The first thing you need to know when buying a juicer is to understand the difference between the centrifugal juicers and cold press / masticating juicers.
Centrifugal Juicers
These juicers extract juice by finely grating up the fruits and vegetables; with a fast spinning motion the pulp is pressed against a sieve which then extracts the juice. This fast spinning motion creates heat and oxidises the juice, reducing nutritional value and killing healthy, living enzymes. We therefore do not recommend buying a centrifugal juicer unless you need to juice a high volume in a short amount of time.
Cold Press / Masticating Juicers
These juicers are also commonly referred to as slow juicers. They work by slowly crushing the produce then squeezing the juice out. They create very little friction and therefore less heat. The slow pressing motion also keeps oxidation to a minimum which allows the juicer to make really healthy juices with maximum nutrition and living enzymes. We recommend that anyone who is serious about juicing for health invests in a cold press juicer.
Different types of cold press juicers
There are a few different types of cold press juicers on the market. They all have their own advantages and disadvantages. They can be divided into two main groups; single auger juicers and twin gear juicers.
Single Auger Juicers (includes vertical & horizontal single auger juicers)
These are the most common type of cold press juicers on the market. They use a 'screw' or auger to gently crush the produce which is then slowly pushed through a sieve which seperates the juice from the pulp.
Vertical Cold Press Juicers
Vertical juicers use the latest in juicing technology. They are the best all-round juicers on the market. To a large extent they are self-feeding, they are easy to clean and assemble. We highly recommend the Hurom Juicers - in particular the 2nd generation Hurom Juicer range.
Horizontal Cold Press Juicers
These are the original single auger designs. The vertical juicers have used and improved on this technology. The horizontal juicers are however a little better at juicing leafy greens than the vertical juicers. You may want to consider one if you're mostly going to juice wheatgrass, celery or other highly fibrous produce. Note that the vertical juicers, being great all rounders will do a very good job though! Our recommendation here would be one of the Samson Juicers.
Twin Gear Juicers
These juicers use 2 gears to crush and then squeeze the produce. Like the single auger juicers, they are excellent for leafy greens and in particular wheatgrass & barley grass. They typically get a higher yield than the single auger juicers, although they are also more expensive. Washing and assembly will take slightly longer than the single auger juicers, although it won't take nearly as long as washing a centrifugal juicer. We highly recommend the Green Star Elite 5000 twin gear juicer.
