Masticating vs centrifugal... Breville vs. Omega

[jevans]

I just thought I would post an FYI in helping anyone that is considering and questioning differences between juicers; mainly a centrifugal juicer vs. a masticating juicer.

I researched for a long time which juicer might be best and settled on the Omega 8006 (masticating) juicer. This juicer was proven to be one of the best at extracting more juice with drier pulp and less foam. I have used it
for over a year and it is an excellent juicer. BUT, I have always been curious as to the centrifugal juicers such as the Breville Ikon or Fountain Plus. There speed has always intrigued me and was always curious as to how
"worse" this juicer could be. People have claimed that the juice is not as good as a masticating since it spins at such a high rate that the juice is "heated up" a little thereby reducing its quality.

I bought the Breville Ikon and tested it against the Omega 8006 juicer. My test consisted of:
handful of spinach
3 kale leaves
handful of wheatgrass
3 carrots
1/2 cucumber
orange

I was absolutely floored at the results. Both juicers yielded EXACTLY the same quantity...11 ozs! I was certain that the Omega would have more juice, but it was equal to the Breville. But there were some differences.
1. The Omega's juice had a richer darker look to it whereas the Breville had a lighter more cloudy look
2. The juice tasted a little sweeter with the Breville
3. The Omega cleans up faster with smaller parts than the Breville. The Breville is very easy to clean, it just has larger parts.
4. The pulp on both, had the same consistency

People question whether the Breville can juice leafy greens properly. I was surprised that they did very well, as long as you roll them up into a ball. I actually put the wheatgrass inside the kale leaves and rolled them up.
Also, I got the same exact yield with the leafy greens. Both juicers yielded 2ozs.

For those considering a juicer, don't sweat too much over these two different types. The only advantages between them were the Breville is MUCH faster at making juice since you do not have to cut the produce up,
whereas the Omega you do. The Omega is also much slower at juicing since it chews up the food. The slower process lends to less oxidation. The Omega is much quieter than the Breville. You could easily use the Omega in the middle of the night and not
disturb anyone. The Omega is also faster to clean. It can also do wheat grass by itself, nut-butters, frozen desserts, etc.
If you want a no-nonsense, fast juicer, the Breville wins. If you want to make other things and have more time then the Omega is the one.

I do believe that the Omega also puts out a more nutrient dense juice since the color is darker, but that's just my opinion.

[snoops]

I had to send my Omega in for some servicing last year and I went and bought a centrifugal juicer - don't remember what brand - may have been Breville( not a top of the line, maybe $75). I used it a couple times and gave it away because I thought the taste difference was significant. The omega juice is always so sweet and the other one was bitter and tasteless. It wasn't even worth using in my opinion so I just did without for a while.

Just my two cents on the topic!

[levamssg]

I sold my breville -- gave away the champion --- don't use the Hurom (like the omega vrt). I try lots of juicers and always go back to the green star. That's just my preference. Whatever juicer rings your bells -- that's the one for you because you'll use it. And the whole point is using it and drinking juice.

Cool comparison Jevans -- it gives lots of lookers out there some good information. Thanks!

[bananafish]

There are better cheaper centrifugal juicers than the Breville. The best centrifugal is probably the Omega Mega Mouth, yields significantly more than any other.

In a recent 'juice off' I watched on youtube, the L'Equip 215 I have came out better than a much more expensive Breville.

I have both a centrifugal and masticating, I switch up depending on what I'm juicing. Here's my little 'nutrition corner':

[Jayla]

I have a Breville and I LOVE it. I read all the threads here about the other types of juicers and almost spent way more money for an Omega. I m so happy I went with my mind. My family and I have been juice making fools. We just love it. I make green juice and fruit juice and have not found one I didnt like yet.

[R'Mila]

I'm thankful for your comparison as well. Right now I just blend whole juice/smoothies with vitamix. I'm still debating where I should invest.

[jevans]

I'm thankful for your comparison as well. Right now I just blend whole juice/smoothies with vitamix. I'm still debating where I should invest.

At least your'e doing the smart thing and debating. I couldn't decide so I bought ALL 3

I have the Omega 8006 and a Vita-mix 5200 and just purchased the Breville Ikon. I figured that I would at least sell one of them (Omega or Breville). As I stated in my opening thread, they both have a place BUT The Vitamix
is fantastic for smoothies. They say that juice is the best since it doesn't take any effort to digest it but the smoothies have all that great fiber and how hard can a smoothie be too digest? Also, with smoothies, you get a lot more yield than juicing. I do agree that juice is a much more concentrated, nutrient dense liquid, BUT how much worse could a smoothie be?

I even thought of just keeping the Vita-mix since you can still juice by straining through a fine sieve. I tried that and the juice came out very well.

[kevin1986]

I just got the Omega 8004! dream machine! LOVE IT

[bananafish]

Also, with smoothies, you get a lot more yield than juicing. I do agree that juice is a much more concentrated, nutrient dense liquid, BUT how much worse could a smoothie be?

I even thought of just keeping the Vita-mix since you can still juice by straining through a fine sieve. I tried that and the juice came out very well.

I made green smoothies almost every day for almost a year before I started juicing, I loved the green smoothies but I'll be honest I never did much shouting about it. Then I started juicing, WOW, there really is a big difference. I can't help but recommend and talk about how good juicing is, I didn't feel compelled to do that with smoothies.

Now days I make smoothies as a healthy, convenient meal. I consider juices much more than just a meal. :)

-

Also, the thing with using a blender and sieve to make a juice, it's pretty messy, and is it something you'll want to do every day?

[Dido]

Thank you very much for posting the comparison. I've been looking at an Omega, but I think with less prep work involved, I might actually be more likely to use the Breville Ikon more regularly, at least at this point in my life.

[laughalways]

I have an Omega and a Breville. I was amazed at how much better the juice tastes from the Omega. But it is faster to juice using the Breville.

[Raw Angel Mom]

If i would buy a centrifuge, i would go with a stainless one and no plastic. Bravo offer them. I would make sure it has a big mouth too.

I love my green star but i tend to use the Omega 8000 series more often because it is quicker to clean and i am most the time in a rush.

I prefer masticate juice because it doesn't oxidize as easy but centrifuge are very fast. If i was to drink my juice within minutes, i would be ok with centrifuge.

I am considering to buy a centrifuge to leave at work so i could make a fresh juice during lunch but i bring it from home instead. Centrifuge uses more produce to make a juice. A green star, use little because the pulp are very dry and i love that.

[dmb2002man]

At least your'e doing the smart thing and debating. I couldn't decide so I bought ALL 3

I have the Omega 8006 and a Vita-mix 5200 and just purchased the Breville Ikon. I figured that I would at least sell one of them (Omega or Breville). As I stated in my opening thread, they both have a place BUT The Vitamix
is fantastic for smoothies. They say that juice is the best since it doesn't take any effort to digest it but the smoothies have all that great fiber and how hard can a smoothie be too digest? Also, with smoothies, you get a lot more yield than juicing. I do agree that juice is a much more concentrated, nutrient dense liquid, BUT how much worse could a smoothie be?

I even thought of just keeping the Vita-mix since you can still juice by straining through a fine sieve. I tried that and the juice came out very well.

I use to own a breville BJE510XL Ikon juicer and then got a vitamix 5200 and wont go back. The vitamix can do it all in my opinion. Juicing takes a little more work cause you have to strain but its still less cleaning than my breville was. I make a liter and half of green juice daily using 3 cups spinach, 2 cup collards, 2 bananas, 1 cup strawberries, 2 tbsp flax seeds, 1/2 cup plain non fat yogurt, 1 cup water. I also make carrot juice a few times per week and strain it. I have made soups even. Peanut butter. The machine is just crazy!

My biggest thing with the breville juicer was the cleaning of all the multiple parts and the wasting of nutrients. For example, if i bought a organic apple and put it thru the juicer, it would put the skin in the overflow tank. The vitamix just blends the whole thing that includes the skin! To clean the vitamix i just fill with water and blend for 3-5 minutes on high after making a drink and that's it.