Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite 1000-Watt Juice Extractor
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite 1000-Watt Juice Extractor
Customer Review: Just Couldn't Wait to Review--Newbie Perspective
Summary: 5 Stars
This juicer REALLY is as great as all of the reviews say. I've only had my juicer for three days, and I'm already in love with it! I've recently wanted to get into juicing, and after looking at different options and reading the reviews, I settled on this model and I'm glad I did. Since I doubt that I can contribute anything that will make this juicer glow any brighter than it already does, let me just throw some things out there for those considering geting into juicing:
1) Like most everything else, juicing (in general) comes with a price. In addition to the obvious start-up cost, consider the cost of fruit and vegetables. True, it can be cheaper than store-bought juice, just realize that you're still going to be spending a pretty penny on the fruits/veggies if you want to get serious about juicing.
2) A lot of reviews seem to praise this machine for its ease of cleaning. I can't imagine how difficult it is to clean other juicers, since this is the first one I've owned. While its mostly dishwasher safe, its top rack only, and I've found that the plastic housing with the chute won't fit in my top rack. Hence I must clean it by hand, and it is an awkward piece to wash out. The dishwasher doesn't perfectly clean out the mesh basket, but I've found the included brush to be quite handy...just make sure to thoroughly scrub the inside of the basket first then the outside. I have found, however, that simply rinsing it works fine if you're juicing multiple batches within a short period of time.
3) Yes the motor is extremely powerful. Yes the blade is very efficient. And yes, you still have to take the pits out of the peaches. While you CAN juice pineapple with the rind on it, it's not really good for the juicer. The book will instruct you to take the rind off of anything on which the rind is inedible, such as oranges, pineapples, and mangoes. Just think: a Ginsu knife CAN cut through a copper pipe, but still, it's not good for the knife. You will have to cut up larger fruits/veggies that don't fit in the chute whole. It's not an inordinate amount of preparation, just realize that you will have to do some preparation.
Overall the juicer IS every bit as incredible as the reviews would have you believe, and I'm just getting started with mine! I just wanted to write a review for those who are condiering getting into juicing. I've found that I spend a lot more time in prep and clean-up than I thought I would, and I didn't realize how much fruits and veggies can cost. However, I absolutely love my new hobby and would strongly encourage that anyone who's considering it start out with this juicer. It really does seem to be the case that you get what you pay for when it comes to juicing, and for me, the frustrations associated with a lesser juice makes all the difference between a lifelong hobby and a dust collector!
Customer Review: I prefer Breville's Ikon
Summary: 3 Stars
I've had the opportunity to try both the Elite and the Ikon. I much prefer the Ikon. I found the Elite unnecessarily large. Both have the same ample-sized 3" fruit and vegetable receptacle in width, but the Elite's "food pusher" and chute are longer than the Ikon's, making the Elite more difficult to fit under an upper kitchen cabinet. The Elite looked too industrial and imposing on the counter. The Ikon looks "just right," and the Ikon's additional speed controls are a great plus. Also, the Ikon's "safety locking arm" is easier to use, possibly because it's more substantial, and the "arm" is more attractive than the Elite's.
WORTH NOTING: I bought the Ikon from Bed, Bath & Beyond. With their 20% off coupon, it was less expensive than Amazon's price and I didn't have to wait for Amazon to ship it to me. (I live close enough to BB&B to have been able to bring the juicer home in my shopping cart so no shipping charge was incurred -- both now charge sales tax, at least if bought in or sent to New York City so there was no saving for me if I bought from Amazon.) I returned the first Ikon to BB&B for another because I sensed something was not totally right. Sure enough the second Ikon felt and sounded perfect. (The pulp was definitely drier. I still sometimes run the pulp through a second time and the juice yield is greater. I just don't know if the additional amount is worth the effort.) I suspect variations of quality between the machines occurs frequently, so don't hesitate to make an exchange if you believe something is wrong. Amazon.com and BB&Beyond are very customer friendly so returning and/or exchanging was very easy.
WORTH NOTING #2: The reconditioned Breville extractor I received from Amazon.com was in amazingly bad condition. (I think the former owner cleaned the plastic juicer cover with the cleaning brush that should be used only on the filter basket.) The plastic was so scratched that no part of it was clear. The machine should never have been sent to me. The good news is that Amazon.com took it back with only a few questions.) I have since learned that there's a link on the ordering page for juicers that are "reconditioned" that allows you to specify the condition of the reconditioned machine that you're willing to accept.
Thanks to the reviews I read on Amazon.com of others who experienced the juicers before me, I knew to use a plastic bag in the pulp container -- definitely a helpful hint. I think too much is made of the difficulty and time consumption involved in cleaning the juicer. The important part to clean ASAP is the stainless steel filter basket. I just fill the sink with warm, sudsy water and drop parts in to be cleaned when I'm ready. If the plastic does become stained by carrots, a little fresh lemon rubbed on the stain removes it.
Good luck on your choice.
Customer Review: Breville vs Jack Lalanne vs Acme vs Green Star
Summary: 5 Stars
I make a large batch of juice every few days, with about 10 pounds of veggies and apples. We have an older Acme juicer that worked great for small batches with the added paper filters. That machine did not extract the pulp and got off balanced easily and had to be stopped and cleaned. We also still own an older Jack Lalanne that we gave to my mom to use. It worked very well but stop the press right there. We bought a new Jack Lalanne at [...] before the Breville which was returned a day later. It jammed on the first carrot and the motor stopped. It spit out more of the remaining fruit/veg than the older Lalanne and was obviously a downgrade even for Jack's own machines. What a piece of junk! I guarantee you will return it. Watch out for Jack's gorilla marketing on this site to buy the garbage. The Green Star twin gear is mostly for greens. Everything has to be chopped small to feed it and carrots require an enormous amount of pressure to push in. The machine actually bends as you push that hard.
The Breville is sturdily made. It's heavy, mostly stainless and snaps together very easily. It's the easiest of all the machines to assemble every time. I made my first large batch of juice at high speed. High speed on this machine is not for the faint of heart. I think it could grind up branches. My juice came out really pulpy at high speed even though the instructions recommend this speed for the veggies I used. Even straining it was a chore and I thought I might return the machine. Next batch I just used low speed with much better results. The low speed on this machine is better than the only speed on the others. It never bogged down. The feedback on other reviews that it violently spits out the end of the vegetable is spot on. It's insane actually and sometimes makes the machine jump on the counter, which is hard to believe because it's so heavy and has nice feet to make it stay in place. I don't cut any vegetables up anymore so as not to lose more ends to the ejection discharge. I use the word discharge on purpose. It's like firing a vegetable gun. I can live with it, but it makes me talk to myself as I juice. I think if the other machines were as powerful as this one is, the same problem would occur.There's just a lot of force there.
I'm happy with the end result and that makes the machine a keeper for me. I still filter my juice with a fine stainless strainer. With 10 pounds of veggies I strain about a 1/4 cup of pulp. Cleanup is very easy with most parts. The screen is harder to clean than the Lalanne, but comes with a brush that works fine.
It was well worth the extra bucks to buy this machine for me. The new Lalanne is not even an option. It's cheaply made and does not work. The Breville is heavy duty and does the job I want it to do.
Customer Review: Pure carrot juice - poor ext finish
Summary: 4 Stars
Bought my two-speed puppy here two years and three months ago. Had a Jack LaLa model for a few weeks and then the lower wattage Breville for a few weeks before happily moving to this one.
With copies from three juicers recipe books, I still do straight carrots w/a squirt of lime juice and a dash of lemon juice. Pure preference.
Meticulously clean the entire unit after each use. The sweet satin exterior always gets a quick, light dishwashing soap sponge bath and then a clear rinse. Always rinse each item immediately after juicing. Using a supermarket plastic grocery bag inside the grinds catch bucket not only made it easier to store/recycle the very dry carrot shavings, yet also keeps the inside of the bucket spotless. Sigh, I also found the bucket ideal as an effective mini soap bucket w/the strainer soaking while washing all other parts first. A few drops of lemon juice along w/the liquid dishwashing soap eliminated any trace of carrots w/o scrubbing. Putting their supplied cleaner brush in the dishwasher brought it out spotless. Directions say dishwasher was ok for the other parts, but I didn't want to lose anything to either the harsh soap or heat. (Not related: since we have a top-end portable, I can see the water after the final rinse; and now run one or two extra rinses to remove all traces of soap.) In the beginning, I didn't clean under the grater; then later I would bust out a small screwdriver to clean the very small remnants every other time.
No errants drips, side spray, motor hesitation, cracks or malfunctions in any of the pieces. Flawless mechanical performance. Secure sturdy wall plug. The motor does make a powerful noise; alas the carrots always gave it up fat end first and they nor any neighbors ever complain. Since I store it on the counter, the appearance is a huge plus as it really looks and acts like a miniature rocket not leaving the stable launching pad.
My complaint is that after only two to three months, the surface finish came up with random surface pitting; even with all indoor use, no ocean salt spray, and thorough cleaning post haste. Could never understand how this happened save for manufacturing. Haven't gotten around to contacting Breville to hear their side. No peeling of the lovely satin finish, just a sporadic pattern of very small surface imperfections. Space shuttle wouldn't put up with that happening, though I have and would again in a heartbeat since none of the plastic or metal ever showed a hint of discoloration, starring, or visual marking in the least.
Save for the nominal pitting; other than supplements, this is truly the best you can do for your health. I swear I noticed a smirk, almost a smile from my counter rocket when we evolved to organic.
Customer Review: Best All-Around Juicer for the Money
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all, I purchased this juicer this morning at 10:00am and chose free same-day delivery from amazon.com. At 2:00pm, the unit was delivered. By 2:20, I had un-packed, cleaned, read most of the directions and had a orange-carrot-apple juice prepared for my family of four. The 8 and 9 year old boys gave the first juice two thumbs up and the grown-ups enjoyed it as well. This evening, I went to Whole Foods and picked up 5lbs. of carrots, a bunch of celery, 2 bunches of parsley, a bag of apples, a dozen navel oranges on sale, a bunch of beets - and the total was $11.50. Since Whole Foods charges $3.99 per 16 oz. bottle of carrot celery juice, I have a feeling that this juicer will pay itself off in a couple months time.
Cleanup - warm, soapy water plus the included bristle brush helped me clean the entire unit up in about 5 minutes. I did notice that some of the leafy greens passed through the chute quicker than I would like with less yield than desired, but for carrots, beets, apples, oranges, etc. this unit makes quick and efficient work of producing a good product. One beet with greens plus a whole carrot produced 10oz. of juice. I was pleased with this yield, but I suspect that an auger type juicer may produce more juice from the greens. The trade-off of ease and speed of use combined with easy cleanup wins the day with this juicer.
Incidentally - some of the pulp was enjoyed by our Chocolate Lab with his dinner (a little fiber never hurts), and the rest went into our compost pile. My spring garden will love the by-products of our juicing for sure!
Summary - if you want green juices from wheatgrass, kale, spinach, etc. - you may want to buy an auger juicer. However, if you want great carrot, celery, beet, orange, apple juice with the addition of leafy greens - this juicer fits the bill. Also - try the same day shipping from amazon.com when it makes financial sense. I was amazed and very pleased with the speed at which they delivered my new best kitchen appliance.
Happy juicing!!
P.S. Important technical note - when juicing citrus fruits, the manufacturer would never suggest this method, so use your common sense: Drop the knife-peeled citrus into the chute, and immediately cover the chute with your hand until the frenzy dies down. Otherwise, you may have orange pulp all over yourself and the kitchen since the speed of the blade causes the first contact with the fruit to go up instead of down. I can't see how the manufacturer could have designed a better solution, but I also understand why they wouldn't suggest putting your hand over the chute. Again, use common sense and the included plunger when possible!