Customer Reviews

Panasonic MJ-66PR Juice Extractor

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got this juicer mail ordered directly from J&R. The service was excellent, I ordered Wednesday night and got it in VA on Friday with UPS Ground delivery for $[price]...

Bottom line - good juicer, but I ended-up with a Juiceman II for about the same price ($[price]). Read-on to find out why...

As I was not very happy with the yield from my new Juiceman II juicer, especially from softer fruits like some apples, I decided to try the Panasonic Juice Extractor. The results are as follows (see my review for the Juiceman II and Juiceman Jr at epinions.com):

- Carrots: The two extracted about the same amount of juice from carrots. I got 25-26 oz juice from each juicer using just over 2.6 lb of carrots in each. I did not have a scale, but used the carrots from one full 5 lb bag and a couple more carrots. I made sure the two juicers are getting the same amount of carrots by volume (by submerging the carrots in a bowl of water and making sure they displaced equal amounts of water for the two batches).

- Apples: The Panasonic produced just over 9 oz of juice, while the Juiceman did just under 8 oz from the same amount of apples (forgot how many). The Juicemans apple pulp felt more moist and contained large chunks of apples, while the Panasonics did not have any chunks.
- Beet root, tomato, cabbage: I did no measure amounts but both juicers handled them with ease.
- Power: The Panasonic is a bit less powerful (340 W I think), but has enough power to do all juices I tired and does not feel underpowered, nor did I need to slow down much at all. The Juiceman has the edge here though.
- Foam/Air: The Panasonic introduced more foam/air, because it rotates at above 13,000 RPM.
- Pulp: The Panasonic left considerably more pulp in the juice (the waste is generally drier too), to the extent I could feel it in my throat. If you like this  it might be an advantage.
- Taste: due to the less pulp and less air in the juice, I preferred the Juicemans juice. It was considerably smoother and with less foam (which may make it last a bit longer).
- Noise: both are about the same. The Juiceman gets out of balance usually at the beginning of the juicing cycle, then improves, while the Panasonic goes out of balance sometimes during juicing. Both do not shake excessively though and stay put.
- Craftsmanship: The Panasonic is made in Japan and the quality of all materials and the fitment is excellent. The Juiceman I think is about the same, but its white plastic seems to stain a bit easier, while its clear plastic is more resilient to stains
- Opening for produce: the Panasonic has oval opening meaning I can put whole some extra thick carrots that I had to slice for the Juiceman. Both swallowed quarter medium sized apples in one piece, but larger apples needed to be cut to size for the Juiceman as the opening is narrower (even though it is longer).
- Clean-up: both are relatively easy to clean using a toothbrush (except for the stains from carrots). The Juiceman is a bit easier to clean if you use a plastic bag for the ejected pulp. The supplied cleaning brush with the Panasonic did the clean-up of the mesh a bit easier, but I thought it would wear the mesh too fast as the brush is very hard.

The verdict for me  I kept the Juiceman, returned the Panasonic. The main reason was the taste of the juice due to the amount of pulp and foam, but this is a personal preference. Performance wise  the Panasonic has the edge in being more efficient and might last longer. Also, it is more compact and nicer visually and is about half the weight so it is easier to carry. I wish I had bought the Juicelady on sale with the BreadMan + the Blender for $[price] instead of the Jiceman for $[price], but it is too late now  no Breadman bonus is available anymore (it was a 2 day sale at [store])

When I was young and before I moved to the United States, I owned an National juicer (known as Panasonic here). When I purchased it, it cost us about $300 US dollars (and that was 20 years ago)! But it was able to juice anything we threw at it. Back in my time, everyone wanted (and still) go to America. Since I had heard so many good things about this country, I moved when I had to chance and left my great juicer, thinking this country probably had something better. Now that another 15 years have passed, I have purchased an Oster (don't try it, it isn't worth your time), Braun (hard to clean and open) and the Waring PJE401 (shakes alot when pressed too hard), but none was able to juice like my old National juicer. So one day, I went to my mother's house and dug through her attic and found my beloved juicer. When I plugged it in and turned it on, a lot of dust flew off the machine. It still worked after 35 years! But since it was so old and dirty, I decided to check if I could buy a similar machine. And low and behold, the Panasonic MJ-66PR! I knew I had to have it. And it extracts more juice from the fruit than any other machine I have tried or owned, and it is cheaper too. It spins at 13,000 RPMs rather than the 3,000 RPMs of my Waring. No wonder it extracts things so clean. This is a must for any kitchen. The only reason that I took one star off was because it is not very visually appealing... so I still keep my Waring in the kitchen, I just don't use it.

I am the owner of 4 juicers and this was the first one I bought.

PLUSES--This is only juicer I know of where the strainer/blade can be cleaned while the juicer is running. There is a small brush supplied which goes into a small slot on top (NEVER run a juicer while disassembled. And please teach your kids to ALWAYS unplug any juicer before opening.) The strainer blade is the most time-consuming part to clean on a juicer. By hand it would take 2-3 minutes alone. However, with the Panasonic, it's done in TEN SECONDS! I was able to clean the entire machine in under 2-1/2 minutes. An excellent feature for those who want to juice but don't have a lot of time. Hint: Line the ejection basket with a plastic bag--will also save time.

Also, because of its compact size and weight, it is ideal for traveling, you can lift it with one hand.

MINUSES--The Panasonic is far from the ultimate machine. The motor is weak. My first one, the motor burned out in 2 years. Although it was fixed easily for ten bucks, it was never as strong. Same with the 2nd one I purchased. You will need to cut the vegetables small to extend motor life.

Also it is a high RPM machine, which is good for hard produce like carrots and apples. However on soft fruit like melons and citrus, it mixes too much air and produces a lot of foam. And you MUST peel the skin off citrus or you will break the housing. There are a lot of phytonutrients in the skin that you will miss out on.

BOTTOM LINE--for occasional juicing, it is a bargain at under $100. However, if you wish to make an investment, there are other juicers. There is no one ideal juicer. The best juicer for greens will perform lousy with hard produce. The strongest machines may be hard to clean or bulky or heavy. Use the internet to research.

This interesting gadget has some history.

I remember my mother buying a more complicated version of this juicer (five pushbutton speeds yet same mechanicals) twenty years ago in Singapore. Yes the 240v model that was made in Japan then.

Used to watch this thing spin upto 20,000 rpm and watch it shred Mango or Pineapple pulp into delicious juice in seconds. Interesting kitchen gadget although a little on the noisy side(stainless steel high speed rotating pulper and all)!

I bought this USA model (110v) a few weeks ago and amazed to see it still has the same plastic parts and design (very easy to wash top half in the dishwasher). I notice it now has only one speed and is made in China. However this USA version has a heavier duty motor now. Yes I think this one's a keeper.

Side note: Panasonic makes a line of very durable kitchen small appliances (especially choppers and food processors) that are 240v and mostly sold outside the USA for quite reasonable prices (the Australian market for example). In the USA you get a fraction of their line made for 110v such as this juicer. In my opinion this Panasonic is well designed, efficient and quite well made for the price.

This is my first juicer so I'm no expert. I've also only just started using it, so maybe I'll come up with problems and downgrade later, but as yet, I'm completely satisfied, and even better, delighted. The juicer has capably and smoothly (hehehe) handled every fruit or vegetable I've had the inclination to throw at it.

the only (very small) complaint is that if you add more fruit or vegetable while the juicer is running, it tends to spit a bit. Basically, you have to wait until it's completely finished juicing what you gave it and be prepared to fit the pusher in very quickly when you add more. It's not a big problem.

Aside from that, the juice was foamy (which I like) and not too pulpy (which I also like).

It's also relatively easy to clean. I was a bit nervous since almost every set of reviews for every juicer has at least one whining about how difficult they are to clean, but this was no harder to clean than a food processor (and easier in at least one way - no huge, slashy, curvey, very sharp, knife-like gizmo to wash).

I've been looking for juice extractors in department stores and was not pleased with most of them. There were only few brands of juice extractors and all of them felt cheap and fragil. Then I saw this panasonic juice extractor on Amazon. I was not sure about the quality of this product since I could not touch it but I ordered it anyways. For my surprise it was really sturdy worked wonderfully even with hard vegetables like carrots, was easy to clean, and made in Japan. I am going to order another one for father's day

After three months of household use, I decided to downwardly revise my original review because a large piece of plastic suddenly broke off the feed chute during use, making the machine unusable.

There is a 12 month warranty with Panasonic and I am returning the clear top piece for replacement. Still, this should not have happened during normal use and I am wondering if it might indicate a design problem.

Based on other reviews, I am planning to purchase the Stainless Steel Waring Juicer, also sold through Amazon.

Some people put very extensive reviews here, so I'll try to add something to it instead of re-writing them :)

First, I own it for almost a year. I am not using it as much as I thought. Mostly for carrtos and apples and it works very good. For the money (I paid ~$50 after special discounts) this is a great juicer that actually does the job.

Another great concern I had is cleaning, but it came with a special brush, so it is relatively easy. Overall, I am happy with the purchase since I did not have to spend $200 to get a juicer that works.

I had this juicer for about month now, so far I liked it. I only use it to juice carrot, apple and celery. I will expand my choices on the way. But I know it will not be good for oranges and grapefuites because of the working mechanism. A fun machine to work with. Give four star because I have no idea how long will this machine lasts.

I bought one of these in 1992 for $60.00. I liked it so much that I bought a second one as a spare. I've never used the spare because the first one still works after hundreds of uses. My juicers were made in Japan so I don't know if these new Chinese versions are of the same quality. I ditto most of the positive comments from the customer reviews so I will not repeat them. I've used 3 other brands of juicers over the years but this machine is the most convenient and the quickest to assemble, clean and re-assemble. Carrot juice will stain the white plastic no matter how much you keep it clean. I can juice 30-36 ounces of carrot+celery+cabbage before the machine needs to be emptied. You'll love this juicer and be healthier for it.