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iCucina Portable Bullet vs. Oster My Blend Side-by-Side Comparison

Tina Pham
Reviewer
Nguyen Ntk
Visual Specialist
Updated
Tested Using Methodology v1.0
Updated Mar 21, 2023
Tested Using Methodology v1.0
Updated Mar 22, 2023
The iCucina Personal Blender standing on a white table with its accessories, including a to-go lid, an extra blending cup with lid, a user’s manual, and a paper carton box, by its sides.
The Oster personal blender standing on a white table with its additional accessories, including a to-go lid, user’s manual, and paper carton box, by its sides.
Blenders type
personal
personal

Our Verdict

6.1
Overall Score
  • Performance (60%)
    4.7/10
  • Design (25%)
    7.7/10
  • Usability (15%)
    9.3/10
5.0
Overall Score
  • Performance (60%)
    3.9/10
  • Design (25%)
    6.6/10
  • Usability (15%)
    7.0/10

These two personal blender models share several similarities as they are both considered to be average in terms of their features and suitability for simple blends. Performance testing revealed that they performed comparably in preparing protein shakes and smoothies. It should be noted that the results of neither blender were entirely smooth, though, as they both produced somewhat grainy blends.

When blending high-fiber foods like kale and spinach, the Oster left a slightly larger amount of fibrous pulp behind, which compromised the nutritional values in the final product. Considering this, the iCucina seems to be a better choice for those who want to focus on green smoothies.

In terms of design, both blenders feature straightforward operation that makes them as simple to use as any basic personal blender. However, you’ll need to lock their cups into the bases for hands-free operation, which may be slightly confusing and requires a bit of trial and error to master.

Not a Do-It-All Machine

iCucina Portable Bullet Performance

Oster My Blend Personal Blender Performance: Limited Versatility
4.7
Performance Scores
  • Protein Shake (40%)6.0/10
  • Frozen Fruit Smoothie (30%)5.0/10
  • Fibrous Greens (20%)4.0/10
  • Crushed Ice Cubes (10%)0/10
3.9
Performance Scores
  • Protein Shake (40%)5.2/10
  • Frozen Fruit Smoothie (30%)6.0/10
  • Fibrous Greens (20%)0/10
  • Crushed Ice Cubes (10%)0/10
6.0

Protein Shake

5.2
  • Blending Time: 1 mins 50 seconds
  • Result: Very Coarse

The iCucina may be a good choice for you to prepare any protein shakes that use fresh plant-based food, but if you want to level up your workout drinks with raw nuts and dried fruits, we recommend going with other models, such as the Ninja Fit, Nutri BN401, or the NutriBullet. This blender is inefficient enough to liquify and combine such ingredients fully. 

For this test, our protein shake is designed to include oatmeal, almonds, protein powder, and dried blueberries. Throughout the blending process, we noticed that this blender didn’t have much hard time grinding the ingredients; it worked quite smoothly, indeed. All the oatmeal was turned into liquid form in approximately two minutes, which seemed not to be so fast yet acceptable enough. The final drink, unfortunately, couldn’t get the most flavor out of almonds and berries, since about a third of the fruits were still solid.

  • Blending Time: 2 mins 50 seconds
  • Result: Coarse

The consistency of the Oster’s protein shake was about average and much in line with other low-powered blenders, such as the Black+Decker FusionBlade. After letting it pass through a mesh strainer, we found a small amount of dried berries remaining partially intact and this made the shake somewhat gritty. The oatmeal and almonds were mostly turned into liquid form, however. So overall, the beverage was still drinkable enough to help an athlete or gym enthusiast increase their muscle mass without feeling uncomfortable.   

Despite being second to none within its market segment, this blender abjectly surrendered to its higher-priced counterparts in terms of blending time. To manage an acceptable result, it took up to nearly three minutes, which was about one minute slower on average. For this reason, we only gave it a 5.2/10, in comparison to other personal blenders in our Protein Shake test.

5.0

Frozen Fruit Smoothie

6.0
  • Blending Time: 1 min 50 seconds
  • Result: Smooth
  • Suction:

Berries are the favorite superfoods of many people but their skins and seeds are typically a little bit hard to be liquified entirely. That’s why our recipe for this test calls for four berry varieties; we want it to be a practical way to test for the smoothie-making capacity of our personal blenders, including this iCucina, and fortunately, it does. 

Preparing frozen fruit smoothies with the iCucina asked us to compromise on texture. This was because while this blender could break down all the fruits in one minute and fifty seconds, after such a duration, the smoothie it delivered did lose its thick, icy consistency we prefer. 

Simply put, for an ice-cold treat to come out perfectly, your blender should blend as fast as possible so the frozen ingredients don’t have time to thaw and therefore dilute the overall consistency. But as we learned from our tests, this blender isn’t capable enough in this regard. We recommend using crushed ice instead of freezing your ingredients in advance if you prefer a smoother icy blend.

  • Blending Time: 1 min 40 seconds
  • Result: Silky Smooth
  • Suction:

The Oster BLSTPB-WBL did fairly well in this test, producing a result that was roughly the same as that of a higher-powered blender. So if you tend to focus on frozen smoothies, this device should be worth your consideration. Spinning at speed, we can assure you its blades will yield a silky frozen smoothie without a particularly intense struggle. Just make sure to give your blending cup a good shake once you notice any food getting stuck in the blades and prevent them from turning.

However, you might be wondering why it only got a 6/10 if its smoothie came out that good. Again, it was because of its longer-than-average blending time. 

In particular, after a course of testing trials, we found that a good blender for making icy beverages has to process all the frozen ingredients as fast as possible so they don’t have time to thaw and dilute the overall consistency. As such, the completion time of the Oster meant its smoothie was thinner and less ice-cream-like than faster models, namely the Ninja Fit or the  NutriBullet.

4.0

Fibrous Greens

0.0
  • Blending Time: 20 seconds
  • Result: Very Coarse

We blended kale, spinach, and celery in the time benchmark of 20 seconds to see how well this iCucina would incorporate fibers to your meals. Eventually, we found this blender underperformed significantly against top competitors, again. There was a ton of fibrous pulp left behind when we strained the mixture through a mesh strainer. This suggested that our final drink didn’t get the greatest nutritional value. 

Perhaps, you might think it isn’t necessary to blend that quickly, blending a little bit longer is concede as long as your desired consistency can be achieved. For the most part, we agreed this is entirely possible with the iCucina.

  • Blending Time: 20 seconds
  • Result: Very Coarse

With the Oster, it was definitely an undertaking to extract high-fiber food into liquid form in a short period of time (20 seconds). By our cutoff point, we drained the final mixture with a mesh strainer and ended up with a substantial amount of coarse pulp. This suggested that the test was just one-third completed. 

Perhaps, if we allowed this blender a longer runtime, we would eventually get a smoother outcome. However, one noticeable point was that some personal blenders we tested could do this trick perfectly following the same time frame. (For example, the Nutri Ninja Auto-IQ). As such, the performance of this Oster means more than just a slower extraction — it also has some implications for its overall efficiency in comparison with the expensive, high-end ones.

0.0

Crushed Ice Cubes

0.0
  • Ice Fineness: Coarse
  • Unblended Ice: 73.5% of 6 oz

Typically, personal blenders aren’t designed with a focus on ice-crushing capability, and the iCucina is not an exception. The lack of strength prevented it from powering through the ice. We noticed that the blade couldn't even spin so most of the ice came out virtually untouched. Sometimes we undocked the cup and shook it on purpose to even out the blend, but this still couldn’t help much. If you particularly have a need for this sort of blend, you’d be better served by something that is packed with a higher-powered motor, such as the Ninja Nutri Pro.

  • Ice Fineness: Chunky
  • Unblended Ice: 65% of 6 oz

The weak motor power didn’t allow the Oster BLSTPB-WBL to crush ice so the final outcome came out almost pristine but this is a common occurrence of this type of personal blender. If you want fluffy, snow-like crushed ice or desire to incorporate ice into your smoothies, we recommend more powerful blenders, like the Ninja Fit.

Simple yet Normal

iCucina Bullet Blender Design

Oster My Blend Smoothie Blender Design: Eye-Catching with Standard Quality
7.7
design Scores
  • Blades (20%)6.0/10
  • Build Quality (60%)7.5/10
  • Blending Cup (20%)10/10
6.6
design Scores
  • Blades (20%)7.0/10
  • Build Quality (60%)7.0/10
  • Blending Cup (20%)5.0/10

In the Box of the iCucina Portable Blender

In the Box of the Oster MyBlend Portable Blender
  • Motor Base 
  • Blade assembly
  • Two blending Cup
  • Two to-go lids
  • User guide
  • Motor Base 
  • Extractor Blade
  • Recipe book & user guide
  • Blending Cup

Dimensions

  • Height:
    13.6" (34.5 cm)
  • Width:
    5.0" (12.7 cm)
  • Weight:
    2.5 oz (71 g)
  • Shaft Length:

The iCucina is about one-third smaller than a standard full-sized blender, like the Vitamix 5200 or the Ninja with Auto-iQ technology, so we suppose it’ll fit easily into any cabinet.

  • Height:
    14.5" (36.8 cm)
  • Width:
    5.5" (14.0 cm)
  • Weight:
    2.6 oz (74 g)
  • Shaft Length:

The Oster BLSTPB-WBL is 5.5 inches wide and14.5 inches tall with the blending jar attached. It’s not so bulky, but a bit taller compared to most single-serve blenders. Despite that, we believe it would fit nicely in a tiny kitchen or easily tuck away in any cabinet when it’s not in use.

7.5

Build Quality

7.0

The whole construction of the motor base is plastic except for a thin layer on the outer that is made of stainless steel. It’s supposed that the lack of sleekness of this layer somehow causes the blender to feel cheaper. That’s why although our iCucina  is rather solidly put together, next to the Ninja Fit or the KOIOS, it just looks less of a bargain.

The overall build quality is more than acceptable. The whole construction is made out of plastic, except for the blending blade, which is the standard in most budget-friendly personal blenders. We can’t say for sure if such a material makes this blender less durable than the ones reinforced with stainless steel, but it surely means that your machine isn’t as steady, resulting in the fact that it will be shaky when tackling heavy-duty blends.

6.0

Blades

7.0
  • Material:
    Stainless Steel
  • Type:
    Sharp and Dull Blades
  • Guard Material:
  • Blade Count:
    4
  • Removable:
    No
  • Dishwasher Safe:
    Yes

The blade has four prongs: two are sharps and the others are dull. In comparison with the rivals, it is less refined due to its small-scale and the lack of sharpness. Lackluster performances mainly result from this, we believe.

  • Material:
    Stainless Steel
  • Type:
    Dull Blade
  • Guard Material:
  • Blade Count:
    4
  • Removable:
    No
  • Dishwasher Safe:
    Yes

The blade assembly looks solid, adding extra value to the overall product. That being said, it comes with dull prongs made of stainless steel, not sharp, which are typically more ideal for processing dry ingredients rather than wet mixtures.

Motor Base

Oster BLSTPB-WBL Personal Blender Motor Base
  • Rated Voltage:
    120 V
  • Rated Power:
    300 Watts
  • Working Time:
    ≤ 1 minute
  • Protection:
    No
  • Weight:
    2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)
  • Cord Length:
    NaN" (NaN cm)
  • Extra Feature:
    Silicon feet, a cooling fan

The base stands steadily on our counter thanks to the four silicone feet on its bottom. Like those of other personal blenders, the motor cannot run for longer than 1 minute to avoid damage caused by overheating, though there is an internal cooling fan designed to ensure proper ventilation and air circulation.

  • Rated Voltage:
    120 V
  • Rated Power:
    250 Watts
  • Working Time:
    N/A
  • Protection:
    Yes
  • Weight:
    2.2 lbs (1.0 kg)
  • Cord Length:
    2.1 ft (0.6 m)
  • Extra Feature:
    Handle

The motor peaks around 250 watts, which is sufficient to handle simple combinations of soft ingredients. In general, such a low-powered motor can only run continuously for one minute. Longer than that will result in an overloaded motor and cause it to be permanently damaged. More often than not, you can determine the maximum continuous runtime of your blender by checking its user manual. 

So far, however, we haven’t found any information about the Oster’s motor in this regard. As such, it’s uncertain if this blender has a specific maximum runtime, especially when it’s packed with a built-in thermal resettable fuse to prevent damage in the case of extreme overload. Despite that, we still recommend not running it continuously for longer than 1 minute per interval.

Another nice extra feature that you won’t find in other blenders' motor bases is the handle, which gives it much better mobility.

10

Blending Cup

5.0
  • Material:
    Plastic
  • Capacity:
    28.0 fl oz (828.1 ml)
  • Weight:
    0.4 oz (11 g)
  • Dishwasher Safe:
    Yes
  • Measurement:
    Yes
  • Suitable For:
    Small and Medium batches
  • Accessories:
    To-go lids

The set consists of two blending cups. They can work interchangeably with the blade assembly and two spout-flip lids that are extra included.

  • Material:
    Plastic
  • Capacity:
    20 oz
  • Weight:
    0.3 lbs (0.1 kg)
  • Dishwasher Safe:
    Yes
  • Measurement:
    No
  • Suitable For:
    Small batches
  • Accessories:
    To-go lid

Included in this set is a 20-oz blending cup with lid. We found the lid is easy to attach to the cup, but a little bit on the firm side to unscrew. It seals the cup so tightly that you can take your favorite beverages with you wherever you’ll go without leakage. You may also appreciate its flip-top spout, which allows you to take a sip straight from the cup easily and mess-free. 

The cup, on the other hand, is not as practical. We like its beautiful and ergonomic design—which makes it feel good in our hands and ensures convenient handling—but there was always a problem getting our hands inside for cleaning due to its narrow structure.

Speed and Controls

  • Control Type:
    Button
  • Min Speed:
    N/A
  • Max Speed:
    N/A
  • Presets:
    No
  • Noise Level:
    97 dB
  • Digital Display:
    No
  • Pulse Mode:
    No

The iCucina is a single-speed personal blender with one-touch operation. This means there is a pressing button in the front center that you’ll use to control the motor. More to the point, the button is very clicky so you don’t need much force to press.

  • Control Type:
    Twist
  • Min Speed:
  • Max Speed:
  • Presets:
    No
  • Noise Level:
    86 dB
  • Digital Display:
    No
  • Pulse Mode:
    No

As a standard personal blender, the Oster BLSTPB-WBL comes with only one speed, but you can get pulse mode by pressing and releasing the cup in short intervals.

Less than Intuitive to Assemble

iCucina Bullet Personal Blender Usability Review

Oster MyBlend Personal Blender Usability Review
9.3
usability Scores
  • Hand-Free Operation (60%)10/10
  • Assembly (20%)8.0/10
  • Cleanability (20%)8.5/10
7.0
usability Scores
  • Hands-Free Operation (60%)6.5/10
  • Assembly (20%)7.5/10
  • Cleanability (20%)8.0/10
10

Hand-Free Operation

Hands-Free Operation

We like the smooth and non-intrusive operation of this blender. In particular, your iCucina will blend much more like a full-sized model since it doesn’t require you to press and hold the power button or the blending cup throughout the whole process like many rivals. Most impressively, food doesn’t too often get lodged under the blade and demands your intervention to resolve. Those suggest that you can possibly take your eyes off your blender to do other things while it is operating.

The Oster BLSTPB-WBL allows you to lock the blending cup in place so you won’t need to continuously press it down to the motor base for activation. However, this doesn’t mean that it will get the job done without your hands involved in the blending process. If your beverage is packed with tough ingredients which are too hard for the blade to power through, thus causing it to get jammed, sometimes you’ll need to stop the blender and give its cup a good shake to even out the blend.

8.0

Assembly

7.5

It is very easy to seal the cup with the blade assembly. Just align the grooves on the blade assembly with the appropriate grooves on the cup and then turn one of the two pieces clockwise until you feel they attach firmly together. Attaching the cup assembly to the motor base, on the other hand, takes quite some time to figure out how things work.

There’s minimal assembly required since this blender has only three parts. First and foremost, you’ll need to fasten the blade assembly on the open end of the blending cup, then turn the whole piece upside down to place it in the base. For the proper result, make sure to line up the arrows on the blade assembly to the arrows on the base. Blending begins as soon as you press the cup down, but you can also lock the cup for hands-free operation by turning it clockwise in the base, though it can take quite some time to figure out how things work.

8.5

Cleanability

8.0

Except for the motor base, you can put everything in the dishwasher. The blending cup has a wide opening so you won’t have any difficulty reaching inside if cleaning by hand. Regarding the blade assembly, you have to remove the silicone gasket first. because this part is attached extremely tight, we found it is quite frustrating to get the job done, however.  On the bright side, there isn’t much difficulty in wiping the blades’s backsides, especially when you have a bottle brush.

All the parts, except for the motor base, are dishwasher safe, so simply add them to the top rack and you’ll have more time to spare for other activities. Hand washing is also nothing short of frustrating and worrisome. Make sure you have cleaning brushes handy for removing food tailings in the hard-to-reach spots of the long, narrow cup and the blade’s backsides.