Customer Reviews

Juiceman JM300 Juiceman Jr. 2-Speed Electric Juicer

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I needed replacement parts for my Jack Lellane Juicer (made by Tristar) that I got from the infomercial. I previously bought replacement parts, for it,from Tristar, the company that makes the Jack L juicer and it took 3 months to receive them. It also took over a month to receive that juicer when I initailly ordered it. Tristar has the worst customer service ever, and I'd recommend avoiding them at all costs, unless you enjoy frustration.
I decided to try to find a new juicer and leave the Jack L juicer behind.
Previous to the Jack L juicer I had the old Juiceman JR, but I didn't really like it because the feeder was very small, the motor was weak, and the plastic broke very quickly.
My research on Amazon showed that the Breville juicers all got good reviews, and I suspect that they're excellent juicers, but after spending $200 on the Jack L juicer i was hesitant to spend that much again.
I happened to be in Macys, and I saw the Juiceman Jr JM300 next to the JL juicer and the Breville Juice fountain plus. A quick look at the floor models showed that the Jack L juicer has only 250 watts of power. The Breville has 850 watts but cost $150. Breville also has a 600 watt model that gets good reviews here on Amazon.
The Juiceman Jr JM300 Has 700 watts and only cost me $59 + tax, and it's a bit smaller than the other two. This looked pretty good to me.
The minute I got home. I juiced 2 heads of leafy green lettuce and a whole lemon w/ the peel on.
This machine is not very loud, and chewed up everything very quickly. It did slow down a bit w/ the lemon, but I only used slow speed ( it has 2 speeds) and I pushed the plunger perhaps too hard. As soon as I let up on the pressure, It chewed up the lemon quickly and easily. This is something the Jack L juicer never did for me.
The design of the feeder and blade seems sturdy enough. The feeder on this model is fairly wide like the other 2 juicers listed above. The feeder is directly over the center of the blade and the hole is the same width as the entire blade. (different than I've seen on other juicers where the feeder is over a radius area of the blade).
The blade has very sharp teeth which seems to be a good feature, but be very careful w/ it. I got a small cut while I was washing it. Otherwise the machine seems very safe.
The Pulp that came out of this machine was more dry and the amount of juice was more than the Jack L juicer ever produced.
There is a foam seperator in the juice jug that works well.
Cleaning the machine was easy, and took about 30 seconds. I just rinsed it right after using it and used the brush that came with it to clean the filter.
Based on the price and results of this juicer I'm very happy w/ my purchace.

I am new to juicing, so I am not really familiar with the various models and what features to look for in a juicer. However, my boyfriend and I bought this juicer on New Year's Day for $50 after carefully comparing a few models at Target. We settled on this one because it was cheap, had a much more powerful motor than the expensive one, and seemed sufficient for our needs.

I love this thing. I am really impressed with the juice output--I thought that with such a low price, maybe it wouldn't extract as much juice as a fancier juicer, but I've been really happy with it. The pulp does seem dry and efficiently juiced. Three medium apples provide enough juice to fill a pint glass. The juice itself has practically no bits of pulp, although I noticed once that after juicing a bunch of stuff in one sitting, some carrot particles and such (about the size of finely grated carrot) slipped through. This might be common after a round of heavy usage, but for my usual amount (a few apples, a few carrots, a couple of beets and lemons, and some ginger) it doesn't happen. I juice a couple of times a week and have had no complaints about the equipment or the juice it produces.

There are some unwieldy parts to clean (the lid, the blade/filter, the spout thing, and the plunger), but the included brush really helps with the filter and the other stuff just rinses clean. Carrots sometimes stain faintly, but use some soapy water and it's gone. I followed the booklet tip and lined the pulp collector with a produce bag, eliminating one part to clean.

Beets and citrus fruits seem to be volatile, and if you don't follow them immediately with the plunger they might sling a bit of pulp onto the counter, but it's no big deal. And again, for the price, I can totally tolerate this.

Overall I've been very impressed and I am relieved that my first experience with a juicer hasn't turned me off it completely. This juicer is more effective, easier to operate, and less of a hassle than I was expecting. I would definitely recommend it!

I'm not entirely sure how to rate this thing, so I'll just share my thoughts. Perhaps they will help some of you with your decision.

Most important to note, I've never owned a juicer before, so much of my thoughts my be in line with all juicers, not just this particular model - I don't know.

I've used the machine about two dozen times now and have gotten it down to something of a science. It still takes me nearly 45 minutes from start to finish to produce 16 oz. of carrot juice. I find I can juice about 5 carrots before I have to stop, take apart the machine and clean the blade. If I try to do more without cleaning, the thing is usually too gunked up to extract much juice. This is pretty frustrating. I then take the rejected pulp out of the container and run it back through the machine. This, without exception, gives me another 20% more juice. I have to clean the thing again if I want to do more carrots of course...

It's likely I could just run 20 carrots through and be done with it, but the inefficiency of that would really bother me I think. If I could juice a few gallons and store them - I probably would be a lot happier with my time, but much more than 16 oz and I don't get to it before it goes bad. Course - this is ANY juicer, not just this model.

Again - not sure if this is just with this model - but occasionally when I'm dropping in the fruit/veg (usually with the highest staining potential), they will fly back out of the top before I can stick the lid/presser over the opening. I suppose this is to be measured in light of the wide opening being a nice benefit for larger items - so it probably balances out.

All in all, it seems sturdy and certainly does what it advertises (Thus the 3 stars vs less). However, I don't see myself doing this much longer, and that's a shame - I wanted to love this machine. The cost of the veggis, electricity, and water to clean is honestly quite close to the amount I'd spend on the little bottles of fresh carrot juice from the store. If you add in a cost for user time for that 45 minutes, it really doesn't seem worth it to me.

** EDIT ** I felt bad about being hard... So, I tested it tonight without cleaning in the middle of juicing. It actually wasn't too much worse. I jammed 14 carrots through two at a time. Added the pulp back in and got 18 oz of juice. I will probably keep cleaning in the middle, as there was a bit less juice, but perhaps I was being too hard in my original review. However, I timed start to finish: 36 minutes for those 18 oz. even without cleaning after every few.

I like this juicer much better than my previous one (a Black & Decker that didn't last a week). It has a wide feeder mouth so you can feed an entire medium-sized apple without having to cut it up. It also has a fairly large pulp bin as well as a juice container. The juice container also has a foam stop with it so you can eliminate foam/small pulp if your prefer a more pure juice. It also produces a LOT more juice than the B&D piece of junk that I had. I rated this a four only because I wish it had a sleeker design and wasn't quite so loud. It is about as loud as the average blender. Also, it tends to 'spit' some of the fruit back out before I can put the top back in the feeder spout. I mainly had this problem with the cranberries but not the larger items such as apples or pears. For the price (I paid $49 at the store) and the amount of juice it produces, I would recommend it as a great starter juicer.

I did a lot of comparison shopping online before I got this. I chose this over a Breville because of a fantastic deal at store that I got by combining a sale price with a percentage off coupon. I decided I would rather invest less initially since I am unsure how much I will use the juicer.

This is a great juicer to start out with. It's powerful and produces very smooth juice with little to no pulp. The instruction booklet was helpful in explaining how to assemble and disassemble for cleaning. A brush is included for cleaning the mesh basket. It takes a bit of work to really get the basket clean, but I would assume that any juicer would have this issue - juicing can be messy. No juice recipes are included unlike several other brands I considered, but you can easily find recipes online for free.

Ok, I bought this juicer at Target today. It was either this one or Jack L. I chose this one because it was cheaper and the motor was better. I juiced raspberries, apples and ginger so far with great results. I think it is easy to clean and use. I couldn't believe how much juice was in the ginger. I also juiced about 3 apples and got an entire large glass of apple juice. I am very pleased so far.

A friend of mind bought this juicer from Amazon.com, and used it about two times before it became too much of a hassle for her. She is loaning it to me right now, and I've had it for about a month. I must say the juice is fantastic. I would love to use it at least once a day, but taking it apart for cleaning is damn near impossible! I was able to get it apart for the first few weeks, but now it's getting harder. The other morning, I had to get my husband to take it apart for me! So now I can only juice when he's around (cleaning does need to happen right away - as with all juicers). So, if your strong, you'll love it. Otherwise, you may want to find a more expensive model.

I have had this juicer almost 6 months now. I use it once a week and overall I am very happy with it.

Pros: Cheap. Works.

Cons: All plastic. Plastic becomes discolored and nasty looking after awhile no matter how many times you clean it. The metal strainer/blade is becoming slightly rusted. The middle strainer thing is nearly impossible to disconnect from the unit to clean. You really have to be a body builder to get this thing off. Every time I take it off I think I'm going to break it.

Overall: Get this juicer as your first juicer. Then after a year If you're still into juicing upgrade to a better one.

I have had this for about a year now and have had absolutely no problems with it. Some say the basket is difficult to remove, I put a little lubricant (I forget what I used, WD40, vaseline or mineral oil) on the silver balls. Instead of trying to lift the basket out, I pull up on the white juice bowl with the basket inside and it always pulls right off.

I do not have a problem with produce and juice splashing up at me before I can get the plunger in because I always slide the switch to "off" before taking the plunger out to add more stuff, then replace the plunger before turning the unit back on. {Edit} Since I wrote the review, I tried keeping it running while adding produce and only had juice splash with wet fruit like super ripe pear. With carrots, no spray. It is quicker to leave it running.

I found cleaning to be simple if done right away. I scrape the pulp into the trash with my fingers and just rinse off all the parts and use the brush which is quite efficient for cleaning the mesh basket. BTW, the black plastic piece of the lid under which pulp gets stuck, if you push on that piece, it rocks open and closed so you can clean under it. A tooth pick works to easily free any stuck pulp.

Others say the white is easily stained. It's not that bad if you clean it right away. For me, It is a juicer, I don't care if the inside of the juice bowl turns orange. I copied this from the online care and use manual from their website (a paper version comes with the unit):

REMOVING TOUGH STAINS
Due to powerful staining properties of carotenoids found in many vegetables, particularly carrots, we suggest soaking any stained parts overnight in one of the following solutions:
* Biodegradable soap in enough warm water to cover juicer parts
* ¼ cup bleach added to a sink full of warm water
* 1 part warm water to 1 part cider vinegar
* ½ small box of baking soda in enough warm water to cover juicer parts.
NEVER USE AMMONIA OR ABRASIVES!
After soaking overnight, lightly scrub with soft bristle brush and liquid detergent.

I can have 16 oz of juice from start to finish, (including lightly scrubbing the organic produce, cutting into pieces and cleaning) in about 15 minutes. I guess I just move faster than some other folks?

The only thing I take a star away for is for the design. It is a bit awkward to get the pulp cup and cover together on the machine just right or it won't work. The lid has some unuseful grooves that tend to collect occasional pulp and can only be removed with a toothpick. I can't understand the purpose of those grooves to be made like that. Also that I hear the centrifuge machines kill more enzymes than the masticating ones...but I can't afford one of those. For a centrifuge machine, I don't see how a costlier machine would be so much better to justify the price difference.

I'm happy enough with mine

I was given this juicer recently, and its performance exceeded my expectations! Yes, the juicer is a little challenging to put together and take apart for the first time, but I didn't have to refer to the manual (although it would likely have been much easier if I had!). I did not have to use brute force or screwdrivers to get the thing apart, either. However, it would be easy to break IF you push the handle all the way up without pushing down the release button on the top first, OR if you try to shove the pulp container into its compartment after everything else is put together. That said, it only took me one time to figure it out, and now I can assemble and disassemble it in less than a minute.

As for the quality of the juice, it is phenomenal, provided you are not juicing a ton at once. If you are a hard core juicer and juice many items, this machine is not for you. I would recommend the Green Star machine instead. I only juice for my two year old and myself and occasionally my husband, and I keep our juices fairly simple. I have not yet attempted to juice more than five items at once, but when I do, I will update this review. However, I was highly impressed with how dry the pulp was. It was not dripping, and I could not squeeze any extra juice out. It was wet but not greatly so. I saved the pulp from my apple/orange/carrot juice and made apple/orange/carrot cake, and I should have ADDED liquid to the recipe because the pulp was not nearly as wet as the recipe anticipated. As for quantity of juice, when I juiced one carrot, half an apple, and half an orange, I got about 8-10 ounces. I was impressed. Oh, and neither the juice nor the pulp splashed. And it was fast! One hardly needs to push the produce as the Juiceman just tears through it!

As for cleanup, we do not have a dishwasher so I cannot speak to how well the components are cleaned by a dishwasher, but they are not hard to wash. The manual recommended soaking all of the plastic parts (except for the base) in half a box of baking soda and sufficient water overnight after juicing orangey fruits and veggies, but I dumped a couple tablespoons of baking soda in my dishwater along with my usual biodegradable detergent, and the parts were a breeze to clean. NO orangey tint at all! I think it took me less than ten minutes to clean the whole thing, including the blade and sieve.

I was also expecting something with 700 watts to be louder, but it is fairly quiet when compared to my Bosch blender and Cuisinart food processor.

Overall, I am very, very pleased. I will update this review after I attempt a green juice in the next couple days, but I would recommend this for individuals or couples who juice occasionally or only a handful of items regularly. Families might be frustrated by its smaller size and therefore smaller yield, but it's fast, efficient, and easy!