What is the best juicer?

[Lois]

I want to start juicing. I am currently only able to spend a maximum of about $50. I know that is not going to buy much but I was wondering if anyone could offer advice on the best juicer for that price or maybe a little more expensive. Thanks

[Revvell]

If you do a search here, Shivananda did a whole thread on realllly cheep appliances and such. You could check the members list for Shiva or do a search for really cheap...

Revvell

[michigan roman]

hi lois , im not the expert , and i have never used this mentioned unit . but ive been looking at the less than $100 juicers on the market for past couple years and the one ive come to like for its design / sturdiness is the all stainless steel waring model that sells for around $70 , sears kenmore sells what seems to be the exact same unit with their logo on it at same price . ive seen the warring one at lowes and bed , bath and beyond , plus on internet at many sites . question is though ive never seen what watt it is ( which seems to be thee most important factor ), or heard anybodys report one one . ide ask shivananda about it cuz hes an expert . goodday :)

[michigan roman]

and also , you can juice all kinds of things (though diluted with water ) by filling blender half full with water then adding whatever you want to juice then blending on high for a minute . let sit 10 minutes so minerals can leach out then strain out pulp with fine strainer . this method works great for my wheatgrass and dandlion greens . ps - and its alot easier cleaning a blender than a juicer .

[Shivananda]

I want to start juicing. I am currently only able to spend a maximum of about $50. I know that is not going to buy much but I was wondering if anyone could offer advice on the best juicer for that price or maybe a little more expensive. Thanks

Hi, depends on what you want to juice, what kind of juice you want from it, and how hard you want to work at it.

For blended juices, like green smoothies, a high speed blender works best. Blended juices have a LOT more pulp than dedicated juicers give, but that is not a bad thing healthwise. It's more an esthetic consideration. See my cheeeeeeap appliance thread:http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11944 for details on under $50 blenders if that is the path you decide to take.

For hard fruits/veg, like apples and carrots, the electric centrifugal juicers work well, but they are lousy with green leafys. $50 will barely get you one.

For green leafys the electric auger machines work best, but they are slow with hard fruits, and start at about $150.

But for pure economy, I think the best deal going right now for starting cheeeeeeap is the $35 handcranked Lexen Easy Juicer . It is the auger part of an auger type juicer plus a handcrank instead of a motor. Will juice wheatgrass, will do leafy greens, will do fruits and veggies, will give you a nice aeorobic exercise in the process, and will do it anywhere! :)

[jimi]

Lots of people buy a new juicer, use it a few times, and then fade away.
If you are persistent, you can find a quality used juicer on the cheap.
We got a Champion juicer at no cost via freecycle.com.

Jimi

[Shivananda]

Jimi, that is brilliant. Thank you.

I actually had forgotten until this moment that my fisrt Vitamix came into my life free, given to me more than a dozen years ago in Los Angeles by a woman in my "Chalice and the Blade" study group who thought it might help me make my wholegrain bread a little easier.

And my first juicer, an Acme Juicerator, now known as the Waring Pro, which sells for $200, was nearly free to me, bought for cheap at a thrift store on Roosevelt Drive in Seattle, where I used to be able to buy 25# sacks of juicing carrots at Sunshine Produce for $7

Oh, get over it. That was only 8 years ago, not pre-TV.

Yep, see what you can find on freecycle, on craigslist, even on eBay. Almost half of all juicers sold are only used for a month or less. Another 50% are returned for refund. Only about 1% of us actually continue to use the things on a regular basis. Might as well take advantage of that.

[Shivananda]

That being said, the truly best juicer is the one you use.

Truer words were never said. I used to say exactly that to people when I was selling juicers. More than once I talked people out of expensive models I knew they'd never use due to the inconvenience of cleaning them, in favor of less expensive machines that were simpler and more convenient to use.

I would also strongly recommend straining your juice through a cloth to get all pulp out.

Actually it depends on what you are trying to achieve. Are you trying to concentrate the watery/sugary part of specific fruits or veggies or leafy greens, which is typical of "old school" juicing for healing specific ailments, ala Norwalk. Or do you want a balanced nutritional source that is essentially just more convenient than chowing down the whole food, which is more the "new school" thinking about juicing? Each has strong arguments in its favor. I was "raised" on juicing "old school" style, but have come to believe the "new school" thinking on this is more acceptable and more to the point for many people, and definitely for myself.

Victoria Boutenko's new book "Green for Life" is very informative on this latter point, making an excellent case for the value of high fiber BLENDED green smoothies for daily nutrition. I'm now JUICING my wheatgrass and dandelion, but BLENDING my kale, chard, spinach, sprouts, etc.

[1GirlTwinBoys]

I love my Breville juicer. It has a large chute so you don't have to do a lot of chopping before putting fruits & veggies in. I got mine brand new on Ebay 1 1/2 years ago for around $88.00 and I use it everyday.

Macy's sell them for around $150.00 and the newer model for around $300.00. If you didn't like juicing, Macy's would be good about taking it back for a refund. I LOVE mine and make juice for me and my 3 toddlers everyday.

I could not live without my juicer!