If you’ve never owned a juicer before, then the choices available can be truly bewildering. You can get juicers that cost $30 or $3,000, so which should you choose? Your budget will obviously play a big part in your decision, but even if you have an unlimited budget don’t just buy the most expensive juicer, because it might not be suitable for your needs. When it comes to juicers, the most expensive isn’t always the best.
Types of Juicer
Generally speaking, there are three main types of juicer.
Masticating Juicer
This is a low-speed juicer that’s able to juice all fruit and vegetables, including leafy greens and wheatgrass. If you are going to be juicing greens, which I hope you are, then this is the type of juicer to get. Getting a juicer that is low-speed is important, because it generates less heat and therefore keeps the nutrients intact. The heat generated by high-speed juicers can destroy the nutrients, so you end up with a less healthy juice. Masticating juicers can usually make other foods as well, such as raw desserts, nut butters, baby food, pasta, and lots more.
I own the Omega 8004, which is an absolutely superb machine. It costs around $230, so is pretty much a mid-range priced juicer. This juicer also comes with a 15-year warranty, so is obviously built to last. Other masticating juicer worth considering are the Samson Advanced and the Solo Star II. I have also used both these juicers and have had great results from them.
Centrifugal Juicer
As the name suggests, these types of juicers produce the juice by use of centrifugal force, with speeds that are usually around 10,000 RPM. This means that centrifugal juicers are high-speed juicers. They can’t usually juice leafy greens, so you’ll only be able to juice fruit and hard vegetables, such as carrots and beetroot.
For me the speed of these juicers is just too high, which causes the juice to oxidize very quickly. If you juice an apple using a high-speed centrifugal juicer and also with a low-speed masticating juicer, such as the Omega 8004, you will immediately see the difference. The apple juice from the centrifugal juicer will turn brown very quickly, whereas the juice from the masticating juicer will stay fresh for much, much longer. But many people love centrifugal juicers, as they are relatively easy to clean. If you only plan to juice fruit and hard vegetables, then this could be an option for you, although I personally wouldn’t recommend it. If you do opt one of these, beware that some of the juicers at the cheaper end of the range tend to break down very quickly.
Citrus Juicer
A citrus juicer can only make citrus juice, mostly orange juice. If you plan to drink lots of orange juice, then a citrus juicer is a good choice, as neither masticating nor centrifugal juicers are great at making orange juice.
Assembling and Cleaning Your Juicer
Before choosing a juicer you’ll also need to consider how easy it is to assemble, disassemble and clean. Of the masticating juicers, all the single-gear juicers are pretty easy to use in this respect. You aren’t supposed to put any parts in the dishwasher though, as they can shrink slightly and then won’t fit together. But cleaning my Omega 8004 takes about two minutes to wash by hand under running water. It’s similar for all single-gear masticating juicers. Twin-gear masticating juicers are a little trickier to assemble and clean, and this is one reason I chose not to get one, although I have used them in the past. They produce a slightly better quality of juice, but I personally don’t think it’s worth it for the extra time involved. For someone with major health issues, I’d suggest getting a twin-gear juicer, but for most people a single gear juicer is a better option – because they’re easier to assemble, disassemble and clean. And they’re much cheaper than twin-gear juicers.
My Recommendation
In case you haven’t already guessed, but recommendation is the Omega 8004 Juicer. I’ve used about eight different juicers over the years and this is my favorite. You can purchase from Amazon and other online sellers.