Tell me about juicers.

I am looking for a good vegetable juicer. I don’t need anything super expensive, and money kind of is an object. Maybe something in the $50 or less range. Anyone have any recs?

NB: just to stave something off, I am not looking for a debate on juicing or advice that it’s better to eat the vegetables. I have a need for a juicer, and if anyone has any recommendations I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

I don’t think there’s anything worth buying new at that price point - your best bet is probably looking for a used one like the Breville ($150 new), since lots of people buy them and don’t use them much after the initial enthusiasm wears off.

BTW, this is for a person who may have difficulty holding down solid foods for a while.

How well would they deal with pulp? Years and decades ago when I worked in the kitchen of s nursing home, for the residents that couldn’t have solid food, we liquified everything in a blender adding milk or water as appropriate for whatever it was.

See your PM! :slight_smile:

Hamilton Beach has a great one in your price range. It has the extra wide mouth, so you don’t have to chop up your veggies before putting them in the juicer, plus the parts can go in the dishwasher.

We have the “budget” pick recommended in this Wirecutter article. “Budget” in quotes because it’s not cheap. I like it. We use it semi-regularly, although not nearly as much as the first few months after we bought it. It’s not really inexpensive, but it’s very good for the price.

The article has some good general info on the technology that goes into juicers. Cheaper juicers like the Hamilton Beach one use centrifuges. More expensive juicers use augers. The centrifuge is good for relatively moist hard vegetables, but only ok at softer fruits and terrible at leafy greens. So if you plan to juice mostly carrots and beets and apples, that one will work fine.

If you want to juice oranges and kale, you are going to waste a lot of orange and kale juice and might want to spend more.

Note: juicers are a pain in the ass to clean. Most of the reason people stop using them as much is the time it takes to set up and tear down, and you have to do it pretty much right away or little pulverized bits of fruit and veg harden into every crevice.

You can’t get a non-Citrus juicer worth using for that amount of money.

The only juicer you are going to get for $50 or less is going to be something like THIS which I take it is not what you are after.

I’ve received a very generous offer so this thread is moot. Thank you for the advice though. Of course feel free to continue the discussion.