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I typically prepare juice in the morning. And I wouldn’t want anything that sounds like a jet engine taking off inside the kitchen that’ll wake up my wife or neighbors.
The Breville BJS600XL is one of the more quiet slow juicers in the market right now based on reviews.
And it is the only masticating juicer manufactured by Breville (they are more known for their centrifugal juicers).
How is it so quiet?
Unlike centrifugal juicers that spin at an eardrum shattering 5,000 to 16,000 rpm, slow juicers only spin at less than 100rpm.
This one has a 240-watt motor that Breville describes as “ultra-quiet”.
Smooth pulpy juice?
The BJS600XL is advertised as a juicer that will produce a juice with a smooth pulpy texture.
Now hold on just a bit, it’s like me bragging about my smooth skin with a lot of pimple scars on it.
This is a bit misleading but not really a big issue because while it does produce some pulp, it is minimal and can be separated using a sieve afterwards.
If you prefer your juice pulpy then drink it straight away.
Features at a glance
- Quiet 240 watt motor
- 10 year warranty on the motor / 1 year warranty on the rest of the juicer
- Uses cold press technology to slowly squeeze juice out from produce
- Dual stage system maximizes yield
- Comes with a pulp and juice catcher (32 ounces)
- 2.5″ x 1.5″ feed chute
- BPA free
- 16.3″ tall
The good
- quiet
- uses an Ultem strainer and auger
- has overload protection
The Bad
- does have the propensity to get stuck
- short warranty
- produces a lot of pulp
- there is a need to pre-cut fibrous greens
- no strainer included
- no juice tap that prevents drips
What to expect from this Breville slow juicer?
Feature-wise, you’ll get everything needed to make a delicious cup of fresh natural juice.
Two of the most important parts, the strainer and auger are made from a stronger Ultem material which is 8 times stronger than standard plastics used in other slow juicers.
This simply means that these two parts will hold up even for everyday juicing but remember don’t get cute and put anything that’s hard like a coconut shell or knife because it can crack the strainer and void the warranty.
A cracked screen renders a juicer useless so if you juice every day, get a juicer like this that has an Ultem strainer.
One neat feature I like is the overload protection system that automatically cuts power when there is an overload much like a circuit breaker in your home.
Just in case this stops working, there is a switch at the button to “reset” the motor.
This will work best on…
…A mix of leafy green, soft and hard vegetables and fruit. Like all vertical slow juicers, this will work on a combination of fruit and vegetables.
It will struggle a bit when juicing only leafy greens. If you’re one of those hard core juicers that want only leafy veggies in their juice then get a horizontal auger type juicer like an Omega 8004 or the Omega NC800.
You can’t use this to make nut butter or sorbet because it lacks a blank plate. If you’re looking to make nut butter or sorbet then a Vitamix would be a better option.
How about wheatgrass?
It can extract juice from wheatgrass but it won’t be as efficient as a horizontal auger juicer in terms of output but the difference is minimal. You’ll also need to pre-cut wheatgrass into one to two inch pieces to minimize the risk of clogging.
How long can you store juice?
Since this is a slow/masticating juicer, you can store juice for around 24 to 72 hours in a refrigerator but juice HAS to be stored in a mason jar and overfilled so there is no air inside.
It’ll be best if you drink it immediately afterwards but if that’s not possible store it in a glass container placed inside a cooler so that you can bring it to work.
How much preparation is needed?
The feed chute here is approximately the same with other vertical auger juicers like the Hurom HU-100 and Omega VRT so there is the need to pre-cut ingredients so that it fits.
If you’re curious how big the chute is, it’s around 2-1/4” x 1-1/4”.
For fibrous greens like collard greens, you’ll need to cut them into small quarter to half inch chunks to avoid clogging the pulp ejector that is rather smallish.
You need to do this because as pulp is extracted it turns at a 90 degree angle when it reaches the pulp ejector port and long strands of fiber will get clog it up.
Clogging is a common complaint by consumers. But you’ve got to remember that this is a minor downside for vertical auger juicers that can be remedied by the pre-cutting technique I mentioned.
How much juice can it extract?
In a test done by John Kohler, he compared the BJS600XL to the Omega VRT350HD.
The Omega extracted slightly more juice from baby tomatoes.
One interesting point, John said tomato juice extracted by the VRT350HD tasted better than the Breville but that might be because of tomatoe quality and not the juicer itself.
When he juiced baby carrots, the BJS600XL extracted half a cup more carrot juice than the Omega.
What do we get out if this? Well output will depend on the type of produce and how fresh it is.
Remember to always get the freshest ones possible.
Here’s the juice-off
Another observation would be the tendency of Breville to slow down when you put too much at once. In the video it did jam up 3 or 4 times.
A bigger motor does not equate to more crushing power.
If you look at the design of the auger, the top part of Omega’s auger has more space and a sharper edge versus the Breville.
This means it’s able to handle larger produce and the sharper blade allows it to chop better. So it does not not jam as much.
So if you’re planning on buying the Breville, you’ll need to feed in produce a little bit slower. If it gets stuck there is the reverse function that frees it up.
Is it hard to clean up?
The strainer has more surface area than a Hurom and an Omega and underneath it you’ll notice that it has a recess area where pulp accumulates so cleaning up the strainer will take a bit longer.
But the auger does not have any recess points underneath so this saves a bit of time cleaning.
Overall I’d say it’ll take under 10 minutes to clean all the parts here under running water plus the brush.
To clean off pulp off the pulp ejector port and recesses, use the chisel end of the brush, it makes it so much easier.
Is it dishwasher safe?
Nope, unfortunately it isn’t. Putting this in a dishwasher can crack the plastic parts.
What type of juicer is this?
This is a vertical auger juicer or a slow juicer because it only operates at 80 rpm.
The auger on top of the motor on a vertical plane hence the term vertical auger.
Breville calls it a masticating juicer and there is some debate in the industry on the differences between a masticating and a slow juicer.
Some experts say that a slow juicer isn’t a masticating juicer because it does not chew but crushes it others say both are the same thing.
How long is the warranty?
The motor gets a 10 year warranty while the rest of the parts only get a 1 year warranty but the good news is it is around $100 cheaper than an Omega VRT.
If you’re concerned about the price then this is one of the best slow juicers to get.
If you want a similarly priced juicer with a longer warranty, then have a look at the Omega 8006 which comes with a 15 year warranty.
Is it BPA free?
Yes the plastic parts are BPA free.
Noise
I can’t find any reviews that tested decibel levels but this is quiet enough to use and have a conversation at the same time without the need to yell.
Voltage
It uses 110/120 volts and has a 3-prong grounding plug. Unfortunately there is no variant that uses 220/240 volts.
Motor
It uses a 240 watt induction motor that rotates at 80rpm.
Dimensions
- 8.6” x 16.3” x 7.4” (width x height x depth)
- Weighs around 20 pounds
Accessories
- Pusher
- Hopper & lid
- Motor base with On/Off/Reverse buttons
- Filter basket
- Juicing screw
- Screen wiper
- Pulp container
- Juice jug
- Brush for cleaning
What consumers say?
Overall sentiment was positive, consumers were happy with how much less froth it produced compared to a centrifugal juicer and the pulp that came out was “pretty darn dry”.
Juice yield was also another strong point as consumers said it was able to extract more from the same amount of produce compared to a centrifugal juicer but…
…There was one consumer who compared yield between this and the bestselling Breville BJE510XL and said the later produced more based on weight which in my opinion has some flaws in it.
He should have compared how much juice (in ounces or liters) not the weight because juice from a centrifugal juicer has a lot of air in it which adds to the weight.
The air also degrades the juice faster and you’ll notice that it separates much quicker than juice from a slow juicer.
Clean up was easy but there were some complaints that it was hard to clean up.
I’m guessing that these folks failed to cut fibrous ingredients into smaller chunks that ultimately clogged the pulp ejection port, which will be hard to clean.
Please wash this soon after using it so pulp does not dry up.
It also comes with a brush to make cleaning easier.
The need to pre-cut was another common complaint by consumers because of the averaged size feed chute and since this is a vertical style auger juicer, you’ll need to pre-cut fibrous greens to avoid clogging.
This is not an Omega VRT knock off that some have said because this comes from a different factory.
If you look closely, the auger, strainer and juicing bowl have a different design.
Where can you buy this?
You can buy this juicer from Amazon for around $700. And it’ll be eligible to their free 2-day shipping if you join Prime.
Extended warranties of up to 4 years are also available if you want that extra peace of mind.
To wrap up
This juicer will be great for people looking for a reasonably priced juicer that costs a little over $200.
Feature wise, there isn’t too much of a difference between this and a pricier Omega VRT, Kruvings, or a Hurom HU-100.
The biggest downside here is the warranty, while you get a 10 year warranty on the motor (it is the least likely to break), the rest of the parts will only have a one year warranty.
So after one year if something breaks, you’ll need to pay to have it repaired.
It would be able to handle the wear and tear of everyday juicing because of the ultem strainer and auger but it does have a tendency to jam up, particularly on hard ingredients like carrot or beet, if you put too much at once.
Overall this is a good performing slow juicer at a reasonable price. But there are better juicers available that are cheaper and offer a longer warranty. One such machine that comes to mind would be the Cuisinart CJE-1000.
It was my I understanding that Ultem is made out of BPA. Can you confirm that? It will be misleading to call it bpa free
Bonjour!
What do you think of the new Breville Big Squeeze?