This is just a quickie photo to show how well the Oster® Fusion blender makes green smoothies. Now granted, I’ve never used a Blendtec® or VitaMix® so I have nothing to compare this to, but for 60 bucks, I’m a happy camper nonetheless.
The Oster is also supposed to handle ice, the standard blender killer. But I’ve been afraid to try it lest I kill my new blender.
This little beast is also supposed to make great chunky things like salsa, hence the name, Fusion. I haven’t had much luck with that yet but I’m still trying.
Click on the above review to enlarge (please pardon the quality, I was in a hurry). On the enlargement, you will see where I circled darker spinach bits that didn’t liquefy. The large dark dots are air bubbles. While it doesn’t liquefy perfectly, this is pretty darned good for a 600 watt blender. And honestly, the dark green bits I circled in the photo aren’t detectable while drinking. This is definitely a smooooothie.
And like I said, I don’t really know if the Blendtec does any better, having never been able to afford one.
Here’s what I used, and just a tip, chop anything that’s more firm like pears into smaller chunks. Pear quarters are too large to fit into the bottom of the carafe along with the banana.
Green Smoothie
- 1 large banana
- 1 large pear, peeled
- 3 handfuls of baby spinach
- 1 cup cold water
Hit the Frozen Drinks & Shakes pre-programmed cycle twice. You can add more water I suppose but I like my Greenies thick.
So far, I haven’t had to poke and prod much of anything unless I was stupid and tried to put an whole uncut fruit into the carafe. So don’t go putting an arm or leg in ok? It won’t work.
January 24, 2009 at 5:03 am
The smoothie looks great! My green smoothies never turn out very green, probably because I put blueberries in mine. Thanks for the review of the blender!
January 24, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Tara, I’ve definitely noticed that smoothies are greener if you don’t use berries. I get dull army green if I use strawberries with banana but a bright kelly green if I use mangoes with the bananas.
January 25, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Oooh! Banana, pear and spinach! That sounds really delicious!!!
Cheers,
Kristen
February 9, 2009 at 5:33 pm
aww… snarky it’s been so long! how could I have forsaken you like this??? Much catch up straightaway… that smoothie looks delish by the way! I’ll have to try your recipes as I love green machines but hate their exorbitant prices… the only problem is any “green” smoothie that I’ve tried to make at home tastes just a tad bit too green…
February 9, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Guavababy, use baby spinach because it’s sweeter and less green tasting. And play with the quantity. I started doing smoothies by adding agave nectar or dates to sweeten it but found I didn’t need additional sweeteners if the spinach was baby enough.
Even DH, who puts fake sweeteners on his PB&J, thought the smoothies are sweet enough.
Oh, and one more tip, don’t try to use a food processor to make a smoothie. You’ll get salsa every time. Yuk!
(I missed you too Toto!)
February 10, 2009 at 5:35 pm
wow fake sweetners in pbandj that is some kind of sweet tooth… and oh… baby spinach… huh… to be honest I don’t know if I’ve ever had that but I’ll look for it! THanks Snarky! It really has been too long!
April 24, 2010 at 1:36 am
I have found the $60 Fusion works better than the $800 Blendtec Smoother. I sold the Blendtec on Ebay and never looked back. If you have a hard time spending the high price for Vitamix or Blendtec, this is a great option. The chop mode is unmatched for things like salsa too.
February 21, 2011 at 8:08 pm
I am just starting and have exactly the same blender at home and wanted to know if it is okay to use it or if I do have to buy those expensive ones. I am satisfied with my result, there are some larger pieces but nothing serious. Will stick with this one and if I still drink my greenies in 4 weeks..I will op for a better one. :-) Thanks for this site. And don’t be afraid to crush ice…I do this all the time in the summer and it did never broke. I love this blender :-)
February 22, 2011 at 8:45 pm
Hi Jessie,
It is a handy little blender and I find does a fine job with most green smoothies. Where mine gets hung up is if I want to do something super smooth or with nuts. I always have little nut bits but it’s not bad for 60 bucks.
August 15, 2011 at 7:30 pm
I am very happy with this HP3A blender . I am not a vegetable eater but this blender allow me to have my daily intake of greens. I make carrot juice, cucumber juice, apple juice, strawberry ice cream and a lot more. Important thing to remember is to read instruction and put the ingredients in recommended order. The blender and the new jar which is BPA free now has a 3…