Breville Juice Fountain Compact BJE200XL, Silver

Happy Juicing – More than 2 years later!!!
Update Aug 2014 – Thanks for all the questions and comments on my review over the years! Yes, I am still using the original juicer! No, this is not a paid endorsement. I have not been contacted by Breville or offered any compensation. When you find a product that is built well, works well and helps you get well…it’s worth writing about it! Keep reading…Update Oct 2013 – I’m so glad I bought this juicer! Still using all the original parts, nothing is broken. I’ve kept the mesh filter basket clean and it works great, but it is puckering at the top edge of the basket, between the spots where it’s welded to the basket frame. It doesn’t seem to affect the performance of the juicer, but it requires more diligent cleaning.I have a new tip today about juicing spinach leaves. Stack spinach leaves about 2-3″ tall and place on a large kale leaf. Wrap the kale leaf around the spinach and stuff into the feed chute. Slowly push the kale/spinach “package” down the chute. Small spinach leaves won’t fly out the food chute or end up whole in the pulp collection bin. This works great with collard greens too!Update Apr 2013 – Still juicing! I make about a quart of green juice a day. The shredding disc and steel mesh were showing signs of staining and minor clogging. The residue wouldn’t come off with hand-washing, so I decided to try some serious cleansing using a spray-on oven cleaner. Bingo! All the residue came off easily, opening all the clogged mesh holes and rejuvenating the shredding disc. None of the original parts have broken or cracked. I remain very satisfied with this juicer.Update Dec 2012 – The Breville Compact Juice Fountain works like new after 11 months of daily use! There have been no issues with the motor. The plastic parts have held up well but are veggie-stained. The shredding disc isn’t as sharp as it was on Day 1, but it still works great. When the time comes, Breville sells replacement parts online.Update June 2012 – Still using the Breville twice daily and it continues to work well. No broken parts.Original Review: Prior to purchasing the Breville Compact Juice Fountain, I researched other models and selected the Breville for its features and excellent customer reviews. I’ve been using the juicer daily since Jan 18, 2012 and continue to be satisfied with the unit. As with any centrifugal juicer, the pulp may not be “bone dry” due to the nature of the juicing process. But I’m not a purist, and any increase in my fruit & veggie intake is an improvement!PROS of this unit* The motor is powerful. The toughest veggie I’ve juiced is a quarter head of purple cabbage, no problem. Whole kale leaves, celery, carrots, broccoli, beets…juiced regularly without any trouble. I haven’t tried juicing a sweet potato yet.*Quick and easy to clean because there are only 4 parts: the food pusher, feed chute / pulp collection lid, pulp collection container and steel micro mesh filter. See in the video how effortless the Compact Juice Fountain is to assemble. I prefer this model to my friend’s juicer that has the side-mounted pulp basket.* Juice spout fits nicely into the opening of the pitcher lid. Juice doesn’t splash all over the counter.* Compact size makes it easy to leave on the counter to encourage frequent, if not daily, use. The pulp collection container measures 9 inches in diameter.* Froth separator lid works well to separate the froth from the juice when pouring into a glass. Save the froth! It will liquify into more juice.* There’s a handy cord wrap in the base of the unit.* Juicer cover, pulp container, filter basket and pitcher are listed as dishwasher safe. I prefer to hand-wash! Note that the inside of the juice collector (under the mesh filter basket) needs to be scrubbed well to prevent build-up.CONS of this unit* One speed means you cannot slow the shredder basket down for tough or leafy greens. I compensate by packing the chute with green and feeding it s-l-o-w-l-y.* Small slices of fruit or veggies end up unshredded in the pulp container because there is a small gap between the bottom of the food chute and the shredding blades of the filter basket. The slices are thin enough (1/16 to 1/8″) to fit through the gap. See the video for actual pulp results.* The juice dispensing hole is hard to clean and gets a build-up. A small bottle brush gets some of it out.TIPS for juicing and cleaning* Rinse or clean the juicer immediately after juicing. Dried pulp is hard to clean off the mesh filter basket.* Juice slowly for better results.* Juice leafy greens first, then juicier fruits will wash the healthy green into the pitcher.* Stack spinach into compact piles, and pack into the chute. This way whole baby leaves won’t end up in the pulp container. Fill the chute and allow the juicer to slowly shred the greens. Add broccoli, grapes, brussels sprouts, etc. to the food chute while there is still some spinach at the bottom…no more broccoli florets all over the kitchen =)* Nest and roll big leaves like kale and collards. You can even tuck a small piece of ginger inside for more efficient juicing.Hope this helps you make an informed decision about which juicer best fits your needs. Happy Juicing!

Another winner from Breville!
I had a Breville Juice Fountain Elite for years, and unfortunately don’t have it anymore and couldn’t afford to replace it. However, I could afford this one, and having missed juicing, I picked it up. Love it! It’s not the Elite, but it’s 1/3 the price of the Elite and just as effective. It does have a slight learning curve to it if you’re not used to juicing, or if you’ve used other juicers. But, it’s not difficult by any stretch of the imagination. if you’re making more than 2 quarts of juice, you are going to have to stop at some point and empty out the pulp. That’s easy, it’s no big deal. If you’re making something like OJ where there’s not going to be a lot of pulp, I imagine you can make a lot more. I mainly juice pulpy things like apples, carrots, and beets. Highly recommended!! Seriously, look at how many 5 Star reviews there are here, you’ll likely love this juicer.I want to address some things I’ve read in other reviews here:1. Regardless of what your problem is, either you’re doing something wrong or you have a defective machine. The machine is so simple, chances are you’re doing it wrong.2. If you have wet pulp, cut your produce up. Sure, the mouth is wide enough to drop a small apple through. That doesn’t mean it’s the best thing to do. I quarter my apples and get dry apple pulp. Try it. I cut my carrots into 3″ long sections and get dry pulp. Try it.3. If you cut things too small, then you get pieces of stuff in the pulp catcher. Next time cut them a little bigger and see what happens.4. Juice slowly. Just because you can cram stuff down the throat at an alarming rate doesn’t mean you should. Going slow reduces the wetness of the pulp.5. Experiment! Have fun! You’re making juice! Experiment with sizes and how you do it. You’ll learn so much that you’ll get dry pulp with no pieces of stuff in the pulp catcher.6. Yep, you’ve got to be quick on the draw with the plunger thing, otherwise stuff will bounce out or fly up and out of it when you put it in.7. If stuff is flying out of it and you’re not putting stuff in, that means the pulp catcher is too full and you need to empty it.8. If you’re complaining because the fresh juice is a little warm, and you are drinking it immediately because you can’t wait for it to become cool in the fridge… put an ice cube in it. Jeez, does someone really have to tell you that? Because if it’s that important to you to drink it immediately, the ice cube isn’t going to have enough time to melt and water down the juice; if the ice has enough time to melt and water down your juice, then you aren’t drinking it immediately like you say you are and you should be cooling it in the fridge or freezer. Also, you may be kind of crazy, because this juicer has been tested by Breville and Consumer Reports, and the temperature difference between the produce and the juice is less than 2 degrees farenheit.9. If juice is running into the motor housing, or anywhere else that’s just not out of the little spout, you need to make sure the cup is put in correctly, and that you’re pulp catcher isn’t filled. If the pulp catcher is full and something’s blocking the spout, the juice has to go somewhere.10. Just because you can put things in the dishwasher, doesn’t mean that you should. No part of any juicer I’ve ever had even knows what a dishwasher is. Hand washing all the pieces takes less than 3 minutes. The last thing I’d want to do is put any part of this in the dishwasher. The thing is purity. I rinse most of it with hot water and call it good. Dishwashers will scratch plastic, which will then stain, trap smells, taste, etc. and then your juice tastes and smells like garbage. Not for me.11. If you have a Jack Lallane juicer, and love it, then stick with it because the Breville is not for you. Yep, Jack lived to be 128 years young and did so by drinking a glass of juice every day since he was 3. But his juicers are horrible and mainly toys.Have fun, it’s juicing, not nuclear physics! Take the time to learn how it works for you and you’re going to love juicing. This is so quick and easy to clean up it’s ridiculous.Here’s some tips you may find useful: If you do greens like Kale (and please, do greens like Kale) wad them up, stuff them in the chute, then turn on the machine and plunge it down. You will be amazed at how much you get. Also, if you’re juicing leafy greens, have the proper expectations. There’s not much liquid in them, it’s mainly all in the stem.If you do ginger, don’t cut it and just drop it down with the machine off, drop the plunger, and then turn it on. Watch as pretty much all of the ginger is liquified.Here’s a recipe I like to call the Hairy Mangina:A baby’s arm of ginger6-8 good sized carrots4 large lemons.Juice them all. Take a sip and, POW! That will put hair on your mangina!June 2, 2013 EDIT:I’ve been using this machine a few times a week since I bought it, and I just wanted to drop in an update. It’s still working great, and juicing exactly as it should. Nothing’s going into the motor housing, parts aren’t matched up incorrectly, hot water hasn’t warped anything, the screen hasn’t shattered/punctured/rusted/clogged. Still haven’t put any part of it in a dish washer, still have no plans to do that. Still rinsing it all by hand and letting it air dry. The parts still look new and work like new.I wanted to come back and add the edit because a few of the negative reports on here seem to start after a couple of weeks. I’m not having any of those issues. It’s working great. When I fill up the pitcher I just automatically remove the pulp and then keep juicing. No problems. I haven’t seen any leaking, especially around the motor housing (base). The screen is still perfect and all I do to clean it is scrub it the included brush while running it under hot water. Once on the outside, once on the inside, and then do a visual check and take care of anything I see there.Still a fantastic juicer and worth of the 5 stars!

Excelente producto. No sólo tiene un bonito diseño si no que es potente. Facil de limpiar y utilizar. Lo uso principalmente para jugos de betabel con zanahoria, se preparan rapidito. Uso doméstico.

PRO: pocas piezas de limpiar, fácil de usar, deja las cascara secas, ocupa poco espacio, relativamente silenciosoCONTRA: el contenedor de cascaras es chico…asi que si quieres hacer mucho jugo necesitas vaciarlo frecuentemente…no es un problema pero da flojera…calcula que por 1.5 litros de jugo de zanahoria lo debes variar 5 veces.