Omega 4000

Reviews of the Omega 4000 juicer are mixed, but mostly positive. The motor is powerful, reviewers say, but there are a few drawbacks: a tendency to jump around while juicing soft fruits and a problematic knob for holding the inner basket in place.

The bottom line

Although many are happy with their Omega 4000, others note that wet pulp means you're wasting juice, a little at a time. The long warranty is a big plus at first glance, but digging deeper reveals limitations. Based on feedback, those willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a juicer will probably be happier with the Breville Ikon Variable-Speed Juice Extractor BJE510XL (*Est. $200).

A powerful motor is one of the Omega 4000's highest points -- but it's not perfect. Testers with VitalityPlus.com -- an online retailer that sells several brands of juicers -- rank the Omega 4000 in the middle of the pack (of eight juicers tested) in terms of how much juice it extracts from 2.5 pounds of carrots and 2 pounds of spinach. However, the resulting carrot pulp was still wet -- and the spinach pulp was very wet -- which signals that all the juice hasn't been extracted. One Amazon.com user, disappointed by the wet pulp, says it makes sense to process it through the machine a second time (in order to extract more juice).

In an article published in Food & Wine, writer Kristin Donnelly says this "traditional, old-school juicer" is very efficient, and it "juices fruit so completely that there's no pulp left on the blade." Several owners posting on Amazon.com say this juicer is quiet, too. "The motor is much quieter than juicers I've owned in the past," writes one. Many user reviewers report keeping the Omega 4000 for its "powerful motor," despite other annoying design flaws.

On the downside, however, we found a few complaints that the pulp ejector clogs and needs to be cleaned periodically as you juice; the Omega 4000 also gets "off balance" and vibrates when juicing soft fruits like tomatoes. We also found a few stray complaints that chunks of fruit ejected from the juicer, although most don't seem to have this problem.

Ease of use

The small feeding chute has been enlarged. Professional reviews, most dating back a bit, take issue with the Omega 4000's small feed chute, saying you have to slice an apple into at least four pieces before it'll fit. The maker now says that the feed chute is larger, and the most recent user reviews don't note any problems in that regard.

Cleanup time can be problematic. "I have a refrigerator full of fruits and vegetables that will go bad because I cannot take the Omega 4000 juicer apart to clean," writes one frustrated user on Amazon.com. Another reports that she has to use pliers to loosen the plastic knob that holds the Omega 4000's basket in place after each use. "It's difficult to assemble (think 3-D jigaw puzzle)," writes another, noting that "too many flimsy, finicky parts" also make cleaning the Omega 4000 an awkward process.

Testers with VitalityPlus.com estimate the Omega 4000's cleanup time at just under seven minutes, but that's still longer than most of the models tested. (Some are clean in a very speedy 3.5 or four minutes; we're inclined to believe that until you really hit your groove, most will experience slightly longer cleanup times for all the juicers VitalityPlus.com tests.)

Durability

Impressive warranty mainly covers the motor. Reports about the Omega 4000's durability vary widely; for example, one 2011 Amazon.com review describes the juicer "self-destructing" within a week. While the very next reviewer -- also from 2011 -- reports having used the same juicer for more than 12 years.

A 15-year warranty is encouraging at first glance, however, we found a number of complaints on Amazon.com that other pieces of the juicer -- including the latch arm, which seems to break frequently -- are not included under the warranty. A look at the maker's site reveals that Omega considers many of the juicer's parts to be "consumables" that are not covered. "It's ridiculous to have plastic pieces that are not replaceable," gripes one Amazon.com reviewer, despite feeling ultimately happy with this "powerhouse of a machine."