# Looking At Buying A Juicer...



## Luek (22/2/12)

So! I had a look in big w today and they had a sunbeam juicer for $65, and a breville juice fountain for $158... I'm going to buy one tomorrow, but was looking for advice to help swing my opinion.

Has anyone used the ol' cheap sort without problems, or likewise had many issues and would recommend the breville?
I don't want to fork out for the flash one if I can get away with it.

Thanks for any advice!


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## bum (22/2/12)

I've used the one I bought in 2004 twice.


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## Luek (22/2/12)

Subtle way of saying it's shit?


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## manticle (22/2/12)

Is this just for cider or do you drink a lot of juice?

Juicers for cider are possible but a fair bit of work, mess and pain. If it's just for cider, borrow one, run 40 kg of apples through it and see what you think.


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## Brewing_Brad (22/2/12)

Luek said:


> Thanks for any advice!


Best advice I can give is whatever you buy, make sure you get one that spits the pulp out and not one that "captures" it. I once did about 20kg of pears and had to stop every 7th or 8th pear to empty the bloody thing. Took for ever and it was NOT fun! AND to top it all off, the bloody batch got an infection and I had to tip the whole fricken thing out!

Live and learn.


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## bum (22/2/12)

Luek said:


> Subtle way of saying it's shit?


Pretty much. For the reasons mentioned by manticle above, I wouldn't really consider using one for a cider/perry/etc. For making juice to drink? I still wouldn't bother - really needs to be consumed really soon after it is made and who wants to do all that clean-up every glass of whatever?

See if you can borrow one from someone before you buy.


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## djgilmore (22/2/12)

I Have a Breville juicer that i have used for approx 80L of cider plus we use for juice considerably.

It was a pain to do but i was supprised at the durability of the juicer. It's still going strong

20L cube of juice would take approx 2-3hrs to juice


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## Luek (22/2/12)

I've already been asking around for a juicer to borrow for some weeks now... no luck at all.

With the breville, approx how many kg of apples per L of juice? I was expecting it to be a fair amount of work but I like doing repetitive tasks that most hate doing... 
Was planning on using 15L store bought apple+pear juice and topping up 23L with my own juice from apples, pears, and some other fruit.

I know fruit have wild yeasts, but will they be a problem with this this little fresh juice? I wanna add as little as possible chemical/additive wise...


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## stux (22/2/12)

With the breville juice fountain, if you put a plastic bag in the pulp collector makes it much easier to clean 

Use ours fairly often, for special breakfasts, but the citrus press gets much more use


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## manticle (22/2/12)

It's not the repetition, it's the continous cleaning of pulp from the juicer and shit out of your hair/ears/eyes/nose. I have chopped boxes of lemons, tomatoes, mushrooms and garlic, gutted kilos of calamari, peeled multiple pumpkins, boned out bags of quail and made kilos of sausage with a piping bag, all to a tight schedule and with no likelihood of me actually eating any of it and I'd put trying to make cider with a bench top juicer up there with my least preferred tasks. Effort vs reward.

Juicer itself is cheap enough that if you actually have another use for it, it's probably worth a crack as long as it won't burn out.

Main problem besides being a pain in my experience is that juicing apples that way is very inefficient in terms of actually extracting juice. You should be able to get a 20 L batch from 30-40 kg of apples but juicers in my experience simply won't give you that.

Definitely worth trying once - don't let me stop you doing that. You could borrow mine but I'm not in the same state.

As for wild yeasts - my experience says forget chemicals, make an active starter and you'll be fine. You're not selling it so don't need to worry about the consistency and that commercial demon not hanging over your head allows you to realise the risks of wild yeasts versus your added commercial yeasts are overstated.


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## punkin (23/2/12)

I use a juicer and burnt out a cheap one halfway through last years apples. I went and bought a $200 sunbeam jobie and it's a pearler. It takes whole apples and doesn't even sound like it's starting to labour.

As far as efficiency goes, i put 70kg of apples through last year for 40 odd litres of juice. That's up around 60% efficiency, on the low side for a scratter/press combo (but about right if it's a basket press), but a lot less to store from year to year, a lot cheaper and probably not much slower.

I'll be sticking with it for as long as it sticks with me. B)


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## MHB (23/2/12)

Ive got a monster here you can borrow; Its a 1 Horsepower industrial juicer same as the ones you see in juice bars.
Cant find the push stick at present but Im sure we can rig something up.
Mark


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## Amber Fluid (23/2/12)

bum said:


> I've used the one I bought in 2004 twice.



I have the Breville one since 2006 and have only used it twice as well. Just a waste of space imo and a PITA for a few glasses of juice.


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## Luek (26/2/12)

Mhb I'm grateful for the offer, but I'd only want to borrow one of similar quality to what I could afford to buy, which would be ~$160 max. However, for interest's sake, what would one of those set me back?

I don't have a pear and an apple to compear (lol) how solid they are, but from memory pears seem softer. Do they juice up easier? 

I've been told here that pulping + squeezing out juice is a pain and inefficient...(already own food processor)
Juicing doesn't seem to be worth buying a juicer to just try it out...
and a press is something that I don't have room for, let alone money to buy.

I get the feeling I'm forever doomed to be buying berri bottles when on special.
I really love cider but commercial juice just seems to jack something.


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## manticle (26/2/12)

I would encourage you to find a way (I'm in the same boat although I have a grape crusher I can use as a scratter and a very small fruit press).

However, until you work it out, you can make a lovely complex cider by spending a bit more on juice and buying as many different varieties of quality juice as you can. Quality cider is made from a variety of apples - you can do the same with juice. Add a touch of malic and tannic acid to the cider which will add some complexity.

Last juice I made was the most expensive (although 40-50 kg of apples isn't cheap either). I used a few varieties of preshafruit to make up 25 L and added 5g each of malic and tannic. I think I used 4766 (WY cider yeast).

Next up for me is trying to reculture yeast from a bottle conditioned breton or normandy cidre bouche. Tried last night but despite being 'naturally sparkling', the one I had seemed to have no sediment at all.

Definitely have a crack at juicing the apples because my definition of hard, messy work and yours may differ. Just borrow before buying.


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## MHB (26/2/12)

Lots of different answers, New a $K plus some, second-hand well I got luck at the tender centre and got mine for about $50, there are a couple on eBay the same as mine, and a couple of older industrial machines for around $200, which would I think be better buying than something made out of plastic for $150.
Just spotted one there for $119 in SA bargain for someone
Mark

View attachment 52668


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## manticle (26/2/12)

MHB said:


> Just spotted one there for $119 in SA bargain for someone
> Mark
> 
> View attachment 52668



http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Commercial-Juic...=item20c306c3d4

Actually Victoria

The one you pictured is from QLD

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Commercial-Juic...=item1c2413dfe6


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