Comparing the Vertical Single
Auger Juicers
by John Kohler
One of the most frequently asked
questions we have been receiving lately, is which is better, the Hurom HU-100 or the Omega
VRT330 Juicer? This article will shed some light on the newest style juicer to hit
the market- the vertical single auger juicer.
To cut to the chase - both the Hurom HU-100 and Omega VRT330
Juicer are made in the SAME factory, using many of the same parts in Korea. So the
juicers are virtually identical except for some minor differences that will be explained
below.
They operate exactly the same, and yield the same amount of
juice.
Lets get into the history of the vertical single auger juicer. A
company called DongAh Ind Co., Ltd started business as a manufacturer of TV and audio
components in 1974, but was also interested in electric household appliances. In
1992, DongAh developed the single auger electric juicer, and took out 7 patents between
1992-1998 for the horizontal single auger juicer. During this time, they were primary
known as an OEM manufacturer, meaning they manufacturered juicers and other companies put
their name on them.
In their pursuit in improving the design futher, in 2007, they
introduced the worlds first vertical single auger juicer known as model LSTS-J0606.
This first generation vertical auger design used side-clamps to hold down the housing, and
it had a rather large motor base. It worked fairly well, but DongAh knew it could be
improved and more user-friendly.
Since that time, DongAh Ind Co., Ltd has made many
improvements to the original vertical auger design. In 2008, I was introduced to a
prototype of the next generation vertical auger juicer at a trade show. I thought it
was amazing. Although at first, even I had a hard time assembling it and at that
time was told, "the bugs were being worked out".. This model
was first exported as the Oscar Pro 930 (in a chrome plated finish) to Australia and the
United Kingdom in early 2009. It was this juicer that became the HU-100 and
Omega VRT330.
For many years many different US companies have imported DongAh Ind Co. Ltd
juicers and sold them under brands such as Oscar, Omega and others. DonhAh Ind Co.,
Ltd was happy with this arrangement, manufacturing container loads of juicers, and then
having a US Based company buy, sell and support the juicers inside the USA.
In 2009, they decided to start a US based company to sell
their juicers inside the USA. This company is called Hurom USA. They kept the
hurom name, which is the name of the juicer is being sold outside the USA In
addition, they had an agreement with Omega to import the same model, but it could not be
identical, so there were a few minor changes to the product, and the Omega VRT330 was
born. So that is why there are two juicers, that are virtually
identical.
The Hurom HU-100 started being available in the USA around
July 2009. The Omega VRT330 juicer followed around August 2009.
One of the problems that were seen with the original Hurom
Juicer and the original Omega VRT330 juicer was the white, small hole screen tended to
form stress cracks for people that were using their juicer more than 1-2 times a week.
If this problem should occur, it is considered a defect, and the part should be
replaced under warranty. To improve this, Omega introduced the all-new Omega VRT
350HD that was silver/black in color and included the 8x stronger ultem screen. We
have not had any reports of this screen cracking at this time. Later Hurom
introduced the 3rd generation model that included the Ultem screen. Finally, Omega
introduced the Omega VRT 330 HD, that included the 8x stronger ultem screen.
This only creates some confusion in the US market with two
juicers being virtually identical. I spoke with the vice president of Dongah Ind
Co., Ltd and he could not understand why I would want to explain to my customers the
differences between the juicers when infact they are the same thing. I believe that
my customers should have the full story on these juicers and I believe that informed
customers are better customers.
Please see the table below comparing these style juicers.
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 most vegetables and
fruits. Will also juice wheatgrass.
Warranty on Parts of Juicer
10 YEARS
10 YEARS
10 YEARS
1 YEAR
Warranty on Motor
10 YEARS
10 YEARS
10 YEARS
10 YEARS
Your Price
$329.00* WE PAY FOR UPS GROUND
SHIPPING ON THIS ITEM
$379.00* WE PAY FOR UPS GROUND
SHIPPING ON THIS ITEM
$379.00* WE PAY FOR UPS GROUND
SHIPPING ON THIS ITEM
$359.00* WE PAY FOR UPS GROUND
SHIPPING ON THIS ITEM
Retail Price
$399.99
$399.99
Save
$70.99
$40.99
* 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.
The vertical auger style juicers are best for juicing a
"variety" of fruits and vegetables. Here is how it handles some common
fruits and veggies:
When juicing Carrots:
The Omega VRT and Hurom juicers will juice carrots just fine. You will need
to feed one carrot in at a time, and let the machine "work it down" before
adding another or the juicer may get stuck, in which case the reverse button would need to
be pressed momentarily to get the juicer unstuck. Carrot juice will be pulpier than
that from other juicers but can always be poured thru a sieve to get some of the excess
pulp out if that is what you desire.
When juicing Celery:
The Omega VRT and Hurom juicers will juice celery just fine. I prefer to use celery
as the "base" of my green juice. Using a head of celery, and some greens
(such as kale, collards or chard) along with an apple to add some sweetness is a great
combination that I often enjoy. I have found when juicing celery, its best to cut
the celery into 1" pieces, or the celery strings get stuck in the pulp ejection port
of the juicer, which may cause it to back up.
When juicing wheatgrass:
In our tests, the Omega VRT and Hurom are not as efficient as juicing wheatgrass
juice than a horizontal auger style juicer. This being said, if you want to juice so
wheatgrass here-and-there, the Omega VRT or Hurom will juice it just fine. If you
are want to juice alot of wheatgrass, I would not recommend purchasing one of these
vertical auger juicers. Why? These juicers tend to make loud squeeking noises
when juicing straight wheatgrass. If you juice some celery and then some wheatgrass,
or carrots and wheatgrass (and create a mixxed juice), the squeeking is not that large of
a problem.
When juicing leafy greens: The Omega VRT and Hurom juicers will juice leafy greens just fine. I
prefer to juice greens along with celery or cucumber, as straight green juices can be very
"strong".. So the vertical auger works great on these combinations.
If you want to juice mostly greens, (such as kale, collards, etc) a
horizontal auger juicer, such as the Omega 8003 8004 8005 8006 would be a better choice,
as it will be more efficient.
When juicing fruits:
The Omega VRT and Hurom juicers are some of the best juicers I
have seen to get a high yield and high quality juice. I have juiced straight mangos
in my VRT330, and gotten mango juice. This juice ts not as fine as carrot juice, but
doesn't resemble a mango puree either. Its somewhere in between. Even juicing
cherries (with the pits intact) is a task that these juicers will do just fine.
(Don't try that in any other juicer!)
When juicing Combo drinks (i.e.:
carrot, apple, spinach, parsley juice) This is where the Omega VRT and Hurom juicers
shine. They are the best at juicing a variety of produce. When juicing a
variety of produce, its important to rotate the produce you feed into the juicer.
For example: Don't feed all the carrots, then all the kale and then all the apples.
Instead, feed one carrot, one leaf of kale, one piece of apple, and then repeat until they
are all gone. When you keep changing up the type of produce, it helps the juicer
work more efficiently, because each produce has a different consistancy, which will help
push the pulp thru the juicer.
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:
Notes: Please note, although these Vertical Juicers (Omega VRT330 and Hurom
Hu-100) 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 Vertical Single Auger do you
prefer and why?
We prefer the Omega VRT juicera because its backed by a US-Based
company that has been selling juicers in the US for over 30 years. Omega sells over
a dozen different juicers and kitchen appliances. Omega offers over dozens of kitchen
appliances. They have a proven track record of a high level of customer service, and
after-sale support. I am highly confident that Omega Products will be around in 10
years to honor any and all warranty claims.
Why don't you prefer the Hurom juicer? While the juicers are virtually identical, the main difference is the
company that will provide PARTS and SUPPORT the warranty on the machine if you have any
problems. Hurom USA will support your warranty if you purchase a Hurom Juicer.
While Dong-Ah has been in business for over 35 years in Korea, they just started
their business in the USA in 2009. They are a brand new company. If they
should go out of business, then you may be left without a warranty. Hurom USA's only
product is the Hurom juicer.
The other issue I have with hurom is that
originally they offered only a 1 year warranty + 1 year extended warranty (2 years total)
for their machine, which they changed to 10 year warranty on the motor and 1 year on the
parts. This warranty is inferior to the Omega Warranty.
8/30/10 update: Hurom USA is no more; they have
closed their US office, and now have outsourced their customer service and warranty
support to a 3rd party company - Roland, Inc.
Im a visual person, it's great you made
this write-up, but I want to see first hand the differences? Sure, no problem.See it below
Are there any improvements you would
like to see with the vertical single auger juicers? Yes, I would like to see a "blank" plate to be made available
for the vertical augers. At this time, there is none available, and these juicers
are NOT SOLD as multi-purpose machines like the Omega 8000 8004 8005 and 8006 series
juicers.
Lets get into the history of the vertical single auger juicer. A
company called DongAh Ind Co., Ltd started business as a manufacturer of TV and audio
components in 1974, but was also interested in electric household appliances. In
1992, DongAh developed the single auger electric juicer, and took out 7 patents between
1992-1998 for the horizontal single auger juicer. During this time, they were primary
known as an OEM manufacturer, meaning they manufacturered juicers and other companies put
their name on them. 
In their pursuit in improving the design futher, in 2007, they
introduced the worlds first vertical single auger juicer known as model LSTS-J0606.
This first generation vertical auger design used side-clamps to hold down the housing, and
it had a rather large motor base. It worked fairly well, but DongAh knew it could be
improved and more user-friendly.
For many years many different US companies have imported DongAh Ind Co. Ltd
juicers and sold them under brands such as Oscar, Omega and others. DonhAh Ind Co.,
Ltd was happy with this arrangement, manufacturing container loads of juicers, and then
having a US Based company buy, sell and support the juicers inside the USA. 
