Update to my Update! I've now been using this for about six months. I still believe it beats the Ninja I owned hands down, but I have noticed a couple of things. 1) I think the blades have begun to dull slightly; it seems to take a bit longer to get the smoothness I had been getting. 2) While I still prefer a glass jar to a plastic jar hands down, the first jar broke when a dish fell on it (see below) and the replacement I got now has chipped at the spout. I'm not sure how/where that happened. I don't *think* I'm especially hard on things, and I am careful loading the dishwasher, but it does make me wonder if there's an issue with the glass. The jar is still usable, it just seems odd. Nonetheless, despite my bad experience with customer service, I still think this is a much better product than those promoted in infomercials, at a very good price. I am downgrading my review of this item from five stars to two because of VERY poor customer service. I still like the product, but the customer service, as outlined in the copy of an e-mail to the parent company copied here, is atrocious. I am currently writing a letter on paper to the CEO of Jarden Corporation, the parent company of Jarden Consumer Solutions, which in turn is the parent division for Oster products. The e-mail was sent on March 22, 2016, and never acknowledged or answered (I write this on April 18, 2016) I will re-post here should I receive an answer of any sort, but a product is only as good as the company that stands behind it. BEGIN E-MAIL Dear Madam/Sir, I write to you directly because I have already contacted Oster customer service both by e-mail and by telephone, with bad results. My next step WAS going to be to write to Jarden Corporate, but I thought I would try this approach first. First, let me say that I am a fan of many of Jarden Corporations' brands, and recently had an excellent customer service interaction with those at Estee Lauder. I'm also a fan of Oster products, from long before Jarden purchased the brand. On December 31, of 2015, I purchased, via Amazon, one of your new Oster Pro 1200 Blender Plus Smoothie Cup after having to return a lesser brand that didn't work. I wrote a glowing review; one of the first Amazon reviews for it, other than Vine Voice reviews, and seven people marked it as 'helpful." You can see it at this permalink: https://www.amazon.com/review/R2SU7B36ZQC35Y/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm. I still like the product, and like that it fits under kitchen cabinets on a counter, unlike other blenders, including Oster brands. However, in early March, as I was getting a dish out of the cupboard above the blender, and had the cover off of the blender, the dish fell onto the glass blender jar, hitting the rim, and the jar broke into three large pieces (I will be glad to send a photo, if you like.) I don't know if this indicates a weakness in the glass, or if it was just one of those weird acts of physics that can happen, since the dish I dropped on it didn't break. I at first e-mailed your customer service, via a form on the website, so I don't have a copy of it. I did have some problems getting the requested codes off the plug prongs, so I took photos, which I can provide to you, to help me read them better. I got no response to that e-mail. Ever. At roughly noon, EDT, on March 10, 2016 I telephoned Oster Customer Service, and spoke to a representative named "Pat" in Florida (I had to ask for this information.) She said there was no record of my e-mail, though found one that I had written on December 31, just letting you know that the Oster website's discount code hadn't worked, so I purchased the product on Amazon. (I used to work in a corporate communications office, so I know feedback can be valuable.) I found "Pat" at first brusque, which rapidly deteriorated to rude as I explained the problem. However, I gave her the model number, and the model information from the bottom of the blender, and she informed me that for a replacement blender jar I would have to pay 9.99 plus shipping, though she would discount it to 8.99 plus shipping. When I asked about the Oster Warranty, she brusquely said "the warranty is only for the drive train." I also asked if the replacement jar was available on Amazon, since I am a Prime member and often need not pay shipping. Her response was "I don't know, you can look there." When I repeated the request regarding the warranty, she said (and I quote-I'm a writer. I take notes): “I’ve been here ten years and I’ve never heard of someone dropping a dish on a blender “ {and breaking it.} The warranty is only for the drive train" I repeated that this was a new product for the Oster line, and she dismissed that. I felt like I was being accused of lying--possibly because I WAS being accused of lying. I have since re-looked at the Amazon page for this item, and note that there is also a "three year satisfaction warranty." I'm not satisfied. However, I just wanted to get the jar and move on, so I ordered one. I got an order confirmation; my card was billed for 14.95--8.99 for the jar, 5.95 for shipping. Eventually I got a shipping confirmation, and the item arrived yesterday. The WRONG item. It's a jar for one of your older model blenders; as you no doubt know, the Pro 1200 has a larger blade, a wider jar, and a profile that allows it to fit under a cabinet. It appears to have been packed by a third grader with a passion for bubble wrap. The box is for a Rival Ice Cream maker, and not sturdy. And, more importantly, it's the WRONG JAR. I don't know if I"d have taken the time to write this had it been the right jar. Maybe, since "Pat" was so offensive. But after all that, this is just too much. I was actually contemplating buying an Oster countertop convection oven, as well, but after "Pat" and this incident, I'm pretty much over Oster as a brand. I do plan to update my Amazon review to reflect all of this, but I'll wait a bit. I need the correct jar, since I still like the blender. But I do expect a full refund of what I paid for the WRONG jar. AND I expect the correct jar. There is a three year satisfaction guarantee. I'm not satisfied. With the jar that broke, with the customer service, or with the 'replacement jar' that is not the replacement jar. End copied e-mail Begin original product review: I just had to return a Ninja that died after less than three months of daily smoothies, so let me offer a direct comparison between the two. I am pasting my review of the Ninja Auto IQ (including the response by customer service) below this review, for comparison. But here are the basics: First, I was a bit concerned when I ordered this Oster, because the reviews were mostly Vine Voices, but I took the chance anyway--and am very glad I did. 1) I make daily smoothies that include nuts, seeds, carrots, greens, sometimes cauliflower, yogurt, almond milk, and frozen fruit. The Oster handles this better and faster than the Ninja did. The reversing blades are a huge advantage, and the resultant smoothie is much creamier. This Oster is by far a better built, more efficient machine at a far better price with a better warranty. The all metal drive system makes a difference, even in just how solid the machine feels. The Ninja visible parts are all plastic, and the blades are not nearly as solid. 2) The Ninja 24 oz smoothie cup really doesn't allow enough room for all needed ingredients (see below). Their customer rep sent me a 32 oz cup, which helped, but shouldn't have been necessary. This Oster 24 oz cup solves that problem in two ways: First, the cup is wider. Second, the blade assembly doesn't doesn't protrude nearly as far into the cup, leaving more room for ingredients. 3) The "smoothie" setting on this Oster actually does the job right the first time around, unless you don't add enough liquid (I tend to eyeball my ingredients.) However, it will make a very nice sherbet/sorbet if the fruit and yogurt are at the top; I'm planning to play
