What is the Best Masticating Juicer + Reviews

I will show you the best masticating juicers, but first here are the benefits of this kind of juicer. You may have heard that slow juicers (the models included here run at about 50-80 RPMs) are better at extracting nutrients from fruits and veggies—well, it’s true. According to a professional lab study slow juicers, extract up to twice as much calcium and potassium and up to 40% more magnesium from vegetables when compared with Centrifugal juicers(which go up to 13,000 RPMs). So if you’re more interested in nutrition, than speed, this kind of juicer is a great pick. (Otherwise, for faster juicers, check out Centrifugal-style juicers.)

#1 – Omega NC800 HDS Juicer

Besides giving the highest amount of yield, this bad-boy has an 82% larger feeding chute than a standard horizontal juicer. If you decide on a similar model but slightly out-dated model, you will see that one of the downsides of the older models is that they have small feeding chutes which means you have to cut up the produce before putting it in. However, Omega made this model with the previous downsides in mind. They increased the size of the screen (so it doesn’t get overwhelmed when juicing more) and were able to enlarge the feeding chute so much. Because of this, the NC800 is definitely superior to its predecessor the Omega J8006. I personally use this juicer and love it! It runs at a slow and quiet 80 RPM.

#2 – Omega VRT350 Juicer

This juicer has very similar yield to the Omega NC800 Juicer. It operates also at 80 RPM and extracts nutrients out of vegetables and fruits better than almost any non-masticating juicer out there. One of the biggest upsides to this juicer is that it takes much less counter space. Horizontal juicers are the most efficient, but may be be cumbersome in a kitchen where a juicer shares its space with many other appliances. Another reason you may consider this juicer over the NC800 is that your juicing will be done much faster. The Omega VRT will “pull in” your produce. So you spend less time pushing it in and it will actually juicer faster. This is amazing because it brings a balance to juicing quickly and getting the most nutrition. This juicer doesn’t cut corners on RPM, but it uses the vertical feature to get juicing done quicker and you can cut the time it takes to juice by 10 minutes!

#3 – The Hurom Juicer

Strangely enough, this juicer is almost identical to the Omega VRT. (They are manufactured in the same factory. Behind the scenes Omega and Hurom get their corresponding juicer from the same factory). You can read my full review here. The thing about Hurom is that you can get it for about $25 less than the Omega VRT, but you lose Omega juicers’ amazing customer service. Hurom did really market very well and is the favorite juicer of many. You can’t really go wrong with this juicer (unless you will be juicing a lot of celery, which gets stuck and can be a pain to get out.) Many people are convinced at how revolutionary it is, but it’s really a copy cat of the Omega VRT which was very revolutionary.

“Masticating” Juicer Controversy

The Omega juicer company as well as Hurom, Breville and many others all say that their slow juicers are all masticating juicers. This is a bit strange because the mechanism of the Champion juicer (masticating) and the Horizontal and Veritcal juicers (called single Auger juicers—Auger is the term for the thing inside it that turns to make the juice) are very different.

John Kohler, juicer expert who has made over 350 YouTube Videos on Juicers, says

“Champion is the first masticating juicer.

The single gear and dual augers are considered masticating by the
manufacturers.

To me, they are NOT, they do not work exactly the same way, and I find
them to be superior to masticating juicers, so I call them different”

He is saying this mainly because the slow juicers, such as the Omega, run at about 80 RPM and the Champion Juicer runs at 1,725 RPM! That is quite a difference. But I can understand that companies wanting to call their juicers “masticating” because the Champion Juicer was the best juicer around and people knew it! It was a almost ten times slower than the ubiquitous centrifugal juicer which was what was readily available at the time. So calling any slow juicer masticating made people want to buy it. Good marketing, actually, it worked!

That being said, there is only one true masticating juicer on the Market and that is the Champion Juicer. There are 2 main models.

1) Commercial-grade Champion Juicer

This Commercial juicer is the upgraded version of the original Champion, they are the same except that the commercial version has a stronger motor.

The Champion juicer is extremely durable and long-lasting. Many people have had their Champion since the 70’s and it is still working today even with regular use of the machine. This could be in part to the authenticity and quality of the machine, which is 100% built in the USA. It’s made with a stainless steel shaft, the motor is a heavy duty General Electric motor with 1/3 Horsepower.

2) Household Champion Juicer

This original model was actually first manufactured and released to the public in 1955! There have been some improvements in the household model, but really the design and the functionality have stayed the same. There are people who still use their juicers from the 50’s that still work wonderfully. Now, there is very little reason to get the household model over the commercial model except that it costs $20 less.

At the same time, this is the original of original masticating juicers and is probably the most durable (along with the commercial version). Our bodies have not changed very much since the last generation and we could drink from the same juicer. A banana ice cream made with this machine from 1955 will still taste just as good.

This is far superior in juicing than Centrifugal juicers and will give you higher yield (but less yield than single auger juicers, such as the Omega NC800, as seen in the video below).

What is a Masticating Juicer Then?

A masticating juicer is a juicer that works similar to the way you chew. Masticate means to grind, crush in a way similar to teeth; to chew. The first and original masticating juicer was the Champion juicer, it does not shred the produce as it goes in but actually crushes it up. This method of juicing is more nutritious than using a Centrifugal juicer because it keeps more of the nutrients in the juice. This is because with the new technology juicers were able to use a lower RPM (Revolutions Per Minute), the Champion uses an RPM of 1,725 and the Breville Centrifugal Juicer uses an RPM in the range of 10,000.

A huge benefit of these types of juicers is that they can be used for so many more things than just juicing. It can be used to make almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, Strawberry Sorbet, Banana Sorbet, Banana Ice Cream, Baby food, you name it.

Horizontal Single Auger juicers excel in juicing vegetables, even leafy greens and wheat grass. If that is what you want to juice these will be the best for you. In comparison, the vertical single auger juicers tend to have much less yield and can actually get jammed if certain vegetables are put through them. Also the Horizontal Single Auger machines are arguably the easiest machines to clean. They both spin at very similar RPMs and thus have similar nutritional value and make the about the same amount of noise.

Runner-up Single Auger Juicers

You will find in so many different juicers being called “masticating” juicers on Amazon or anywhere online really; when they are really single auger juicers. But this is alright. As long as you get nutritious and delicious juice out of your machine, what does the name matter anyway? Single Auger Juicers are an advancement and so here are a few alternatives to the Omega NC800 as listed at the top of this page as #1.

Best Horizontal Single Auger Juicers

Samson 9005 Juicer

The Samson juicer is not nearly as popular as the Omega juicers, however it performs very well in competitions and comparisons with the Omega 8006 (the earlier version of the NC800). This juicer is marketed on amazon as a wheatgrass juicer and rightfully so because it does better than the omega with wheatgrass (however if you are buying a juicer ONLY for wheatgrass I suggest getting a dedicated wheatgrass juicer—the Samson was not made for wheatgrass specifically. This juicer and the Omega both have 15 year warranties from the manufacturers which is a huge positive.

Omega J8006 Nutrition Center Juicer

This is a consistent juicer that has been around for many years. It is a multi-function juicer which means that it can make “banana ice cream” and other treats with its homogenizer attachment, just like the Champion juicer. It is simply the older version of the NC800 however it has been on the market longer and it is a very trusted juicer. This is a perfect upgrade from any Centrifugal style juicer such as the Jack Lalanne, the Breville. It carries with it a 15 year warranty and is the original.

What to do

Most owners of a Champion masticating-style juicer fall in love with it right away as their first juicer. When becoming a more veteran juicer they upgrade normally to a slower, lower RPM juicer and are even more pleased with the quality of their juice and the amount of yield. Skip the 1st step of the transition Champion juicer and get an Omega juicer if you do not care about the status of the veritable, authentic “Masticating Juicer” and simply want one of the best juicers out there.