What kinds of foods are you interested in juicing? If you want to do a lot of leafy greens then get a masticating juicer. Centrifugal is better for hard veggies and fruits. There are ways to wrap the leafy greens certain ways and around foods so they'll juice better but I've only tried a few times and haven't found it to work well.

I bought the Breville 700 Watt juicer and returned it. It has a high rating with 1900 some reviews but the mesh basket does NOT come completely clean (I always wash by hand immediately after using and never use a dishwasher). It comes with a good bristle brush and after even soaking and scrubbing, after it's dry, you could still see tiny pieces of carrot around the bottom. It would be great if they would've bothered to put thought into the design of the mesh basket.

I now own a L'Equip mini and like it. The shoot is smaller so some things need cut but that wasn't a big deal to me. It's fast to use and I find it easy to clean. I get the same amount of juice from the L'Equip as I did the Breville.

My second choice centrifugal juicer was the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth.

I did consider spending more money and going with a masticating Omega juicer but the bad reviews were just really bad. So bad that I couldn't bring myself to part with $300+. I also wanted to be sure I was going to even like juicing. I also saw over and over how they take a lot longer to juice. On the plus side, you end up with saw dust dry pulp but that wasn't important to me. I couldn't squeeze any juice from the leftovers of either machine. I even tried to juice them again just to see and got nothing.

I only use mine once a day at breakfast (haven't used it much lately) and mainly use veggies with the occasional apple thrown in. I like it.

I read somewhere where someone suggested saving the pulp in icecube trays (depends what you're juicing) and throwing them in smoothies later or adding them to make stock.

I have had an Omega 1000 forever. It's a centrifugal. I use filters with it so it's easy to clean but I'm certain there are better ones available today. Mine still works great so I use what I have. They are still selling them today unless I came across an old site. I use it to make carrot and beet juices. Hard veggies are best and I must cut to fit. It's really old school. (Before Internet made researching possible.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Omega 1000

I had considered getting a juicer but changed my mind and
got the magic bullet instead. Use it every day,.
I figure shakes are better than just the juice because of the fiber you are getting.

Well, I would like to be able to juice everything..hard fruits and veggies and leafy greens. That being said, I've never actually tasted green juices. I've added spinach and kale to my fruit smoothies, so I guess I could still do a mix instead of all greens. The Breville is what I was looking at if I go with the centrifugal, since it had such high ratings. I was worried about the mesh and cleaning though. I was looking at the Omega for the masticating. I was reading the reviews on Amazon and mostly saw good ones, so it worries me that you saw bad ones. I'm also a little hesitant to spend that much on a masticating juicer if I don't know if I will stick with it. On the other hand, I hate to discover that I love juicing, but don't like the clean up that goes along with the centrifugal juicer.

Do you have to make the juice as you drink it or can you make enough for a day or two and keep it in the fridge? I work from home and so I wouldn't have alot of time to spend on making it and cleaning up, but if I could make it the night before, that might work.

If you're going to get a Breville just don't get the 700 watt. It appears the 800 (I believe that's the next one up) doesn't have this design issue. I really, seriously, can't understand the good ratings for the 700 watt. People must not be looking at the bottom rim of the mesh basket or just don't care that there are bits leftover. It would be a 5 star if they wouldn't of slacked with the design. I should've taken a photo.

I don't remember what model I was looking at of the Omega. There were mostly good reviews, but the bad ones just made me not want to part with the money.

Did you try looking on youtube yet at different models? I found that helpful. That way you could actually see what all parts need cleaned and how long each take.

Honestly. . . I like juicing as it changes it up from smoothies but I'd rather just blend a bunch of stuff and drink all of it.

I've read you should drink the juice immediately because it loses a lot of its nutritional value if you don't. I have heard of people leaving it in the frige for later or the next day but I chug it down right away.

Well, I took the plunge and ordered an Omega masticating juicer. I hope I made the right choice. I found a youtube video where they used an Omega masticating and Breville centrifugal and then showed you how to clean both. The Breville was faster at juicing since you don't have to cut things up as small, but the Omega seemed easier to clean. The thing that made me lean towards the Omega was I read that you could make the juice ahead of time with it, but not the Breville.

Do y'all have any favorite juice recipes I should start with?

I don't juice, but reading this thread made me think about it. As roseberry said, isn't the fiber as important as the juice, or possibly even more so? Just curious.

patty_cakes - I agree the fiber is important. I've been dealing with digestive problems for the last couple of years and have a hard time with solids, so I felt like a juicer was a good way for me to get the nutrition I needed. I'm sure there are others reasons people might use a juicer instead of or in combination with a blender. I personally like the idea of alternating between the two.

I make-up my salads (on Sundays) 8 at a time and seal them with a
handheld vacuum.
It keeps then fresh at least a week or more.
Maybe it would also help with keeping your juice fresher .

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/salad-in-a-jar/yes-you-can-use-a-handheld-vacuum-pack-machine-to-seal-salad-in-a-jar

That is so interesting, FBToo! We eat salad almost every day, and I would love to make them ahead and have them stay fresh. I'm definitely going to look for this. Thanks for sharing:)