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Comparing Low RPM Juicers
by John KohlerOne of the most frequently asked
questions we have been receiving lately, is which is better, the champion, omega 8001,
Samson, Green Star or green power juicers? This article will shed some light on the
newest style juicer to hit the market- the single auger juicer. I will also try to
compare this juicer to the other low rpm juicers that we offer. If you are not
familiar with the types of juicers available on the market, you might want to read the
article, The Best Juicer, before reading this article.
This article deals with the lower rpm machines, which generally produce a higher
quality juice (nutrients) than some of the juicers with a higher RPM. The higher
quality juice does come at a cost.. Read on to learn more..
The champion juicer has been
around for 25+ years. Its a very good machine, and very durable. They are
practically built like tanks, with their steel cased motor. While the juicer does
work at a much higher RPM than the other two juicers we will be discussing, this is an
advantage when performing certain tasks, that we will mention more about below. The
champion does have only a few parts to clean, so we rate it as "easy" to clean
for the sake of this comparison. While the champion will not juice wheatgrass, it
does do a decent job on most vegetables, except leafy greens and celery- the strings get
caught around the cutting blade, and leafy greens seem to come out in big pieces..
On the flip side, it probably juices fruits better than the other two juicers mentioned in
this article. For best results, SLOW down with the champion. You will need to
constantly use the PUSHER to push the food into the machine, if you don't, the food will
come back up at you up the spout. Push food in at a slow rate, and let the juicer
take its time. Pushing too much food in, too rapidly will cause it to back up, and
kick out the pulp faster, resulting in less yield. Due to the higher RPM and
friction caused by the champion, we feel this is the lowest quality juice produced of the
three machines in this article.
Basically, the Samson
are horizontal single auger juicers. The Samson Juicer
Package includes the Cold Press Oil Press attachment that will allow you to make your
own flax oil and other seed oils. The oil press can also be ordered as an option.
(about $100). Currently the Samson with a 10yr/5yr warranty and the Lequip Omni with
a 10 year warranty. When juicing with these machine, it is very important to
pre-cut your produce into small pieces for best results. We also
recommend alternating soft and hard produce when feeding the juicer. (for
example, if you are juicing apples and carrots, cut them up into "cubes", and
feed some apple, then some carrot, then some apple, then some carrot, until its all
gone). We feel this juicer is the easiest to clean of the juicers in this
comparison. A special brush is included to assist cleaning of the screen, which is
the most difficult part to clean. This machine produces the pulpiest juice of all
the juicers mentioned in this article, and its advised to use the strainer that comes with
the machine. (especially when juicing hard veggies, such as carrots and
fruits). The samson is an "upgraded" model over that of the visor.
It features some redesigned parts, such as the auger and juicing nozzles, it also
has an improved juicing screen as well as a user replaceable fuse located in the
bottom of the unit. The lequip visor is the newest singler auger juicer
to be sold on the market. The visor has an offset feed chute (which assists in
"self feeding" of produce into the machine) as well as the juicing screen has
smaller holes than the Samson. The Newest style Single Auger is the Solo Star II, and Omega 8003/Omega 8005 has the same single auger design, but has dual
juicing screens, for "better yield" according to the manufacturer, and in our
tests, that looks to be accurate. The Omega 8003 is the same as the Omega 8005
except for the color. The 8003 is white, and the 8005 has a chrome look. Of
the dual stage juicers, the Omega 8003/Omega 8005 is easier to clean. The new Omega 8006 Juicer is identical to the Omega
8005 and the Omega 8004 is idendical to the Omega 8003 Juicer except it has a new 8x stronger auger and 15
year warranty.
The all-new vertical single augers are new on the market.
They take the horizonal single auger design, and make it vertical, so the machine
has a smaller foot-print on the countertop. It also include the 8x harder auger, and
a innovative automatic cleaning system, which you can think of windshield wipers for the
juicing screen to keep it clean while you are juicing. This is our favorite style
juicer yet. It produces a higher yield on most produce items than the horizontal
single auger. One negative is that there is no blank plate included, so you can not
homogenize with this machine (see comments below). The two brands are The Hurom Slow Juicer and Omega Vert
VRT330 and Omega Vert VRT 350HD, which are virtually
identical, except the hurom has a built-in-handle and the Omega Vert does not. Both
have a 10 year warranty, and are made in the same factory. Want to know about the
differences between them? Read this to learn more
about the vertical auger juicers.
As you may know the Green Star is
the "new and improved" model of the Green Power
juicer. This juicer is more "forgiving" when juicing a wider variety of
produce than the single auger unit above. Its housing has been reinforced, and
there is a 5 year warranty on the machine. For this reason, we
recommend the Green Star over the green power juicer. This juicer has the most
parts to clean of the juicers in this comparison. (click
here to see a comparison of the Green Star and green power). The Green Star
Elite GSE-5000 is the latest version and improves upon the Green Star Design by adding a
3rd juicing stage. In addition, the Green Star Elite has been streamlined and is
easier to clean and comes with a 12 year warranty.
Before I begin, one of the nice things about all these units
mentioned in this article (that is not applicable to the centrifugal ejection or
centrifugal machines) is that once the pulp comes out of the machine, you can take it and
run it back through the machine to extract further juice, (if the pulp is still wet).
This feature results in higher yields..
Please see the table below comparing some of the basic
features of these juicers:
Name |
Champion
2000+ |
SoloStar II |
Samson Juicer |
Omega 8003/8005 |
Omega 8004/8006 |
Omega
VERT VRT330 |
Omega
VERT VRT350HD |
Hurom Slow
Juicer |
Green Star |
Green
Star Elite |
Picture |
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TYPE |
Masticating |
Single Auger |
Single Auger |
Single Auger |
Single Auger |
Vertical Single Auger |
Vertical Single Auger |
Vertical Single Auger |
Twin Screw Press |
Twin Screw Press |
Size |
10" high
7" wide
17" long |
9" high
9" wide
19" long |
12.5" high
7.5" wide
16" long |
12.5" high
7.5" wide
16" long |
12.5" high
7.5" wide
16" long |
15.83" high
6.81" wide
9.84" long |
15.83" high
6.81" wide
9.84" long |
15.83" high
6.81" wide
9.84" long |
12" high
6.5" wide
18.5" long |
12.5" high
7" wide
18.5" long |
Feed Chute Shape |
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Feed Chute Size |
1.75" x 1.75" |
1.50" x 1.50" |
1.50" x 1.50" |
1.50" x 1.50" |
1.50" x 1.50" |
2.25" x 1.25" |
2.25" x 1.25" |
2.25" x 1.25" |
1.50" x 1.50" |
1.50" x 1.50" |
RPM |
1725 |
80 |
80 |
80 |
80 |
80 |
80 |
80 |
110 |
110 |
Horsepower |
1/3 |
1/3 |
1/3 |
1/3 |
1/3 |
1/3 |
1/3 |
1/3 |
1/4 |
1/4 |
Magnetic & Bioceramic
technology to extract more minerals |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
YES |
YES |
Dual Stage Single Auger Juicer |
NO |
YES |
NO |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
NO |
NO |
Juices Wheatgrass? |
NO |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
Makes nut butters, baby foods and
frozen sorbets? |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
NO (see comment below) |
NO (see comment below) |
NO (see comment below) |
YES |
YES |
Includes Strainer? |
YES |
NO |
YES |
YES |
YES |
NO |
NO |
NO |
YES |
YES |
Includes Cleaning brush? |
NO |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
Includes Automatic Cleaning System? |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
YES |
YES |
YES |
NO |
NO |
Includes Cold Press Oil Extractor
Attachment? |
NO |
NO |
Available |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
Replacement Parts |
AVAILABLE |
AVAILABLE |
AVAILABLE |
AVAILABLE |
AVAILABLE |
AVAILABLE |
AVAILABLE |
AVAILABLE |
AVAILABLE |
AVAILABLE |
Juice Pitcher |
plastic(1) |
plastic(2) |
plastic (2) |
plastic (2) |
plastic (2) |
plastic (2) |
plastic (2) |
plastic (2) |
GLASS (1) |
GLASS (1) |
Carry Handle |
NO |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
NO |
NO |
YES |
YES |
YES |
Cleaning? |
EASIER |
EASIEST |
EASIEST |
EASIEST |
EASIEST |
EASIEST |
EASIEST |
EASIEST |
EASY |
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Comments |
Best for juicing veggies (non-leafy)
and fruits. |
Best for juicing wheatgrass and
leafy veggies.. Handles carrots better than other auger juicers |
Best for juicing wheatgrass and
leafy veggies.. |
Best for juicing wheatgrass and
leafy veggies.. |
Best for juicing wheatgrass and
leafy veggies.. |
Best for juicing most vegetables and
fruits. Will also juice wheatgrass. |
Best for juicing most vegetables and
fruits. Will also juice wheatgrass |
Best for juicing most vegetables and
fruits. Will also juice wheatgrass. |
Best for juicing leafy greens, other
veggies, and some fruits. |
Best for juicing leafy greens, other
veggies, and some fruits. |
Warranty |
10YEAR PARTS
3 YEAR MOTOR |
5 YEAR |
5 YEAR
10 YEARS MOTOR |
10 YEARS |
15 YEARS |
10 YEARS |
10 YEARS |
10 YEARS |
5 YEAR |
12
YEARS |
Your Price |
$265.00 |
$269.00
* WE PAY FOR UPS GROUND SHIPPING
STATES ON THIS ITEM |
$229.00
* WE PAY FOR UPS GROUND SHIPPING
STATES ON THIS ITEM |
$229.99* WE PAY FOR UPS GROUND SHIPPING ON
THIS ITEM |
$299.99 * WE PAY FOR UPS GROUND
SHIPPING ON THIS ITEM |
$329.99 * WE PAY FOR UPS GROUND
SHIPPING ON THIS ITEM |
$379.99 * WE PAY FOR UPS GROUND
SHIPPING ON THIS ITEM |
$359.00 * WE PAY FOR UPS GROUND
SHIPPING ON THIS ITEM |
As low as
$465.00 |
$549.95
* WE PAY FOR UPS GROUND
SHIPPING ON THIS ITEM |
Retail Price |
$350.00 |
$319.00 |
$299.99 |
$299.99 |
$349.99 |
$399.99 |
$429.99 |
$399.99 |
$529.00 |
$649.95 |
Save |
$85.00 |
$50.00 |
$70.99 |
$70.00 |
$50.00 |
$70.00 |
$50.00 |
$40.99 |
$64.00 |
$100.00 |
* Please note: The Hurom Juicer and the Omega VERT VRT330
does not include a "blank" plate that is ment to be used to make nut butters,
baby foods and frozen sorbets. We have used the small hole screen to successfully
perform these functions. That being said, if you do this, do this at your own
risk. The warranty may not be valid if you do something the juicer was not
intended to do.
Now we will discuss how each of the machine handles certain
types of produce. Please note: the results in this article, are our results, and
your results may vary depends on the methods you use when juicing, and the quality of your
produce (i.e.: old produce, soft, hard, etc.).
When juicing Carrots:
The Omega VRT330, Omega VRT330HD, Hurom Juicer, Green Star, Green Star Elite
and the Champion, in our opinion seemed to juice carrots the best. When juicing
carrots in the Omega 8003/8004/8005/8006 and Samson juicers we felt that we didn't get a
whole lot of juice, and that the screen seemed to clog up fairly quickly. We had to
stop the machine to clean the screen several times when we juiced 5 pounds of
carrots. When juicing carrots with the Solo Star 2, it produced more juice than the
other single auger juicers we have tested. Summary: We recommend the Omega
VRT330, Omega VRT350HD, Hurom Juicer, Green Star, Green Star Elite or Champion if you want
to juice mostly carrots.. If you want to juice carrots with a horizontal single auger, the
Solo Star 2 would be our choice.
When juicing Celery:
The Omega VRT330, Omega VRT330HD, Hurom Juicer, Omega 8003/8004/8005/8006,
Samson, Solo Star 2 and the Green Star, Green Star Elite juiced celery the best.
When juicing celery with the Champion juicer, the long strings in the celery stalk tend to
get wrapped around the high speed blade. The Omega 8001/Samson/Lequip Visor, Solo
Star and the Green Star just crush the celery without any problems. Summary:
We recommend the Omega 8003/8005/8006, Samson or Green Star if you want to juice
celery.
When juicing wheatgrass:
The Solo Star 2, Samson, Omega 8003/8004/8005/8006 will juice wheatgrass
about as well as a dedicated wheatgrass juicer (after all the design is almost the
same). The Green Star, Green Star Elite while it will juice wheatgrass, it does tend
to create some excess foam when juicing wheatgrass. The Omega VRT330, Omega
VRT330HD, and the Hurom Juicer do a good job at juicing wheatgrass, but it is makes loud
sqweeking sounds when juicing wheatgrass alone. The Champion will not effectively
juice wheatgrass in sufficient quantity, and we do NOT recommend the champion for
juicing wheatgrass. Summary: We recommend the Solo Star or Samson if you
want top quality and yield of wheatgrass juice. If you want to juice
wheatgrass the Green Star juicer will juice wheatgrass, as most other fruit and vegetable
juicers will not.
When juicing leafy greens:
The Omega VRT330, Omega VRT330HD, Hurom Juicer, Solo Star 2, Omega
8003/8004/8005/8006, Samson, and Green Star, Green Star Elite juicers will juice
leafy greens about the same. The champion is not as effective when juicing leafy
greens. If you want to juice leafy greens (without any other produce) we do not
reccomend the Omega VRT330, VRT350 or Hurom juicer as the yield will not be as high as the Omega
8003/8004/8005/8006. Summary: We recommend the Green Star, Green Star Elite, Omega
VRT330, Omega VRT350HD, Hurom Juicer, Solo Star, Samson, Omega 8003/8005 or Lequip
Omni for juicing leafy greens.
When juicing fruits:
Due to the consistency of
fruits, the Green Star, Solo Star, Omega 8003/8004/8005/8006 and Samson can
"back" up when juicing softer fruits, since hard fiber is needed to push the
pulp through the juicer.. Therefore, if you want to juice mostly fruits, the Omega
VRT330, Omega VRT350HD or Hurom Juicer would be a better choice. In our tests,
The Green Star, Solo Star and Omega 8003/8005/8006 and Samson all juiced watermelon
(with rind and seeds), fine. The Green Star also juiced hard Fuji apples with no
problems. The Samson juiced about 5 cups of tangerine juice without incident
(I peeled the tangerines first).. If I want to make more, I would have to stop and clean
the screen, since it was clogged, and in the end, it produced a fairly pulpy juice, due to
the clogged screen.. If you want to make a fruit/veggie combo juice, such as carrot,
spinach, and apple, be sure to feed a few pieces of apple, then some carrot, then some
spinach, and then start over with the apple.. (alternate them for best results). As
a side note, I reccomend blending fruits instead of juicing them, or just enjoying them
whole!. Summary: We recommend the Omega VRT330, Omega VRT350
or Hurom Juicer if you want to juice mostly fruits. The Green Star, Solo Star and
Omega 8003/8005/8006/Samson will juice fruits to some extent, but don't expect a
whole lot when juicing them alone. If doing combo drinks, remember to alternate
fruits and vegetables.
When juicing Combo drinks (i.e.:
carrot, apple, spinach, parsley juice)
All the juicers performed fairly well when juicing a combo drink.
Remember to alternate the produce as it is being fed into the machine. (feed some apple,
then carrot, spinach, then parsley, then apple, carrot, spinach, parsley until it has all
been juiced). Alternating will produce the best results.
Summary: All the juicers performed fairly well on this combination.
When juicing sugar cane:
To the best of my knowledge no
other company at this time has tested which "household" juicer will
juice sugar cane. There are dedicated sugar cane juicers that cost thousands of
dollars that are designed to juicer sugar cane on a commercial level. We have
successfully juiced sugar cane in the Omega 8003/8005/8006 or Samson Be sure to
slice off the hard outer husk, and dice them into small cubes to cut up all
the fibers. I would
not recommend the Omega 8003/8005/8006/Samson/Lequip Visor for solely juicing sugar
cane (as in commercial use), but for occasional, household use, it should be fine.
Its very important to REMOVE the juicing nozzle otherwise it will cause excess stress on
the machine. The champion and Green Star will not effectively juice sugar
cane. Summary: We recommend the Omega 8003/8004/8005/8006 or Samson for
occasional juicing of cubed sugar cane with the husk removed. The other juicers will just not do it.
When making frozen fruit sorbets:
One of my favorite "treats" to make is to make frozen fruit
sorbets with these juicers. Of the juicers we offer, only the juicers listed in this
comparison will make frozen fruit sorbets. Basically you take frozen fruits, and
feed them through the juicer. Instead of assembling the juicer with the
"juicing screen", you put in a "blank plate" or "solid
plate" in its place. Instead of juicing, the fruit is pulverized into a very
fine texture, and comes out the consistency of "frozen yogurt" out of the
machine at a frozen yogurt shop. But remember this is 100% fruit, with NO additives,
and 100% delicious.. I generally will freeze peeled RIPE bananas, and have them
ready to homogenize. Strawberries, pineapple, mango, raspberries and blueberries,
cantaloupe are some of my other favorites to homogenize. All the machines make
frozen fruit sorbets to a very nice and "creamy" consistency. The
Omega VRT330, Omega VRT350HD and Hurom Juicer are not designed to make frozen fruit
sorbets.
Summary: You can't go wrong with any of the three machines on this one.
They all do fine. The Solo Star, Omega 8003/8005/8006 and Samson seem to get
the sorbets a bit more "fine" then the champion or Green Star.. The
champion seems to "fluff" them up since it runs at a higher rpm and
introduces more air into the sorbet..
When making nut butters:
While all of these machines say they will make "nut butters",
people instantly think of "creamy" peanut butter purchased from the store.
Well I don't want to let you down, but that isn't the consistency that the machines
produce... They produce a very chunky peanut butter.. When using ROASTED nuts... and
the champion does it better than the other two, due to the higher RPM. I have tried
making RAW almond butter in the Champion- it turned out fairly well.. In the
Solo Star, Samson, Omega 8003/8005/8006 and in the Green Star, it basically turned the
almonds into powder.. not quite a butter.. Why did that happen? Well most RAW
nuts do not have a very high percentage of OIL contained within them. So
ROASTED nuts work best, if that's what you are into.. If making raw nut butter, you
may have to add some oil to get it to form a "butter" consistency, but don't
expect the "store bought consistency"- they use commercial high powered machines
to make that stuff... The Omega VRT330, Omega VRT350HD and Hurom Juicer are not designed
to make nut butters.
Summary: The champion, with its higher RPM, and friction causing heat, seemed
to produce the smoothest almond butter in our tests, followed by the Solo Star, Samson and
Omega 8003/8004/8005/8006 juicer..
Summary:
In summary, all of these units are great juicers, as long as you purchase the
juicer to MEET your needs. (I wouldn't recommend a Green Star, Solo Star, omega
8003/8004/8005/8006, Samson juicer if you want to juice 80% fruit, for example).. On the
other hand, if you want to juice 80% leafy greens, I would without reservation recommend
the Omega VRT330, Omega VRT350HD, Hurom Juicer, Solo Star 2, Omega
8003/8004/8005/8006, Samson, Green Star, Green Star Elite Juicer.. depending on the
secondary factors that may be important to you.
Depending on your needs, we would
make the following recommendations:
The best juicer is one that meets your budget, and suits your
individual needs. Every person has different needs and uses for the juicer they will
purchase. Based on the following factors, we make the following suggestions:
Factor |
Purchase Suggestion |
Price |
Omega 8003
or Champion (least expensive) |
Want to juice mostly wheatgrass |
Solo Star 2,
Samson juices wheatgrass best of these units. |
Want to juice mostly leafy greens |
Solo Star 2,
Samson, Omega 8003, Omega 8004, Omega 8005, Omega 8006 or Green Star or Green Star Elite juices leafy greens the better than
the champion. |
Wants to juice mostly fruit |
The Omega
VRT330, Omega VRT350HD and Hurom
Juicer extract a higher yield from fruits in our tests. Read this article about juicing fruit |
Want to juice a wide variety of
vegetables and fruits |
The Omega
VRT330, Omega VRT350HD and Hurom
Juicer design offers greater flexibility when juicing fruits and Vegetables |
Want the most nutrients in the juice |
Green Star
and Green Star Elite utilizes Bioceramic and
magnetic technologies which help pull out more nutrients from produce. |
Want to store juice for the longest
period of time. |
Green Star
and Green Star Elite manufacturer advertises can store
juice up to 72 hours with minimal nutrient loss |
Style |
Omega 8003,
8005, 8006, or Green Star (If you like the sleek look)
Samson or Champion (for a more
square, classic look) |
Takes up least amount of
counterspace |
The Omega
VRT330, Omega VRT350HD and Hurom
Juicer are vertical juicers and has a smaller "footprint" than other
juicers. |
Ease of Cleaning |
The Omega
8003, Omega 8004, Omega 8005
, Omega 8006 has the least parts to clean. |
Best for Traveling |
The Omega
8003 has a built in folding handle, and is the most compact. |
Duration of Warranty |
Omega 8004
and Omega 8006 has the longest warranty of 15 years on the
whole unit. |
Notes:
Please note, although these Juicers (Solo Star, Omega 8003/8004/8005/8006,
Samson, Omega VRT330, Omega VRT350HD, Hurom and Green Star) juicers oxidize the juice the
least, for best results: We believe that juice should be consumed right after they are
produced for the maximum nutritional and enzymatic value.
Which do you currently use?
Well working with the juicers, we are quite lucky to have both the single
auger style (Samson/Omega 8003/8004/8005/8006) and twin gear style (Green Star, Green Star
Elite), a Champion, and a centrifugal ejection unit available to use.
Generally, I will use the centrifugal ejection machine to juice carrots, since its easier
to clean, quick and does a fairly good job. If juicing wheatgrass or leafy
greens, I will generally use the single auger juicer or the Twin gear unit, depending on
what's clean.. I mostly blend my fruits or eat them whole.. I do have an
orangeX juicer to juice citrus.. When traveling, I have been taking the Single auger
juicer, since its lighter and smaller to pack. When making bananna ice cream, the champion
is the only juicer to use.. Lately, our favorite juicer is the Omega VRT350HD
juicer. It juices everything we put into it, it is easy to clean, and provides a excellent
yield.
Not Sure on which Single Auger Juicer??
Be sure to look at our head-to-head test where
we test the newest Single Auger Juicers to find out which one produces a higher yield..
Which Single Auger do you prefer and
why?
We prefer the Omega 8003/Omega
8004/Omega 8005/Omega 8004/Omega 8006 model, since its a dual stage single auger juicer, in
our tests, it extracts more juice than its single stage predecessors. The Omega 8003/Omega 8004/Omega 8005/Omega 8004/Omega 8006 model also is easier to clean since it has less parts
than the other single auger style juicers. I would choose the Omega 8004/Omega 8006 over the
8003/8005 since it has a 5 year longer warranty, and 8x harder auger.
Whats the difference between the Omega
8003, Omega 8004, Omega 8005 and Omega 8006?
The Omega 8003 and 8005 are identical except for
the color. The 8003 is white and the 8005 is chrome/black. The 8004 and 8006
are identical except for the color. The 8004 model is white and a redesigned shape
as well as 8x harder auger and 5 year longer warranty (15 yrs total) than the
8003. The 8006 model is chrome and has a redesigned shape, as well as 8x harder
auger and 5 year longer warranty(15 yrs total) than the 8005.
Can you show me how the different
juicers work? Can you compare the Omega VRT330 to the Omega 8006?
Yes, we now have the capability to show you how
the different juicers work AND compare the different juicers side-by-side. We have
partnered with YouTube to offer you over 150 videos on the
different products we offer..
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