Oster 4093 Classic Beehive Blender, Silver
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List Price: Our Price: $47.95 You Save: $22.04 (31%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Oster 4093 Classic Beehive Blender, Silver
Customer Review: Fatal Flaw
Summary: 2 Stars
Blenders are notoriously unreliable; they seem to break with uncommon frequency. That's why I turned to a simple but purportedly toughly made machine. Its the ONLY reason.
The blender works fine. I appreciate its tough construction and its power. I don't mind the noise but the after three months of probably using it once a day the one cheap part of the blender - the plastic base - cracked. It's not an expensive fix but its a definite weakness for Oster and I see that several other people have had this problem. This plastic base is the same plastic base they use on most of their blenders. I'm confident that the rest of the blender will last for years.
This is like Toyota building bulletproof cars and then not putting a failsafe mechanism in on their brake pedal. Why go to the trouble if you're going to shoot yourself in the foot? If you set out to build a good strong blender - build a good strong blender - all of it.
A month and a half later - that thin little plastic base breaks again... I'm looking for another blender.
Customer Review: good blender but dislike speed and controls
Summary: 4 Stars
My previous Oster Beehive blender sadly broke down after almost 10 yrs, so I replaced it with this one which seems to closely resemble it. I have used it so far only to make smoothies and they turn out almost as good as before.
The main thing I dislike about this model is the speed. The low speed is stronger than the low of my old blender. It tends to splatter the liquid which ends up coating up the sides and lid (causing some waste, more cleanup and not as thorough blending of ingredients) and also cause air pockets right above the blades. So I've had to alter my smoothie technique a little:
- Pulse to blend.
- Stop and let the liquid settle back down and the air bubble to
come out. Maybe scrape down the sides.
- Repeat.
Also, the switch must be held down to continuously blend on 'low'. My previous blender had a round dial control with low and high continuous speeds and I miss that simple feature.
The noise is a little louder...about equivalent to the high speed on my previous blender.
Customer Review: Check the fuse before you give up on this! -- Blender works great - with some flaws
Summary: 4 Stars
Out of the box this blender worked great - it has a very powerful motor that has handled anything we have thrown at it without any trouble. It has a simple design that looks good too.
After a few weeks the blender simply stopped working - no smoke, smell, etc. (like we have read in other reviews). We almost gave up on it, but I decided to open it up, and behold there is a fuse inside that was burned out. I went down to Home Depot, bought a $2 fuse and a $2 in-line fuse holder (so I wouldn't have to solder it) and voîla - works like new. If you know someone who knows even a little about electronics, it sure beats buying a new blender.
Points off for not making the fuse more user-changable
Points off for being extremely loud (but that goes with the power)
The lid could be better, but I think other criticisms of it here are overblown
All in all - a powerful, stylish blender with some shortcomings. 2 out of 3 aint bad (especially since most other blenders we've tried would be lucky to get 1 out of 3 right)
Customer Review: Good performance as long as it was in one piece
Summary: 2 Stars
I used the blender for making smoothies and milkshakes for about 4-6 times. Loved its performance. Made excellent strawberry milkshake as it crushed the seeds like a charm. Then it broke.
This blender has one of the worst construction and quality i have seen. 2 bolts from inside the blender base came right off. 1 came out and the other one was stuck inside. I could see and hear it moving around when i turned the base upside down. I moved the base only once since i received it and i have taken good care of it. Amazon.com is sending me a replacement and i will update my review after i receive and use the new one.
P.S. Also noticed that the side of the metal blade that rests on the base is rusting after a few washes in the dishwasher. The glass jar cover does not sit properly and little liquid comes out from the top while blending.
Overall I love this product and give it 4 stars for its powerfull motor(crushing/grinding/blending capabilities) , glass jar, price. I would give negative stars for construction and noise.
Customer Review: Finally a blender that makes a smoothie!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been looking for a good smoothie blender that isn't made just for smoothies. I find that the actual smoothie makers are incredibly noisy and made of too much plastic for my taste. Also, the handy pour spouts are difficult to keep clean. Thus, the search for a classic blender. I tried the Kitchen Aid model which costs $100 circa and ended up trading in all the bells and whistles for this classic model. The Kitchen Aid brand left a lot of fruit chunks even after a few minutes of blending at the highest speed. This Classic Beehive Model is durable, powerful, and makes a nice creamy smoothie in under a minute. Also, the one I purchased came with a handy travel container for my blended drinks in which I can directly make on the blender. It only has two settings, on and pulse, which are more than enough. For smoothies, I switch the machine on to full power and then for more delicate foods I just use the pulse button once or twice. I recommend this blender for the smoothie fanatic! It makes delicious smoothies and much more...Thumbs up!!!