Customer Reviews

Oster Contemporary Classic Beehive Blenders

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My friends joke about how thorough I am about making consumer purchase decisions. They say, "If you want to get the best, get him interested in what you're looking for and he'll research it 'till he finds it.

Well I found it! The Osterizer Classic Behive Blender series is truly the best. In my search, I tried a professional bar blender by Hamilton Beach and the newer styles with the larger, wider bottom mixing jars like the one from KitchenAide. The Beehive crushes and blends anything I desire.

I bought an Osterizer Beehive that also came with a milk-shake mixer and blade, a food processor attachment and a babyfood jar attachment. They all work great and got them all as a single bundle on sale for $79 - less than the other blenders listed below that didn't work as well. You can also buy the attachments separately, if you desire. I even found that certain slightly smaller mouthed tahini (sesame seed butter) jars work as well, which enable me to mix things like sauces right in the jar I plan to refrigerate them in -- Jars made by Arrowhead Mills work well, for example.

Plus, the heavy duty construction of the Beehive is fantastic as well. Very sturdy base and solid motor. Yes, it's slightly loud, but only slightly. And it's not like it needs to be on long enough to destroy any conversation worth having. A couple of seconds, and you're done. I was a little concerned about the dial switch that came with mine since I thought the flip switches would be better and easier to clean. However, I love the three speeds with the option of turning off at the high end or the low end. And it cleans just fine.

The Hamilton Beach is only good for restaurant style crushed ice, forget it for home-made ice. Plus, the plastic mixing jar that is legally required in restaurants feels lightweight and cheap at home. The Kitchenaide has a strong enough motor, but their (and others') attempts at improving what already works has failed miserably. The larger wider mixing jars are great for crushing ice, but if you throw any fruit in there as well, it leaves fruit lumps. It couldn't even blend a banana for me without leaving lumps on numerous attempts.

Seriously, the Osterizer is absolutely amazing. And I am simply an enthusiastic consumer who has finally found a product that truly delivers. Oh, I was also slightly concerned that the chrome would be too "loud" in my kitchen, but it simply looks wonderfully retro. The very top part is plastic, as opposed to the metal of the base, which I also thought might be a concern, but the the difference in chrome color and texture are minimal, so no aesthetic issue, and the plastic is heavy duty and long lasting. Again, you can't go wrong with this blender!!!

I primarily make smoothies with this blender, which can be a problem for many other blenders, but not for this one! It crushes ice and blends like a dream. My only complaint is that it is really loud. I had a Kitchenaid 5 speed blender before this one and it was MUCH quiter. I also sampled the Viking blender in a store once and it was also pretty loud. But aside from the sound factor, this blender is easy to use and works just as well as your top dollar blenders, if not better.

Also keep in mind, you can get add on accessories for a very reasonable price. I purchased the stainless milk shake carafe and the food processor attachment. This is an option that you can't get with other blenders.

While the blender functions very well - sucking added ingredients down to the blades and then dispersing them - it must be treated with kid gloves. If you're doing a smoothie, add the ice cubes, chunks of frozen fruit, etc. ONE AT A TIME. Any more than that and you run the risk of breaking the mechanism that spins the blade. It happened to me - I know.

Incidentally, our previous blender was also an Oster. We had it for nearly twenty years. While it didn't blend as well, it was far tougher than this one. We could dump all the smoothie ingredients into the blender at once, and it'd take them without missing a step. We had to replace it because the power cord shorted out, and it was impossible to replace it. Mechanically, the blender was good as new. If Oster could combine the performance of their new design with the durability of their older products, they'd really have something.

We use this in our coffee house for mixing drinks & crushing ice. It does an excellent job for us.

I am by no means a professional chef, but this handy Oster blender makes it easy to cook like one. My box actually says 4242, but it looks exactly the same as this model. I received it from my great aunt (who has used her own Beehive for over 20 years) at my wedding shower and it is by far the nicest kitchen appliance we own. I used it for frozen adult beverages in the summer - it crushes ice with ease. I laugh at friends who bought more expensive drink mixing machines. I also like the removable stopper in the top so I can add ice or liquids without taking the entire top off, it is even large enough that I can even drop in half a roasted red pepper when making my favorite red pepper/olive paste for topping turkey burgers. I love experimenting with sauces and dressings, the sky is the limit with this awesome machine.

Osterizer 4127 Contemporary Classic Beehive Blender, Brushed Chrome
My husband and I have owned the Classic for many years. We discovered early on that the motors of the models of other brands simply burned out with repeated usage. We make a lot of smoothies using frozen fruits. I also use it to chop up food like nuts and some veggies. This is really a tough machine. We have only had to replace the glass jar for a plastic one as it broke. We bought this new one for our son and his wife as the brand they received for their wedding met a quick demise from using it a lot.

Our only disappointment was that the plastic removable cap on the lid was broken when we received it and we have to order the whole lid assembly to replace it. Our other option was to return the blender just to get the small part. We have opted to buy the lid.

I was looking for a blender powerful enough to make my morning frozen fruit and yogurt smoothie in under a minute - this blender does it in under 20 seconds! I like the two speeds (who actually uses all 12 of the speeds offered by other blenders?!?), with the pulse being a somewhat slower and more "grinding" blend and the sustained speed being a high powered "whip it up" blend. Overall, very very pleased with this product. And the brushed chrome looks so good, I can leave it on the counter!

I have had this blender for about 6 months now and here are the things I really love about it:

1)It is very powerful. Ice cubes and frozen fruit pieces don't stand a chance. This thing chews them up with no problem, and quickly, too!

2)It's multifunctional. It does a great job with all kinds of tasks...crushing ice, making smoothies, pureeing soups, etc.

3)It has a sleek, contemporary design that I admire. Just because it's a blender doesn't mean it can't be beautiful!

4)It's easy to assemble and disassemble. This is very important. If you dread taking it apart to clean it and putting it back together, than you will never want to use it. This one is a breeze to handle.

5)It is well made. The blender container is made of sturdy glass. The plastic lid fits snugly in the container, but not too tight that you struggle to get it off. You don't want to fight with a lid when you have hot pureed soups beneath it!

This is a wonderful blender, but unfortunately it's not without drawbacks. Here are the negatives:

1)You've seen this before with other reviews, and I'm here to tell ya...these people are not lying...THIS THING IS LOUD!!! I mean, turn it on and run for the hills LOUD! It is so loud that my 5 year old cries whenever I turn it on. It is so LOUD that your ears will be ringing for an hour afterward. It is just RIDICULOUSLY LOUD! Didn't anyone even turn this thing on before they sent it to the marketplace?

2)The blender cup is durable, but I find it's a little on the small size. It's fine for most tasks but there are times that I wish it had just a little more room. My favorite lemonade recipe is done in a blender and this thing just barely accomodates it. I always end up sloshing it on the counters.

3)This really isn't a drawback for me, but it might be for some people. If you like a blender that has more than a couple speeds and settings to choose from, then this blender is not for you. You pretty much have a choice b/w on and off and that's it, although there is a "pulse" feature that I always forget to use.

All in all this is a great blender. If it didn't sound like a jet was taking off in your kitchen, then it would be pretty near perfect. But b/c of its deafening sound, I cannot give it a 5 star rating. So if you want a good performing blender, then you need not look any further. Just make sure to let the dog out and put in your earplugs before you flip that switch!

I have tried several blenders primarily for smoothies. This blender is powerful at 500 watts and it will literally move on the counter due to the vibration while blending. It is fairly loud but it is a blender. It makes great smoothies as long as fruit is cut in pieces and enough milk or soymilk is used for a smooth consistancy. However, this blender uses a fuse that I assume protects the motor. The fuse cannot be replaced by the consumer. I cut out the fuse after it burned out and connected the wires to the motor. The blender worked great for a while until the motor coupling broke. Oster promotes this blender as all metal drive. A motor coupling connects the motor shaft to the blades. This coupling is a thin threaded metal rod enclosed in rubber. Mine broke and now I need to replace it. I won't buy another Oster again.

I think that Tim "the tool man" Taylor, designed this blender. There is a very high pulse speed and an even higher set speed (the only 2 speeds). This creates an air pocket around the bottom so, you have to pick up the blender and shake it every 10 seconds. This is the only way to get what you're blending to fall back to the bottom.
Also the lid broke in the first month when the center feel into my shake. The blades are strong! They broke the plastic lid in seconds.
The container part is a heavy thick glass which is good or bad depending on what you want.
It is also very loud! Wear ear plugs.
It does look nice sitting on the counter, but I would recomend something else if you plan on using your blender.