Best Juice Extractor Overall

The best juicers are pricey, but they last forever

Of all the juicers we researched, two stand out as the most powerful, versatile and durable: the Breville Ikon Variable-Speed Juice Extractor BJE510XL (*Est. $200) and the Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL (*Est. $300). They're almost exactly the same, with a 3-inch-wide feed chute that minimizes prep time, powerful performance overall and a reputation for solid durability.

The biggest difference between these juicers is that the BJE510XL has five operating speeds to the 800JEXL's two, and the BJE510XL doesn't have the 800JEXL's pesky habit of splattering juice from where the pulp catcher meets the snap-on lid. (That said, all Breville centrifugal juicers have a reputation for launching food back up the feed chute if you don't quickly cover it with the food pusher.) Both are capable of juicing everything from kale to apples, beets and celery; at $100 less than its near-identical competitor, the Breville BJE510XL is clearly the better value. Users also say they can clean it in a five minutes or less.

The Breville Juice Fountain Plus JE98XL (*Est. $150), Omega 4000 (*Est. $220) and Waring Pro PJE401 (*Est. $200) all occupy the same general price range, and offer powerful performance with an excellent yield of juice in their own right. The Breville JE98XL is easy to clean and use, but has just two speeds to the Breville Ikon BJE510XL's five. The Waring Pro PJE401 has a few foibles too: You have to clean its filter basket out frequently (though replaceable filters that minimize that task are available), and it vibrates so much it can "walk" during use. The Omega 4000 clogs frequently and isn't dishwasher-safe. The 15-year warranty looks terrific -- until you read the small print to find all the "consumable" parts it doesn't cover. One plus is that a small feed chute that drew scorn in early professional and user reviews has since been enlarged.