If you are already sold on the virtues of a masticating juicer, then skip the intro and Click here to jump to my first recommendation - the Omega 8006.
Or if you want to jump directly to any of the other 4 top masticating juicers click on one of them below.
If you are not yet certain of the qualities of a masticating juicer, and what they have to offer that centrifugal juicers do not, then read on.
Here I will explain why masticating machines produce top-quality juice with the greatest benefits for health. Then I will share my top 5 best masticating juicers list to help you find the best masticating juicer for you.
There are essentially 2 types of electric juice extractors:
So why does this matter you may ask?
Essentially this matters because high-speed means heat and a less thorough extraction of juice; this is what you get with centrifugal juicing.
Masticating, which means 'to chew', is a slow almost cold-press and thorough way to extract juice and nutrients from fruits, veggies, and grasses.
Masticating juicers use a gear (also called an auger) that rotates slowly to effectively crush the cell walls of fruits and veggies to release extra juice and nutrients.
Breaking through the cell walls is important for greatly increasing the amount of antioxidants and other nutrients in produce. See the pic just above, food goes into the vertical tube and hits the slow-turning gear and gets thoroughly crushed.
This is why masticating juicers provide a better juice and nutrient yield, and therefore greater health benefits than those of their centrifugal juicing counterparts. So if greatest quality of juicer is your priority, then the best slow juicer using mastication is the way to go.
But wait, there is more to the picture. Heat also causes some oxidation with kills some antioxidants and creates a frothy/foamy juice. With the slow-press method of the masticating juicer, you don't get this problem, so you get even more antioxidants and foam-free juice.
And let me just preface by saying that I find it very hard to pick THE number 1 best masticating juicer because there are several of them that are quite awesome. So in no particular order, well I have a slight personal bias for the first one listed here... What is the best juicer machine?
For some reason, out of all the masticating juicers that I own, this is the one I find myself using the most. Is it the nice shiny chrome finish? Maybe. Is it the fact that it does so much more than just make juice? Very likely. Besides juicing, the Omega 8006 also:
So yep, besides juicing, you can make healthy baby food, frozen sorbets, pasta and awesome home-made nut butters among other things.
The previous model of the Omega 8006 juicer, the Omega 8005 is a cheaper alternative if you want to save yourself about $50. It is 99% the same as the Omega 8006, the difference is that you get a longer warranty and a more 'battle hardy' auger with the 8006 model.
In fact, this 8005 is the actual model I own, and it has been working great for me for the past 2 years. So I have no reason to upgrade yet.
The following 3 masticating juicers reviewed are all a specific type of masticating machine called a vertical juicer.
You will notice their difference in shape compared to the Omega 8005 and 8006 reviewed above. The benefit of a vertical masticating juicer is that you just drop the food in the chute and it does the rest, no need for plungers to push down fruit, veggies and wheatgrass.
However, the Omega juicers are a little more effective at extracting juice from leafy greens and wheatgrass. There is not much in it, and all masticating juicers are great for wheatgrass and leafy greens, but the Omega 8006 and 8005 have a slight lead.
This is the first offering by Breville to the masticating juicer market, before now they have produced excellent centrifugal juicers. You can learn more about these Breville juicers in my post compare breville juicers.
I don't own this juicer personally and have not tried it first hand, but it does have all the key benefits of the vertical style masticating machines; namely that you don't need a plunger it just pulls the food in itself.
Juicers #1 and #2 on this list are the Omega 8005 and 8006 models, both of what you might term 'horizontal' masticating machines.
However, Omega has created a vertical masticating juicer that features all the quality we have come to expect from this company. Being a big fan of the Omega machines, I use the Omega 8005 and this Omega VRT350 HD regularly.
I have a slight bias towards the Omega 8005/8006 because it gets a little extra juice out of leafy greens and wheatgrass.
However, this Omega VRT350 is still great for leafy greens and wheatgrass (and other veggies and fruits of course!), with the upside of being a little easier to use.
A plunger is not needed, so you don't need any pressure to push food into the machine. Just drop your produce in the chute and let the Omega do the rest. Heaven.
I cannot put together a best masticating juicer list without adding the Hurom Slow Juicer. An excellent vertical juicer that echos the quality of the Omega VRT350.
In fact, I would go as far as to say they are practically the same machine. Both produce great juice yields and nutritious juice free from foaming. They both produce the same amount of juice.
So, how to choose between them?
My advice - they are both great, so just get the one that you like the look of best. Simple.