Author Topic: Recommendations for a new blender?  (Read 2530 times)

cloudsail

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Recommendations for a new blender?
« on: May 14, 2019, 05:56:23 PM »
We've had a cheap KitchenAid one for over ten years and it just really sucks. Can't blend anything that isn't mostly liquid. Summer is coming and I'd like to make some smoothies for my family, but don't want to spend a fortune on a really expensive blender. But another cheap one might not be any better than the current one. Recommendations?

APowers

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #1 on: May 14, 2019, 08:02:49 PM »
Oh, here we go, lol!

Unless you're blending professionally or multiple times per day every day, generally the most cost-effective option is to go to the thrift store and pick up a used Osterizer for ~$5-15. They're generally reasonably well made, and the blender blade base fits a mason jar for blending an individual size smoothie.


Sarah Saverdink

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #2 on: May 14, 2019, 08:07:46 PM »
We've had a Ninja for years and love it. We use it for frozen drinks of the adult variety throughout the summer. Way better than a cheap $20 blender. Only $75 on Amazon right now :) https://amzn.to/2E9NN6S

JLee

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #3 on: May 14, 2019, 08:14:04 PM »
I bought a refurbished BlendTec in my pre-MMM days. It will probably outlast me.

Metalcat

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2019, 05:30:49 AM »
If you can find a used Osterizer, those things are tanks.

Mine is over 40 years old and still going strong.

brute

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #5 on: May 15, 2019, 05:40:15 AM »
If you can find a used Osterizer, those things are tanks.

Mine is over 40 years old and still going strong.

+1 for the used Osterizer. I don't care for the really new ones.

Though... I can't help but recommend my pro-edition vitamix I purchased from a restaurant supply store. End of model, open box kind of deal. If you're as food obsessed as I am, you can talk yourself into believing that it's worth the price ($300). The smoothness of sauces, the quality of emulsions, the completeness of the blend, god damn it does a good job. But absolutely overkill for someone who doesn't use it daily for heavy duty work that would kill a normal one. Even then, I've still overheated to 2.5HP motor a few times.

Metalcat

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #6 on: May 15, 2019, 05:48:50 AM »
If you can find a used Osterizer, those things are tanks.

Mine is over 40 years old and still going strong.

+1 for the used Osterizer. I don't care for the really new ones.

Though... I can't help but recommend my pro-edition vitamix I purchased from a restaurant supply store. End of model, open box kind of deal. If you're as food obsessed as I am, you can talk yourself into believing that it's worth the price ($300). The smoothness of sauces, the quality of emulsions, the completeness of the blend, god damn it does a good job. But absolutely overkill for someone who doesn't use it daily for heavy duty work that would kill a normal one. Even then, I've still overheated to 2.5HP motor a few times.

He's asking for a blender for smoothies.

Roots&Wings

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #7 on: May 15, 2019, 05:50:25 AM »
If you can find a used Osterizer, those things are tanks.

Mine is over 40 years old and still going strong.

+1. You can also easily order a replacement blade for these if needed.

brute

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #8 on: May 15, 2019, 05:53:06 AM »
If you can find a used Osterizer, those things are tanks.

Mine is over 40 years old and still going strong.

+1 for the used Osterizer. I don't care for the really new ones.

Though... I can't help but recommend my pro-edition vitamix I purchased from a restaurant supply store. End of model, open box kind of deal. If you're as food obsessed as I am, you can talk yourself into believing that it's worth the price ($300). The smoothness of sauces, the quality of emulsions, the completeness of the blend, god damn it does a good job. But absolutely overkill for someone who doesn't use it daily for heavy duty work that would kill a normal one. Even then, I've still overheated to 2.5HP motor a few times.

He's asking for a blender for smoothies.

I know, I know... That's why my vote is for the used Osterizer. I had one of those ninja blenders for a while, never really cared for it. It looks neat, but it never really hit a high enough RPM to make smoothies as smooth and enjoyable as a more traditional blender did.

Papa bear

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #9 on: May 15, 2019, 06:27:58 AM »
No need to start a debate, but you can pull my vitamix from my cold dead SWAMI hands.  Or from my brother’s cold dead FIRE hands.  Or my dad’s cold dead FIRED at 33 in 1984 hands.

Are they a lot of money? Yes.  Are they fucking phenomenal? Absolutely.




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Metalcat

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #10 on: May 15, 2019, 06:53:57 AM »
No need to start a debate, but you can pull my vitamix from my cold dead SWAMI hands.  Or from my brother’s cold dead FIRE hands.  Or my dad’s cold dead FIRED at 33 in 1984 hands.

Are they a lot of money? Yes.  Are they fucking phenomenal? Absolutely.




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No debate. They're a great tool if your priorities involve using them for what they're good for.

They're just massive overkill for a lot of people's needs.

NextTime

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #11 on: May 15, 2019, 06:58:32 AM »
If you can find a used Osterizer, those things are tanks.

Mine is over 40 years old and still going strong.

+1 for the used Osterizer. I don't care for the really new ones.

Though... I can't help but recommend my pro-edition vitamix I purchased from a restaurant supply store. End of model, open box kind of deal. If you're as food obsessed as I am, you can talk yourself into believing that it's worth the price ($300). The smoothness of sauces, the quality of emulsions, the completeness of the blend, god damn it does a good job. But absolutely overkill for someone who doesn't use it daily for heavy duty work that would kill a normal one. Even then, I've still overheated to 2.5HP motor a few times.

He's asking for a blender for smoothies.

I know, I know... That's why my vote is for the used Osterizer. I had one of those ninja blenders for a while, never really cared for it. It looks neat, but it never really hit a high enough RPM to make smoothies as smooth and enjoyable as a more traditional blender did.


If it's for GREEN smoothies, the used Osterizer won't cut it. Unless you like small chunks of kale or spinach in your smoothie. That makes me gag. And my picky children definitely would not drink it.
I tried 2 other blenders before buying the refurbed Vitamix.

If it's just a normal fruit smoothie, any blender should do. I don't mind small pieces of unblended fruit.
« Last Edit: May 15, 2019, 07:00:10 AM by dcozad999 »

GuitarStv

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #12 on: May 15, 2019, 07:03:47 AM »
I've been using a 40 year old Osterizer for green smoothies with kale.  Add the Kale (or whatever hard thing you're blending up) first with the most liquidy part of the recipe, blend it until smooth, then add the thicker parts and it works great.  If you add the kale in last you will not get a smooth blend.  You do also need to drip some olive oil into the part where the blade spins around every couple uses or else it will bind and burn out the oil.  Other than that, no problems.

cloudsail

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #13 on: May 15, 2019, 08:16:32 AM »
Thanks for all the recommendations folks. Is the Osterizer just any Oster brand blender, or does it have to be their older models? I did a Google search and only vintage models are specifically named Osterizer.

GuitarStv

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #14 on: May 15, 2019, 08:30:18 AM »
Mine has wood panelling and says Osterizer.  I've seen them often in thrift shops, which is where I'd recommend you start you search.

Metalcat

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #15 on: May 15, 2019, 08:33:03 AM »
Thanks for all the recommendations folks. Is the Osterizer just any Oster brand blender, or does it have to be their older models? I did a Google search and only vintage models are specifically named Osterizer.

We're talking specifically about vintage Osterizer blenders, usually from the 70s and 80s.

cloudsail

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #16 on: May 15, 2019, 08:53:31 AM »
Thanks for the clarification! I'll go check my local Goodwill.

doingfine

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #17 on: May 15, 2019, 09:00:44 AM »
We broke the glass jar on our main blender about 5 years ago and have never replaced it. We have a nutri-bullet for smoothies which is way way better than anything but a super expensive full-size blender for that use, and we have an immersion blender we use for just about everything else. The immersion blender is also a fantastic tool because it allows you to do most blending right in the bowl or pot you are working from, reducing the amount of clean-up, and for things like soups, no pouring of hot liquids between containers.

frugaldrummer

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #18 on: May 16, 2019, 11:26:41 AM »
Vitamix - Costco has them on sale on occasion and then they're a pretty good price (I think mine was $279 at Xmas time - anything under $350 is a good deal).

The thing is, they last forever and will do almost anything. My ex-boyfriend used to make green smoothies and he burned through 2 or 3 blenders (including a Ninja) before finally getting a Vitamix. Even his crazy manic self couldn't destroy that one.

I now have one too as my current boyfriend has lung cancer and I use it to make smoothies for him. Sometimes you just have to invest a little money to get good tools and this is a good tool.

And btw - you almost never find them used because people do NOT part with them. If you somehow found yourself not using it you could easily sell it.

GuitarStv

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #19 on: May 16, 2019, 12:26:58 PM »
Vitamix - Costco has them on sale on occasion and then they're a pretty good price (I think mine was $279 at Xmas time - anything under $350 is a good deal).

The thing is, they last forever and will do almost anything. My ex-boyfriend used to make green smoothies and he burned through 2 or 3 blenders (including a Ninja) before finally getting a Vitamix. Even his crazy manic self couldn't destroy that one.

I now have one too as my current boyfriend has lung cancer and I use it to make smoothies for him. Sometimes you just have to invest a little money to get good tools and this is a good tool.

And btw - you almost never find them used because people do NOT part with them. If you somehow found yourself not using it you could easily sell it.

lol

350$ is not a good deal for a blender.  10-15$ is.

I can point to many examples of people still using cheap Osterizer blenders from the 70's, myself included.  Vita-mix blenders have been sold since the '50s, yet I don't ever hear of anyone still using one that's fifty years old.  That casts some doubt on the 'lasts forever' argument that you're tossing around.

You don't need a 300+ dollar blender to make smoothies.

While it's nice to be able to re-sell something you bought new if it turns out you don't want it, it's generally better to:
- buy stuff that you actually need and won't resell
- buy stuff that's ten times less money that will do a comparable job

frugaldrummer

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #20 on: May 16, 2019, 09:29:22 PM »
I had an old Osterizer - it was good for ordinary blending but definitely cannot do what a vitamix can. If your goal is to blend vegetables and fruit into a smooth palatable drink there's no comparison - Vitamix. If you just want to mix up protein powder with milk and a couple berries or make a margarita, get the old Osterizer.

Tools should be appropriate to their use. I just have an ancient hand held blender because I seldom bake, and then usually cake mixes. But if I was baking bread and other things with regularity I'd buy a Kitchen-Aid standup mixer in a heartbeat.

Cranky

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #21 on: May 17, 2019, 04:24:01 AM »
I’ve had 3 blenders in over 40 years of cooking. One got lost in a move. One broke because I dropped it on the stairs. The current one I bought brand new at the thrift store- it still had all the papers stuck inside. I did wait for a glass one to turn up.

It makes fine smoothies, but I’d rather put kale in salads than in drinks, so who knows. It’s not clear to me why you want to blend up kale.

I also baked bread for 30 years using a bowl and a wooden spoon before I splurged and bought a KA.

cloudsail

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #22 on: May 17, 2019, 08:58:40 AM »
I'm mainly looking for something that will blend frozen fruits and a little bit of milk or yogurt, not a lot of the latter. Maybe also some veggies that my kids won't eat, like spinach. My main problem with the kitchenaid was that it doesn't work unless I put in a ton of milk, then it dilutes the taste such that the smoothie just tastes like fruity milk.

Will the Osterizer do this?

Cranky

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Re: Recommendations for a new blender?
« Reply #23 on: May 17, 2019, 02:55:32 PM »
My blender does that fine. If you spend $5 on one at the thrift store and it doesn’t work up to your smoothie standards you can give it back to the thrift store and buy a superblender, or alternatively, lower your standards.

 

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