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Juicing on a regular basis comes with a ton of great health benefits. Especially when you’re juicing superfoods like beets or wheatgrass.
However, those health benefits can be diminished by using the wrong Juicer.
- What is a Masticating Juicer?
- Masticating vs Centrifugal Juicer
- Pros and Cons of Masticating Juicers
- Juicer’s Verdict: The 3 Best Masticating Juicers
Luckily for you we were recently in the market for a new juicer. So over the last few weeks we tried, tested and researched the best Masticating Juicers on the market to put together this ultimate list of the best masticating juicers for you.
What is a Masticating Juicer?
Masticating juicers are also known as cold press- , or slow press juicers. The literal meaning of “masticate” means to grind, or crush. It’s derived from the Latin word masticatus which means “to gnash with teeth”.
The reason this type of juicer is named a masticating juicer is that it slowly presses fruits and vegetables against a mesh — turning it into pulp while collecting the juice.
The slow (and cold) pressing of the juice preserves many of the nutrients, which gives the juice a shelf life of up 75 hours!
Masticating vs Centrifugal Juicer
There are several types of juicers, but centrifugal and masticating juicers are the two most popular types.
The biggest difference between masticating vs centrifugal juicers is their speed. Centrifugal juicers grind food by spinning a strainer roughly 12,000 times per minute. The fruits and vegetables are ground up by this strainer, and the pulp and juice separated.
Masticating juicers on the other hand rotate much slower — roughly 45 – 100 times per minute.
The biggest drawback of a centrifugal juicer is that the very fast rotating strainer creates heat, which is said to oxidize your fruits and vegetables. This results in shorter shelf-life and overall lower juice quality.
As cell walls of fruits and vegetables are being cut they are exposed to oxygen and therefore “oxidize”. Oxidation causes your antioxidants i.e. vitamins (such as A, C, and E) to be broken down before you consume the juice. It’s essentially what happens when you see a banana turn brown. One bad particle in your juice will make all of the other particles go bad like a chain reaction. That’s why it’s important to drink your juice as soon as possible after juicing if you’re using a centrifugal juicer.
This is why most people that take their health and juicing seriously go with a cold press masticating juicer.
Most masticating juicers are also much more efficient than centrifugal juicers, meaning you get more juice out of your fruits and veggies. This can help save you money in the long run (and avoids waste).
With that said, centrifugal juicers are typically a lot cheaper than masticating juicers and are still a great option.
We actually found some great options for both juicer types for under $100.
Pros and Cons of Masticating Juicers
There are several pros and cons to consider when purchasing a masticating juicer. Some of them will depend on your personal preference and situation.
Pros of a Masticating Juicer
- Less oxidation which leads to longer shelf-life of juice
- Less noisy than centrifugal juicers
- Higher yield of juice (less waste)
- Able to juice leafy vegetables better (like wheatgrass)
- Better tasting juice
- Typically better quality equipment than centrifugal juicers
Cons of a Masticating Juicer
- They can be more expensive
- They are slower than centrifugal juicers (by a few minutes)
- They sometimes have more parts and are therefore harder to clean
Juicer’s Verdict: The 3 Best Masticating Juicers
1. Omega J8006 Masticating Juicer
We love this slow masticating juicer so much that we decided to personally invest in one.
The Omega 8006 series has been around for a while so there is no shortage of raving reviews about it. With over 4,000 reviews and 4.5 stars on Amazon this juicer has passed the test for many.
There are two colors to pick from; metallic and silver.
We really like the metallic version as it looks much sleeker and is only a few bucks more.
Both are built with an Ultem auger which is 8X stronger than typical plastic. So this cold press juicer is built to last!
And just in case something doesn’t last, there is a 15-year warranty on this series so you call up the manufacturer and get parts replaced!
As a matter of fact, here’s a great video review of someone who’s been using this juicer for years:
The Omega 8006 is as powerful as a 2 Horsepower motor and will crush all your fruits and vegetables at 80 RPM and turn them into delicious and nutritious juice.
This twin gear juicer allows you to do so much more than just juicing. For example:
- Grind almonds and other nuts to make nut butters and milks
- Grind coffee beans
- Make ice cream by grinding up frozen fruits
- Mince herbs and make homemade spices
Compared to other masticating juicers, the Omega 8006 is very efficient so you can be sure you get the most juice out of your veggies (which can save you lots of money in the long run!)
With only a few parts, this masticating juicer is also easy to clean, easy to store and easy to assemble and use. The parts are also dishwasher safe so you don’t have to worry about handwashing them.
If you’re someone that gets up early, you’ll also appreciate that the Omega is very quiet — even much quieter than many other masticating juicers.
So all in all, the Omega tops the list of our best masticating juicers and thousands of others agree with us (just check Amazon!).
The only downside to this masticating juicer is that it comes at a higher price tag than — but in our opinion totally worth the investment!
2. Aicok Slow Masticating Juicer
The Aicok Slow Masticating juicer is a great value juicer. It’s the most affordable of the 3 best masticating juicers on this list.
For the money, this juicer is a great first juicer option. It’s easy to assemble and use, easy to clean and is less noisy than your centrifugal juicers.
Similar to the Omega, this juicer is very efficient at 80 RPMs. It’s not quite as good at juicing things like wheatgrass but for the majority of fruits and vegetables it’s just as good as your more expensive options.
We love the reverse function on this juicer which is helpful when cleaning or unclogging.
While the price of this juicer is amazing, some customers have had some issues with broken parts. Amazon offers a 30-day return policy so it’s always worth giving a try!
3. KOIOS Masticating Juicer
The KOIOS masticating juicer is the most stylish out of the three. If you’re looking for something that you can leave out on the kitchen counter then this is the juicer for you.
It comes in a sleek white as well a red & black.
Our favorite part of this juicer is the fact that it has 3 juicing options; soft, hard and reverse. This allows you to juice everything from leafy greens to beets to wheatgrass.
The reverse function also allows you to easily clean and unclog the juicer in case something gets stuck.
Just like with any juicer in this lower price class, there are a few customers that have had some issues with broken parts. However, the KOIOS motor is covered by a 10-year warranty while all other parts are covered by a 3-year warranty. So returns shouldn’t be an issue!
All in all, this juicer is a really great option compared to hundreds of masticating juicers and definitely belongs on this list of best masticating juicers!
The post Juicer’s Verdict: Best Masticating Juicers of 2020 appeared first on The Health Playbook.
