What makes the elite better than the multi speed? Is it worth the extra cost?
Which one of these models would be best for juicing both fruit and vegetables?
My grandma loves juicing and has a very old but still mostly usable juicer, she can no longer juice herself so I do it for her and I want something that is better and easier to use.
We purchased the compact from Woot and just like the Breville blender we also purchased, they appeared to be brand new.
We love the quality Breville products!
Is the Small one good enough we’d be new aye pirates to the Juicing world. Wouldn’t probably get too crazy at first. Like the Idea of Carrot Juice Apple Juice…
Based on John’s big mouth he would know…
More powerful motor and more stainless parts instead of plastic. I’d say it’s worth the $50 in this case, but it may not be worth the $100 retail price difference. You can run a comparison here:
http://www.brevilleusa.com/beverages/juicers.html
Looks like the Elite also has a more durable blade material.
I have some reservations after watching this video:
[youtube=5FQz04gzbpc][/youtube]
That video was surprisingly objective and well-done. Generally-speaking, I don’t trust uploaders that also sell juicers because the profit margin for masticators is much higher. Centrifugal juicers can cost as little as $20, but you’d rarely see a masticator for less than $150, with most in the $200-$300 range. Nor are they usually sold in discount outlets like Woot.
I favor centrifugal juicers for the reasons I listed above. Since I don’t juice leafy veggies, the major advantage of masticating is lost on me. Instead, I pureé leaves in a blender as necessary and then add it to a juice base.
Ultimately, the best juicer is the one you use. My sister has both a masticator and centrifugal juicer. The masticator took so much time prepping and juicing, and was so hard to clean that she stopped using it. Don’t forget that you need to seed spples if you masticate or pulverize them! Please see my above post regarding cyanide.
Here are some comments on the video. 1) There is so much froth in the centrifuged juice because the blades act like a fan, aerating the liquid. In fact, you can feel the breeze, which is very refreshing in the Summer. Some people don’t like froth, but we don’t mind. FYI, blenders like the Vitamix also aerates the liquid as it blends. Masticator makers claim that all that air oxidizes the juice, robbing it of nutrients. My colleague, a nutritionist, says hogwash. I have yet to see any evidence of that the centrifuged juice is less nutritious.
- I was impressed that the woman admitted that she has no proof that heat from the centrifugal juicer destroys enzymes. It’s another one of the those marketing claims that has no evidence. The fact is that the blade doesn’t get all that hot. And the juice seems no warmer than the fruits themselves. Remember that juice spends less than a second with the blade before being flung out
All in all, those two claims seem like marketing hype to justify the much higher cost of masticators. The ease of use, time saved and lower cost of purchase favor centrifugal juicers – unless you juice a lot of leafy veggies. I rarely juice leaves bit do juice a lot of apples so it was a no brainer for me.
I bought the Breville Juice Fountain Plus last year from woot and LOVE it! It was a refurb, but looked just like new. I do better juicing during the summer months when I’m home more during the day and when it is a whole lot easier and less expensive to pick up fresh produce from our local farmers’ market. I often will save the ribs from kale or the larger/longer stems from broccoli and put them into the juicer with whatever else.
scd100, thank you for all of your very informative comments! 
I’ve gone through about 5 juicers in the past year. I gave the Breville centrifugal to a friend and tried the masticating one. Slow and too pulpy. Lots of preparation and I still had to strain the juice at the end. And it didn’t like kale because the lid broke twice in the same place.
The new centrifugals are great and don’t heat up like the old ones. The only issue I have is adequately cleaning the unit which is labor intensive. Other than that I’m in for an Elite when it comes up again.
Best prices all over! Great chance to start getting into juicing! Wonderful price range for everyone!