It is great to have a well-equipped kitchen, full of all the appliances you need. For example, if you cook a lot and maybe for a lot of persons, a food processor and a bullet blender shouldn’t be missed out from your modern kitchen. These appliances can save you time, they are more efficient, safer and they will definitely make your dishes taste delicious!
On the other hand, if you are asking yourself the question,
”What kind of juicer should I get?, there are a lot of things to consider when it comes to purchasing “the best” vegetable and fruit juicing system. A lot of the decision will depend upon how much you want to spend, how often you will use the machine and what you are looking for in the “final” results.
At Top Products, we know that budget often plays a big role in the type of kitchen appliances that people purchase, and with juice extractors there is a very wide range in prices as well as the features that come with the price tag. You could opt for a juicer like the
Epica Citrus Juicer which comes in at under $50 but of course, that’s because it can only juice citrus fruits. Alternatively, you could go for a full-sized juicing machine like the
Hamilton Beach Big Mouth 800-watt Juicer. Hamilton Beach actually have a ton of different kinds of juicers to check out. Finally, some people prefer masticating juicers because they can extract the juice from leafy greens and wheatgrass as well as the usual fruits. If you’re looking for one like this, STX International has some good choices like the
Eco-Pure Slow Speed Masticating Juicer.
There are some important factors that you need to consider – whether you are looking for an affordable juicing system or a top of the line juicing center that does it all.
Price
The price of a juice extractor will depend upon the type it is (how it works) and the features that it has. Prices vary greatly, with top end professional level juicers costing hundreds of dollars. However, there are some good quality, and affordable juicing machines that produce good results.
What price you pay, will depend upon what your juicing goal is. Someone who just wants to make something good to drink, is going to be able to work with one of the less expensive models but if you want to make super healthy juices, you will need to spend a little bit more.
Features
You might be pleased to find out that there are numerous juicers that come with extra "bells and whistles" which makes them more practical and sets them apart from competition. We strived to include such products in our review and they come in different price ranges.
For example, some brands of juicers offer features designed for safety and reliability such as “overload protection” which will shut the appliance down if it is working too hard or overheating. There are also features that designed to make the juicing system last longer or reduce vibration and slipping.
Then there are features that we bet you may not even knew were possible with a juicing system – like attachments for grinding coffee, making pasta and homogenizing!
Construction and Design
Before we get in to our actual reviews, we need to take a little bit of time talking about the different types of juicing machines and juicer extractors. Other than your budget, this may be the factor that has the biggest impact on which machine you buy. All of the machines are designed to do one thing – extract the juice and nutrients from foods, but they do it in different ways.
- Centrifugal Juicers – Probably the most common kind of juicer, food is inserted down a shoot and is spun around at high speeds, much like a washing machine. There is a fast moving metal blade that spins against a shredder plate or mesh filter, separating the juice and pulp from the flesh. This kind of machine works quickly, especially if you precut your fruits and vegetables, but can only make small batches. The other problem is that the fast spinning blade generates a lot of heat, which both destroys and oxidizes nutrients. They are good for solid fruits and vegetables, but not so great for leafy greens. They also tend to be noisy.
- Centrifugal Ejection Juicers – Work using the same priciples as a regular centrifugal juicer except for the fact that it has a hopper that catches the pulp that is ejected, and the juice goes through a strainer into a container. This makes it possible to extract more juice because the pulp goes in to a separate container, allowing you to make larger batches. They come in wide mouth models which allow for larger pieces to be used, making the process more efficient. On the down side, they have the same pitfalls with regards to extracting the maximum nutrition from your produce – especially those greens.
- Masticating Juicers – This is a newer type of juice extractor on the market, also called slow press juicers, that works by using a rotating auger that crushes the food against a stainless steel mesh screen. Because the rotation speed is significantly slower, there is minimal oxidation. The juice goes through the screen into a container and the extracted pulp exits separately in another one. Slow juicers don’t produce heat so they do a much better job of maintaining the nutritional value of produce. They are great for processing leafy greens. They can also process nuts like almond and cashews, for making your own non-dairy, high protein milks. They run super quietly, which is nice because you won’t disturb the rest of the household.
Twin Gear or Triurating Juicers – This type of juicer works by using two gears that interlock that shred and squeeze the juice out of fruits and vegetables. Unlike models with quickly rotating blades, it a bit of force to push the foods down the chute. There are pros and cons to this type of juicer, and they are very expensive. None of the models we reviewed are this type.
Each of these types of power juice extractors come in varying sizes, capacities and power.
Performance and Ease of Use
Now that we have an understanding of the ways that juice extractors work, we need to makes sure that we are on the same page with regards to the final product. When we talk about “juicing” we are really talking about more than “making juice.” For example, if you take an orange, and squeeze it through a hand press, or even a rotary spinning citrus juicer, you will get something that tastes really good, but you will be leaving behind a lot of the nutrition. Plus, there are many more “solid” fruits and vegetables that have great nutritional value and potential locked inside them, just waiting to be turned in to a healthy and good tasting drink – and throwing them in to a blender or food processor just won’t do it.
When considering the performance of a juicing system, needless to say the “results” are important. If you end up with a drink that is full of chunks or creates something that doesn’t taste good – what’s the point? You also want an electric juicing machine that not only extracts the maximum amount of nutrients, the less that it destroys during the process, the better.
Other things to consider with regards to performance include how easy they are to use. For example, some machines require you to cut up the produce in to smaller pieces, while others let you throw them in whole, or at least into bigger pieces. Some machines require more frequent dumping of the “pulp” (the stuff that is pulled away from the juice and nutrients and discarded). You will want to consider the capacity of the machine – does it just make single batches that you have to drink right away, or can you do larger batches that can be refrigerated and drank later.
You also want something that is easy to clean and maintain – the more work that is involved with the process, the less likely you are to use it on a regular basis. Does it come apart easily? Can the pieces be washed in the dishwasher?
Finally, you may want to consider how noisy a juicing machine is while working
Since there are so many to choose from, we’ve done some research and made a list of five fruit and vegetable juicers that come highly recommended, each for different reasons. Note: For the purpose of this review, we only looked at electric juicers that are designed to extract both the nutrition and juices – not manual juicers or “food processors.”
Features
Omega was founded in 1985 by Robert Leo after he’d acquired 20 years’ experience at a pioneering juicer company. Armed with invaluable knowledge about what consumers wanted and how to give it to them, Omega Products took off and they’re still the only brand that offers masticating, centrifuge and pulp ejection style juicers. They also manufacture milkshake makers, drink dispensers and blenders.
The Omega 6th Gen Nutrition System is a masticating type of juicer. This means it extracts the juice at a lower speed, just 80RPM, which reduces oxidation and heat build-up. By pushing foods through a tight auger system, this juicer can extract from things as fine as leafy vegetables and wheatgrass. You can also use it to make soy milk, almond milk and natural nut butters! You’ve got 5 settings to choose from, so you can go with setting 1 for citrus fruits and setting 5 for your hard-to-juice foods like wheatgrass.
Omega is constantly innovating and improving their products. This juicer has a larger feed chute than the previous model which in turn reduces the amount of time you have to spend prepping. There’s 6 nozzles and 1 juicing screen which are all BPA-free and all of these parts work together seamlessly and quietly.
Features
SKG is a brand that manufactures a range of high-quality products. Their products are arranged into three categories; sweet kitchen, healthy body and beautiful women. Within their sweet kitchen category, they’ve got juicers, bread makers, measuring cups and more.
Today, we’re featuring the SKG 2-in-1 Juicer & Food Processor. As it says in the name, it’s more than just a masticating juicer; it also doubles up as a fully functional food processor too. This as well as it’s compact design, measuring just 18 x 17 x 12-inches, make it the ultimate space saver. This juicer has been designed to work at a low speed, just 65RPM, and work with virtually no oxidation of the juice. This means it’ll taste better, fresher and can last for up to 3 days!
The stainless steel, silicone and PEI juicing screw are all made from anti-oxidation TRITAN material, which further adds to the great tasting juice this produces. They’ve even gone to the trouble of making sure that during juicing all parts of the machine are sealed, preventing oxidation further. By choosing a slow speed juicer you’ll reap the benefits of a high juice yield. You can get 85-90% from oranges, 78-83% from pears and even 42-47% from carrots.
Features
Breville is a well-known and trusted brand with a long history that dates back to 1932. Their popularity soared with the release of the famous sandwich maker. The ability to make quick and easy grilled cheese quickly pushed Breville into the spotlight. They manufacture a range of other product too including coffee makers, blenders, kettles, ovens, deep fryers, waffle makers and so much more!
We’re taking a look at the Breville Duo Dual Disc Juicer thanks to its quality construction and host of features. If you’re looking for a machine that can do it all, this is it. Although primarily a juicer, there’s also a second disc that can puree soft fruits, so you can choose between a frothy smoothie or a smooth juice. Breville hasn’t skimped on construction. This juicer features a titanium reinforced disc with an Italian-made mesh filter that extracts 30% more juice.
Don’t spend loads of time chopping and preparing your fruit and veg to juice; with the extra wide 3” chute this is a thing from the past. There’s also 5 speed settings you can choose from to make sure you get the most from your food. It’s not all fun and games though, Breville takes safety seriously and so they’ve incorporated a safety locking arm and overload protection button. The juicer won’t work unless the arm is locked in place and the safety button prevents overheating.
Features
Nutrihome is a brand that manufactures high-quality home products. They aim to innovate and manufacture products that are functional and stand the test of time. Their products include juicers, air fryers and other small kitchen products like cheese graters.
The Nutrihome Slow Masticating Juicer extracts up to 20% more juice than other juicers. As it’s a masticating juicer, the auger spins at 80RPM and preserves the enzymes, vitamins and fresh taste of fruits and vegetables. The technology used in this juicer means you can juice fibrous vegetables like ginger and celery as well as the usual fruits, like oranges and lemons. That’s not all though, you can also extract the juice from leafy greens and wheatgrass too.
This machine extracts the juice from fruits and veg slowly and carefully, which also makes it very quiet to operate. Additionally, this means there’s less clogging and overheating too. Win, win! With sealed parts, there’s minimal oxidation which in turn keeps your juice fresh and tasty and once you’re finished juicing, most of the parts are dishwasher safe!
Features
Aicok is a leading manufacturer of home products in North America and Europe. They strongly believe that the soul of the house is the kitchen and so they produce high-quality, innovative kitchen products. These include blenders, coffee makers, juicers, kettles, steamers, grinders and more. Aicok are always investing in their staff and products to make sure they are always up to standard.
Today we’re featuring the Aicok Premium Juice Extractor. It can extract more juice than some counterparts thanks to the micro-mesh filter and stainless-steel disc. It’s a centrifugal juicer so it operates at a faster speed than masticating ones. There’s two speed settings; 12,000 – 15,000RPM is the slow speed and 15,000 – 18,000RPM is the fast speed for vegetables like carrots, ginger, spinach etc.
The large speed chute is 2.55”, meaning you don’t have to cut up your fruits and vegetables too small before juicing. Aicok takes notice of convenience and safety too. Their juicer has removable parts that are dishwasher-safe and easy to put back together again after. There’s also a safety arm that locks into place and prevents the juicer from working if it isn’t locked down safely.
We hope that this review of some of the top vegetable and fruit extractors helps you find one that meets both your desired features and your budget. To recap, here are five of the best juicing machines available on the market today.
