Kitchen head-to-head
Oster Pro 1200vsVitamix A3500
Vitamix A3500 takes the average, 7.8 to 7.2, but Oster Pro 1200 wins the widest axis on the page: Value, by 2.8.
Oster Pro 1200
Oster
7.2
A glass jar and an all-metal drive, warrantied ten years on the part that usually shears off.
Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.
Vitamix A3500
Vitamix
7.8
A ten-year warranty, a tamper, and a self-clean cycle. Noise is what the drivetrain costs.
Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.
Where they diverge
The widest gap is Value, Oster Pro 1200 ahead 9.0 to 6.2. They come closest on Quietness, 6.0 to 5.4. Left of center is Oster Pro 1200, right is Vitamix A3500.
Which one to pick
Take the Oster Pro 1200
Leads on Value and Quietness.
- Glass rather than plastic, if scratching and held odours in a jar bother you
- Milkshakes, salsas, and a daily smoothie rather than nut butter
- A ten-year drive warranty at the budget end of the market
Take the Vitamix A3500
Leads on Performance, Durability and Ease of use.
- Nut butters, doughs, and hot soup — jobs that stall lesser machines
- You keep appliances for a decade and want containers still orderable then
- Frozen batches thick enough that a tamper is the only way through
What each one gets wrong
Oster Pro 1200
- Lifting a full jar one-handed — wet glass is heavy and the handle is small
- Fibrous greens and dates, which come out gritty rather than smooth
- You need a machine that will run six minutes straight without a break
Vitamix A3500
- Thin walls or a sleeping household; this is among the loudest machines here
- You blend a single cup at a time — a 64 oz container needs volume to circulate
- Your upper cabinets sit lower than seventeen inches above the counter
Specs, side by side
| Spec | Oster Pro 1200 | Vitamix A3500 |
|---|---|---|
| Motor | 1,200 watts, 900 watts of ice crushing power | 2.2 peak horsepower |
| Jar | 6-cup Boroclass glass | — |
| Speeds | Seven speeds with three preset programs | — |
| Drive | All-metal drive, 10-year limited warranty | — |
| Size | 8 x 7.25 x 14.5 in | 11 x 8 x 17 in |
| Container | — | 64 oz low-profile with Self-Detect |
| Controls | — | Touchscreen, variable speed dial, pulse, timer |
| Programs | — | Smoothies, hot soups, dips, frozen desserts, self-clean |
| Warranty | — | 10-year full warranty |
Rankings they both appear in
Questions
- Vitamix A3500 scores higher. Why would anyone take Oster Pro 1200?
- Because of Value, where Oster Pro 1200 wins 9.0 to 6.2, the biggest single gap between them. That axis covers what the same money buys elsewhere. The 0.6 overall lead sits on Performance, Durability and Ease of use instead.
- How much does the overall lead mean here?
- Less than the number suggests. Oster Pro 1200 averages 7.2 and Vitamix A3500 averages 7.8, but the axes split 3-2, and the widest of them runs against the leader.
- Which one ranks higher in "Batch size decides a blender before wattage does"?
- Vitamix A3500 sits at #2 in "Batch size decides a blender before wattage does", Oster Pro 1200 at #3.