Lady Kenmore (Osterizer) Blender Question

[rp2813]

I recently received a rare beauty of a vintage blender (pictured) as a gift.  It's an Osterizer clone re-badged for Sears, dating back to the mid-'60s from what I can tell.  A Lady Kenmore 600, with a model number a mile long compared to the 3-digit numbers of its Osterizer contemporaries.

 

I had seen the Oster ice crusher blade at ACE and then read in a recent blender thread that this blade is very effective at what it's advertised to do, so I swung by ACE and bought one.

 

Last night I made smoothies and I can attest that with this blade, ice is crushed almost instantly; far better and faster than with any other blender I've ever used -- and I did not drop the crescents in one by one, but dumped them in on top of the other ingredients.  Within seconds of starting the blender, the clattering sound of ice went silent.  That has never happened before.  There's always a stray chunk or two that escapes pulverization.  Not so with the Oster ice crusher blade.  I'm beyond satisfied and have become an instant Osterizer fan as a result.  I know of no other make that allows the user various blade options that are so easily changed out.

 

So my question is, can I leave this blade in and use it for other jobs?  It seems like a major improvement over the standard blade.

 

[rp2813]

I did a little research on line.

 

From what I can tell, the 6-point ice crusher blade is standard equipment on the Oster "Fusion" blenders and can be used for other blending jobs besides those involving ice.  The "Fusion" model seems to be considered a poor man's Vita-Mix, thanks to this particular blade.

 

If anyone has experience using this blade, feel free to share here.

 

I'm also curious if Osterizer blade assemblies in general are dishwasher safe.

 

[tolivac]

I don't think its a good idea to run blender blade assemblies thru the dishwasher-the hot water,strong detergent can leach out the lubricants in the blade assembly bearings and seals.And don't soak the assembly,either.This could also dissolve the lubes.With no lube the blade assembly gets very noisey,and will eventually seize up.It can't be repaired-the metal gets "spin welded"!

 

[xraytech]

I have the ice crusher blades in my Lady Kenmore 600, as well as my gold Osterizer Cyclomatic 50th anniversary blender.
I use those blades for everything, however all I ever do in my blender is make iced coffee and salad dressings

 

[rp2813]

Sam and Rex, thanks for the advice.

 

Looks like it will be hand-washing only for the carafe components.  That's OK, since machine washing probably wouldn't be good for the handle on the carafe anyway.

 

I'll follow the "self cleaning" advice that came with a vintage Waring:  Put a few drops of dishwashing liquid into the carafe, fill about 1/4 full with hot/warm water, replace the lid and run the blender. 

 

I've had Osterizers in the past, but their ice crushing was just so/so.  I'm a born-again Osterizer fan now, particularly because their design hasn't changed over the decades and an Osterizer of any vintage can be converted to a kick-ass "Fusion" type with the addition of this 6-point blade.

 

 

[petek]

Good to know. I do have a Fusion model but I've never crushed ice in it being that I don't care for icy drinks. With any of my blenders I just do the drop of dish soap thing, rinse it out and try to remember to let it run empty for about 15 seconds or so to get rid of any residual water in the blade... Years ago I did run the blades of one model I used quite often and it eventually started screeching and needed replacement.

 

[tolivac]

Yes,clean the blender the bartenders way-the hot water and dish detergent.Works well.This was especially for most commercial and bar blenders where the blade assembly isn't removable.-or at least not easily.You need a wrench and gasket set if you remove the blades on those.
The Oster Fusion blade sure would be a good update for older Oster machines-esp the Pulse-Matic!

 

[rp2813]

I was mistaken

I just last night had the blender out again and noticed the ice crusher blade I bought isn't the 6-point type.

 

Just 4 blades, but I presume the configuration is different from the standard.  I'll have to get them side by side and check, and will post a picture here of any difference.

 

I'm not going to rush out and buy a 6-point blade.  This one I got did a fantastic job with ice so I see no need to take things any further.

 

[rp2813]

A Tale of Two Blades

There's a big difference between the standard Oster blender blade and the ice crusher, as seen in the picture below.  The ice crusher is on the right.

 

Considering how handily the ice crusher does its job, I can't even imagine what the 6-point Fusion blade must be capable of.

 

[tolivac]

Found out something new to me as well-didn't know Oster had two types of crusher blades.The Ice crusher ones blades stick up more-guess to grab the ice cubes and blend them.-and be able to do it without liquid to carry the ice into the blade.

 

[combo52]

Blenders for smoothie's

I have been making fruit smoothies for years after Jon C got me in to it. Problem is I do not use ice, instead I use frozen fruit and I have yet to find a blender that can grind thick all fruit smoothies easily. I have had the best luck with a vintage Vita-Mix 3600, but even on these machines  the motor will often smoke so much that I have to set it outside to cool off. I have also had to replace the blade assembly a few times as the blades sheer loose from the shaft [ I learned to take the new blade assembly's to Smitty's shop and have him weld the blades and retaining nut in place when new and have had no additional failures since ].

 

I often let uneaten smoothies sit in the ref overnight and ALWAYS wash the container in the DW without any bearing problems, items that can't stand the DW in my kitchen get very little use.

 

Good luck with your new Kenmore 600, it certainly seems impressive.

 

[dustin92]

We have an Oster Fusion blender and an older Oster blender, and the ice crushing blade is awesome. The blender is louder than a leaf blower and has sounded like it was ready to fall apart from day 1, it has been used extensively since we bought it about 5 years ago and has always gone through the dishwasher without issue. The only issue I've had was the plastic blade retainer/bottom cover disintegrated about a year in- presumably from over tightening it, so found an older carafe at goodwill for $1 or so and used the base from it. Problem solved as it's a much thicker plastic. Also use the carafe from athe Fusion on the older model and it works equally as well, only much quieter. The jar has been through the dishwasher enough times that it's beginning to etch, but the blade assembly is no worse for the wear.

 

[rp2813]

Blade Assembly

Yeah, it's clear from the picture of the two blades above that the older regular blade's is a far more sturdy assembly.  I presume that's the one that came with my blender originally in +/- 1966. 

 

I've read complaints about the ice crusher blade failing quickly, but I chalk that up to the same nature of misuse that triggers complaints about FL washers.

 

I hadn't considered that the ice crusher blade was intended for use with a carafe of ice and no liquid, but could imagine that would really put it through its paces and perhaps shorten its life span.  Maybe that's where the 6-point type would out-perform the 4-pointer.

 

I was surprised to read that a carafe bottom/blade retainer had deteriorated.  They seem to be made of sturdy thick plastic.  Keep an eye out for the cast aluminum type.  That's what my machine came with (see picture above).

[this post was last edited: 2/3/2015-13:18]

 

[foraloysius]

I never had problems making smoothies with frozen fruit in my Osterizer cycleblend. But then again the motor is 960 Watts. That is probably a bit more than 110V Osterizers?

I'm very careful with it though, parts are not easy to get here. And Amazon doesn't send Osterizer parts overseas. Fortunately I got some parts when I visited Vancouver in 2011.

 

[ovrphil]

Six-blade question...

I wonder…would a six-bladed blade(is that correct English, LOL!) break up the seeds of some fruit such as Rasberries, which do not crush up with the Oster four-bladed blade? I need to buy one of those ice blades and see - but if anyone else has news, please tell.

Phil

 

[ovrphil]

Nice looking blender Ralph - I'm a sucker for the script writing used on some of the mid-century appliances.

 

[rp2813]

Phil, check on line and see what people are saying about the Oster "Fusion" blender.  From what I understand, it uses the 6-point blade and as stated above, can hold its own against a Vita-Mix or Blendtec for people who don't want to spend $500 on a blender.

 

It seems to me that a machine that's on par with either of those high end ones would be able to pulverize pretty much anything.  You might only need one of those 6-pointers to provide your Osterizer with "Fusion" capabilities -- depending on the wattage.  I think my LK is 700 watts.

 

I haven't seen the 6-point blade for sale at ACE.  Only on line.  Just be sure it's a genuine Oster part.

 

[foraloysius]

Blade and reviews:

http://www.oster.com/parts-and-acce...ce-crushing-blade/118530-101-000.html#start=2

 

[rp2813]

I Just Found This Deal

On ebay. 

 

Ice crusher blade included, but I don't know that it's genuine Oster.  $4.99 includes shipping. 

 

I ordered this "refresher" kit for a glass carafe I found that had no other parts on it besides its lid.  The lid appears to fit a later type of carafe, but that's the one part of this kit that I don't need anyway.

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