Not Compact!

I've been juicing for 30 years, have owned every major type of juicer. Breville is so popular now with the middle-cost juicing crowd, and I like having a small juicer for travel. Therefore, I bought this model as it is listed as "Compact".

Compact it ain't. The footprint of this juicer is fully as large as the full-sized Acme/Omega/Moline centrifugals. Compared to my other two compact juicers--L'Equip Mini and Omega O2--it is huge.

Though it is considered a pulp-ejecting juicer and having the slanted ejection basket of that type, this machine must work in batches like a conventional centrifugal. Why? Rather than having a pulp bin that can be emptied when full and allowing continuous juicing, this model must be stopped when the integral pulp container is full. Therefore, there is truly no advantage over the classic centrifugals.

Additionally, there is a real disadvantage. The basket on this machine is roughly 1/2-2/3 the size of the basket on an Acme, for example. Though the basket on this device spins at 14,000rpm, roughly 4 times the speed of a classic centrifugal, the diameter is much smaller, negating much of the speed advantage. Additionally, if one is concerned with juice oxidation, a speed as high as 14,000rpm will inevitably result in greater oxidation. On the other hand, those who are concerned with oxidation won't buy this type of juicer, anyway.

I don't juice fruit; never have. I come from the generation where fruit and vegetables weren't juiced together. I have an excellent citrus juicer for citrus, and an excellent sieve for berries, tomatoes, etc. Why expect a vegetable juicer to do everything? Reminds me of the 50's and 60's when we expected blenders to do everything, or when food processors were the end-all, or, Heaven help us, when we were told microwaves could replace our old-fashioned heat ovens!

For carrots, beets, radishes, turnips--in other words, firm produce--this juicer will work very well. No better than any other centrifugal, but very well. For the lettuces, cabbages, broccoli, spinach, kale, chard--in other words, leafy greens--this juicer will produce very little juice. The dark, leafy greens that contain so much nutrition require a masticating juicer such as a Champion, rather than a centrifugal. I was delighted to find that Breville stated this in the owner's manual. For those looking for major benefit from daily juicing of greens, look at another type of juicer.

Breville popularized, along with an infomercial juicer, the idea of huge feed chutes that can even accommodate whole pieces of produce. Is this an advantage? Perhaps to newbies at juicing; I just don't see it. I have always used the brief prep time of produce as an opportunity to examine it and take off any bruised or otherwise unwanted pieces. Juicing is so fast anyway--is it a real advantage to send several carrots through at a time? My total juicing time with this juicer is within a minute at most of any of my other juicers.

The silver-tinted skin on this juicer is plastic. Of course, the pulp container and top are plastic, also. If one uses this juicer daily that tinted-clear plastic will pick up orange and red from carrots and beets. No problem, though--a little bleach or dishwasher detergent will clean it off. The basket has an unusual straining material; it's rather more like a woven metal fabric rather than a sheet with tiny round holes. I haven't found it either easier or harder to clean than my other centrifugals, whether pulp-ejecting or not. One consequence of the extremely high speed of the basket on this machine is that it does produce more froth than slower-speed juicers. Breville fortunately includes a specially-molded juice collector that includes a froth screen. I would strongly recommend using the included pitcher rather than an alternative glass or bowl. Because of the great speed of the basket, it will tend to sling juice all over the place. The included pitcher has a very small fitted hole to prevent this.

The safety bail on this machine is a great idea in execution. The juicer will not operate unless the locking bail has the top secured.

This machine appears well-made and durable. However, it certainly isn't made in Australia as is implied. It's made in China. Why doesn't Breville use Asian models to sell these on their commercials instead of that vapid Aussie woman?

For $100 this juicer is a good value. It is neither better or worse than its main competitors in its price range--the L'Equip Mini and the Omega O2. All will work well for the use for which they are designed. Keep in mind that those infomercials are very expensive to make and run on television: a $100 infomercial juicer has to cost less to make because of its very high marketing cost.