Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I love, love, love this juicer. It literally has changed my life--let me give you a little background info. so you don't think I'm some obnoxious, over-exaggerating goof. I'm mid-40's and I've had a spinal disease for half my life that has left me in chronic pain essentially 24 hours a day. I've tried everything eastern medicine has to offer: chiro., acupuncture, massage, herbs, etc. and am on major pain meds and have about 10 surgeries a year just to keep me walking and functioning. Despite one failure after another, I'm willing to try just about anything in hopes of finding something to help reduce my pain as I'm an eternal optimist. I saw Kris Carr on Oprah one day talking about her fight against terminal cancer and how changing her lifestyle--primarily introducing juicing--stopped her cancer in its tracks. So I thought, "well, what the hell". So I read her book (Crazy Sexy Diet) from cover to cover (which I cannot recommend enough) and started my search for a juicer. I've learned from the past that when trying new things like this not to buy the biggest, most expensive item as it most likely will end up packed away and you've essentially only gained a big hole in your bank account so I decided to look for an adequate centrifugal juicer and Breville was highly rated. My husband found this juicer on Craigslist for $60 so we figured it wouldn't be too much of a waste if it didn't work out--and the previous owner had only used it twice, big bonus. And I will mention that because of my disease, I need something that's going to fairly easy to use and worthwhile--I have limited energy and my pain limits what I can do. Nearly a year later, this juicer has been a godsend. Aside from providing a massive amount of nutrition, juicing provides you with an instant burst of energy that maintains throughout the day. As soon as I drink my juice, I feel a calm come over me. It's amazing!! Forget the coffee or energy drinks, this stuff is the magic "pill". And forget anybody who says, "Oh, I buy my stuff from the store" or "I take fruit pills", etc., the magic stuff is the live enzymes in the food itself. You can't replicate that and it starts to deteriorate 20 minutes after extraction so you have to drink it immediately. Not to mention that it's fresh, not pasteurized (aka: kills everything). And it's filling. I drink a glass in the morning and don't feel hungry until lunchtime. In addition to juicing, I've cut out coffee, sugar (and most products containing refined sugar) and milk. Both sugar and milk have inflammatory properties. Since I cut all these items out and juice daily in addition to eating more veggies during my regular meals, my pain has dissipated greatly. I had pain in my hip joints and neck, etc. and all of these areas have essentially resolved. I still have pain in the mid-back which has always been the worst area, but it's not nearly as bad as it has been. I have been able to reduce my pain meds and have much more energy and stamina than ever since my disease developed. Both my daughter and husband have noticed a major difference in my disposition and my energy levels--hence, life-changing. AND, another positive unintentional benefit, is I'm much slimmer. I wasn't overweight or anything, but I've definitely toned up and my face looks "luminous"--seriously! Now, that I've hopefully encouraged you to consider juicing, let me get to reviewing the actual juicer! It's a workhorse. It extracts juice from just about anything effortlessly (except bananas, I"m sure, as previously mentioned by another reviewer). You don't have to do a lot of prep, like chopping, just wash/scrub your produce and pop it in. I think some of the reviews saying it's a "breeze" to clean up is misleading. It's definitely easier than some of the higher-end masticating and twin gear juicers, but you still have several parts to clean and it's important to make sure everything's scrubbed so pulp doesn't dry and/or stain. There are a few areas of the juicer that require more than running a sponge or scrub brush over to get the pulp off. Like the spout, you need something smaller to get in there (I use the spout cleaning end of a baby's bottle brush). Pulp also collects under the edge of the basin lip and is easy to miss unless you feel for it and make a point of cleaning under it. And the mesh basket takes time to get all the pulp off, so yes, easier than the other juicers, but still not as easy as rinsing a plate. But it's well worth the effort for the reward in each cup you pour. It's very durable. Like I said, we've had ours for almost a year, used daily, and the woman before us had it for a year (but only used twice) and everything is still solid and intact. Other than the base and mesh basket, everything is plastic, but it's very strong and durable--they definitely didn't scrimp on quality. The wire mesh basket still looks good and can take a scrubbing. Several parts are dishwasher safe, although we hand wash everything. If you don't wash your juicer parts immediately, the plastic parts will definitely stain--a greenish color. You can clean it with various home remedies, but prevent it altogether by washing right after using. Although it says not to keep it plugged in, I always do and I like the safety feature that doesn't allow the juicer to turn on without the safety arm locked. It's not small, like a blender, but even if you don't have a lot of counterspace (like us) I suggest you find a spot for it. It's definitely not something you will want to pull out daily, otherwise you won't end up using it. It needs its own home. It's an attractive appliance, so it looks nice sitting on the counter and we barely even notice it anymore. The only real problem I've found is that if the pulp container isn't pushed against the body, bits of food particles can fly out. I don't notice it while I'm juicing but I'll find flakes on the counter and sometimes on the window curtain. They're not huge and don't stain the curtains, they're like the size of little dried herb flakes, but it can be a bit messy if you don't watch it. It's definitely not a deal breaker, just the only issue I've found with the juicer. I don't understand the complaints about wet pulp. My pulp isn't like dried grain or anything, but it's certainly not wet. I thought it was funny one of the complaints was about how long it took to clean and that they'd get a masticating machine--um, much more time consuming to clean. And yes, it's loud--like vacuum cleaner loud but seriously, you're only using it for 5 minutes at most. Not a deal breaker for me either. I've never, EVER, had juice spraying out anywhere so I have to assume anybody who experienced that must have either had something defective with the juicer or they were doing it wrong. You can prevent items from flying out of the tube by placing the pusher into the tube after putting your produce in--I've only ever had a few pieces of celery leaves or kale pieces fly up--NEVER any large pieces of fruit. And definitely, the price is great for what you get. I got a great deal, but I'd certainly pay full price for one. Some tips: *If you've never juiced before, don't start out with a bunch of veggies--it might be too strong and you'll be done before you've started. According to "juicing experts", the body wants a ratio of 3:1 veggies:fruit (sugar-wise). Cucumbers are the best base because they provide a lot of juice and are mild. Try only that with a fruit like apple initially, for the first few times and then add celery, then add kale a few days later. Then your taste buds will get used to it and you can start mixing with other things. Remember, carrots and beets are actually consider high sugar and fall into a fruit category. But better to juice mainly fruits if you just can't juice veggies than to do nothing at all. *if you find veggie too bitter, add a bit of lemon juice and it will cut the bitterness *You can juice leafy greens, but to extract the most juice, bunch it together and put it in with another more "sturdy" veggie, like celery, carrots, etc. *try to move your items through the juicer slowly to extract the most juice and avoid leftover pieces, using the pusher. I always do my cucumber last so it acts like a solid pusher itself *use cold veggies/fruit--tastes much better when the juice is cold *put a paper towel under the front of the juicer/spout to prevent dripping when you remove the pitcher to pour your juice. Not much drips, but you do get a little drippage and it helps prevent sticky juicer feet. *try to wash your juicer as soon as possible. You will prevent staining of the pieces and it's easier to get the pulp off everything when it's fresher *make sure the pulp container is as close to the body as possible to prevent flying pieces *when possible, buy organic produce. Your body's worth it. But if it's a tradeoff, juice!! *don't forget that pulp makes awesome compost!! I really can't say enough about my Breville. I really love it. My husband was so jealous of how healthy I was becoming that he got on the bandwagon and lost 30 pounds! Even my 8 year old now enjoys a small glass with us. I anticipate enjoying this machine for many more years and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one, well worth the money!