Meet my new favorite kitchen appliance. A juicer is not a necessity (though some might insist otherwise!), but I'm definitely smitten with the Hurom Slow Juicer. Here's why I've replaced my old juicer with this one…
Centrifugal Juicers versus Masticating Juicers
There are two main types of juicers: centrifugal and masticating. Centrifugal juicers are the most common variety of household juicer; they work by grinding fruits and vegetables into a pulp and forcing the juice out from the pulp by spinning at high speeds. Masticating juicers more slowly crush and squeeze the juice out of fruits and vegetables. The Hurom Slow Juicer is this latter type.
Product Details
The Hurom Slow Juicer's upright design is a new take on masticating juicers, which are generally built in a more space-hogging, horizontal design. It measures 6.81 x 9.84 x 15.83 inches and weighs about 11.5 pounds. Power consumption is an energy-efficient 150 watts and the motor spins at a slow 80 RPM. Accessories include two pitchers for juice and pulp collection and a cleaning brush. It is made from GE Ultem material and is BPA-free. The motor comes with a 10-year warranty.
Pros and Cons
Some people claim that masticating juicers produce less heat than centrifugal styles and therefore preserve the enzymes in the juice. Hurom also advertises that this juicer "preserves more vitamins and antioxidants." I can't speak to those claims, but here's what I did like:
The Hurom Slow Juicer's upright form has a relatively small footprint, and unlike some of the industrial-looking masticating juicers on the market, this actually looks nice on a counter. It's heavy, sturdy, and seemingly very well made. In operation, the juicer is very quiet – a plus when I'm making juice early in the morning and don't want to wake the neighbors! It also doesn't rattle around like many home juicers tend to do.
One thing that initially turned me off is that you have to cut some fruits and vegetables into smaller sizes before feeding them into the juicer. No dumping whole apples or carrots into this thing. However, after a while I got used to it, and the ease of cleaning the machine (more on that later) made this extra step in the beginning worth it. The juicer comes with a pusher but most of the time I found it unnecessary, as the fruits and vegetables got quickly sucked into the center.
Every fruit or vegetable I've tried, from beets to kale, has juiced extremely well. Juice comes out one spout, while pulp comes out the other. The pulp itself is pretty dry, meaning that a lot of juice is extracted. The juice has some foam but less than centrifugal-type juicers. I have also noticed that the juice seems smoother doesn't separate.
Now for cleanup, which is one of the points that really sold me on this juicer. To "self-clean" between batches, you can just run water through the juicer. When it come times for a thorough clean, the components lift out with ease and can be rinsed with water and a little soap, if you wish. Because the pulp has been ejected rather than whipped around, there's usually very little to scrub from the strainer. Cleaning the Hurom Slow Juicer is quick and painless.
Summary
I was initially skeptical of the claims that this is a "revolutionary" juicer but after testing it for a week, I was so convinced that I asked to buy the one I received to test! Excellent juice extraction, very little noise, and ease of cleanup have made it a joy to make juice every single day, and I'm also looking forward to trying some of the other suggested uses, like making soy milk, almond milk, and tofu.
Do any of you own the Hurom Slow Juicer? What do you think?
• More information: Hurom Slow Juicer
• Buy it: Hurom Slow Juicer, $359 at Amazon
Related: On Drinking a Pile of Vegetables for Dinner
Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.
(Image: 1: Hurom USA; 2-10: Emily Ho)
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I've been looking to replace my juiceman, but that is too steep, back to the drawing board.
Thanks for the review! A friend recommended this juicer to me, he loves it! I was debating on ordering it (Amazon.com reviews are so-so), and your review helped :)
For anyone in Canada, it's sold online at Costco.ca for $299 and shipped for free.
My friends recommended this juicer too and so I bought one over the summer since we weren't using our giant impossible-to-clean Breville anyway. The Hurom is the best investment we've made. We use it almost daily for juices, but I also use it to make soymilk, sauces, and baby food (bananas, peaches, etc). We accidentally broke one of the strainers a month ago, but we called the 800-321-2226 number and they replaced it quickly. Service and quality are great.
According to this:
http://www.discountjuicers.com/verticalaugers.html
The Omega VRT330 is the same thing but with a better warrantee? They also said Hurom USA went under?? At any rate, this review lead to a Google search that uncovered the Omega VRT, so it's all good. Thanks!!
While there are many similarities to the VRT330 and the Hurom slow juicer, there are differences as well. The new Hurom slow juicer (which I own) includes the new Ultem strainer, which is 8x stronger than the plastic strainer that comes with the VRT330. I have heard and read that the Omega's standard plastic strainers have a tendency to crack or break when juicing. Plus, since I have very limited counter space, I can't image constantly lifting and carrying my juicer without the carrying handle on the Hurom (the Omega model does not have a handle, and you can't carry or lift the juicer by the hopper tube).
My Hurom unit has a 10 year warranty on the motor, and with the Ultem strainer included on my unit, I have no worries about any problems. As a side note, the new distributor for Hurom, Roland Products, Inc, provides excellent and fast customer service, plus they have been in business for over 20 years and distribute other high-quality kitchen brands, so I know my warranty coverage will not be affected.
@chrisw1136
Thanks! I didn't know the Hurom has the Ultem strainer now. This makes it a much better buy.
I'm was going to go with the Omega VRT350HD with the Ultem strainer, but the facts you raised has me rethinking things a little bit.
I debated about buying a juicer for a few weeks reviewing different ones, I thought I should just buy the Vitamax or a Blend Tec, but since I live overseas I was not sure how long it would take to have it sent over here. I went to my local department store and bought a Hurom. The Hurom quit working after 17 days from when I bought it. Wish I would have invested my $360 into a Vitamax or Blend Tec now.
We had this juicer (gen 3 model) for over a year. It had been used every 2 days on average, juicing mostly carrots, greens, some wheat grass, and various fruits. 6 months in its life we noticed a lot of pulp coming out of the spout with the juice. When we juice greens, the fibre of the leafy parts dont come out fully and block the spout , to the point that there is massive pulp buildup inside the juicer and the juice leaks out from around the rubber seal spilling over the base part which contains the motor. We have taken photos of the process. The company replaced the screen for free, but that did not fix the problem. They claim that they never have seen a problem like this .
Warranty is for 1 year only .
Buy Omega. The warranty is better. They both are same machine. I have the Hurom juicer with 10 years warranty. They are not honoring it now and said I bought it from a third-party. They considering www.discountjuicer.com a third party too. Be wise and not get Hurom. They can void your warranty anytime because they honored my warranty before. The strainer crack after many use. Cheap materail. I got Hurom thinking that they honor the warranty and I can get another strainer when it crack. Not any more. They change their warranty anytime they feel like it.