Oster 4093-008 5-Cup Glass Jar 2-Speed Beehive Blender, Brushed Stainless

I've been using this blender for over a year, and I am very very happy with it. It handles everything I've thrown at it, including rock-hard frozen fruit, nuts, seeds, etc. I love how you can use a standard glass mason jar instead of the regular blender container, because I find that it is lighter and thus easier to handle and clean up afterwards. Oster will try to tell you it's a bad idea and try to get you to buy their special mini-jar, but that's baloney. A mason jar works great.[ ! ] If you use a mason jar, double and triple check to make sure the rubber ring is on *straight* - make sure none of it is inside the jar, otherwise the blades can get caught on it and you risk some kind of damage. I made this mistake 2 or 3 times, but amazingly neither the motor nor the rubber ring were badly damaged! The ring suffered some abrasions, but that's all. This blender is tough!One thing, which is isn't really a drawback, is that the way the blades are shaped, there are many tiny crevices for food to get lodged, and you stand basically no chance of removing it without a special tool. Solution: Brytonpick String Free Flossing Device 3 ea, cheap, handy, made of germ-resistant stainless steel and reusable. Keep one to floss (maybe), and one in the kitchen drawer to clean the blades. I just did this and cleaned out gross stuff that was probably decomposing inside the blade-assembly for months. (Kind of gross, and might be a real problem for someone with immune issues or special susceptibility to bacteria. If that's you, definitely get the Brytonpick.)An actual (minor) drawback is that I haven't had much success with the removable plastic piece built into the lid. It doesn't really form a good seal, so if you're working with a lot of liquid at high speed, you could get some splashing. I only ran into this once or twice because I almost always blend small volumes (plus I tend to use the mason jar anyway).Ok, final thing, this blender is *loud*. It's powerful, and you can hear the wattage. Just keep this mind. You might even want to use ear muffs, as crazy as that might sound.Tip: Frozen fruit is key to making great smoothies, especially frozen bananas. Put them in last (first if you're using a canning jar), that way they will blend in at the end and remain partly frozen, giving the whole concoction a great texture.* * *Update: almost 2 years on, this blender is still going strong. I've been careful to clean the blades right away, and I've found that less food accumulates under the blades (using your faucet's spray attachment helps too, if you have one). I did just clean out some gunk, however. Less than last time, but enough, so my recommendation of occasionally using a tool like the Brytonpick String Free Flossing Device 3 ea still stands.* * *Second Update: Made the mistake with the rubber gasket one too many times: a year later I finally killed the ring. No problem, just ordered a replacement bundled with a new blade Oster 4961 Ice Blade. You can find just the rubber ring or even a three pack for less, but I've read those gaskets are thinner and of cheaper quality.

This blender works really well, just as I had hoped it does. I can't say how it compares to some top of the line ones that are hundreds of dollars more (e.g. Vitamix), but I can't imagine there could be too much of an improvement. There are a couple of things I want to comment on based on what others have said.First of all, the noise: there are so many reviewers saying it is extremely loud, some even who say they use ear muffs, or their children/pets get scared. When I was about to use this for the first time, I was preparing myself for some vicious, standing-by-a-jet-engine sound. I got myself in a stable stance, one leg back. I put my hand firmly on the top, and sort of pulled my head back and squinted my eyes out of fear of what is about to happen. To my surprise, it was very tame! I really don't think this is THAT loud. I don't know what kind of blenders everyone has been using, but I had a GE 8 speed one for a long time that was really not that much different. To give you a point of reference, it is less noisy than a vacuum, but comparable. It may be that a vacuums noise is near the floor, while this is more in your face that gets people complaining. To use ear muffs/plugs is just way over the top I think. It's not necessary at all.Secondly, the blades are SHARP. Be very careful. I gave it a washing before using it for the first time, and I was being very careful to not cut myself on the blades as I had read that they are sharp. But I still (while scrubbing very slowly and carefully) accidentally hit a blade right under the end of my nail. It basically stabbed me and cut a flesh wound that took a while to heal. Which brings me to people complaining that it doesn't crush ice well. I usually make shakes with milk and fruits and a handful or two of whole pieces of ice. I like my shakes thick so I use less milk than what some other people may want (about 6 oz.). The Beehive has NO problem absolutely destroying that ice in a matter of seconds. I usually start off with a little pulsing to get the ice broken up before hitting the constant full speed just to make sure it's all whipped up.My one complaint, that has been mentioned already, is the top tends to leak if the liquid comes all the way up. Usually it's when I add the ice and starting the blending causes the liquid to go flying up for a moment. This problem is alleviated by holding your hand on the top. Just make sure the corners are held down and it should be ok.Overall, an excellent blender that does exactly what I want, very quickly. It looks good too. I love the simple design. Depending on what you want, a blender that has low speed options might offer a different texture, but I think with a little bit of control on the pulse mode you should be good. Otherwise it pulverizes everything I've thrown its way to a smooth creamy blend, as I prefer.