Best Juice Extractors

Juice extractors are the most flexible juicers

Juice extractors, which range in price from about $85 to over $500, are for making vegetable juice or fruit-and-vegetable combinations. They use a sharp blade to release the maximum amount of juice from vegetables and fruits. The most popular models use centrifugal force to remove the juice from the pulp, which means after chopping, the pieces are spun in a basket at a high speed. Centrifugal ejection models discharge leftover pulp into a separate container, allowing you to juice continuously without emptying the basket. The leftover pulp winds up in a holding bin that can be lined with plastic for easy clean-up; from there, it's easy to discard the pulp or add it to the compost pile. Dry pulp indicates that the maximum amount of juice is being extracted. Most newer juicers use this centrifugal ejection technique.

Breville centrifugal-ejection juice extractors earn consistently high marks in reviews. The Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL (*Est. $300) receives near-perfect scores from dozens of owners at Amazon.com and Cooking.com. Choice magazine says that the sleek Juice Fountain Elite performs beautifully, has clear controls and comes with comprehensive instructions. In Which? magazine's tests, the Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL produced especially smooth, delicious juice and earned a Best Buy rating. It boasts a 1000-watt motor, 3-inch-wide feed chute and a dishwasher-safe filter. The Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL carries a one-year warranty on all parts but the motor, which has a three-year warranty.

Unlike cheaper machines, which are mostly plastic, the sleek Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL has a stainless-steel housing. Its two-speed motor allows for better torque when juicing hard foods, including beets and carrots. Experts say it is easy to use and owners say it's efficient.

The 850-watt Breville Juice Fountain Plus JE95XL juicer (*Est. $150) also has a 3-inch-wide chute and two speeds, but its motor is less powerful than the Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL's and its housing is mostly plastic. Although this juicer has many fans among owners, motor-failure complaints are sprinkled amidst the compliments. The Breville Juice Fountain Plus JE95XL also has a shorter warranty than the Fountain Elite: one year on all parts, including the motor. Still, the Breville Juice Fountain Plus JE95XL juicer earns second place overall in Consumer magazine's tests. Many owners say that it's easy to put together and clean, efficient and attractive.

The Breville Juice Fountain Compact BJE200XL (*Est. $100) is a less powerful sibling to the Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL and Breville Juice Fountain Plus JE95XL, but like them, it has a large chute and a contemporary look. It includes a grey plastic housing, dishwasher-safe parts and a one-year warranty. Owners posting to Amazon.com love this machine, which they say outperforms other juicers in its price class, is well designed and looks good on the counter. In Which? magazine's tests, the Breville Juice Fountain Compact BJE200XL "squeezed an impressive amount of juice...; reasonably quickly and without too much offending noise." Editors give this juicer their "best buy award, hands-down." A few note that soft fruits, like berries, have a tendency to spatter juice -- a problem that is prevented by blocking the feed tube.

Although it hasn't accumulated as many professional reviews as other Breville juicers, the 900-watt Breville Ikon BJE510XL (*Est. $190) earns perfect scores from more than 100 users at Amazon.com. It wins Choice magazine's top rating, outperforming the more expensive Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL. Editors say it does a very good job with pineapple, watermelon, apple and orange juice. While the Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL has an all-metal housing, the Breville Ikon BJE510XL combines stainless steel and plastic. Users posting to Amazon rave about the Breville Ikon BJE510XL's performance, looks, and speed. Users add that it's quieter than other juicers. The Breville Ikon BJE510XL has five speeds, a 3-inch-wide chute and a one-year warranty.

While reviewers are impressed with Breville's line as a whole, there are other juicer brands that reviewers give praise to, as well. With its black and gray plastic housing, the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Pro 67560H (*Est. $80) isn't as sleek as the Breville juicers, but it does earn Food & Wine's top rating. Editors praise its wide chute, taller-than-average pulp container and included brush. At Amazon.com, the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Pro 67560H earns generally positive ratings. Owners posting to Amazon.com say that the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Pro 67560H offers a lot of power for the price and is easy to clean, but a few complain that the pulp comes out wet, a sign of incomplete juice extraction. The Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Pro 67560H has an 820-watt motor, dishwasher-safe parts and a one-year warranty.

In The Wall Street Journal's 2003 tests, the L'Equip Mini Pulp Ejector Model 110.5 (*Est. $100) juicer earned editors' best-value rating for its compact size and excellent performance. It made quick work of everything from "fibrous pineapples to leafy greens, without fuss or mess." The L'Equip Mini Pulp Ejector Model 110.5 juicer takes up less counter space than most juicers, yet BuyJuicers.com says it yields more juice than larger models. The L'Equip Mini Pulp Ejector Model 110.5 has a gray plastic housing that hides stains and a 600-watt motor. It's also backed by a six-year warranty. At Amazon.com, some owners say it's best for soft fruits and isn't up to the challenge of juicing beets and carrots, which have a tendency to jam and slow the machine down. For hard vegetables, you'll want a more substantial juicer.

The Omega 4000 juicer (*Est. $220) boasts heavy-duty components and an impressively long warranty (15 years). Its parts are not dishwasher-safe, however. This juicer's other downside is its narrow chute, which makes it necessary to chop fruits and vegetables. Nonetheless, Food & Wine says that it "juices fruit so completely that there's no pulp left on the blade." Most owners posting to Amazon.com and Cooking.com are happy with this powerful and solidly built juicer, which is said to last for years. A few owners note, however, that the Omega is hard to find in stores and rarely goes on sale.

While reviewers rave about many centrifugal ejection models, there are a few nods to older models, like the Waring Pro PJE401 (*Est. $180), also sold as the Acme Supreme Juicerator 5001 (*Est. $180), where pulp remains in the chopping hopper, which means you have to empty the basket periodically during juicing. The tradeoff for this minor inconvenience, however, is greater juice extraction. By holding onto the leftover pulp, the Waring Pro can increase juice yield up to 35 percent.

The Waring Pro PJE401 (and identical Acme model) is a little more difficult to clean than the Breville and L'Equip juicers, which offer automatic ejection, but the disposable filters ease the burden somewhat -- and make for clearer juice. The Wall Street Journal also declares the Acme -- which "gives you more juice for your money" -- its best juicer overall in its 2003 review. Only a handful of owners have reviewed this juicer at Amazon.com, but most reviews are positive.