Oster vs Hamilton Beach – Which Blender Is The Best Value?

Are you having a hard time comparing Oster vs Hamilton Beach blenders?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Understanding their differences is crucial, especially if you have specific needs, such as making smoothies on the go.

This is why, in this article, we will break down the comparison between Oster and Hamilton Beach blenders to help you choose the right brand for your needs.

When comparing Oster vs Hamilton Beach blenders, consider your preferences. Hamilton Beach typically comes with more functions and helpful details, but has a smaller motor. Oster offers larger jar capacities and more powerful motors, but they have a larger footprint on your counter.

Read on to make the right choice!

Oster vs Hamilton Beach Blender

To help you make a decision, in this section, we’ll compare Oster and Hamilton Beach blenders across 4 categories.

For the sake of simplicity, we will break down the brands into three tiers. Each company will be represented by a low-tier, mid-tier, and high-tier option. 

Read on to learn all about their differences!

#1 Price

Before doing anything else, let’s talk about price.

Hamilton Beach blenders can range as low as $15 for a personal blender to as high as almost $1,000 for a professional-grade model.  

Similarly, Oster products go for about the same. Their smallest blenders start below $20 and while their large professional versions can hit over $500. 

Since both blenders have similar prices, there are other important factors you need to keep in mind when choosing between them.

#2 Functions

Traditionally, blenders have been used to create beverages like smoothies or milkshakes. With upgraded motors and blades though, blenders have become multi-purpose tools.

No more are blenders hidden until it’s smoothie time. Now blenders are used to make dips and salsas, baby food, and even ground and shred meat! In some homes, the blender has taken the mantle of the mixer and the food processor.

In the tiers, the blenders are at comparable prices, but what about what they can do?

Low-Tier

When considering a blender for purchase, you need to know just what the appliance is capable of. For instance, in the low-tier category, both Oster and Hamilton Beach manufacture personal blenders. Such blenders are intended for smoothies and to serve one person. 

You’ll actually notice that both the Hamilton Beach Personal Smoothie Blender and the Oster My Blend have just one button. Larger blenders have multiple settings represented by several buttons. These personal blenders are intended to simply blend up smoothie ingredients.

The single-purpose does make the blender easy to use. Even easier, the jars for each blender double as travel cups, so you can pop on the travel lid and be on your way.

While they have the same basic function, the wattages of the two blenders are very different. The Hamilton Beach Personal Smoothie Blender only has a 175-watt motor. Meanwhile, the Oster My Blend has a respectable 400 watts of blending power!

Mid-Tier

When we move up to the mid-tier, we add those additional settings. These larger blenders give you more options, thanks to different speeds. 

The Hamilton Beach is a 14-function blender divided among 7 settings. It starts with the lowest speed of Dice and ends with the high-speed Crush Ice. For ease, the settings are named for their best purpose, like “Puree Whip” or “Grind Icy Drink.” 

The Oster blender has pre-programmed settings. You can select between Green/Frozen Smoothies, Food Chop/Salsa, or Milkshakes. The model also has speed options, including Pulse. 

Notably, the Hamilton Beach Wave Crusher has the brand’s patented Wave-Action system. This means the mixture is constantly forced downwards toward the blade for the smoothest consistency and no large chunks floating at the top.   

In terms of wattage, the Wave Crusher has 700, while the Pro 1200 has 1200, as implied by the name. Both guarantee ice-crushing power. 

High-Tier

The high-tier options for these brands are considered professional-grade, but the functions for household and commercial needs are basically the same. 

The Hamilton Beach Professional Quiet Shield blender includes the expected settings of puree, crush, and smoothie. It also offers speed settings from 1 to 10 for a more customized experience.

The Oster Versa professional blender also offers modes: smoothie, soups, and dips/spread. Instead of numbers, it offers different speeds on a range of low to high. 

#3 Size

Since blenders are countertop appliances, size matters. Today, our kitchen counters are supporting an endless list of kitchen gadgets. It wouldn’t be unheard of to see a blender sitting in between an Instant Pot and a Kitchenaid mixer! Don’t forget that Crockpot on the other side of the mixer… and then there’s the toaster!

Due to this onslaught on American countertops, most of us don’t have much room to spare. A blender should fit your life, not the other way around. 

Still, counter space or no, you need a blender with a jar big enough to fit your needs. Let’s compare.

Low-Tier

As you can imagine, both brand’s personal blenders are the smaller options they sell. In fact, both the Hamilton Beach and Oster options are small enough to be stashed away in a cabinet instead of taking up valuable counter space.

How large do you prefer your smoothies though? The Hamilton Beach personal blender has a 14-ounce cup, while the Oster My Blend comes with a 20-ounce one.

Mid-Tier

These mid-range blenders are where space becomes more important. These have larger jars, but also larger footprints.

In terms of dimensions, the Hamilton Beach mid-range blender measures about 7” x 9” with a height of nearly 15”. The Oster Pro 1200 is 8.5” by 9.5” with a height of almost 14”. Summed up, the Hamilton Beach is taller but has a smaller footprint.

What about the jars? The Hamilton Beach blender gives you a 40-ounce jar, while the Oster has a 24-ounce one. 

High-Tier

At the commercial stage, counter space may not be a priority, especially when compared to function and power. This is good because professional-grade blenders are bulky!

The bulk is necessary though to accommodate larger jars. The Hamilton Beach Professional Sound Shield blender has a 32-ounce jar. The Oster Versa, on the other hand, has a whopping 64-ounce one!

#4 Extras

Of course, every brand throws in a few extras here and there. Here is a quick rundown of the best ones in our choices.

Hamilton Beach blenders

Hamilton Beach is a company that knows how important the details are. Personally, I give the top marks to the Sound Shield included with the Hamilton Beach professional blender. It’s a handled plastic shield that slides over the blender to dampen the sound while it’s in use.

For the low and mid-tier options, you can’t beat the hidden cord storage the Wave Crusher has on the bottom of the base, while the personal blender comes in 5 fun colors.

Oster blenders

While Hamilton Beach goes for the fine details, Oster decides to go with extra. Specifically, the Oster Pro 1200 comes with a smoothie jar so you can blend a personal beverage for one.

The Oster Versa, beyond having a large jar, has a non-slip handle so those professionals in the kitchen can avoid spills. 

Meanwhile, the My Blend includes a travel lid that transforms the smoothie jar into a handy sports bottle. Additionally, the bottle is impact-resistant. This detail sounds unimportant until you drop your travel bottle. Speaking from personal experience, the Hamilton Beach personal blender jar will crack when you drop it on the sidewalk during a stroll!

When comparing the additional features offered by these brands, it’s important to keep your own needs and preferences in mind. What works for some people, may not work for others (and vice-versa)!

Hamilton Beach vs. Oster Blenders – Pros and Cons

So you can decide on the best blender, let’s get down to the basic pros and cons!

Hamilton Beach blenders

Oster blenders

Conclusion

When choosing a blender, there are plenty of criteria to consider, including the functions, motors, and extras. With Hamilton Beach and Oster, the differences are minimal but important. 

In the end, when faced with the choice, Oster blenders tend to be the better value in most categories when compared to Hamilton Beach ones. Even so, the two brands are very similar! It’s best to make the decision based on your and your family’s own personal preferences. 

If you’re in the market for some appliances, why not read another one of our guides?