Here I’ll share what you should consider when buying a juicer. From fast-spinning centrifugal juicers to slow-moving masticating juicers, there is a wide range of differences to consider. What functions do you need?  What’s the best warranty, how easy is it to clean, and after all of that, what is the best juicer for the money?

It can all get a little confusing. At the end of the day, you want a juicer that meets your needs and suits your unique lifestyle.

What are the Different Types of Juicers?

The two main types of juicers which you’ll have to decide on are centrifugal vs. masticating juicers. Both are great for different reasons, here I share the pros and cons of each and included a few other types of juicers you might want to consider.

Centrifugal Juicers

Centrifugal juicers are probably the most common juicers. This is because they are typically cheaper and easier to use. This type of juicer uses a high-speed spinning strainer that has a stainless steel blade disc at the bottom. When you drop the produce down from the top of the machine, the spinning disc shreds all the produce into a fine pulp. This releases the juice and then pushes it through the strainer. The high speed of the centrifugal force creates a lot of noise and tends to oxidize the juice more than a slower-moving masticating juicer. This process creates more foam and a shorter storage time.

While these conventional juicers are fairly efficient at churning out fresh fruit juices, they do present a drawback when it comes to juicing leafy greens such as wheatgrass and kale. So if juicing leafy greens is important to you, then you might want to consider a masticating or twin gear juicer instead.

Incidentally, if you are a purist juicer, leafy greens are your best friends and you may not like the fact that centrifugal juicers are not quite up to the task of juicing greens. We don’t own one of these juicers and do not recommend them because of the stated drawbacks listed above.

They are fast!

We only recommend this type of juicer if a short juicing time is your highest priority and let’s face it, sometimes it is. But if you are willing to put a little extra time into juicing, you are much better off with a masticating juicer which will produce a higher quantity and quality of juice that can be stored much longer.

They are loud

Other things to consider with centrifugal juicers is that they are loud, how loud? Pretty loud :-) Loud enough that if you have people sleeping in your home and you are trying to make a quick juicer before you head out in the morning, they will not appreciate it. So if being quiet when juicing is also a priority for you then you might want to skip these types of juicers.

The juice does not last very long

While they are fast at juicing, the juice that is made with these types of juicers typically does not last very long because the juicing process creates a lot of oxidation (the natural browning process that happens when you cut an apple and leave it in the counter) and this is bad for our food and our bodies. This high-spinning process adds a lot of air and therefore foam, which causes a lot of air spots and separation in the juice, so if you like crisp, nonfoamy juice then this is not your best option. If you use a centrifugal juicer then our recommendation is to drink your juice right away, this way it is less oxidized, and you can’t notice the foam and separation as much, some people store this juice for up to 8 hours, although it’s not recommended. In comparison, a masticating or twin-gear juicer will produce a crisp, less oxidized, nonfoamy juice that can be stored for us for 72 hours. So while masticating juicers do take longer to juice, you can make large batches and store them, kind of like meal prepping which can save time in the long run and is preferred by many.

Shorter warranty

While these types of juicers can save you some money upfront, they usually carry a much shorter warranty when compared to masticating or twin-gear juicers. This is something to consider in the long run and you will want to stick to reputable brands that will honor your warranty but if you spend the extra money. The typical warranty for a trusted brand centrifugal juicer is 1 year versus 5-10+ years for a masticating or twin gear juicer.

Conclusion

Despite their drawbacks, these are very popular juicers. They work well for people that want to make a quick juice that they will drink right away, don’t really want to juice a lot of greens and prefer fruit juices, and don’t mind how loud they are when being used.

Pros: Easy to clean and use, less prep time needed, juices fast, juices whole fruits, less expensive, juices fibrous veggies.

Cons: Not optimal for juicing greens, lower yield than a masticating juicer, noisy, juice doesn’t store well in the fridge, nutrients oxidize quicker, shorter warranty.

Highly Rated Top Centrifugal Brands

Good: Breville BJE200XL Compact Juicer, Cuisinart CJE-1000 Die-Cast Juice Extractor 

Better: Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus

Best: Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite, Breville Juice Fountain Cold XL

Masticating Juicers

Masticating juicers are also known as cold-press juicers as their juice extraction mechanism does not produce heat. These juicers mimic the natural mastication or chewing mechanism of our oral cavities and use a screw-like auger to mash and chew the produce into the walls of the juicer, squeezing it through the strainer, separating the pulp and the juice. It is a slow-running juicer, which takes a little longer but creates less oxidation so it’s perfect for all kinds of produce, especially greens. The only downside it that the produce does need to be prepped before throwing it into your juicer due to the small mouth opening.

The auger chews on fruits and vegetables at slower speeds than centrifugal juicers. This slow speed significantly reduces heat and foam generation while increasing efficiency.

They take a little longer to clean and juicer

One of the few drawbacks of this type of juicer is it that they take a little longer to clean, not a ton longer, with some practice the cleaning routine will take about 2 to 3 minutes total. Because they are slow-type juicers, they don’t operate as quickly as a centrifugal juicer but they are still quick to juice. But even though they take longer to clean, you can juice store your juice longer which also has its benefits. But even though they take longer to clean and juice, you can store your juice longer which also has its benefits, which brings us to our next point.

Better longer lasting juice

If you like crisp, nonfoamy juice then a masticating juicer is your best choice. Not only does the juice come out less foamy, but the slow mastication process of the juicer produces less oxidation which is better for your juice and your body. Another good benefit of low oxidation is that you can store your juice longer. So if you are the type of person that likes to prep food and get a lot of juice at once, this is a great juicer for that. This is the type of juicer that we own and we like that we can set it up, run the juicer and come out with lof of good quality juice that we can store in the fridge and drink throughout the week. The juice that these juicers produce can last in the fridge for up to three days and still taste great.

They are very quiet

When compared to centrifugal juicers, masticating juicers are very quiet and won’t wake up your whole house if you are trying to make stealthy juice in the morning. So if you are looking for a quiet juicer then this is the way to go.

They last a long time

As always, you want to purchase your products from a reputable brand. There are cheaper versions of these juicers available online but you will notice that these new, fly-by-night companies only offer a 90-day to a two-year warranty. The thing to consider is resale value, overall value, and ease of warranty use. If you buy a juicer from an overseas company without a good reputation, you might have a hard time getting your product warranted, if at all, and shipping the product to them might cost you more than the product itself. We want to make sure that we are good doing our best to take care of our pocketbooks and the environment by buying products that will last a long time. The reputable brands in this space such as Omega, Hurom,  and Tribest all offer a 10+ year warranty which means that their product is built with high-quality materials that will stand the test of time.

Pros: Extracts more juice with higher nutritional value, less foam, juice last longer, quiet, less waste.

Cons: Takes longer to prep produce and make juice, is more difficult to assemble and clean, higher price tag.

Recommended juicers:

Tribest Slowstar Vertical Slow Juice

Hurom Elite Slow Juicer

Omega Vertical Slow Masticating Juicer This is the type that we own and we love it! 

Twin Gear Juicers

A twin-gear juicer is another great juicer. It’s very similar to the masticating juicer and its low-speed rotation protects the cellular structure of the produce. It has two gears that rotate inward with a very fine hairline gap, crushing and grinding produce to extract its juice.

This type of juicer eliminates oxidation and preserves the precious enzymes and nutrients you want in your juice. Juicing leafy greens and soft produce is generally easy with this type of juicer, as they will self-feed as the gears rotate inwards. However, feeding hard produce like a carrot or beets may be a bit of a challenge. The trick is to cut the produce thin and with an angle that goes in first.

They are much larger, heavier, and harder to clean so unless you really care about having the best juicer for greens, we don’t recommend them. If you plan on only juicing greens primarily then they are worth considering.  You might also consider Omega’s vertical masticating juicer which is not a twin-gear juicer but still works very well for greens, is a little more compact, affordable, and easier to clean.

Pros: Juice stays fresh longer, has higher juice yield and nutritional value, quiet.

Cons: Takes longer to prep & juice, longer to clean, not optimal for juicing citrus, higher price tag, larger & heavier machine.

Highly Rated Top Twin Gear Brand: Tribest Green Star Elite but you can also consider the Omega Nutrition Center Juicer

Citrus Juicers/ Press

A citrus press is something I recommend looking into if you are big on fresh OJ. Fruit & veggie juicers obviously take a lot longer to use. But if you are looking to make more than just a few ounces of citrus juice on a regular basis, then I recommend you invest in an electrical citrus juicer or citrus press.

Electric citrus juicers have a vertical, ribbed reamer that fits onto a shaft attached to the motor in the base. When you apply pressure by pushing the half-cut citrus down, the motor kicks on, turning the reamer. Many models also have an auto-reverse function.

Manual presses work in a similar way but leave out the reaming step. The press forces the fruit against a perforated cone, breaking up the pulp to release the juice. This is less likely to eat into the citrus pith, thus minimizing bitter-tasting juice. Manual presses are generally more expensive than electric citrus juicers but produce higher quality and when you get into a flow, you can make a lot of juice fast! We used our citrus press to make gallons of juice in one session and did so in a relatively short amount of time. The other pro of a citrus press is that it is very silent, very long-lasting, easy to use, and super fast to clean. They do take a little bit of arm power if you plan to make large portions, like a gallon at a time which most people don’t but its also a nice little workout.

Pros: Easy to assemble and clean, reasonably priced, juices fast, time saver, quiet.

Cons: Not as versatile, only juices citrus. 

Highly Rated Top Citrus Juicers/ Press Brands: Cuisinart Citrus Juicer, Breville Stainless-Steel Motorized Citrus Press, Hamilton Beach Citrus Press