Kitchen Blenders

When you begin looking for new kitchen appliances (mixers, blenders, juicers, etc) where do you do your research? What makes that source reliable/trustworthy?

I go to consumer Reports first. They tell you about features you may like and give ratings on the best and worst. I have found their ratings accurate and their information helpful. The only problem is when companies change models too fast Consumer reports needs time to evaluate the product before they will give a rating.

What category would you use to describe all four of these?
Food processor
Blender
Smoothie Maker
Electric Whisk
(It’s for Food Technology)

Electric mixers

I have a Cuisine Art Blender that has 600 watts of power ( it really blends anything I put in it!) I am looking to start juicing but do not want to miss out on all the nutrients and fiber that is found in the skin of veggies and fruits. With juicing its con is that it discards some of the best parts, but its pro is that it is pure liquid and very easy to drink.
I did an experiment at home with my blender after watching the health master infomercial and put a whole apple (not chopped) whole orange (peeled) 1 cup of spinach, half cup of blueberries, a full banana, a cup of ice and about a cup and a half of water. My blender was able to make this whole thing up into a smoothie without a problem. It tasted pretty good and I could see myself drinking it.
My big question is, to those of you that own a Health master or Vita Mix, will the health master be able to make this drink into more of a liquid, or is my blender pretty sufficient to do the job?

The price is very high..maybe 200-dollars(USD)at the least..
A couple of months back–I bought a bag of seedless oranges..I peeled them and placed them in my 40-dollar COOKS Processor–and whipped them for a High Fiber Orange Juice Mixture..I drank that over a 2-day period..cost-about 4-dollars/..[end]

Hello I am wondering if I can use a hand blender: http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CSB-76BC-SmartStick-200-Watt-Immersion/dp/B000EGA6QI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1264208056&sr=1-1

in this kind of a enameled iron cast oven: http://www.amazon.com/Creuset-Enameled-Cast-Iron-2-Quart-French/dp/B00004SBH4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1264208252&sr=1-1

or will it damage the pot?? I am thinking of blending soup right in the pot.
thanks

You can use it – no problem at all. That type of hand blender won’t harm the pot. It has two little feet on the bottom to keep the blades from doing anything to any kind of non-stick coating a pot might have. I’ve done it many times.

I love my kitchen center, but recently when using the blender and non liquid, it makes a terrible squilling noise at startup and when you end the mixing.
I wasn’t quite awake I meant Oster!
Can I take it a part? What should I look for as a source of the whirring sound?

I didn’t realize Oscar made anything but juicers, but I’m sure the bottom bushing in the blender can be changed at any appliance repair store. They are a less expensive brand so it may be less costly to buy another unit. Oster? There are service/warranty centers all across the US and Canada.