Healthy Juicer - Manual Hand Powered Wheatgrass Juicer - Wheat grass juicer
by Lexen
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Our Price: $44.95 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $39.99 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Healthy Juicer - Manual Hand Powered Wheatgrass Juicer - Wheat grass juicer
Customer Review: Awesome juicer, but not for the lazy and/or stupid.
Summary: 5 Stars
Please don't pay any attention to the negative reviews on here. I've read through them all, and my conclusion is that they are all a little bit...slow. I mean, one lady gave it 1 star because she couldn't figure out how to assemble it! What? People, if you can't figure out how to put this thing together, you have problems. Several other brainiacs gave it 1 star because they can't seem to put the catch cup in the right place. Once guy said he kept hitting it with the crank. I don't understand. There is only 1 possible place to put the catch cup. If you're hitting it with the crank, it's not in the right place. Move the cup. Another 1 star person was angry that it took too long to juice 12oz of carrot juice. Sigh. This is a single auger juicer. It's specifically designed for grass and leafy greens. Why would you buy a wheatgrass juicer to juice carrots? If you want lots of carrot juice, buy a centrifugal style juicer. The spinning shredder disk on those is designed to chew through bunches of carrots in no time.
That being said, you CAN juice carrots with the healthy juicer. I juice them every day. Usually just 1 or two to go along with my collards, kale, parsley, and celery. You have to cut them in thin strips first. Not julienne or anything that tiny, but you don't want a huge chunk of carrot stopping up your auger. Cutting a carrot takes approximately 20 seconds though some of the 1 stars would tell you what a humongous hassle it is.
Several others complain about how it doesn't juice apples or oranges. Well, it can. Just not by themselves. Again, this is an example of using the wrong tool for the job. If you want straight orange juice, get a citrus squeezer. Plain Apple juice? Centrifugal juicer. Although it's not specifically designed to juice oranges and apples, it will still juice them as long as you have something substantial to run through it after the oranges. Like a carrot. Or a couple stalks of celery. Or some collards. I encountered this problem when I first got the juicer and I then blogged about it. http://mentalbiscuits.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/im-juicy/ It IS possible to successfully juice soft fruits like oranges, tomatoes, and cucumber. You just have to remember to juice them first and then run a carrot or something through to help press out all of the pulp.
A list of things I've successfully juiced so far:
celery
carrots
green cabbage
red cabbage
bok choy
parsley
cilantro
collards
kale
mustard greens
turnip greens
watercress
spinach
beets
beet greens
swiss chard
bell peppers
onions
garlic
apples
pears
oranges
grapes
cantaloupe
honeydew
lemons
limes
blueberries
raspberries
strawberries
cucumber
tomatoes
zucchini
sweet potato
Strangely, I've never used my wheatgrass juicer for wheatgrass, so I can't speak to that functionality except to say that you should expect to use a lot of grass to make a couple ounces of juice. That's just the nature of the beast. There's just not that much juice in wheatgrass.
As far as pulp goes, I've NEVER had an issue with wet pulp. My pulp is always super dry compared to the pulp from a centrifugal juicer. If you've got wet pulp, you're doing something wrong. Watch the how-to video on the Lexen website if you're having trouble. Personally, I always use the little white wheatgrass cap regardless of what I'm juicing. Seems to extract more juice that way. I love my juicer. If it ever breaks, I'm buying a new one.
Customer Review: it's just a great little juicer
Summary: 5 Stars
I just bought one of these and have to say that my expectations were pretty low. This is the second manual juicer I have bought and the first one was useless.
A few things I really like about this juicer:
1. It's manual, which alot of people seem to be saying is a "con" of the juicer, but I think it's awsome. You use no electricity, you can take it anywhere, and you even get a little arm excersize while using it. SO to those whimps who are complaining about the hand crank I say to you go out and spend your $250 on an electric one and quit bashing this great little unit! I mean seriously, it's not like the company advertized that the juicer would crank ITSELF.
2. The juicer came with several extra parts. I was pleased to see that the juicer came with extra of the items most likely to wear out or break, such as bushings etc. I am an auto mechanic, so I don't guess I am really qualified to say that it was "easy" to put together, but I had not trouble at all. There are instructions, as well as a dvd that DEMONSTRATES exactly how to put the thing together (not that I needed to use either of those). Pause it...slow motion...whatever you have to do to get this thing put together because I assure you it will be worth it.
3. Juice yield. I have to say that I just recently bought a hydraulic press juicer, which is supposed to have the highest yield of any juicer type, and when compared to this little unit I can guarantee I will be using my "healthyjuicer" more than I will that juice press. The amount of juice that this little thing extracts is amazing to me...my mom has one of the green power TWIN GEAR juicers, which are supposed to be the best all around electric juicer you can buy and I think that this little manual one has dryer pulp than what comes out of her $350+ juicer! I was also afraid that it would ONLY be good for wheatgrass and lettuce and stuff, but the first thing I did when I got it was run some carrots through there and it did great! Most other juicers are either good at leafy vegetables and not so good at harder vegetables or vice versa...this one seems to excel at both!
I just can't say enough about this little juicer...the price, the weight, the ease of use and ease of cleaning are enough to offset ANY drawback that anyone has listed in these reviews. My motive for writing this review: I want LOTS of people to go out and buy these things so that the company continues to make them so that down the road when mine finally DOES wear out I will be able to get another one.
Customer Review: Great Juicer
Summary: 5 Stars
Got this juicer yesterday. I've only used it once, but I tried apples, carrots, celery, spinach, and tomatoes. I didn't have any trouble turning the handle for any of these things (I did cut the carrots in half though). Everything else juiced easily. It didn't get all of the juice out of the tomatoes, but I just scooped up the pulp and ran it through again. I also had to crank the handle back and forth a few times to get the juice from the spinach (no biggie). In all it only took a couple minutes for a glass of juice. I didn't have any leaks.
I used the suction cup, which worked really well (I was surprised by this actually, wasn't expecting it to work). I do agree that the handle is a bit to close to the base. If I had to use the clamp there would be much extra room. I know a lot of people were complaining about the clamp being to big and having to open their dishwasher to have a place to clamp it. Unfortunately, I don't think there's really another option, so I don't consider that a valid complaint.
It was a snap to put together (took a couple minutes). Now I can take it apart, clean it, and reassemble it in about two minutes. It's really a simple machine.
In all, I really can imagine a better juicer. I was looking at those expensive $400 dollar electric juicers, but as I couldn't spend that much I opted for this one. I don't really know why you would need an electric now. This one is so light weight and portable. It makes no noise at all. I control the speed and direction of things. And I get a little exercise while juicing (is the point of juicing to get healthier? May as well get a little physical activity with it). So, while there may be a couple design issues that could be better, it's really the best juicer I could imagine (at least short of something with a hydraulic press and grinder that would probably cost a couple grand).
So buy this thing already.
Customer Review: Perfect for me
Summary: 5 Stars
You CAN juice oranges, apples, grapes, and cabbage with this juicer! At least I know those for sure since I have personally had success with them. I have to admit I was very frustrated and disappointed on my first day with the Healthy Juicer. Anything I tried to juice would produce little to no juice BUT I kept trying. I was almost ready to give up but I kept trying. Here are some tips:
1. The green end cap must be on very tight. Use the provided wrench!
2. The white end cap is only used for certain produce. From my experience - don't use for apples, do use for oranges. Try it out for yourself.
3. You do not have to use the clamp unless your working surface is not smooth. My counter, for example, is granite. I push the juicer on my counter, turn the knob to lock, and juice away!
4. It might help to push a harder fruit or vegetable through between softer ones.
I hope this helps somebody. The directions included with the juicer could be improved but they are worth reading. You CAN make juice if you try!
I have also made mango sorbet from frozen mango pieces. I made carrot juice once but couldn't do it a second time. I will try again! This juicer is so worth it for the $45 it costs. If you are too lazy to figure out how to use it, then go ahead and buy a different juicer. But know that I got plenty of juice and dry waste from this juicer and that this juicer will give you a colder healthier juice than any centrifugal juicer. Also, I haven't had a problem turning the handle except when making the sorbet. I was still able to make the sorbet, I just had to use some elbow grease. Another thing: assembly, break down, and cleaning are quick and easy as well.
Customer Review: Style AND Grace
Summary: 5 Stars
I ordered one of these puppies because a friend raved about his; Yeah,I read the reviews... I find this unit very very easy to use, clean and assemble. Whats the fuss? I've been juicing carrots and broccoli stems from the garden so far with great results. If it is hard to turn the crank, back it up and fish out the big parts until you get a feel for what it will take in thickness and length. Myself it's carrots 3/4" thick max at 2-3 inches long. Broccoli stems were fine at 1/2" thick and 2-3 inches long. As far as juice production, I don't think it takes any more carrots than my old electric juicer that I gave away years ago. That monolith was a CHORE to clean for juice. I gave up juicing because of it. This sweet unit is very easy to disassemble and clean with no hard cleaning corners or nooks. You even get a few spare parts! The suction cup works fine for me. I may wipe the counter with a slightly damp rag to aid suction; too wet and it slides. This is a really well designed little unit; don't be shy because it is plastic. It's pretty tough if you pace yourself and avoid hard cranking. I'm thinking of getting famous in the Guiness Book of World Records by juicing that old Ford Pinto I'm using to check erosion in the back fourty...Of course, it'll take a small fortune in hacksaw blades to get 'er down to good sized juicable pieces,but I'm game. Just think, you'll be able to say you knew me
Before...
I'm back again, one year later and still cranking away... I do have a bit of a drip under the nut where the pulp comes out, but I put a small jar lid under it to catch it and add this very small amount to the rest. Great little unit!