My previous juicer was the Waring JEX-328 (reviewed here). While the Waring made great juice, and was very easy to clean, it broke after only 3 months. So, I went in search of a sturdier juicer. After reading a ton of reviews, and comparing a ton of specs, I decided on the Breville Juice Fountain Plus (JE95XL).

How well does it juice?
The JE95XL makes great juice. Compared to the Waring, it makes slightly more juice, but not by much. The pulp is finer, dryer, and contains fewer large chunks of carrot and apple. (I make carrot, apple, celery, and ginger juice.) The juice itself is quite frothy, which I like. However, if you don't like froth, the juice pitcher comes with an optional froth separator that keeps the froth in the pitcher when you pour.

Breville claims you can juice apples whole, and even has a sticker of a whole apple on the large feed tube. While this is the largest feed tube I've used, it's not quite accurate to say it handles apples whole. It will handle small apples whole, but larger apples need to be at least cut in half. Still, that's better than the Waring that required quartering. Everything else I use in this juicer goes in whole...no cutting required.

How easy is it to clean?
All in all, it's pretty easy...just not quite as easy as the Waring. I don't have a dishwasher, so the fact that most parts are dishwasher safe means nothing to me. I have to wash them by hand. The Breville has several parts to clean: food pusher, feed chute/juicer cover, mesh cutting blade (they call it a filter), and filter bowl surround. If you use the juice jug instead of just a drinking glass, it's got some nooks and crannies, plus a lid. There's also the pulp container, but you can put a plastic bag inside, so there's no cleaning required. All in all, it's not bad, but does take a bit longer than the Waring. The filter/blade is particularly slow since it has a finer mesh.

The motor
The motor on this juicer is a thing of beauty. It has two speeds, the slower speed good for softer fruits or leafy greens. The motor is a very powerful 850 watts, but is smooth. It's actually quieter than the less powerful Waring. One really nice feature is it starts slow and "ramps up" to full speed. This is supposed to cut down on vibrations, but is also nice because it doesn't jar you with a blast of power right from the start.

The downside
Not much to complain about, but I'll try. This juicer takes up more space on the counter. The pulp catcher is external, so it sits behind the juicer, and the juice jug is huge. (I can't imagine making enough juice to fill that thing...) Not only does it hog the counter, but there are a lot of parts. Where do I put the froth separator when I'm not using it? (Note: the thing you see to the left of the juicer in the picture is the pulp catcher. They're not showing the really big juice jug that fits onto the spout that's sticking out...)

Bottom line
So far, I'm very happy. This juicer makes great juice, and is solid. No small plastic parts to break (unlike the Waring.) I highly recommend this juicer.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 139