Pros: High Quality, largest chute, pulp ejection, 12 year warranty, quiet, efficient, easily cleaned, won't 'lug'
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: L'equip221: quality juicer; Buy it over the Omega4000 because the L'equip has stronger motor, bigger feed chute, clear top, and will not lug.
efud's Full Review: L'Equip 221 Pulp Ejector 560 Watts Juicer
I have owned 3 juicers in my life: a cheap one; an Omega, and now a L'equip, and, L'equip is the best one and the best value. The L'equip 221 and Omega 4000 juice the same way, and are priced about the same, and they are roughly equivalent in all other respects, but, there are some differences, and, L'equip wins out. Please refer to www.discountjuicers.com/bestjuicer.html for their complete review of all of the major serious juicers on the market.
WHY JUICE:
I am not a health nut, I don't qualify for a granola-head, and I don't own a pair of birkenstocks, but I juice because it is so darn easy and so darn tasty. Better than candy or chocolate!
So buy a juicer and fight off cancer everyday. How is that for a slogan? A juicer is not just another useless machine that will take up space on your counter and be a gimmick appliance that you will get bored of once the novelty wears off. Instead, it is so easy to use you will find that you'll buy way more produce and then consume it by juicing it (no more will produce languish on your self like some kind of trophy that was bought with the best of intentions but just ends up rotting in your fridge). It is so unbelievably easy to take 2 pears, an apple and a couple of carrots, rinse them off, and them stick them down the chute, peel and all, to make a few glasses of incredibly yummy and healthy and vitamin packed juice. And, it is soooo good for you. Use granny smith apples in your juice and you won't get a juice that is overly sweet.
Consuming fruits and vegetables is far better than fooling yourself by taking a multi-vitamin. Produce has all kinds of micro nutrients that simply are never going to be obtained through swallowing a pill, and, even better, juice is raw, uncooked, meaning that none of it nutrients are going to be destroyed through the heat of cooking. Sure, it would be better to eat the produce raw and whole, and get all of that fiber too, but, since we know we are not going to be doing that, and, we know we just don't eat enough fresh fruit and veggies daily, juicing is an incredibly easy and really delicious way to get those 7 daily servings that we are all suppose to be eating.
CENTRIFUGAL JUICERS
These have been around forever - you push the fruit or vegetable through a chute, and it is ground against a grating disk (also referred to as a blade/basket) which revolves at very high speed. The grater blade is attached to a basket (it is a one piece assembly) and the juice flows out the spout of the juicer while the pulp is left behind inside the basket. In cheaper models, that is the way it works, and, you have to stop juicing and disassemble the machine and empty out the basket before you can proceed to juice more. In contrast, ejector models (both L'equip 221 and Omega 400 are ejector models) are built to eject the pulp continuously out the back to a seperate bin, so the pulp doesn't build up and you therefore can juice continuously. FAR MORE CONVENIENT. If you buy a juicer, make sure to spring for an ejection model. You won't be sorry.
The L'equip grating disk goes at the low end of the high speed rpm , it goes about 3,600 rpm. This relatively slower speed is preferrable because it means you get less foam in your juice. It also mean less oxidation occurs, so you get better flavor and healthier juice with more nutrients intact. In contrast, the Omega 4000 goes at 5,400 rpm so it produces more foam and more oxidation. However, the Omega 4000 is reportedly a tad bit more efficient at extracting the juice as a result of the speed - but, the difference in the yeild of juice is insignificant - whereas the difference in the amount of foam produced is definetly appreciable.
L'equip 221 has a 3/4 horsepower motor, plenty of power. In contrast, the Omega 4000 has only 1/3 horsepower. Moreover, L'equip 221 has a computer chip that makes for even grating, despite the foce being applied or the toughness of the produce being juiced. For example, if you push ginger root down the chute for juicing, and, you push hard, the L'equip keeps going at a steady pace. The Omega does not have the same 'servo' mode. The L'equip servo induction motor constantly monitors the speed of the cutter dish and will automatically supply more or less power as needed. There is only one button on both the juicers, and the is the on/off power button.
Both machines are easy to clean - simply rinse them off immediately after juicing. You really don't need soap. Both machines' parts could also simply go into the dishwasher to get cleaned.
L'equip has the biggest feeder chute of ANY juicer, and that is an advantage because you don't have to cut up the items into small bits in order to feed them into the juicer. That is a big bonus to us lazy folks.
L'equip is definetly quieter than the Omega, but still, juicing is a bit noisey. Rather like a quiet blow dryer in terms of noise produced.
L'equip has a 12 year warranty, the Omega has a 15 year warranty. But hey, I think that if you get 12 years out of a $150 appliance, you have got your money's worth. Besides, given the qualty of the way the L'equip is built, I don't expect that it is going to die off in year 13...
(my Omega died because the electrical cord touch a stove element that got turned on).
Both L'equip and Omega use stainless steel for the bowl, blade and basket. This is important for it to last and for it to be maintained stain free. Carrots and beets are brutal for stains, and over time, they even stain the stainless steel bowl. Cheaper models use plastic for some of these parts, and that is a bad idea and unacceptable. The L'equip is clear grey smoked plastic on the top parts so you can see what is going on. Yippee. The Omega is opaque white plastic, which I didn't like, because you couldn't see the action, and, it got dirty and stained. So, the L'equip has a better design.
L'equip is 560 watts - but wattage is not so important - because you can build a more powerful motor but build it effeciently so that it only consumes a modest amount of wattage. In other words, don't be fooled to think that if an appliance consumes more watts/electricity, it most therefore be more powerful. Actually, it could just mean it was not well engineered. The Omega is 300 watts - but keep it mind it has a significantly smaller motor (they both have virtually the same horsepower/watts ratio).
Both machines are about the same height, size and weight: L'equip is 8" in diameter at the base, 12" high, and about 16 pounds shipped. Both the L'equip and the Omega have very sturdy footings of solid rubber feet around their bases that give them a good grip on your counter top. Both of them are balance and won't 'dance' or leave black scuff marks on the counter.
L'equip also has a bag clamp for the pulp bin, but, it really is not necessary, you can just put a bag in the bin and catch the pulp in the bag that way. Then, throw the bag out when done (or, add the pulp to recipes or feed to chickens or compost). That way, the bin is one less thing to rinse off when finished.
I bought my L'equip brand new, in the box, on ebay for $150. I think in the store, these machines cost $200.
I have had my juicer for almost a year, and the rate I go through produce is remarkable. I specifically buy whole melons (cantelope, honeydew or watermelon) so that I have them sitting in the fridge for me to juice. I do not peel then, I just cut into wedges and them pop them in, rind, seeds and all, into the juicer. You can juice citrus too by cutting off the peel which goes pretty fast. And pinapple is great juiced. Again, I always just leave on the rind or peel. Grapes are easy to juice and tastey. And vegetables juice well: tomatoes, parsely, celery, green peppers, all no problem in my L'equip.
This juicer is especially great if you have fruit trees in your backyard - your own 'organic' apples are often cosmetically unappealing, but, juice them, and, they are great.
And, if you have kids, this is an awesome way to get them to eat well.
Fantastic prices with ease & c...(Stock status: N/A)
Capable of continuous operation, this L'Equip 221 extracts juice from fruits and vegetables and then ejects pulp either into its pulp basket, or, for ...More at Amazon Marketplace
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