Oster Versa Pro Series Reviews

I've had my Versa for over two years now. Is it as good as a Vitamix? No. But it comes close and for the price, it's a great deal. I primarily use my Versa to make smoothies, and I use it daily. After about one year of use, I noticed a black grease material forming on the bottom of my blender jar underneath the blade mechanism. I later learned this is the grease that lubricates the ball bearings in the blade mechanism. It got worse and worse until the bearings themselves started falling out. These bearings would get shredded during the blending process, leaving metal shavings behind. Sometimes the blade mechanism wouldn't spin at all while blending. This would result in the blender motor starting to smoke. You'll see pictures in the different reviews of shredded metal parts and smoke stains caused by this problem

You can purchase a replacement jar for Oster for $75, but that's an expensive solution to the problem. I fixed the problem by swiching out the blade mechanism with a replacement. I suggest the purchasing the following replacement mechanism for $15. It's easy to replace and this new blade works better than the initial blades ever did.

I have purchased a number of blenders over the years and for the most part, I have been disappointed in the quality and performance of each one, including a Cuisinart that I bought for the specific purpose of making smoothies. I finally decided that I needed a high performance blender to get the job done right. Unfortunately, I could not bring myself to spend the money on a Vitamix or Blendtec as the cost seemed to me to be disproportionate to the intended use. After all, I am not running a professional kitchen. So with that in mind I set about to find a blender that could compete reasonably well with the high end blenders at a more realistic price. After a week or so of scouring the web for reviews and you tube videos on blenders, I settled on the Oster Versa.

I have now had the Versa for just over a month now and I am extremely pleased with its performance. It has perfectly blended everything I have thrown at it so far and the texture is always perfect. That said, I do find the pre-set smoothie setting to be a bit too short resulting in a smoothie that is a bit too course for my liking, however, the manual speed control allows me to blend the smoothie to the desired texture, so it has not proven to be a problem. The only other negative comment that I have is the feel manual control knob, which feels a little fragile. It does not have the feel of a quality component such as the Vitamix and Blentec. That said, for half the price and a great warranty, it is a minor issue - thus far.

All in all, to this point, an excellent product that I would highly recommend.

I was going to pick this up at the store, but had to order it on-line---it arrived (free shipping) 3 days later. I'm not a patient cook, and if I can't prepare a meal in 5-10 minutes, I just eat what I can grab. But, because I am trying to eat a healthy diet, I thought I'd try a blender mainly for soups and smoothies. The Versa is not as loud as people say, it does fit under my cupboards on the counter, but the base is rather large (no doubt to contain a very powerful motor). It has simple, easy to understand controls. I haven't used it a lot yet, but have made several soups and smoothies. I was amazed that I could make sweet potato-ginger soup in less than 5 minutes! Today's attempt will be with Vichyssoise, a favorite of mine. I also invented a superb cold cucumber-arugula-fat-free cottage cheese and yogurt soup which has ZERO fat. To summarize: I am delighted with my Versa blender, but I am not a gourmet cook....I am a lazy cook, and this fits the bill for me. It is so easy to wash---it looks clean with just rinsing, and a bit of dish soap and warm water does the trick. By the way, somone complained about the plastic smell. I washed it (and the lid) before using, let it dry, and it has had NO smell since then. It IS BPA free. If I had any complaints at all, it would be that sometimes a few particles hang out in the corners. So, go and get one!

This blender is amazing. It also works as a food processor and includes a tamper. Having a multifunctional appliance like this has allowed us to reduce excess (appliance) clutter in our tiny kitchen. This machine is a beast! We've made mashed potatoes, hummus and peanut butter with it. The jar is made of BPA-free plastic and is about twice the size of our last blender. Because it's so large, we do have to leave it on the counter. 4 little feet grip the jar so that it's nice and sturdy. There are 4 push buttons (3 preset settings and a pulse button) and a speed control knob. Everything is hand wash only. The blades and corresponding components are solid metal and are completely encased, so it should hold up better than our last blender and is much easier to clean. As soon as we opened the box I could tell it was a nice quality, durable appliance. We're enjoying ours and using it every day. I can tell that it's going to last for years to come and it's definitely made our lives easier. ...It's funny but I think my husband is even more impressed with it than I am. 'Mr. Milkshake' keeps trying to lay claim to it. So, you're probably wondering if it's worth the expense. I would say that it's a good value if you plan on using it daily or if you plan on using it for more than just making smoothies. I want to disclose that we received this product to sample and review. This has in no way shaped or impacted my rating or opinion of the product. After testing the Oster Versa, I would definitely purchase one and I have recommended it to my friends.