Test:
JuicersThe claims are true: non-centrifugal models do produce juice that lasts longer
and contains more nutrients.
Online October 2007
Test results for 12 centrifugal and non-centrifugal juicers
from $100 to $749
We've scored the juicers for:
We also tested the manufacturers' claims that
juice made by cold-press-style machines is more nutritious and that it’ll
stay fresh and tasty for up to 48 hours.
Key findings:
- All the juicers performed reasonably well, with even the worst
getting a good score.
- Our tests showed that non-centrifugal juicers do extract more
nutrients — in some cases double or even three times as much!
- Juice from the non-centrifugal juicers still looked and smelt
palatable after 48 hours.
- All the centrifugal juicers have large, bulky parts that are hard to
fit into a domestic sink for cleaning.
Brands
tested
- Breville Ikon Juice Fountain BJE510
- Breville 800 Class 800JE
- Delonghi JE 850 M
- Sunbeam Café Juice JE7600
- Sunbeam Café Series JE8900
- Kambrook Twin Speed Juicer KJE40
- Morphy Richards 48951
- Magimix Le Duo Plus
- Greenpower Hippocrates GPT-E1303
- Oscar 900 VitalMAX (Chrome)
- Champion 2000+
- Healthstart Compact
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| What to buy |
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| Brand |
Price |
| Centrifugal |
| Breville Ikon Juice Fountain
BJE510 |
$249 |
| Breville 800 Class 800JE
|
$530 |
| DeLonghi JE850M |
$199 |
| Sunbeam Café Juice
JE7600 |
$199 |
| Sunbeam Café Series
JE8900 |
$299 |
| Kambrook Twin Speed Juicer
KJE40* |
$100 |
| Non-centrifugal |
| Greenpower Hippocrates GPT–
E1303 |
$749 |
| OSCAR 900 VitalMAX
(Chrome) |
$540 |
| *While the
Kambrook’s score isn’t quite as high as
the others, it works well and we think it’s great value at half the price
of some other models which gained similar scores.
About the rest
- Although the Morphy Richards has a
large chute and produces reasonable-quality juice, you only get a
relatively small amount. It’s also large and bulky.
- The Magimix’s juice had a higher
level of calcium than juice from the other centrifugal juicers, but the
model scored the lowest for ease of use. It doesn’t come with a juice
jug, has a small chute, the motor unit has cracks and crevices where
dirt can accumulate, and the filter’s difficult to clean thoroughly.
- The Healthstart and the Champion produced juice containing high levels
of calcium. Apple juice from both looked and smelt palatable after 48
hours. Although easy to clean, they’re expensive, have a small chute, no
cord storage and no dishwasher-safe parts. The Healthstart scored the lowest for the juice
produced because its carrot juice was a little grainy and it produced a
lower quantity.
| Performance |
Features |
Specifications |
|
Brand/model
(in rank
order) |
Type |
Overall score
(%) |
Performance
score (%) |
Ease of use
score (%) |
Speeds |
Dishwasher-safe |
Dimensions (cm,
H x W x D)* |
Weight (kg)
** |
Price
($) |
| Centrifugal juicers
|
Breville Ikon Juice Fountain BJE510
www.breville.com.au |
Centrifugal |
83 |
85 |
80 |
5 |
• (B) |
44 x 35 x 20 |
5.1 |
249 |
Breville 800 Class 800JE
www.breville.com.au |
Centrifugal |
81 |
83 |
78 |
2 |
• (C) |
43 x 35 x 20 |
6.6 |
530 |
Delonghi JE850M
www.delonghi.com.au |
Centrifugal |
80 |
85 |
74 |
2 |
• (C) |
46 x 36 x 21 |
5.8 |
199 |
Sunbeam Café Juice JE7600
www.sunbeam.com.au
|
Centrifugal |
80 |
83 |
76 |
2 |
• (B) |
41 x 32 x 22 |
5.3 |
199 |
Sunbeam Café Series JE8900
www.sunbeam.com.au
|
Centrifugal |
80 |
83 |
76 |
2 |
• (B) |
41 x 32 x 22 |
5.7 |
299 |
Kambrook Twin Speed Juicer KJE40
www.breville.com.au |
Centrifugal |
75 |
80 |
70 |
2 |
• (D) |
38 x 30 x 22 |
3.7 |
100 |
Morphy Richards 48951
www.asko.com.au |
Centrifugal |
75 |
80 |
70 |
2 |
ns |
40 x 24 x 34 |
5.6 |
199 |
Magimix Le Duo Plus
www.cambur.com.au |
Centrifugal |
71 |
83 |
58 |
1 |
• (E) |
33 x 21 x 20 |
5.4 |
399 |
| Non-centrifugal juicers
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Greenpower Hippocrates GPT-E1303
www.sprout.net.au
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Cold-press, twin-gear |
80 |
90 |
70 |
2 (A) |
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32 x 20 x 39 |
6.5 |
749 |
Oscar 900 VitalMAX (Chrome)
www.sprout.net.au
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Cold-press, single-gear, two-step auger |
78 |
90 |
66 |
2 (A) |
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22 x 18 x 26 |
6.1 |
540 |
Champion 2000+
www.sprout.net.au |
Single auger, masticating |
74 |
85 |
62 |
1 |
|
30 x 20 x 49 |
9.7 |
590 |
Healthstart Compact
www.tohealth.com.au |
Similar to cold-press, single auger |
72 |
78 |
66 |
2 (A) |
|
24 x 18 x 25 |
4.3 |
349 |
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Table notesPrice Recommended retail price, correct at
September 2007.
* Doesn’t include juice jug.
(A)
On/reverse.
(B) All parts on the top shelf only.
(C) All plastic
parts except the pusher on the top shelf only.
(D) Pulp container
and juice jug on the top shelf only.
(E) All removable parts on a
short program at 50°C.
Scores
The overall score is made up of:
- Performance score: 50%
- Ease of use score: 50%
How we testedPerformance Our tester processed a
kilogram each of carrots, apples, oranges and a combination of
watermelon and pineapple. From these, she evaluated each juicer's
abilities across a range of textures and consistencies. She was
looking for juice that was smooth rather than pulpy, grainy or frothy.
Ease of use included how easy it was to 'feed' the juicer
(affected by the size of the chute and how small the contents had to
be chopped before it would fit), assembly and disassembly of parts,
cleaning, use of controls, collecting juice, and removing pulp.
Safety Each juicer
was also assessed to see how easy it was for hands of various sizes to
come into contact with the blades through the food chute, when it was
fully assembled. Safety wasn't scored, but you'll find comments in the
profiles.
What to Look
For
The basics
- A juicer should have as few parts as possible, which fit together
and dismantle easily.
- Parts should be easy to clean, with no corners or crevices to trap
food and shelter bacteria.
- It’s best if the blade/sieve and pulp surround or pulp container can
be removed together, so you don’t drip pulp or juice over the
bench.
- Make sure the pulp container is a practical size, so you don’t have
to keep stopping the machine to empty it.
- If the juicer doesn’t come with a juice jug, check that the spout is
positioned to fit over a decent-sized jug.
Useful features
- Make sure the blade assembly can’t be easily touched through the
chute, especially for little fingers.
- Cord storage is handy for keeping your bench uncluttered.
- A control switch at the front is easier to reach quickly than one at
the back.
Different Types of Juicer
There
are two main types of juicer:
- Centrifugal juicers are the most common, popular and
affordable type. They use a rotating blade to cut fruit and vegetables,
which is then pushed against a strainer at very high speeds.
- Non-centrifugal juicers can be either a masticating (chewing)
or a cold-press style.
Masticating juicers Although still fast, masticating
juicers run at a slower rate than most centrifugal juicers. Makers of
masticating juicers claim they break down fibre more thoroughly than
centrifugal juicers, to release more nutrients. The Champion 2000+ is the only masticating juicer we
tested. It uses a combination of tooth-like blades and a fine sieve.
Cold-press style juicers These use a slow-turning auger
(a screw-like device), also called a gear, to crush or squeeze the fruit
or vegetables. They push the pulp through a tight cap and the juice
filters through a sieve into a bowl. The Healthstart Compact and the Oscar 900 VitalMAX are single-gear
cold-press-style juicers.
Twin-gear juicers The most expensive juicers on the
market are twin-gear juicers like the Greenpower
Hippocrates GPT-E1303. These juicers have two gears that rotate
inwards, leaving a very small gap between them. They crush and grind
produce to extract its juice.
Benefits of non-centrifugal juicers The non-centrifugal
juicers we tested are mostly more expensive than centrifugal models.
Despite this, they have a smaller chute size and no dishwasher-safe parts
or cord storage. They’re also slower at processing and you sometimes need
to give the fruit and vegetables a good shove to get them down the chute.
However, there are several advantages to non-centrifugal types.
- If you store your juice rather than drinking it soon after making
it, one of these machines may suit you.
- You can also use some of them for food processing, mincing, grinding
coffee beans and for making sausages, pasta/noodles, seasonings, nut
butter, soy milk, baby food and ice cream.
- They have fewer parts and are easier to clean.
- Cold-press ones can juice wheatgrass and herbs.
- Their warranties are generally longer than those for centrifugal
juicers.
- They’re much quieter than centrifugal models.
Also, as our
test shows, the juice from these machines contains more nutrients than
most centrifugal models, and it lasts longer.
Health Claims Tested
Manufacturers claim
cold-press-style machines’ juice is more nutritious and that it’ll stay
fresh and tasty for up to 48 hours. According to the makers, the gentle,
slow-turning action of a cold press machine produces a greater quantity of
juice, which retains more vitamins, minerals, enzymes, phytochemicals and
fibre than that produced by other methods. Their argument is that
high-speed centrifugal juicers heat up the juice, allow air to enter and
therefore cause damage to some of the perishable nutrients.
Nutritional analysisWe tested the nutritional claims, by sending
a sample of carrot juice from each juicer to a lab to be analysed for
minerals (potassium and calcium), Vitamin C and the phytochemicals alpha
and beta-carotene, to see if the non-centrifugal juicers did extract or
retain more nutrients.
- The juice from all the non-centrifugal juicers contained about
double — in some cases triple — the calcium of the juices produced by
the centrifugal juicers (bar one, the Magimix).
- The Greenpower Hippocrates’ juice
contained well over double the beta-carotene and alpha-carotene of the
juice from every other juicer in the test.
- Potassium was much the same for all juices tested.
- Vitamin C quantities were too low to measure accurately.
How long did the juice stay fresh?A sample of apple juice from
each juicer was refrigerated for 48 hours, then evaluated for colour,
overall appearance, smell and texture, to test the claim that juice from
non-centrifugal juicers holds up longer. The apple juice from the
centrifugal juicers separated and went brown a few minutes after juicing.
After two days it was noticeably deteriorating, didn’t smell fresh, had a
hard froth on top (except juice from the Magmix) and a layer of sediment at the bottom —
indicating a higher level of oxidation. By contrast, the juice from the
non-centrifugal juicers didn’t separate, smelt fresh and looked palatable
and green after 48 hours in the fridge, indicating less oxidation. And the
reason why? It’s possible that the oxidation or friction from higher-speed
centrifugal juicers turns the juice bad faster than the slow-turning
machines.
Profiles - Non-Centrifugal
Juicers
Greenpower Hippocrates GPT–E1303Price: $749 Good
points
- Excellent result for orange, carrot and combined pineapple and
watermelon juice, and very good for apple juice.
- 12-year warranty on the motor and five years on parts and labour.
- Very good instructions with DVD.
- Large pulp container and good-sized jug.
- Can process wheatgrass, barley grass, alfalfa, and seeds such as
sesame and pumpkin.
- Can be used as a food processor, meat mincer, soy milk and tofu
maker, frozen dessert and baby food maker, and pepper and coffee
grinder.
- You can buy an attachable pasta and noodle maker.
- Quiet.
- Juice still looked and smelt palatable after 48 hours.
- Good levels of tested nutrients in juice.
Bad points
- Narrow chute, and no cord storage.
- Hard vegies take more time and effort to process.
- Some cracks and crevices trap dirt.
Oscar 900 VitalMax (Chrome)Price: $540 (On the Sprout Shop, it's $489)
Good points
- Excellent result for orange, apple, carrot and combination pineapple
and watermelon juice.
- Other uses include mincing, chopping, sausage making, noodles/pasta,
nut butters, fruit ice creams, purées and desserts.
- 20-year warranty on the motor, five years on parts and labour.
- Different strainers for different functions, such as juicing and
mincing.
- Juices wheatgrass, barley grass, alfalfa.
- Quiet.
- Easy to clean.
- Juice still looked and smelt palatable after 48 hours.
- Good calcium levels.
Bad points
- No parts are dishwasher-safe.
- No cord storage.
- Narrow chute
- Small juice jug and pulp container.
- Hard vegies take more time and effort to process.
Profiles - Non-Centrifugal
Juicers
Breville Ikon Juice Fountain BJE510Price: $249
Good
points
- Excellent result for carrot, and for combined pineapple and
watermelon juice, and a very good result for orange and apple juice.
- Large chute.
- Very clear controls.
- Large juice jug and pulp container.
- Very comprehensive instructions.
- Parts are dishwasher-safe.
Bad points
- Large and bulky, can be difficult to clean in a domestic sink.
- Blade is accessible.
Breville 800 Class 800JEPrice: $530
Good points
- Excellent result for combined pineapple and watermelon juice, and a
very good result for carrot, orange and apple juice.
- Large chute.
- Large juice jug and pulp container.
- Very comprehensive instructions.
- All parts are dishwasher-safe except the pusher.
Bad
points
- Large and bulky, can be difficult to clean in a domestic sink.
- Expensive.
- Blade is accessible.
DeLonghi JE850MPrice: $199
Good points
- Excellent result for apple and combined pineapple and watermelon
juice, and a very good result for orange and carrot juice.
- Large chute.
- All parts are dishwasher-safe except the pusher.
- Large juice jug and pulp container.
Bad points
- Fiddly to assemble.
- Large and bulky, can be difficult to clean in a domestic sink.
- Blade is accessible by smaller hands.
Sunbeam Café Juice JE7600Price: $199
Good points
- Excellent result for combined pineapple and watermelon juice, and a
very good result for carrot, apple and orange juice.
- Large chute.
- All parts are dishwasher-safe.
- Large juice jug and pulp container.
Bad points
- Large and bulky, can be difficult to clean in a domestic sink.
- Blade is accessible.
Sunbeam Café Series JE8900Price: $299
Good points
- Excellent result for combination pineapple and watermelon juice, and
a very good result for carrot, orange and apple juice.
- Large chute.
- All parts are dishwasher-safe.
- Large juice jug and pulp container.
Bad points
- Large and bulky, can be difficult to clean in a domestic sink.
- Blade is accessible.
Kambrook Twin Speed Juicer KJE40Price: $100
Good
points
- Very good result for carrot, orange, apple and pineapple and
watermelon juice.
- Large chute.
- Pulp container and juice jug are dishwasher-safe.
Bad
points
- No cord storage.
- Small hands can touch blade.
- Cracks and crevices trap dirt.
- Small juice jug and pulp container.
- Bulky parts are hard to clean.
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