The best juicers

The best juicer overall

Not only was the Hurom HP Slow Juicer one of the most powerful models we tested, it was also the most compact and user-friendly.

Pros: Small size, intuitive design, 100% BPA-free plastic, 10-year motor warranty, easy to clean, high juice yield

Cons: 2-year parts warranty, somewhat slow (even by slow juicer standards), juice is slightly less concentrated than its more expensive competitors'

While Hurom's HP Slow Juicer is the smallest machine we tested, it uses the same powerful motor as models that take up nearly twice the space (like the Omega VSJ843, for example). We discovered this after disassembling and examining several highly-rated juicers with the help of a mechanical engineer — a process that we describe in greater detail under "Our Methodology," below.

The HP comes with a fine strainer, a larger strainer to allow some pulp to pass through — always a good idea, nutritionally — and two cleaning brushes. In other words, it has exactly all you need and nothing you don't. That doesn't mean the machine is without its conveniences, though; we're fans of the inner spinning brush that helps clear the strainers while you're juicing, allowing for a higher yield.

Indeed, the HP did produce a high yield. It pulled the most liquid out of every single fruit or veggie we juiced, and consistently had among the driest discarded pulp (in these respects, it even outperformed our other recommendation from Hurom, the H-AI Self-Feeding Juicer ). The resulting juice was clean, bright, and refreshing, and contained little foam, although it wasn't quite as rich and intense as its pricier competitors' output.

When it's time to clean up, there are no awkward angles to scrub, and that cleaning brush does an excellent job of removing pulp from hard-to-reach spots thanks to a convenient pick built into its handle. Hurom cautions against running the machine's parts through the dishwasher, although we managed to do so without a problem. (Is this cleaning method a good idea, long-term? Probably not, but we wanted to make sure the HP could handle it in a pinch.)

A note to those who tend to juice while rushing out the door: if speed is of the essence, Hurom's HP Slow Juicer may not be the machine for you. It runs at 43 RPM, which is a bit slow even by slow juicer standards. For comparison, the Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer and the previously mentioned Hurom H-AI — two models included in this guide — run at 60 RPM, while the Omega Cold Press 365, which we're currently testing, runs at 90 to 110 RPM.

Aside from its relatively gentle pace, the only thing that leaves this juicer wanting is a 10-year motor warranty and a 2-year parts warranty — you'll get better coverage from Kuvings and Omega.

In the end, the HP's ease of use, simple clean-up, and compact size make it a clear winner for us. After all, if your juicer is compact enough to live on your countertop instead of a cabinet you'll notice — and therefore use — it all the more often.

The best multi-use juicer

The Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer produces rich, velvety juice, and goes beyond the usual call of duty to act as a citrus juicer and ice cream maker with the help of attachments.

Pros: Versatile, 10-year warranty on all parts, BPA-free plastic, extra-wide feeding spout

Cons: Heavy, some attachments sold separately, cleanup can be time consuming

The Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer is a sound investment if you like the idea of an appliance that can do quadruple duty. Not only is it an excellent slow juicer in its own right, it's designed to accommodate three attachments: smoothie and frozen dessert makers (both included) and a citrus juicer (sold separately).

To use the citrus juicer attachment, you palm halves of citrus over a reamer that's turned by the machine's motor. It's simple and gets the job done, and while we think the price of the attachment is higher than it needs to be, it's still far more affordable than purchasing a separate appliance.

During our testing, we used the smoothie strainer to make a berry and banana smoothie that was texturally consistent, foam-free, and silkier than anything we've pulled from a blender. The blank strainer for frozen desserts was more difficult to master: we were successful with banana gelato, but not much else. It seems that a particular level of frozenness (and practice) is required to churn out sorbets, gelatos, and ice creams as effortlessly as this YouTuber .

As far as its main duty goes, the Whole Slow Juicer's 3.2-inch-wide feeding spout can accommodate larger pieces of fruit than our top pick, and at 60 RPM it's a bit faster, too. The extra speed may come at the expense of maximum juicing; compared to the Hurom HP, the Kuvings squeezed less liquid out of our fruits and vegetables, and its wetter pulp suggested that there was some good stuff left behind in the discard pile.

That being said, the Whole Slow Juicer produced the richest, most velvety juice we tried during our taste tests, with and without the detachable external strainer that helps catch any residual pulp.

There is one design quirk we should note, though: the chute makes an awkward turn towards the auger, which means harder fruits and vegetables like carrots and beets get hung up, while softer ones like grapes leave a significant amount of mush in the bend. We had to reverse the auger more times for the Kuvings than for any other juicer, and while we were able to send most of that aforementioned mush back through, it was an extra, messy step.

That turn in the chute also made for more complicated cleanup work, but that's only nominal when it comes to juicers. Plus, any additional time spent was mostly offset by the Kuvings' self-cleaning internal strainer, whose basket is lined with pulp-sweeping brushes. Like everything we tested, its parts withstood the dishwasher.

Small flaws considered, if you want a juicer that does it all, this is the only one we know of that can make smoothies, frozen desserts (with some trial and error), and citrus juice. It's also BPA-free and includes a 10-year warranty on all parts, which tops all of the other product warranties on our list.

The best self-feeding juicer

Hurom's H-AI Slow Juicer has a small footprint, is easy to clean, and because it's self-feeding, does a lot of the work for you.

Pros: Easy to use and clean, space-saving, self-feeding hopper is a time-saver, BPA-free plastic, 10-year warranty on motor

Cons: Only a two-year warranty on parts, some produce gets stuck in self-feeding hopper (though only peaches and pears, in our experience)

A self-feeding juicer like Hurom's H-AI Slow Juicer can make juicing a good deal easier, and because it takes up so little space, it's not unreasonable to leave it out and ready for use.

There's a bit of debate as to whether or not the self-feeding hopper works well, but in our experience over the past two years we've only had two problems: once with peaches, and another time with pears.

Otherwise, everything we put into the hopper made it through to the auger and came out as juice, and the pulp was among the driest from the juicers we've tested (aside from our top pick, the Hurom HP ). We also ended up with notably less waste from this juicer than any other.

This machine yielded more juice than the Kuvings — despite the fact that both turn at 60 RPM — thanks to a preparatory blade in the hopper. However, the results weren't as rich as the Kuvings' and the H-AI produced a little more foam, although the difference was marginal.

Because this machine is completely vertically integrated (even the pulp canister is built into it vertically), we found cleanup to be markedly quick. Everything pulls apart easily, and the self-feeding hopper is much more open than the Kuvings' chute.

If you find you don't like the self-feeding hopper, or want to use a chute for softer fruits, there's a two-inch-wide one in the kit, along with a fine and large strainer, so you have juicing options.

Every component of this juicer, save for the stand and motor, has been through the washing machine well over 20 times, and we haven't had any problems to date.

This is an expensive machine, but it has worked flawlessly for us for over two years of rigorous use. If you want a juicer that does everything, the Kuvings might be for you, but if you're looking to juice with exceptional ease, the Hurom H-AI is tops.

Like the Hurom HP , this juicer comes with a 10-year warranty on the motor and a two-year warranty on the parts. We wish Hurom would extend the full warranty to parts, but that's about the only shortcoming we can point to in all of the time we've been using it.

Our methodology

Owen Burke/Business Insider

To test the juicers' ability to handle a variety of fruits and vegetables, we ran beets, carrots, kale, and black seedless grapes through each machine. We weighed the produce beforehand to make sure we were putting the exact same amount in each juicer, then measured the volume (fluid ounces) of the resulting juice.

We noted the amount of foam that settled at the top of each cup of juice, the rate of oxidation (some juices browned faster than others), and the amount of pulp left behind.

And, of course, we measured taste, however subjectively, and found that some juices were more watery than others (we used a fine strainer throughout testing) while others were incredibly rich.

We also pulled apart four juicers after speaking with Duncan Freake, a mechanical engineer at Epam Continuum , who posited that certain parts, including the augers, strainers, and receptacles were the same between Omega and HP. Sure enough, while the parts inside each of the juicers we disassembled weren't exactly identical, it was clear that they came from the same factory, or used the same components, from Korea. And while both brands advertise that their juicers are made in Korea, they don't divulge that many of their parts come from the same set of factories as their competitors, Zhejiang Linix Motor Co., Ltd . Granted, this is a common case with many household appliances, and something we found to be true when researching for our guide to the best countertop ice makers , too.

What else we recommend

Breville Juice Fountain Plus : If you do want a centrifugal juicer, this is one of the best in its category. We've used it many times in the past, we've seen it hold up at several small juice stands, and the price is right. Still, it produces a lot of foam, and it's a good deal larger than the vertical slow juicers we recommend.

Omega VSJ843 : This juicer, down to almost every single part, turned out to be identical to the Hurom HP. The big difference is that it comes with a 15-year warranty on "parts and performance" versus a 10-year warranty on the Hurom juicers' motors and a two-year warranty on other parts. In the end, the motor warranty is a bigger consideration, because if you break a part (and it's not due to defect), it's still on you to replace. We're going to work on comparing customer service between the two companies for further consideration.

What else we considered

Breville Bluicer : This could be a handy machine if you happen to need a juicer and a blender at once, but it's large, and comes with a lot of parts you might not want to use (let alone store). We found the juice yield so low and the amount of foam so high, though, that on top of other detrimental factors such as size and noise, we decided against recommending it in this guide.

Hamilton Beach Big Mouth : This centrifugal high-speed juicer is more affordable than the Breville Juice Fountain Plus, but while it worked, it produced a ton of foam.

Smeg Slow Juicer : Smeg's Slow Juicer had a lot of the same qualities as the Omega VSJ843 or the Hurom HP, but at about $500, you're mostly paying for its '50s-vintage appeal.

Via PakApNews