need good blender not expensive

[garden granny]

I need to buy a couple of blenders for Christmas gifts (these will be to make green smoothies). I want to get something no more than $65.00, that will crush ice and can make green smoothies. Any suggestions?

[baltochef]

gardengranny

It has been my experience that most blenders designed for home use will only crush ice down to a certain point, that is to say not nearly as well as the BlendTec's, Vita-Mix's, & other equally powerfol blenders..

As long as the recipients are not expecting the $65.00 blenders to perform at the level of a Vita-Mix, etc., I really don't see very much difference in performance between brands & models..

Just be sure to let the users know what limitations their new blenders have so that they don't overload them..That is to add the ice & greens slowly after the blender is already running..

I found this tecnique to be more effective in getting greens & ice to break down when using an older Oster Osterizer blender, as oppposed to putting everything in the jar at the beginning & turning the machine on..This methodology pretty much eliminates the need to push food down into the blades, or to stop & scrape down the blender jar..

Bruce

[Bananapie]

Thanks Bruce I have a Oster Osterizer and it works well for green smoothies I just have to run it a little longer than I would some of the other professional models. I will try your method of loding up the greens after it is already running I have been putting everything in and than having to tamp down the greens into the blades once it is running and I am always worried I might snag a blade one of these days! Green smoothies and sauces are all I have made in it, unfortunately I have not tried to crush ice in it so I do not know how well it performs for that.

[garden granny]

They will be using frozen fruit and maybe small ice cubes (like from a refrigerator ice maker) in their blender, so the blender should be able to handle that.

[tanishamarshall]

I use the Oster Osterizer (New oster) and it works great. I put frozen and unfrozen fruit and it works great. The smoothies are not thick when it's done, I love it it really mixes up everything well. I use to have a 15.00 blender and that was a piece of crap, I would find lots of leafs in my drink.

I do plan to get a vitamix but the oster works great for now and I've even made ice cream in it, it blends frozen fruit with ease.

[garden granny]

ok, thanks, it sounds like the Oster osterizer may be what I need to get. :)

[Blazin'Jane]

You bet! and here's a bonus. I've had an Osterizer for 45 years (wedding present.) I didn't use it a whole lot until a year ago when I went RAW. There's a rubber gasket piece to it, which, by this time was pretty dry, and was causing a leaking problem. I Googled Osterizer, prepared for a long hunt, and possibly no luck replacing of the ancient gasket. Well, well! Up comes a handy little order form with all the Oster parts, complete with pictures---they're all the same as they've always been. It was the easiest order I've ever made, and not expensive at all. Oster won my heart that day! I think it's a great product.
I also have a high end K-Tech that I use for fancy stuff, but I use my Oster many times a week for sommothies and easy stuff.

[walnutty]

I have had an Oster for many years also, but recently purchased a new blender as a backup as I make several smoothies a day.

I purchased a "Michael Graves Design" 12-Speed Blender by Hamilton Beach at Target for $34.99. It has a Wave-Action System on it. The "wave" turns over my smoothies no matter how thick they are. I NEVER have ice chuncks. I have been pleasantly surprised by how well it works, especially for the price.

I would HIGHLY recommend it!

[PomegranatePip]

Those old Osterizers don't seem to quit! I keep hearing stories of these 40-year-old blenders that work great. My grandmother still has hers...

They sure don't make things like they used to. Our crappy blender is a couple of years old, and you have to run it for 5 minutes just to get the lumps out. If you did that with a Vita-Mix, you'd have hot soup! :p

[michigan roman]

sears kenmore just came out with a new line of applainces , one is a 750 watt blender with a 5 YEAR WARRANTY @ around $75 , but you know sears constantly has sales and itll be down to 60 /65 shortly . and i went and looked at them and besides the connection between the motor and the blades being the plasticy/rubbery type gears its a very solidly built blender .
but besides the solid construction is the 750 watts is a strong machine for this price , and with the great sears backing of a 5 yearswarranty this blender is my favorite semi cheap unit going . its like you dont have any worries for 5 years , you can just bring it back to store with no hassle / shipping cost and get a new one . for 65 that beats a ktec warranty which i think is at 3 years . i'll try posting a pic below =

[baltochef]

I have a 30 plus year old Oster Osterizer..

The one with the glass jar & the removable bottom, blade assembly, & o-ring that Blazin'Jane was describing..

Both the base & the lid have turned to a cream color from the original white..

It's good to know that I can get a replacement gasket for it, when mine dries out..

These older blenders have an incredible vortex action that really helps to pull food down into the blades..

They work as good or better than many modern ones, especially the newer ones with the round, straight-sided jars..

Bruce

P.S. The Sears sounds like a great deal, if it works well..

Wattage doesn't always translate into performance..

The jar design has a lot to do with the efficiency of the vortex..

The vortex, along with the blade design, really determines whether the blender will handle the more difficult tasks..

[LovingLife]

sears kenmore just came out with a new line of applainces , one is a 750 watt blender with a 5 YEAR WARRANTY @ around $75 , but you know sears constantly has sales and itll be down to 60 /65 shortly . and i went and looked at them and besides the connection between the motor and the blades being the plasticy/rubbery type gears its a very solidly built blender .
but besides the solid construction is the 750 watts is a strong machine for this price , and with the great sears backing of a 5 yearswarranty this blender is my favorite semi cheap unit going . its like you dont have any worries for 5 years , you can just bring it back to store with no hassle / shipping cost and get a new one . for 65 that beats a ktec warranty which i think is at 3 years . i'll try posting a pic below =

I just bought one of these -- Sears is having a sale right now -- from $74.99 down to $59.99 -- free shipping on the website if your Sears doesn't have one in stock.