Breville Ikon BJE510XL

The Breville Ikon BJE510XL juicer's five operating speeds make it incredibly versatile for juicing any fruit or vegetable, from beets to pineapple, celery and bananas. It's sturdy enough to handle frequent juicing, although reviews of cleanup time are mixed.

The bottom line

The Breville Ikon is nearly three times as expensive as the very functional Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Pro 67650 (*Est. $70), but owners say it's worth the cost. "It is expensive," admits one Macy's reviewer, "but worth every penny. It is the best kitchen appliance I have ever purchased."

This juicer's combination of five speeds and a 3-inch feed chute makes it both versatile and easy to use -- in fact it's almost exactly the same as the well-regarded Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL (*Est. $300), except the latter only has two speeds and costs $100 more.

Performance

The most versatile juicer of all. The Ikon BJE510XL has five different operating speeds, compared to the one or two you'll find on almost all other juicers. This makes it easy to adjust your juicing speed to suit the target produce -- slower speeds for leafy greens and soft fruits, faster speeds for harder vegetables and fruits. Reviewers say that overall, the Ikon is smooth, quiet and fast. The only real caution is that you should place the food pusher over the feed chute as soon as you drop something in; otherwise, you risk having the food shoot back up at you.

The BJE510XL is versatile, although one Viewpoints.com user seems to have taken it far beyond the norm, saying it can even handle ice or cheese. Others stick to more conventional fare, like pineapple, kale, beets, carrots, apples, celery and broccoli. "Fast juicing. Dry pulp," says one reviewer on Macy's website, concisely summing up popular opinion about this juicer. (The wetter the pulp, the more juice the extractor missed.)

The froth separator in the juice jug works well, reviewers say -- but the Ikon's stable, quiet juicing may be its biggest success. "It's not constantly making that chopping and/or grinding noise. It also doesn't shake or vibrate," says one user, posting on Viewpoints.com.

Ease of use

Cleanup reviews are mixed. "The feed chute is very large and accommodates practically anything you can think of to juice," says one happy Viewpoints.com reviewer. "It is so convenient and I use it daily," says another.

The consensus is that the Ikon BJE510XL is decently easy to clean. Owners even say that the included scrub brush (for cleaning the mesh basket) actually works pretty well. However, reports on the time it takes are another matter, with some saying that it takes a concerted effort to clean the whole thing. One disappointed owner cites "a lot of cleanup afterwards," although he doesn't say how long it actually took. One bonus is that almost all of the Ikon's parts are dishwasher-safe.

One reason the Ikon juicer is so stable is that it is heavy, and fairly large. One reviewer on Amazon.com says it's aesthetically pleasing enough to display and recommends setting aside counter space to leave it out.

Durability

Stands up to frequent juicing. A number of users report juicing almost every day with their Breville Ikon juice extractor; they say it holds up well to the use, although one Amazon.com user warns that if you try to force the lid onto the pitcher without lining it up just right, it'll crack.

We found the usual smattering of stray complaints -- one Amazon.com user says the juice collector cracked in two places and now leaks everywhere -- but the bottom line is that according to most, the Breville Ikon stands up well to frequent use. One reviewer on Macys.com reports juicing four times a week for three years and says, "It's never given me any problems." The motor also isn't prone to overheating, a frequent complaint about smaller, less-expensive juicers.