21st Century Juicer

This is the fourth juicer I have owned over the past several years and without reservations I can say that it will probably be my last. If it breaks, I will fix it. If it wears out, I will buy another one just like it. Until someone makes a better one I will never own another juicer other than the Breville Elite 800JEXL.

The Breville is just about the best made juicer on the market. It is solidly built and is very heavy due to the powerful motor. When it is running, even at high speed, it does not vibrate or move at all on the counter. Except for the plastic parts, it is mostly constructed of stainless steel. All parts are dishwasher safe, though I do not recommend cleaning them this way. The strong detergent and high heat of a dishwasher will have a tendency to cloud the plastic parts over time and there is also the possibility of scratches to the plastic if not loaded correctly in the dishwasher. Another reason to wash by hand is to remove any fruit or vegetable stains quickly before they set and when using the dishwasher there is a tendency to load in the parts and put the machine on later in the day. All of the parts are easily cleaned by hand with soap and warm water and you must pay particular attention to the filter basket, using the small brush supplied to remove all traces of food in the tiny holes of the basket. I also recommend placing a small plastic bag in the pulp container to catch the pulp which will allow you to avoid cleaning this part when finished juicing. I also recommend running the machine briefly after drying all parts and re-assembling. This will spin out a lot of water from the filter basket and other parts.

The unit also comes with a 34 ounce juice jug with integrated handle for left or right handed use. This jug has a froth separator frother attachment to give you the choice of pouring the juice with or without the froth. Assembling the unit for juicing is very easy. Place the filter bowl surround on top of the motor base and align the arrows on the filter basket with the arrows on the motor drive coupling and push down until it clicks into place. Then place the juice cover on and raise the safety locking arm into the 2 grooves on either side of the juicer. Slide the food pusher down the feed chute, aligning the groove in the pusher with the small protrusion on the inside of the feed chute. Lastly, place the pulp container into position at the back of the juicer and you are ready to juice.

The machine has 2 speed settings....high and low. The user's manual describes the appropriate speed to use for most fruits and vegetables. I have found that if you are trying to juice leafy vegetables such as baby spinach, it is best to load up the feed chute with the leaves and pack them down a bit before juicing. If you try to juice a few leaves at a time they just get sucked right into the pulp container by the centrifugal force of the filter basket. There is also a red STOP button to stop the motor. There is a toggle switch to choose low or high speed, but you must stop the machine before changing speeds. On the bottom is an overload protection button to reset the machine if it overheats and shuts down. This is a great feature to protect motor burnout from excessive loads.

Disassembling the machine for cleaning is very easy.....just turn the filter bowl surround slightly to the left and lift off which removes the filter basket as well. I recommend placing all parts immediately under running water to remove all traces of food before any staining can begin to set.
If you do this every time, the parts on your juicer will look like new almost indefinitely. The motor base can be easily cleaned with a damp sponge.

The overall dimensions of the 800JEXL are quite large compared to some other juicers, but it is a very handsome machine and looks very professional. If you have the room on your counter I would suggest that you leave it out all the time, particularly if you juice on a regular basis. I say this because it will avoid having to store it in a cabinet after each use as it is rather heavy to pick up. The machine measures approx. 17" high x 13" deep x 8" wide. The feed chute is rather high compared to many other juicers, but it is also a wide chute which allows you to drop in many fruits and vegetables without first cutting them up. I recently made a carrot, apple and pear drink and I didn't have to cut one piece of food before juicing. This is a great feature, not found on most other juicers.

The Breville comes with a very easy to understand illustrated owner's guide which also has several recipes and troubleshooting tips. There is a toll-free customer service number to call Breville with any questions and I have found them to be very helpful and accommodating and they answer the phone very quickly. The machine comes with a 1-year warranty on everything and 5-year warranty on the motor. The Breville 800JEXL is the company's best made and most expensive juicer and retails for $300. and it is very difficult to find it discounted. The cheapest I found it was at livingright.com where it sells for $274. with the site's $25. instant rebate. I was fortunate to find mine at a Bed, Bath & Beyond store which was selling it for $299. but they applied a store coupon of 20% and then since they had none in stock except the display model, they took off an additional 20% for that. So I purchased mine for $192. + tax and it came with everything except the cleaning brush and the pulp container had a small crack in it. I called Breville and they are sending me a cleaning brush and new pulp container free of charge. If you are lucky enough to find a deal like this, take it.

After using this juicer for some time now, I have found it to be the best and most powerful juicer I have ever owned. I previously owned The Juiceman, The Jack LaLanne and the Omega and none of these can compete with the Breville. The extraction process produces much more juice than any other machine I have tried. Although the machine is powerful, it runs quieter than any of the others. It does not vibrate or creep along the counter when running. There are no paper filters necessary. It is made predominately of stainless steel and strong Lexan plastic. The option of 2 speeds gives it more versatility than single speed machines. It juices all foods much more quickly and thoroughly than other brands. It is solidly built to last for many years. Except for the filter basket, which costs approx. $60., replacement parts are reasonably priced. If you can afford it, this is the juicer to buy. I would shop around and try a Bed, Bath & Beyond store where you can apply a store coupon at 20% to get this marvelous machine for about $240. Happy Juicing!