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When I was younger, my parents would always tell me to eat vegetables and fruits, looking back they were right.
Studies have shown that people who eat 5 or more servings had 20% less chance of suffering hearth disease and stroke.
For me, I only realized the importance of this when I had high cholesterol. And I’ve started juicing to supplement the solid food I eat.
To get the most out of juicing, you HAVE TO include green leafy vegetables because these are the most nutrient dense foods we have.
In this article I’ll feature 5 of the best juicers for leafy greens. These machines will extract the most from one of the most nutrient foods out there – leafy greens.
If your recipe involves lots of leafy greens then these extractors will do an excellent job.
Spec comparison
How to choose one?
The rule of thumb is if you juice lots of leafy vegetables like celery or spinach, the no-brainer option is a horizontal auger juicer..
This means that the auger has to sit horizontally across the motor like this.
Do you like leafy greens?
This design works best for leafy veggies because it has a narrow screen. The more narrow the screen, the more juice it will extract.
Another important feature would be the pulp ejection port where all the pulp comes out. The ejection port in a horizontal juicer does not have any choke points.
Put this side by side against a horizontal juicer and you know what I mean.
Want more juice? Read this
Another key feature that will allow you to extract more is an adjustable end cap.
This feature puts more backpressure on the pulp. And will allow the juicer to be more efficient, as much as 12% to 15% more based on reviews.
If you want to juice wheatgrass then a horizontal single auger juicer would be better option choice because it will not foam as much as a twin gear and it’ll extract more even with less.
Take note that these juicers won’t be as self-feeding as a vertical auger style juicer like an Omega VRT or Kuvings Whole Slow juicer.
What I mean by that is you’ll need to exert some effort to push produce through the feed chute.
Smaller feed chute
These also have a small feed chute.
Four of the five have a 1.5″ diameter feed chute, the NC800 has the largest one. So if you’ll include stuff like apple or lemon into your juice, you’ll need to do some chopping but not too much.
Avoid any of these products if you have a condition like arthritis because it takes some effort to push ingredients down the chute. A better option would be any of the two juicers above.
Our pick: Omega NC800
The NC800 is simply an Omega 8006 on steroids. It comes with a larger feed chute, more than 80% later than its predecessors the 8008 and 8006.
Why is it number 1?
The biggest reason is the adjustable end cap with 5 settings that will allow the user to adjust how much backpressure to put on the pulp.
The screen area and auger are larger which means more yield but at the expense of a longer cleaning time.
You’ll need space to store this
This is the juicer to buy if you have a large counter space, don’t mind investing in a quality product like this and willing to spend a little time learning playing with the settings of the adjustable cap.
It is rather large, measuring 6-1/2” wide x 15-1/2” tall and 14-1/2” long, so you’ll need a big countertop to fit this.
The adjustable end cap also has a learning curve so if you want a set and forget type juicer, I’d suggest going for the older 8008 or 8006.
What are the downsides?
This juicer is expensive at close to $265. But compared to a top of the line twin gear juicer it is still relatively cheap and the yield won’t differ that much.
If you want to get the most out of your green leafy vegetables, this hands down beats most juicers out there in terms of price and feature.
Pros
- Great yield thanks to the large screen and adjustable cap
- Large feed chute lessens the need to chop
- Long warranty
- Prices have gone down since this was first released
Cons
- Large footprint – you’ll need space to store this
Very Underrated: Samson 9005
Samson juicers aren’t as popular as more mainstream brands such as Omega, Breville and Jack Lalanne but if you want the most out of every ounce of leafy green have a long look at the Samson 9005.
Why is it number 2?
Like the Omega NC800, this Samson juicer works great on wheatgrass. And almost all leafy greens because it has a large screen area.
More juice than a 8006
It also has an adjustable end cap which allows it to extract more than the bestselling 8006.
If you look closely at its auger, it has a stainless steel insert at the end that prevents plastic shavings from falling into the juice. It also has a blank plate attachment that can extrude pasta and make sorbets, nut butters and salsa.
It uses a 160 watt motor that has 1/3 hp of squeezing power, if the NC800 is too expensive for you then this is a next best option because it costs just under $260. And comes with a long 15 year warranty on all the parts of the juicer.
Pros
- Better yield than an Omega 8006
- Versatile – can make sorbet, nut butter, salsa, baby food, etc.
- Cheaper than an Omega NC800
- Long warranty
Cons
- Small feed chute – you’ll need to chop fruits (if you plan on adding any in your green juice)
What are the downsides?
Like with most horizontal auger juicers, the biggest issue is the feed chute, measuring at just 1.5″ in diameter.
A lot of pre-cutting is needed especially with fruit but for leafy greens pre-cutting needed at all. But you’ll need to exert some force pushing it through the feed chute. It’ll be all worth it when you see how much this machine will yield.
A Best Seller: Omega 8006
The Omega 8006 is an Amazon best seller because it is one of the more affordable horizontal auger juicers.
What I like
And it has long 15 year warranty.
It has an GE Ultem auger and strainer. For those unfamiliar with the term “Ultem”, it’s a grade of plastic that’s 8 times harder. So this juicer will be able to withstand daily usage.
If you want a green leafy juicer that does not need any learning curve then this juicer is a great choice because out of the box, you only need to assemble the parts and juice.
Things I don’t like
There are no settings to worry about. Just remember not to force feed or feed things too fast it or it’ll stop.
It has a reverse function that gets things unclogged.
The feed chute on this one is small at just 1.5″ in diameter. So you will need to pre-cut vegetables like carrots. But for green leafy vegetables even fibrous ones, there is no need to do so.
Reconditioned units are available for just under $230 for the 8006. And under $200 for the 8004 (the white version). Even reconditioned units are backed by Omega, each get a 12 year warranty on the motor and operational parts.
Pros
- Long warranty
- Easy to use
- Ultem screen and auger allows this to be an everyday workhouse
- Small footprint
- Easy to put together and clean
Cons
- No adjustable end cap means this will not yield as much as the other two juicers on top
- Small feed chute
- Not BPA free
Diamond in the Rough: Tribest SS-9002
The SS-9002 from Tribest is another underrated juicer outperforms more popular brands like the Omega 8006.
It has an adjustable end cap that again allows you to control how much back pressure can be applied on the pulp which results in more juice.
Like all of the juicers featured here, it has a blank plate attachment that allows you to make all natural nut butters and sorbets minus the artificial sweeteners.
What I don’t like
Despite all the great features this fell short because it had a short 5 year warranty and in does not have an Ultem auger or strainer.
Short warranty
Another thing would be price. Both this and the Omega 8006 are at the same price range. So the short warranty could be a deal breaker.
Not for everyday use
If you’re after yield and don’t make juice every day, this will be a great addition to your home.
Unfortunately this juicer is at the same price level as the Samson 9005. And since the latter has the longer warranty, that would be the better option.
Pros
- Great yield because it has an adjustable end cap and large screen area
- No need to pre-cut leafy greens
- Easy to assemble as well as clean
Cons
- Non-ULTEM screen and auger raises some durability issues
- Not BPA free
Twin Gears: Green Star GSE-5000
This is the only dual gear juicer of the 5 and the most expensive one of the bunch.
What’s great
This will yield more than an Omega 8005 already a great juicer for leafy greens.
The 8005 is basically the same machine as the 8004 and 8006.
Main difference would be the later 2 uses an Ultem strainer and auger.
It has a pressure adjustment cap, which is similar to the adjustable end cap found in the Samson and Omega NC800 that basically squeezes out more juice.
There will be a learning curve here when using this machine in terms of the settings to use for each type of produce. So patience is a virtue.
Why did it fall this far?
Well, first off the biggest reason is the price.
This juicer will cost close to $500 which is very expensive for some. And it had a shorter warranty at just 12 years.
More moving parts = steeper learning curve
Also it has more parts to assemble. So you have to pay attention to how you put the two gears together which isn’t a big deal really. But for newbie juicers this maybe too much of a hassle.
But if you want an all-around machine that not only makes juice but other raw foods like salsa or homemade peanut butter then this is a great investment.
This juicer would be a great choice for folks who would want to incorporate more raw foods in their diet.
Pros
- Great yield
- Juice will minimal nutrition degradation for up to 72 hours based on tests
- Long warranty
- Leafy vegetables does not need to be pre-cut
Cons
- Very expensive
- Produces a lot of foam
- No pulp catcher included in the package
To Wrap Up
There you have it, five of the best juicers that you can buy for leafy greens, all of them use a horizontal auger design so it won’t be as self-feeding as a vertical auger juicer.
All of these machines will extract more from leafy greens than any other type of juicer (except for a press juicer) because of its design.
If you have any form of arthritis then I’d suggest that you think something like a Omega VRT or if that’s too expensive for you, get the Fagor slow juicer which costs less than $120 – this would be a great option if you don’t want to spend too much.
Take note that vertical auger juicers won’t extract as much as their horizontal auger counterparts but will work much better with fruit so this is a pro and con you must weigh before buying.