Best Masticating Juicers of 2023

A masticating juicer, otherwise known as a cold press juicer or a slow juicer, has a quieter operation and yields more juice from the same ingredients when compared to a standard centrifugal juicer. The best slow juicer machines also provide a more nutritious juice by their thorough breakdown of the fiber in fruits and veggies, so they’re well worth paying the extra couple hundred dollars for.

When it comes to the US masticating juicer market, we’re spoiled by choices today with the endless options available. Each juicer model claims to be the best, but what are the features that actually make a good masticating juicer? And what are some of the highest-quality slow juicers of 2020? I’ve got you covered with this extensive buyers’ guide.

Best Masticating Juicer

• Omega NC900HDC Juicer Extractor
• Tribest GSE-5050 Greenstar Elite
• Omega J8006HDS Nutrition Center Juicer
• Aicok Slow Masticating Juicer
• Omega VSJ843QS Vertical Slow Masticating Juicer
• Tribest SW-2020 Slowstar
• Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer B6000S
• Ventray Masticating Juicer

Juicer	Details
Omega NC900HDC Juicer Extractor	Type: Horizontal Speed: 80 RPMs Warranty: 15 years Dimensions: 14.5 x 6.5 x 15.5 inches	See price on Amazon
Tribest GSE-5050 Greenstar Elite	Type: Horizontal Speed: 110 RPMs Warranty: 10 years Dimensions: 18.6 x 6.8 x 12.4 inches	See price at Tribest See price on Amazon
Omega J8006HDS Nutrition Center Juicer	Type: Horizontal Speed: 80 RPMs Warranty: 15 years Dimensions: 14.5 x 6.5 x 15.5 inches	See price on Amazon
Aicok Slow Masticating Juicer	Type: Horizontal Speed: 80 RPM Warranty: 3 years Dimensions: 16.1 x 7.9 x 11.6 inches	See price on Amazon
Omega VSJ843QS Vertical Slow Masticating Juicer	Type: Vertical Speed: 43 RPM Warranty: 15 years Dimensions: 15.51 x 6.97 x 15.47 inches	See price on Amazon
Tribest SW-2020 Slowstar	Type: Vertical Speed: 47 RPM Warranty: 10 years Dimensions: 7.5 x 7.5 x 17.75 inches	See price at Tribest See price on Amazon
Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer B6000S	Type: Vertical Speed: 60 RPM Warranty: 10 years Dimensions: 9 x 8 x 17.5 inches	See price on Amazon Read our review
Ventray Masticating Juicer	Type: Vertical Speed: 65 RPM Warranty: 5 years Dimensions: 14.25 x 12.99 x 16.34 inches	See price on Amazon

Best Slow Juicer Reviews 2023

Omega NC900HDC Juicer Extractor

Product design

The Omega NC900HDC slow juicer features a tight chamber, which grinds and presses food to squeeze out the juice. It has an auger design – an auger is a tool that looks a little like a corkscrew – which bores into fruits and veggies and extracts up to 76.8 percent of juice. With a 150 watt motor and a speed of 80 RPM, the model is designed for hard fruits and veggies, and even nuts and grains. Its wider feeding chute allows you to spend less time chopping foods into smaller pieces, and the stainless steel body is easy to clean and long-lasting.

Features

• Quiet motor – The 150W motor is designed for quiet operation, so you won’t wake your neighbors with your morning juicing habit.
• Large feeding chute – If chopping fruits and veggies to a tiny size isn’t your idea of fun, you’ll appreciate that the Omega NC900HDC slow juicer has a wider feeding shoot that requires less chopping work from you.
• Stainless steel shell – The stainless steel shell supports the plastic components of the model and is easy to wipe down after use.
• 5 juicer settings – Depending on what you’re using this juicer for, you can switch between 5 settings – ideal for everything from extruding pasta to making fresh baby food, juicing leafy greens, vegetables, fruits, citrus and even foods as small as wheatgrass.

Assembly/Disassembly

The first time assembling the Omega NC900HDC slow juicer takes some concentration, as there are more than 10 separate parts to the whole system – but it isn’t too tricky and the provided assembly instructions are easy to follow. There are also videos online that you can use for guidance if you’re more of a virtual learner. Note that assembly of this model is different from that of other Omega juicers, so even if you’ve owned an Omega juicer before, triple-check the instructions before putting this machine together.

Cleaning

Cleaning the outside of the Omega NC900HDC is relatively simple, with the machine being made out of stainless steel that’s easy to wipe with a cloth. The parts of this model are mostly plastic, and the best way to clean them after use is to take the machine apart and soak them in soapy water. The NC900HDC also comes with a cleaning brush for reaching those hard-to-clean places and the parts of the juicer that can’t be disassembled for cleaning.

Processing Performance

Thick, solid fruit and veggies – The Omega NC900HDC is particularly impressive at processing thick, solid fruits and veggies, so there’s no need to hold back. Add multiple items of this kind to the feeding tube at the same time and give them a helpful prod – they’ll pass through the system immediately.

Soft fruit and veggies – Omega recommends that you juice soft items like wheatgrass and pineapple with a hard item to prevent clogging, but this isn’t necessary, as the model generally handles these softer items just fine. If the system does clog, it takes seconds to remove the clog and get going again.

Nuts & grains – The NC900HDC is advertised as being capable of making nut butter and is considered the best masticating juicer model for this purpose.

Leafy greens – Leafy greens like kale are another food that the Omega NC900HDC can process, but with a slightly slower performance – it’s recommended that you process them with fruits for speed.

Pros/ Cons

Customer Comments

Customers feel that the Omega NC900HDC is capable of making fresh juice that holds a high nutritional content, and praise the machine for being easier to clean up than other models. Some customers mentioned that this model struggles with softer fruits like cucumbers, and you need more patience with those.

Tribest GSE-5050 Greenstar Elite

Product design

The Tribest Greenstar Elite is one of the best masticating juicers on the market when it comes to design. It’s a complete masticating juicer, which means it comes with all the functions a juicer of this kind needs to do the most thorough juicing job possible. It has a unique twin gear design, producing mastication that mimics the action of human teeth, from the slicing of incisors to the crushing of molars and the cutting of canines. This model also uses magnetic and bioceramic technology, which creates a focused magnetic field that changes the order of different areas of water, allowing it to grab onto the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients from your foods and pull them into the extracted juice.

Features

• Jumbo twin gears – The Greenstar Elite masticating juicer’s twin gears help to produce juices with the highest nutritional value that last longer.
• Reverse function option – You can select the reverse function feature if you need to prevent jamming while you’re juicing.
• Homogenizing accessories – Included free with the system, the homogenizing accessories make the Greenstar suitable for making nut butters and frozen sorbets.
• Multiple juicing settings – You can juice at your own pace with multiple settings to choose from.

Assembly/Disassembly

The new revamped design of the Greenstar Elite makes the model easier to assemble and disassemble – you simply click your parts in place and you’re ready to go. The inner assembly of the machine is the most difficult part, and it might take you a few tries to get used to it – but all in all, you shouldn’t struggle massively.

Cleaning

You need to clean the Greenstar after every use to keep it in top condition. It’s easy to get it clean, but there are multiple parts to disassemble, so it’s a fairly time-consuming process. Some customers have also mentioned that cleaning the screen of this model is a little more difficult and requires scraping to remove the caked-on food.

Performance while Processing:

Thick, solid fruit and veggies – The Greenstar performs well with thick, solid fruit and veggies, and even has a setting for juicing frozen fruits to make sorbets.

Soft fruit and veggies – Soft fruits and veggies are always more of a challenge for juicers, but with the Greenstar, you can make it easier to juice these foods by loosening the spring by the pulp ejector.

Nuts & grains – There’s a homogenizing accessory included with this masticating juicer that is specifically designed for making nut butters, and customers report that this model is better than other popular brands at doing so.

Leafy greens – Unlike some juicers, the Greenstar doesn’t clog with leafy greens, making the juicing process much faster and with fewer issues to resolve.

Pros/ Cons

Customer Comments

Customers mentioned that the Greenstar Elite is the best masticating juicer for non-traditional juicing roles, like making sorbets and nut butters. They were happy with the high juice yield and their ability to save money in the long run, but weren’t pleased with assembly, clean-up and the time it takes to make a batch of juice with this model.

Omega J8006HDS Nutrition Center Juicer

Product design

The Omega J8006HDS Nutrition Center Juicer is a slow speed masticating juicer that is designed to produce a high yield of juice with a higher nutrient value. Its unique product design with an Ultem auger that’s eight times stronger than the majority of plastics helps to provide the most thorough juicing process. There’s also a gear reduction that produces the same power as a 2HP motor. This juicer uses a dual-stage processing system to extract the highest amount of juice from even the most difficult of fruits and veggies – plus, you can use this model for making nut butters out of nuts.

Features

• Automatic pulp-ejection function – For continuous juicing, the automatic pulp ejection lets you carry on for longer without having to stop to remove the pulp yourself.
• Four stabilizing feet – The Nutrition Center juicer is completely safe and stable to use, with four feet to keep the machine balanced while it’s in operation.
• Quiet operation – Compared to similar juicers, the Nutrition Center slow masticating juicer is particularly quiet, making it ideal for anyone who plans to juice at unsociable hours.
• BPA-free design – All plastic used in this model is BPA-free, making it safe to use without the risk of contaminating your juices with unwanted impurities.

Assembly/Disassembly

It’s easy to assemble the Omega Nutrition Center juicer, and this is largely down to the fact that there are fewer smaller components to deal with than with other juicers. Once you get familiar with what clicks into where, assembly shouldn’t be an issue – and many customers have mentioned that the Nutrition Center is the best masticating juicer they’ve had when it comes to assembly.

Cleaning

Again, because there are fewer small, fiddly parts in the Nutition Center, it’s relatively easy to clean. You can also wipe down the stainless steel exterior in a matter of minutes. If you have water with high levels of hardness, you may find it difficult to remove scale from this model, but generally, removing foods is simple.

Performance while Processing:

Thick, solid fruit and veggies – With durable metal components, thick, solid fruits and vegetables are no match for the Omega Nutrition Center.

Soft fruit and veggies – Again, the Nutrition Center handles soft fruits and veggies very well, producing a high juice yield – however, keep in mind that it does produce a relatively wet pulp.

Nuts & grains – You can use the Nutrition Center to grind coffee beans and make nut milks and butters, and the juicer comes with all the components you need for this.

Leafy greens – The Omega Nutrition Center is particularly efficient when it comes to juicing leafy greens, and you should find that you use fewer greens for the same juice yield when comparing this juicer to cheaper models.

Pros/ Cons

Customer Comments

Customers were all in agreement that the Omega Nutrition Center is one of the best masticating juicers for veggies, but when it comes to soft fruits like apples and cucumbers, this model doesn’t quite perform as well. Users were happy with the long lifespan of the machine, coupled with its 15-year warranty, but were unimpressed with the juicer shutting off during longer juicing periods due to overheating.

Aicok Slow Masticating Juicer

Product design

The Aicok Slow Masticating Juicer features an upgraded spiral that offers a batter nutrient extraction, allowing you to extract a high juice yield with minimal oxidation. The efficient motor runs at 60 decibels, producing a minimal sound during juicing, and the reverse function setting lets you fix jamming problems immediately. The opening of the feed chute is relatively smaller than other slow masticating juicer machines, so you’ll need to chop up your fruits and vegetables to a smaller size with this machine.

Features

• Low decibel motor – The low decibel motor is quiet enough to use without waking up your entire household.
• Reverse function – Reverse function lets you spin the system in the opposite direction, unclogging the machine and cleaning it out.
• Upgraded spiral system – The machine’s upgraded spiral system consists of 7 segments that open up each cell in fruits and veggies for maximum juice yield.
• Juice and pulp separation function – The Aicok perfectly separates the juice from the pomace of fruits and vegetables, extracting maximum nutrients with less pulp.

Assembly/Disassembly

This slow masticating juicer is easy to assemble, and especially easy to disassemble. You simply press a button to release the components of the machine that need washing, and stack them all together for a quick assembly once they’re cleaned.

Cleaning

The Aicok comes with a cleaning brush for getting into those harder-to-clean areas, and the majority of removable parts are dishwasher-safe, eliminating any work on your part.

Performance while Processing:

Thick, solid fruit and veggies – The Aicok does a good job at juicing solid fruits and vegetables, providing they’re chopped small enough to fit in the tighter feed chute.

Soft fruit and veggies – With its juice and pulp separation function, the Aicok is particularly effective at getting a high juice yield from soft fruits and veggies.

Nuts & grains – It’s not recommended to uses the Aicok for grinding nuts and grains, as this slow masticating juicer isn’t built to handle the job.

Leafy greens – The Aicok is fairly effective at juicing leafy greens, though may not produce such a high yield as costlier slow juicers are capable of.

Pros/ Cons

Customer Comments

Customers mentioned that the Aicok is easy to use, and is suitable for people with limited or no prior juicing experience. They agree that the machine’s low speed makes it ideal for extracting a high yield of fresh juice from fruits and veggies, and the dishwasher-safe parts make cleanup simple.

Omega VSJ843QS Vertical Slow Masticating Juicer

Product design

This Omega slow masticating juicer model has a compact vertical design that makes it ideal for using and storing in kitchens where space is limited. It uses a gentle squeezing action that helps to reduce the buildup of heat and prevent oxidation from occurring, and operates at a low speed of 43 revolutions per minute for optimal efficiency.

Features

• No drip juice tap – You can close off the no-drip juice tap, which is at the very end of the spout, to enable the juice to be mixed more thoroughly. You can then release the tap to let your juice pour into your cup ready for drinking.
• Compact vertical design – If you’re short on countertop space, the Omega is an example of how the best masticating juicers can also be space-saving without compromising on performance.
• Heavy-duty auger & screen – The most important components of this masticating juicer are built for years of high performance.
• Juicing accessories – The Omega comes with everything you need for juicing already included, so you can get started as soon as you’ve put the machine together.

Assembly/Disassembly

This Omega juicer model has significantly fewer parts than other models, making assembly a breeze. If you’re looking for a juicer you can put together in a matter of minutes, this one is a good option.

Cleaning

The VSJ843QS is particularly unique when it comes to cleaning, as it has an auto-cleaning system that you can activate after using the juicer to act as a good pre-clean and clear the screen, minimizing the work you have to put in yourself.

Performance while Processing:

Thick, solid fruit and veggies – The Omega VSJ843QS handles solid fruit fairly well, but hard veggies like some roots can get stuck, meaning you have to reverse the system to unclog the machine.

Soft fruit and veggies – You can get a very high juice yield when juicing soft fruits and vegetables with the appliance, with virtually no pulp left behind.

Nuts & grains – The Omega vertical juicer isn’t as versatile as other masticating juicers, and can’t be used to grind nuts and grains.

Leafy greens – Horizontal juicers tend to handle leafy greens slightly better than vertical models like the Omega VSJ843QS, but providing you cut greens into smaller sizes before juicing, the machine should handle them just fine.

Pros/ Cons

Customer Comments

Customers were happy with the smaller size of the Omega vertical slow juicer and its high juice yield. They were in agreement that the machine produces very little dry pulp and were impressed with the 15-year warranty. Cons that customers highlighted were that the juicer didn’t quite strain juices to their tastes, and that it can only be used as a juicer, with no attachments for making nut butter or baby food.

Tribest SW-2020 Slowstar

Product design

The Tribest Slowstar is a masticating juicer that has a vertical, space-saving design. It has a relatively powerful 200-watt motor and a duo-blade for twice the cutting action. This allows the auger to cut and crush produce at a faster rate while extracting a high yield of juice. There’s also a mincing attachment that you can use to make sauces and sorbets. All components used in the Tribest Slowstar are BPA-free.

Features

• Duo blade – The duo blade, powered by a 200-watt motor, speeds up the juicing process with double the chopping action.
• Anti-leak cap – This model features an anti-leak cap that reduces the likelihood of drips and leaks, making cleanup less time-consuming.
• Mincing attachment – Not all vertical juicer models are capable of making the likes of frozen sorbets, nut butter and food sauces, but with its mincing attachment, the Tribest Slowstar can.
• 30 lbs torque power – The Tribest Slowstar provides “twice the crushing power” of some of the best masticating juicers on the market, thanks to the slow auger speed of 47 RPM.

Assembly/Disassembly

Like the majority of masticating juicers, the Tribest Slowstar is a little tricky to assemble the first time, but you should be fine if you follow the instructions. There are dots that indicate where the pieces should line up together, which makes it quicker and easier to click them in place.

Cleaning

This juicer model is easy to use – but cleaning can present more of a challenge if you don’t disassemble it straight away. It generally takes around 10 minutes to clean the machine properly.

Performance while Processing:

Thick, solid fruit and veggies – The Slowstar handles solid vegetables very well, chopping them up instantly and rarely causing clogging.

Soft fruit and veggies – Though the Slowstar handles soft fruit and veggies well, it does leave a lot of pulp, which isn’t ideal if you’re looking for the highest yield of juice.

Nuts & grains – With the extra mincing attachment, you can use the Slowstar to grind nuts and grains – though some people found that they had to put the nuts through the juicer several times to get the consistency they were looking for.

Leafy greens – Being a vertical slow juicer, the Slowstar requires leafy greens to be chopped up to a smaller size to better handle them.

Pros/ Cons

Customer Comments

Customers were happy with how easily the Slowstar grinds up solid fruits and vegetables, but many commented on the pulp extraction with soft fruits, saying that they had expected more of a dry pulp. Many customers highlighted the importance of cleaning the machine immediately to make the task easier. The majority of people who reviewed this model said they had virtually no issues with jamming.

Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer B6000S

Product design

The Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer has a unique vertical design with a wide feed chute leading directly down to the juicing chamber below. It uses low speed masticating technology to squeeze and crush fruits and veggies at a slow speed. This slow speed squeezing, at 60 rotations per minute, helps to delay oxidation and preserve healthy enzymes. The 240-watt motor offers an impressively high torque and the 3-inch feed saves the prep work of having to chop small pieces of fruit and vegetable items to feed into the machine.

Features

• Smart cap – The smart cap on the end of the juice spout can be used when making recipes with mixed fruits, or for rinsing the juicer between recipes.
• Pulp strainer – For recipes where unwanted pulp is emitted with the juice, you can use the pulp strainer to get a cleaner juice.
• 3-inch feed chute – The Kuvings juicer comes with a larger feed chute that makes juicing faster, allowing you to add large items without as much prep work.
• Hopper and sorbet maker attachment – This model has a detachable hopper and sorbet maker attachment for juicing smaller ingredients or making your favorite frozen desserts.

Assembly/Disassembly

The first assembly of the Kuvings slow juicer may present a challenge as you get used to how to fit the parts of this particular model. You should find that future set-ups are much simpler once you begin to remember how everything fits together.

Cleaning

There are several included items that make cleaning this machine easier. There’s a cleaning tool that has been specifically designed for the Kuvings strainer, and additional brushes to help you get into the tighter cleaning areas. You can’t, however, wash these parts in the dishwasher or hot water, which will wear them out faster. The stainless steel exterior is easy to wipe down with a cloth.

Performance while Processing:

Thick, solid fruit and veggies – The Kuvings slow juicer’s heavy-duty motor makes it strong enough to handle the likes of raw beets and thick broccoli easily.

Soft fruit and veggies – Softer, mushier produce tends to build up around the masticator, but the reverse function makes it easy to clear any blockages.

Nuts & grains – You can use this machine to make nut milk, but it’s recommended that you soak the nuts to soften them first.

Leafy greens – This slow juicer does a great job at handling greens, and the wider chute makes it easier to feed them into the machine.

Pros/ Cons

Customer Comments

Customers were impressed with the Kuvings juicer’s ability to juice large, thick items, and the wide feed chute’s design allowing for minimal prep work. Those who had used the Kuvings to make nut butters, baby food and sorbets were happy with its ability to do so. Most customers felt that this model is easy to use, though some complained that horizontal juicers are easier to take apart and clean after use.

Ventray Masticating Juicer

Product design

The Ventray is a vertical slow juicer with a 240-watt motor and a slow masticating speed of 65 RPM. With a vertical design and a wide, angled feed chute, it’s easy to feed vegetables and fruits into the chute with less prep work in advance. This model has a large auger that makes the juicer more effective at processing produce of any thickness, shape and size. There’s also a reverse anti-jamming technology that gives you a simple resolution if the juicer ever becomes jammed.

Features

• 5-year warranty on motor – The Ventray’s motor has a fairly impressive 5-year warranty, and the juicer itself has a 1-year warranty.
• Recipe book – A novel feature of this model is that it comes with a recipe book for inspiration when it comes to making juices, smoothies and even nut butter.
• Fine ultem strainer – The Ventray’s strainer lets through juice and a small amount of pulp and fiber for the best quality juices.
• Wide, angled feeding chute – This model’s feeding chute is wide enough to fit full fruits and vegetables without chopping, and is angled to make it easier to feed produce into the juicer.

Assembly/Disassembly

It’s quick to assemble and disassemble the Ventray, and there are marks on the separate components to guide you if you’ve never put it together before. If you’re a logical thinker, you’ll be able to put the Ventray together in no time.

Cleaning

Cleaning the Ventray is particularly easy because it already does half the job for you, thanks to its rotation wiper, which removes buildup of vegetables on the inside of the juicer bowl. The parts come apart easily, and the pulp comes out in its own pitcher, rather than staying inside the machine.

Performance while Processing:

Thick, solid fruit and veggies – You can get a high yield of juice from solid fruit and veg when using the Ventray. The machine can handle everything from carrots to sweet potatoes without jamming.

Soft fruit and veggies – Using the Ventray for soft fruits and veg is fine, but it may begin to clog the machine if you add too many at once. It’s best to “clean” the machine with hard produce between the softer produce.

Nuts & grains – You can use the Ventray to make all kinds of nut milk and butter, and customers have reported a high success level from doing this.

Leafy greens – Greens and stringy vegetables may clog up the machine if you don’t cut them into small pieces. This is because the “string” from these vegetables can wrap around the blade and jam it.

Pros/ Cons

Customer Comments

Customers are generally happy with this masticating juicer model when it comes to performance. They praised the Ventray for being easy to put together and use, and for its versatility in being able to make nut butter as well as juices. Users were in agreement that certain produce – especially “stringy” greens – needs to be sprinkled into the machine instead of forced in to prevent blockages. Some customers also commented that the pitchers for holding the juice and pulp were too small for their liking.

Masticating Juicer Buyer’s Guide

What is a Masticating Juicer?

A masticating juicer has one characteristic feature: an auger, which crushes fruits and vegetables that pass down the feed chute. By slowly squeezing the foods inside the machine, the juicer separates the pulp from the juice, running the juice through a mesh filter and pushing the pulp into a separate chamber for getting rid of. This juicing technique tends to be far more effective when it comes to the highest juice yield, and many people feel that masticating juicers are the best overall when compared to other juicer types, such as centrifugal juicers.

How do Masticating Juicers Work?

Masticating juicers, like any other juicers, have a feed chute that you send fruits and vegetables down for juicing. Once these foods pass into the machine, the auger chops and chews the foods.

True to its name, a slow juicer takes longer to work than other juicer types, grinding and kneading foods to a pulp to extract the maximum amount of juice before finally sending the pulp and juice to their designated chambers. Masticating juicers don’t have a spinning action – they instead squeeze and crush the juice out of fruits and veggies.

Advantages of Slow Juicers

You probably already have an idea of some of the advantages of using slow juicers in place of other juicer styles.

Juices fruits and vegetables more efficiently

The obvious advantage of the best masticating juicers is that they’re capable of juicing foods far more efficiently. This is because they work at a much slower pace, ensuring the most liquid possible can be extracted from a fruit or vegetable before the pulp is ejected.

Better storage options

Usually, when using a fast juicer, you have to drink your juice immediately after making it to get all the dietary benefits of your included fruits and veggies. With a slow juicer, however, you can usually store juices up to three days after making them and they’ll keep hold of those healthful nutrients. The same can’t be said for juices made with a fast juicing process.

Less foam

Too much foam isn’t ideal in any juice – it’s the juice you want to drink, after all. With slow juicers, you can get the maximum juice yield out of your fruits and veggies without the foam. Fast juicers, on the other hand, are known for producing excessive amounts of foam – sometimes up to half a glass full.

Helps you save money

It makes sense that because slow juicers are more efficient at what they do, you can use less produce to achieve the same juice yield as with more produce in a high-speed juicer. Getting more out of your veggies and fruits means you can save money in the long run as you simply won’t need to buy as many to achieve the juice yield you’re looking for.

Easy to use

It depends on the style you go for, but most of the best masticating juicers are easy to set up and use. There’s no major work on your part, especially if you choose a slow juicer with a wide feed chute that allows you to send whole fruits and vegetables into the machine without chopping.

Disadvantages of Slow Masticating Juicers

Of course, slow masticating juicers have their disadvantages too. These include:

Longer wait for juices

As the name suggests, a slow juicer isn’t the fastest juicing option on the market. The slow juicing process allows for more nutrients to be retained, but it does mean you shouldn’t expect immediate results, and you’ll need more time on your hands to make a batch of juice.

Some juicers require plunging

If you have a horizontal masticating juicer, you’ll normally always have to force produce down the feed chute to keep the juicing process going. This is a bit of extra effort that you won’t have to make with other model types.

Higher price point

Unsurprisingly, you have to pay more for a juicer that does a more efficient job at juicing produce. Most of the best masticating juicers start at around $300, with prices going right up to $500 or more. Most people see the investment as being worth it in the long run, but it may be hard for you to justify such a high price up front.

Types of Masticating Juicers

Vertical vs. horizontal

There are two types of cold press juicer on the market: vertical and horizontal.

Vertical masticating juicers are relatively new to the market. They have a wider chute design and tend to work faster at juicing because produce travels straight down the cute and into the vertical auger. Because of their vertical design, they are more suitable for using in kitchens with less available countertop space.

A horizontal masticating juicer, on the other hand, has an auger that rotates around a horizontal drum, which is why you need to force the food through the chute to help it reach the drum at a faster rate. Horizontal cold press juicers tend to be better for greens such as spinach, kale and wheatgrass. The best masticating juicers in this style are usually more versatile, too, allowing you to use the juicer for other purposes, like making nut butters, baby food and sorbet. Their only disadvantage is that they take up more counter space than vertical juicers.

Single Auger vs. Twin Auger

You might notice a juicer advertised as being either a single auger or a twin auger juicer.

Single auger juicers, otherwise known as single gear juicers, are known technically as masticating juicers. They are so-called because they “chew” fruits and vegetables using the same crushing, squeezing motions as the teeth in our mouth. They have a single-stage process that tends to be highly efficient.

Twin auger juicers are also known as triturating juicers, but with this not being a super common term, you may also hear them advertised as twin auger masticating juicers. The big difference between twin gear and single auger juicers is that a twin auger juicer has two stages that make up the process of juicing. In the first stage, fruit and vegetables are ground up in the juicer’s twin gears. In the second stage, the vegetables and fruits are pressed to squeeze out their juices. These juicers tend to operate at speeds of around 80 RPM, helping to preserve nutrients with less heat and trapped air. They also produce a drier pump when compared to single auger slow juicers.

What to Look for in a Masticating Juicer

Size of Feed Chute

Perhaps the size of a juicer’s feed chute isn’t too important to you, but if you want to save time before you start juicing, you will want to look for a wider chute. When a chute has a wider design, you can feed your produce into your juicer without having to chop it into small chunks. You may feel this is a value to you if you hope to be able to quickly add your prepared produce to your juicer on a busy morning and return to other tasks while the juicing is taking place.

Pulp Processing Efficiency

Not all juicers are equal when it comes to pulp processing. If you are relatively new to juicing, you may know that juicers, unlike blenders, don’t keep the pulp in your juices – that’s the main difference between a smoothie and a juice.

The thing to know is that the drier the pulp, the better, because it means you’re getting the highest juice yield from the produce you’re juicing. Slow juicers all tend to be better at pulp processing, but some are definitely better than others. You’re looking for a juicer that can produce a dry pulp, as this makes it more efficient – you’re getting the most juice into your glass and virtually none left over with the pulp.

Processing Speed (slower is better)

Any juicer that operates at a speed of less than 100 RPM (rotations per minute) is considered a slow juicer. In this case, the lower the RPM (and, therefore, the slower the juicer), the better. A good speed is around 80 RPM, but juicers can actually get down to speeds of around 40 RPM. This slow rotating speed means that the juicer has the best abilities when it comes to preventing oxidation and helping to retain the highest nutrient quantity of your produce with as little heat generation as possible. Because they allow produce to spend more time inside the juicing chamber, the slow juicers with the lowest RPM tend to be the ones that produce the highest juice yield per batch of juice.

Motor Power

If you’ve ever used a cheap blender or juicer with a terrible motor, and ended up wearing the thing out with something it should have been designed to handle, you’ll know the importance of good motor power. Juicers often have to process large, thick vegetables and fruits, which aren’t the easiest foods to break down and extract juice from. This means that a higher wattage is important for extracting juice from these fruits and vegetables without becoming overwhelmed.

On the lower end of the scale are masticating juicers with a 400 to 600-watt motor power. This type of cold press juicer will be able to handle soft fruits like berries and oranges, but will probably struggle with anything firmer. One tier higher on the scale are juicers with 800-watt motors, which are considered powerful enough to handle anything you throw at them. But the best of the bunch are juicers that have up to a 900-watt motor. Anything above 800 watts and you can rest assured that you have a juicer with a strong enough motor power for daily juicing.

Noise Output

If you plan to make juices early in the morning or late at night, having a quiet slow juicer is something to add to your list of priorities. The sound output of a slow juicer is measured in decibels (you may see it written as dB). “Quiet” juicers are those that are advertised as producing less than 65 dB of sound during operation. The majority of the best cold press juicers run at around 40 to 60 dB, and anything above 65 is probably going to be too noisy for most people.

Durability

The average slow juicer should last you at least 10 years. The quality of the build is the main determiner for a juicer’s lifespan. Plastic parts don’t immediately indicate poor quality, but features like the motor and the blade should be made from the most durable materials to last through years of regular juicing sessions.

Physical Size

Comparing cold press juicers with centrifugal juicers, cold press juicers usually have bigger augers and filter screens to allow more juice to come through at once. While this obviously won’t make it a quicker process to make cold-pressed juice compared with a centrifugal juicer machine’s capabilities, it will speed up the process somewhat without affecting the quality of the juice.

When it comes to physical size, there’s not much difference between a slow juicer and a centrifugal juicer. All cold press juicers tend to be around the same size, though vertical juicers take up less space lengthwise and more space vertically, and vice-versa for horizontal juicers.

Ease of Cleaning

There’s somewhat of a debate about which type of juicer is easiest to clean. Some people say that cold press juicers aren’t usually as simple to clean as centrifugal juicers because they have more parts, while others say that because cold press juicers produce less pulp, there’s less excess material to get rid of compared with a centrifugal juicer. When deciding between masticating juicers, opt for one with the fewest parts if cleaning isn’t your thing. Customer reviews are a great way to check out whether a juicer really is as easy to clean as it’s made out to be.

Safety Features

There’s one obvious potential safety issue with a masticating juicer: system overheating. Because slow juicers are often used for long periods of time, working the motor to the peak of its capabilities, it’s inevitable that the motor will eventually overheat – which, if not attended to, could damage the electrical components inside the system and even cause a fire.

The best slow juicer models should have features in place to prevent a juicer from overheating, called thermal protection devices. A well-protected system will shut off when a certain level of heat is detected, protecting the unit and allowing it to cool down to a safe temperature. Some juicers heat more quickly than others, which may mean they’re not suitable for making large batches of juice at once – not unless you have the patience to wait for your model to cool down and switch it on again after every overheating incident.

Accessories

It’s common for the best juicers available today to come with accessories that make them easy to use for a variety of functions. As well as the main body parts – the motor, the housing, the juice and pulp containers, the strainer, feeding chute, auger and plunger – there are a few more exciting accessories to make juicing easier and provide options for when you want to try something different.

A few of the common juicer accessories are:

• Cleaning brush – to get inside the tight cleaning spots.
• Foam strainer – which separates the foam from the juice to prevent a frothy juice.
• Citrus juicing attachments – are only compatible with some vertical juicers and enable quicker citrus juicing.
• Oil extractors – work to crush oil out of seeds for people who are keen to make their own DIY oils.
• Homogenizing/mincing accessories – can be used for making foods like nut butter, baby foods and sorbets.

Quite a lot of slow juicers come with these attachments already included with the initial purchase, but some have accessories that can be optionally purchased at an additional cost.

Warranty

Looking at the warranty of a juicer is a good indication of how long you can expect it to last. The majority of juicers today have an extended 10-year warranty, which is exactly what any customer wants to see. If you’re looking for proof that a manufacturer feels confident in the quality and durability of their product, an extended warranty will give you that.

Juicer machines can be an expensive upfront purchase, so you want to make sure you’re covered if your juicer arrives damaged or breaks after a couple of months of use. If a juicer only has a 2 or 3-year warranty, you have to wonder why it’s so low compared to the warranties offered by its competitors.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does cold-pressed juice last?

It depends on the model you go for, but in most cases, your freshly-made juice should last for between 3 and 5 days. It’s best to drink your juice within a day of making it, though, as it loses around 40% of its nutritional properties after 24 hours.

What’s the difference between using a juicer and eating fruit and veg?

To get the same amount of nutrients from drinking a glass of fresh fruit and vegetable juice, you’d have to eat the exact quantity of fruits and vegetables that you’d juiced – which could be between 10 and 20 in total. Using a juicer is a much easier way to benefit from the vitamins and minerals in fruits and vegetables because you’re consuming them in juice form.

Are juicers easy to use?

Generally, yes. Even if you’re a newbie to using a juicer, the hardest part will be putting the machine together for the first time. After that, you simply feed your vegetables and fruits into the juicer and let it do the work for you.

What is the optimal slow juicer speed?

Anything below 100 RPM is seen as good; anything below 80 RPM is even better. Some juicers are even as slow as 40 RPM.

Are slow juicers the best option out there?

When you’re looking at the nutritional value of a juice, yes. But that doesn’t mean slow juicers are the best option for you. You may prefer a centrifugal juicer, for example, if you have a smaller budget, you want more immediate access to fresh juice, or you want a faster cleanup with fewer parts. Don’t rule centrifugal juicers out entirely!