Fair To Good, But The Shrill Screeching Noise Is Awful!

Overview--This blender is designed for blending a variety of foods, including hard foods like carrots. It does a terrible job of chopping ice. The motor bogs down slightly if you're trying to chop something as carrots or ice. And beware, it's very LOUD and NOISY! It's motor seems to be durable and long lasting.

Noise Level-- Unless you're deaf or have a hearing problem, I don't recommend buying this machine. The most annoying thing about this blender is it's noise level. It is extremely loud. It is as loud or louder than a gas powered lawn mower or high powered hair dryer set to high. These are NOT exaggerations. Considering noise level when purchasing a product like this is important. Do you want gas-powered lawnmower level sounds in your kitchen when Ralph is trying to watch the football game? Do you want to wake your kids up and cause the dog to howl in horror? Are you prepared to keep ear plugs handy in the drawer next to your oven mitts for purposes of using this machine? Stores don't have any way of allowing you to test noise level before you purchase a product like this, so trust me when I say, "It's noise level is of deplorably high decibel."

Performance It does a terrible job of crushing ice, doing an erratic job of it at best, and leaving you with strange marble shaped pieces sometimes. It seems to pulverize most foods well, including carrots and broccoli. This is a good blender for making chocolate malts, although I have noticed that it doesn't uniformly move everything in the jar; parts of the jar's contents can become stagnant, swirling around in one upper corner instead of going back down to the blades and up again. For $50.00 I expected better than this. This blender works like a $24.99 blender.

Aesthetics- The aeshetics of this blender are nostalgic. I suppose many people enjoy the bloated, fat design of many appliances of 1950's United States, however I'm not too keen on it. I prefer the sleek, modern, boxy design of today's European appliances. I only bought this blender because it looked durable. It is durable, however that's where the appeal of this machine starts and stops for me. The base bracket on the top is painted to look like the chrome and metal base cover of the motor's exterior. It is not metal. It's plastic. Is the motor housing inside made of all metal parts like the manufacturer claims? I don't know; I don't feel like taking the blender apart so I can see for myself. I certainly don't trust Oster telling me that it is. Manufacturers can say whatever the hell they want about their products to get you to buy them.

Cleaning Hazards?Be careful if you want to clean this blender manually by sticking your hand and a soapy cloth inside the jar with the blades still attached. The blades are shaped liked daggers and they are SHARP! Only vampires like those kind of "bloody marys"

Blender Jar-- Blender jar is constructed of thick transparent ridged glass. The ridges also serve as the cup measurements and metric measurements of liters

Blades- Blades are of very sharp, spaded, quadrant, staggered height type that will rust easily if liquid stays on them too long. The blades look as if and should be made out of steel, but they still rust easily.

Base Fastening -- Has gasket / rubber seal that should be taken apart washed and dried after each use, because liquid gets in-between these parts which can cause deterioration. This is probably why Oster recommends that you do not use the blender jar to store liquids in the refrigerator. This seems like a perfectly reasonable thing for a person to want to do, but Oster dissuades it because whatever is inside might start leaking out if blade assembly/gasket isn't fastened securely to glass blender jar.

Lid- Lid is made of a thick strong soft plastic. It has an area in the center that pops out with a slight quarter turn so you can add ingredients while the machine is in operation. Don't try to operate this machine without the lid on like you can with some blenders, otherwise you'll end up with a "Bloody Mary" mess all over you, the kitchen counter and floor.

Motor Speeds- Uhhh, heed this warning!--- Two speeds aren't enough. I though it would be, because other blenders that I have used in the past have had too many speeds, but it seems as if when you are using this machine, there aren't any in-between speeds; that's because there aren't!!! It has low and very high, that's it, and it doesn't have a PULSE option. The low on this blender is not as low as "STIR" on previous Oster blenders I have used. These speed selections are not adequate if you plan on blending and chopping a variety of ingredients. This "defect" can be overcome by pulsing the blender on an off, but even if you incorporate this method into the blending process, it's easy to cause an unwanted surge of energy throughout whatever is inside.

Motor-- The wattage of the motor is 400 something. It is powerful, but it can bog down with ingredients that shouldn't cause it to bog down, (e.g. a lot of liquid inside, carrots, crushing ice, etc..)The warranty is fair. This blender came with a two year warranty and is still working 2 years later without repairs or replacement needed. I will not be buying this style or brand again because of its noise level.

Electric Cord--If you have a very large gourmet kitchen it's length might seem too short. Electric cord is black and adequately sheathed. There are also rubber feet on the base to keep appliance from slipping around on counter.

Base Coupling The base has a metal grove fastening like most Oster blenders that can become stripped over time because unlike some higher end blenders like KitchenAid, the Oster motor coupling will stay attached if it becomes strained. This is not a good idea and will cause the grooves to flatten, strip, smooth out over time, rendering the blender useless.

Spending a little bit more money ($30 to $50 more?) may only accord you a quieter machine and perhaps a few more speeds; but in my opinion, it would be well worth it.