Breville JE95XL Two-Speed Juice Fountain Plus
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List Price: Buy Used: from $80.00 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Breville JE95XL Two-Speed Juice Fountain Plus
Customer Review: getting the run-around from this company
Summary: 1 Stars
Well I was so excited to be getting my new juicer. I have just been using my blender and a strainer to make juice so far and wanted something faster, easier to clean, etc. . .
Unfortunately when I took the juicer out of the box the plastic basket that surrounds the filter was cracked and a piece fell off it. I called the company right then and waited on hold forever, finally got someone but we were somehow dissconected. So I called again and after waiting a long time again, there was a message to put in my phone number and someone would call back. No one called back. So I called again, and waited again.
This time a lady answered and I told her I had just opened the package and the part was broke and she said no problem just email me the order information from Amazon and we'll send a new bowl right out to you. She gave me the email adress (callcenter3@breville.com) and I asked her to repeat it so I wrote it down correctly, then I said it back to her, OK fine. So I sent her my order information and low and behold the email came back Mailer-Daemon- Failure notice. Just great! In the meantime I tried to call again but could never get ahold of anyone.
I then had to search online for the company website and found an email address on there and forwarded them my order information. They write back that they need the 3-4 digit serial number etched underneath the juicer. I wrote back that the number on the bottom of my juicer says JE95XL. Then they write back . . . "The number you have provided is the model number. We need a three/four digit number that it is stamped on the bottom of your unit. It does not include letters." I have looked and looked and can see no such number on it.
OK so at this point I'm getting really peeved, what happened to "We'll send it right out to you"?
So I email them back that the only other numbers on the bottom of the juicer are right below where it says "Made in China", it says 1010G. So they email back that I will receive an email from FedEx containing a prepaid label and my replacement will be issued upon receipt/inspection of the defective
unit. I have yet to recieve any such email.
But if they ever do email that FedEx label . . . then I guess I'll have to buy printer ink and print out the label and pack up the whole unit, drive to the city and find a FedEx so I can send it back to them? Why couldn't they just send a new bowl to replace the defective one and then I send the bad one back to them? Why make me waste hours of my time on such a simple problem?
So it's been a week now, emailing back and forth.
In the meantime, my husband super glued the bowl back together so I finally got to use my 'new' juicer. First I put in an apple and it did fine, next I put in some rhubarb, UH OH!!! The thing started shaking, made a noise like a jet plane and I smelled smoke. Yes smoke! I was so scared I turned it off. Took it apart and saw that the tiny mesh in the filter was clogged. I guess the fiber strands in the rhubarb was too much for this machine. Funny since my $15 blender can handle rhubarb without a problem. After I cleaned it out and put everything back together, I put the rhubarb aside and tried a pear and it wizzed right through. Little pieces of fruit scattered all over my kitchen though. Maybe I got a bad machine because it seams like the pieces don't fit together quite tightly enough.
All in all, it made really yummy juice, but the cleanup took a lot more time than my old method of blender, strainer. There are a lot of pieces on this unit and the plastic must be very brittle kind, I think if you would just drop the bowl or bump it in the sink it will break. I am not only very dissapointed with the quality of this juicer, but also with the company. Luckily, super glue seems to work holding the brittle pieces together for now.
Customer Review: MUCH nicer than I expected. You will love this juicer!
Summary: 5 Stars
I still own a $2,000.00 Norwalk Press (juicer) and have owned two $150 and under juicers. After getting married, my 60 pound Norwalk never made it to the countertop. I actually stopped using the Norwalk about a year before because of all the prep and cleaning that went into using that juicer. The desire to drop about 15 pounds and to just eat healthier put me on a "buy a new juicer" qwest. I drove myself crazy reading every review of every $75 to $250 juicer I could find. I eventually narrowed my search down to three juicers.
I wanted little to no food prep time; and I wanted the machine to be as easy as possible to clean. Thirdly, I wanted a machine that was built well enough to at least last several years with daily use. I settled on this machine because Breville has won several design awards with their various products; and this juicer has a 3" round opening to feed the fruits and vegetables through (larger carrots are close to 2 inches in diameter). I was disappointed that this juicer only has a one year warranty; but I figured that was long enough for it to break through daily use if it was going to break. (Heck, I broke a Jack LaLane juicer in under a month.) I was expecting to just "like" this juicer and figured I would probably want something better in a year or two.
Well, Amazon got this to me in just three days during the holiday season. I immediately unpacked the unit and gave the four parts that touch the juice a quick wash. I lined the pulp catcher with a 4-gallon trash bag and I was ready to go. As I went to plug this juicer in I received my first pleasant surprise. My electrical outlets in the kitchen are so tight they are a pain to use and are the reason I never unplug anything if I can help it. This unit has an award winning electrical plug that your finger fits through and that allowed me to use the outlets in my kitchen without any hassle. Next I powered the unit on, and it starts out slow. Even at the higher speed, this unit is much quieter than the Jack LaLanne Power juicer I previously owned. The slower setting still juices carrots, apples, and celery just fine and is quiet enough to juice even after my young children have gone to bed. I have read about many juicers which "walk" across your counter when turned on; but this unit does not do that at all. Within seconds I had enough juice for all four of us in my family.
After drinking my juice, I decided to immediately clean the juicer (probably about 5 minutes after juicing). I popped the unit apart, and let the blade/basket set under running water while I quickly washed the other parts. When I got to the basket it was fairly clean just from the running water. This basket does not have a plastic upper rim like most of the other juicers I have seen; and so it cleans up quickly with the nylon brush that comes with the machine. I'd say within two minutes all was cleaned up and I was off to another task.
This juicer is well made, handles the pre-bagged apples I buy at my supercenter without any cutting, runs quieter than I expected, and is easier to clean up than I really expected. I am VERY happy with my purchase of this Breville juicer. My wife and kids like it so much, that by the end of day two it had a permanent place on our kitchen counter.
If you look at the earliest reviews (from 2002) concerning this juicer, a couple of units arrived DOA; but since then all the reviews have been great. I am told this is the best selling juicer currently here on Amazon, and if true it does not surprise me. I do not plan to juice lettuce or other leafy greens. No juicer like this will do that well. If you want a juicer that is easy to use, easy to clean, and is well made you will love this Breville JE95XL. It does not surprise me that Breville has won several design awards for thei products.
Customer Review: Chose over Jack LL's Power Juicer Pro
Summary: 4 Stars
At my mother's recommendation, I originally purchased the Jack LL's Power Juicer Pro. I kept and used it daily for a few weeks but wound up returning it and getting the Breville Juice Fountain Plus instead. Here's my feedback on both:
JLL Pros: clearer juice, little to no pulp or froth in juice.
JLL Cons: Spout location is too low (only allows for a small, perhaps odd-sized, catch container, which, as someone else aptly mentioned, is not convenient if you're juicing more than a cupful; as compared to the Breville, the cleanup takes a little longer since you have to detach the blade from the filter and wash them separately; non-drip spout would frequently get clogged and cause the liquid to leak from the sides (a mess) or especially with harder items like pineapple, the machine would find it too much to handle at times & shut off and you'd have to wait a while for it to recover before it would work again (the main reason for the return.)
On to the Breville:
Pros: Very attractive (the reason I bought the JLL Pro is because it was more pleasing to the eye than the basic JLL juicer, as there are no differences in motor. I'm sorry, I can't pay money for ugly things!), handles pineapples, carrots, beets, etc. like a champ- no problems whatsoever. Spout height is user-friendly, not to mention that it comes with a tall catch container with a cover (no splashing on the counter) and a spout (which is wonderful. True, I could just as easily use a large measuring cup, but the cover is nice, and it fits the machine.) I'm no engineer, but I wonder what role the difference the wattage increase & the 2 speeds plays in the better performance for me (in which case, I would wonder if a similarly-credentialed juicer (but lower priced), the Juiceman,Jr. is competitive. (I won't know. I like the Breville, so I'm keeping it.) Is cheaper than the JLL Pro (got at Bed,Bath & Beyond w/ a 20% off coupon - tx to the reviewer who suggested this, so was 120 + tax.) Faster cleanup with the blade attached to the filter basket.
Breville Cons: Juice is thicker/frothier/pulpier than that of the JLL, even in switching speeds according to the hardness of the fruit/vegetable (Isn't really a 'con' unless you dislike it. I don't mind, but the difference was notable.)But I should add that there is an attachment to the catch container to separate the froth from the juice.
Addressing other things mentioned, I've not had anything bounce back into my face, but I do immediately place the plunger in the chute after the fruit/veg. Agreeing with others, even though both juicers' parts are dishwasher-safe, it's so much easier to wash everything right after juicing, before anything gets hard and crusty. And it doesn't take that long at all.
Overall, I am very happy with this juicer, and it's so true what they say about juicing. My body loves it and I can feel and have observed positive changes in my body since I've started.
Customer Review: Excellent Home Use Juicer
Summary: 5 Stars
We've owned our Breville 95 since 2004. Actually it sits on the shelf the last two years, but before that we used it a fair amount with no problems. Even took it to Thailand when we moved there in 2005 and used a lot over there. The only reason I'm writing this review is due to the complaints I see from folks who say their juicer gave out early. There could be a number of reasons, most likely is they have overtaxed the motor while trying to juice. This is a home use juicer and not a commercial machine.
Unless you get a lemon this should work fine for you providing you don't tax the machine. Heat is the major enemy for electronics and whenever you juice you are creating heat inside the motor. Too much heat and the motor will quit. One other reviewer had a good point about Breville adding a 'reset' button to the machine like they do with garbage disposals. It could be the company decided not to offer such as that would only encourage us to push the limits of the juicer - or maybe the bean counters got involved.
Someone else suggested buying a Champion claiming it made better juice. The Champion juicer is an auger style machine which forces fruits and vegetables through an auger to extract the juice and pulp whereas the Breville is a centrifugal design using a spinning mesh screen to extract more juice with less pulp. My wifes sister was diagnosed with colon cancer and her doctor prescribed the Champion juicer for her cancer diet as it produces more pulp which is beneficial to aid in elimination. I personally don't like my juice with that much pulp but to each their own. She uses her Champion a lot and I've noticed very annoying sounds while she juices her veges. Seems the plastic auger deteriorates over time and the juice along with it. With the high speed mesh you won't have that problem as it either spins or not. Both provide excellent juice - depending on your taste.
We don't use our juicer as much anymore because we find it easier to simply buy fresh juice at Trader Joe's for about the same price as juicing ourselves. If we were to get serious on juicing again and wanted to go more exotic, then we'll fire up the Breville again.
We've owned three other juicers over the years, including a Champion, and this is the best one. We are totally satisfied with this machine as a juicer. Has plenty of power and the juice it produces is excellent. Just follow the instructions, don't overheat the machine and it should last a long time.
Customer Review: I love my Breville, its an awesome juicer
Summary: 5 Stars
I just wanted to briefly add my personal endorsement for this product because I have enjoyed it so much. I won't try to recreate all the wonderful things already said about this juicer by other people here, but I will tell you that they are ALL TRUE. I also looked at the LaLane juicer at my local wholesale club for $99.00 and the Breville makes it look like a poorly designed, cheap toy, and for not much more money. The design of this machine makes it do its job extremely well, easy to clean, and a pleasure to use. I have experienced NONE of the few negative things posted here, which brings me to the apples. If you buy the ultra engineered, non organic, super apples at the grocery store then of course they won't fit in without cutting BUT if you buy a bag of organic apples, like you should be because thats why we are juicing is to improve our health and get rid of nasty things like pesticides, waxes, chemicals etc. then they will fit. You will probably want to cut your apples anyway because the seeds of apples contain very small quantities of cyanide and you are supposed to remove them before juicing anyway. I recommend 2 books to go with this machine, "The Juicing Bible" by Pat Crocker and "The Complete Book Of Juicing" by Michael T. Murray N.D. Get these 3 items and you will have all you need to make one of the most positive health changes in your life.
***UPDATE 08/27/05***
I just wanted to add this update for Breville customer service. After dropping my filter bowl surround it cracked. Yes I dropped it . . it was my fault . . I called Breville customer service to buy another one. The rep that came on the phone was very friendly, intelligent and courteous. I told her how much I loved my juicer but I had dropped and cracked the filter bowl and needed to buy a new one and she said no problem and SHE SENT ME A NEW ONE FOR FREE!!!!! They didnt even charge me for shipping! I was totally blown away. I said are you sure? I'm the one that broke it, its not the products fault and she said that it was cool and they would send it out that day. Well they did and I got it a few days later and wow . . all I can say is I love this juicer and Breville customer service has exceeded my expectations. They have a customer for life.