I am looking for a good, affordable juicer. Any recommendations?
Also, I am mostly going to be juicing leafy greens, would a juicer waste too much of the greens, would a blender work?
Posted by gagamooppop (Member # 34314) on :
I have a Breville and the Norwalk. I bought the Breville originally just when I wanted to get into juicing and then when I became ill I upped the anti after reading the Gerson Therapy.
My sibling still uses the Breville and likes it, I noticed it definitely wastes plenty of veggies and over time the Norwalk will be cheaper but it is a lot to shell up front.
Others I heard that were good were the Oyster, Champion??
I had someone give me a Jack LaLanne.. I killed it the first day. SIGH. I had tried to juice kale and spinach, along with carrot and apple. The green stuff made the motor burn out.
It was not a new juicer and my friend said don't worry, it could have happened to me. (I didn't feel any better about it!)
Then someone loaned me a Waring Pro. It's easier to clean than the Jack LaLanne. It still won't successfully juice kale or spinach. I only put a little in (and parsley) but I could tell it didn't want to juice it.
I don't think green stuff has enough juice in it to work with "cheap" juicers. After that, I went to a food processor and shredded the green stuff then put it in a blender with other goodies.
Another negative on a juice extractor is that you don't get the fiber. Not good.
Waring Pro Professional Juice Extractor, Model JEX328
Although the Waring Pro JEX328 has half the motor power (400 Watts) of the Juicerator it is still a better performing juicer than some other similarly priced units (like the over-commercialized Power juicer by Jack LaLanne).
This model also has a wide feeding chute (3.5") reducing preparation time to a minimum (you only have to wash the produce, and cut into half to remove the core in case of apples, pears).
Price: cc. $70 - $90.
Posted by cozynana (Member # 34270) on :
I have a Breville also. I used it this morning to do carrtos, celery, cuke, and lemon.
I did add a bit of stevia just for a change. I like how it make the juice.
Can't say I like the clean up, but wonder if that is with every juicer.
Posted by Pam08 (Member # 19203) on :
You want to get a masticating juicer if possible and not a centrifugal juicer. The centrifugal juicers rotate at a higher speed which can heat things up too much and kill off some of the good enzymes that you want from the juice.
Also I have heard that the centrifugal juicers don't do so well with leafy greens.
I have an Omega juicer and love it. Easy to use and clean. I do mostly leafy greens and it does a great job with them.
Posted by linky123 (Member # 19974) on :
Pam, which Omega(model) do you have? I have been looking for a juicer too, and have heard the Omegas are very good.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
hahhaha... linky.. I was coming back to ask the same thing! Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
i'd say vitamix, but it ain't cheap...
and jack lalane. another one but not cheap either.
Posted by Pam08 (Member # 19203) on :
I have the Omega 8003 model. BUT if I were buying one now I would get the 8004 model only because the Auger in that model is made of a better and much sturdier material.
It has taken years but I did just notice the other day that the auger in mine now has a slight crack in it. It isn't a bad crack but it wouldn't be safe to use due to the material that my auger is made of...wouldn't want that getting into my juice at all. I have purchased another auger to replace it though so I will be up and running again soon.
The 8004 and 8006 models have the newer stronger augers that are made of a different material so I would go with either of those.
Don't know if this helps the original poster though because these are pricey. The 8004 brand new costs $259.99. That is $30 more than the 8003 model but worth the extra cost in my opinion just because the replacement auger would cost you $40 if it cracks.
Hope this helps some of you Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Randi.. the Jack LaLanne is only about $100 .. Vitamix about $500.
Posted by linky123 (Member # 19974) on :
Pam, thanks!
Posted by Pam08 (Member # 19203) on :
You're welcome!
OH and I just wanted to mention that the 8005 model has the same auger as the 8003 which is what I have. If you want the better auger you need to get either the 8004 or 8006.
Posted by gigimac (Member # 33353) on :
Could I get by with a blender if all I am using it for is kale and similar leafy greens? I really need the fiber as well.
i really don't plan on juicing fruits.
Posted by faithful777 (Member # 22872) on :
Vitamix is expensive but you can get it cheaper at Costco online. They are featured at the stores at certain times of the year. Blentec is similar to the Vitamix.
It surely is an investment.
Posted by Pam08 (Member # 19203) on :
Making green smoothies is really good for you. However, it doesn't have all the same benefits as juicing does. Juicing is definitely better.
BUT if a blender is all you can afford to do right now than I think that would definitely offer you some good health benefits.
I don't think you need a fancy blender either if that is all you are using it for. I have an old Oster blender that I use sometimes to make smoothies with bananas, frozen blueberries, lots of spinach (or kale) and a bit of water and it does perfectly fine with that. I have never tried to blend just the spinach or kale alone but I think with a little water thrown in there it would probably do just fine.
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
the jack lalanne i looked at at costco was over 120...
course right now that's expensive to me....
i've tried juicing. ain't good at it, gave up and bought the stupid drinks...
Posted by RZR (Member # 20953) on :
I bought a Nutri-Bullet a few weeks ago and love it!
It's not a juicer, but all recipes include leafy greens and fruit. I just make my own recipes and use low-glycemic fruits. I also make some with only veggies. Drinks are more like smoothies instead of juice. Clean up is a breeze.
I bought at Bed, Bath, & Beyond with 20% coupon, which makes it $80 plus tax.
Posted by gigimac (Member # 33353) on :
Pam 08, what is the difference between juice and smoothies nutritionally? I figured as long as I am getting the greens in liquid form it should be kind of the same.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
Gigi, if you're looking for just greens, I'd probably go with a blender. I have a Vitamix and i use it for smoothies and using greens.
I have a Norwalk juicer, which is great, but I've juiced off and on for over a decade, I could justify the $$$$. It gets all the juice out, what's left is like sawdust.
I would probably get an Omega if I didn't want to buy a Norwalk. The Omega also preserves the enzymes in the juice.
Nutritionally, juice has more veggies, less pulp than smoothies. I can easily drink the juice of six carrots. I've never made carrot "juice" in the Vitamix, but the recipe calls for three carrots and water. The juice from the juicer has no water, it's all juice. You can drink more because part of the carrot is removed.
If you have a juicer that expels pulp that is still usable, you can feed it to pets or put some of it in smoothies.
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