Blender)
This is the heavy hitter Oster blender, and it's more expensive than the Precise Blend, but it's still much cheaper than most blenders. The Oster Pro blender plus food processor combo is more expensive than our number one pick, and it has fewer speeds, but it packs a bigger punch, and there are a few reasons you might want it over the Oster classic Precise Blend.
Reason #1 to Choose This Product: The Food Processor
The Precise Blend is really only meant for liquids, but due to its stronger motor, the Oster Pro can double as a food processor. Oster do a couple of models like this, with the other being the Pro 1200. With 1200 watts, the Pro has a motor that's 500 watts stronger than our number one pick in this article, which means you'll get faster spinning blades that can cut through thicker solids like nuts, or grate cheese and mix butter. Plus, the blender includes a separate food processor attachment, so you don't have to throw your thicker recipes into the same jar you'd mix a smoothie.
Reason #2 to Choose This Product: The layout
The Pro's seven speeds maybe nine fewer speeds than the Precise Blend 200, but it's still plenty, and Oster created this blender with a much better design, so you're not looking at an endless line of different speed buttons. Instead, there are a few different rows, each with three or four buttons labeled by function. There's a preset for green smoothies and another one for milkshakes, and then three different standard speeds of low, medium, and high. I mentioned that the Precise Blend could get overwhelming. The Pro shouldn't give you that problem.
The real problem with the Pro, and what probably prevented it from being at the top of this list, is that it only has two blades. Especially since it doubles as a blender plus food processor, this could be a bit of an issue. Current customers didn't seem to mind though, and this blender earned 4 stars on Best Buy's website.
If you're really set on that stronger motor and the food processor attachment, then the extra $30 is a fair price to pay to walk away with the Pro instead of the Precise Blend, but otherwise, you will probably prefer the precision (see what I did there?) of our number one choice, the Precise Blend.
#3: Oster Master Series Blender (Best for Perfect Texture)
Any real food aficionado will tell you that texture is just as important as taste. The fine folks at Oster clearly agreed, and they made sure to equip the Master Series Blender with a series of speed options specifically labeled by texture. The options are thin, medium, and thick. The blender also has the three standard motor control options of low, medium, and high, and has a smoothie preset and a "chop food" function. The motor is also 100 watts stronger than our first choice with 800 watts powering it. And it has the same 6 blades as the Precise Blend, though they aren't removable.
Another great selling point for the Master Series is the fact that you can switch out the traditional blender glass jar and put your smoothie cup straight onto the base of the blender, which will cut out a middle step and help you get started with your day that much quicker. This feature, combined with the texture selectors, means this is the perfect blender for the perfect smoothie.
The Master Series blender is cheaper than the Pro Series blender but more expensive than the Precise Blend. The option to select the texture of your blend is definitely what sets this Oster product apart, and that's where your extra money is going.
#4: Oster Classic Series 8-Speed Blender (Best Low Cost)
The Oster Classic Series 8-Speed Blender is the cheapest blender you can find, by Oster or anyone else. As is standard for the Oster brand, its different speeds are clearly labeled with different purposes such as "chop," "mix," "puree," and "extract."
Despite being much cheaper than the Precise Blend, it has the same motor strength of 700 watts, though it only has 4 stainless steel blades, so you might notice a worse blend because of that. It has a pulse function on top of its 8 speeds, which will help you crush ice and other tougher ingredients. This blender is also a little bigger than the Precise Blend, coming with a 48-ounce jar.
The Oster Classic Series has received positive reviews, and it gets an incredible amount done considering its price. The glass jar is shatterproof and dishwasher safe, so you'll have no problem cleaning it. This is the best cheap and easy-to-use blender out there.
#5: Oster Pro 500 3-Speed Blender (Strongest Motor)
If you place motor strength above everything, the Oster Pro 500 3-Speed Blender is what you're looking for. From the same line as our number two pick, this mid-price (by Oster's standards) blender has a 900-watt motor, which is second only to the 7-speed blender. It also has the full 6-blade treatment, so it'll really grind up everything. While it doesn't have the food processor attachment that the 7-speed bigger brother comes with, the motor strength and the six fans mean it'll be able to deal with those tough, solid ingredients all the same.
The fact that it only has 3 speeds is the only real drawback of this blender, though it does have a "salsa" preset and a "frozen drinks/smoothies" preset to counteract that and put you back in the driver's seat a bit. Again, you can't go wrong with this price. This blender costs about as much as the Precise Blend, so you're really not losing much even if you don't like it.
Oster Blenders, Cheapest to Most Expensive
They're the cheapest blenders on the market by a ridiculous amount. I usually take a moment here to list out the cheapest products that didn't make the main article, but with Oster, they're all that cheap, so I'll just list them in price order (starting with the cheapest) so it's easier to process if that's the main aspect influencing your decision.
Note: All these links will take you to that blender's page on Amazon.com. (Except #1, incidentally :)) Note also that this doesn't include options that aren't on our list, like the Oster Myblend.
- Oster Classic Series 8-Speed Blender
- Oster Precise Blend 200
- Oster Pro 500 3-Speed Blender
- Oster Master Series Blender
- Oster Pro 7-Speed Food Processor
Verdict: Your Best Oster Blenders
If you want the best value for money, pick the Oster Precise Blend 200 Blender.
If you want the best, most powerful Oster Blender for the most tasks, including the food processor attachment, pick the Pro 7-Speed Food Processor. 7 speeds, a monstrous 1200-watt motor, and the food processor attachment make the Pro Series 7-speed perfect for your more stubborn ingredients.
If you want versatility and value, pick the Oster Master Series Blender. With 6 blades and 16 different speeds, this is the most versatile Oster product and the most bang for your buck.
If you want to keep it really cheap, pick the Oster Classic Series. Oster doing what Oster does best. The Classic Series is as cheap as it gets while still being a quality product.
As cheap as Oster's blenders are, it's up to you to decide how much you want to save. You might decide to save as much as possible or decide that the Pro Series 7-Speed is already cheap enough and that you want the best product. The choice is yours, and we hope this list helps you make that decision.
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