What should I look for when buying a juicer?

Settle four things in order. First, the type: centrifugal is fast and cheap but foamier and lower-yield, while cold-press (masticating) yields more juice with less foam and handles greens, at a higher price and slower pace. Second, what you'll juice: hard fruit and vegetables suit either type, citrus suits a press, and leafy greens strongly favor cold-press. Third, cleanup — the single most common reason juicers get abandoned — so favor few parts, dishwasher-safe components, and a model known for not clogging. Fourth, materials, if minimizing plastic contact matters. Get those right and the specific model nearly picks itself.

What is the best juicer for beginners?

One that's genuinely easy to feed and, above all, easy to clean, because that's what decides whether a first juicer keeps getting used. A wide-chute centrifugal machine is the simplest and cheapest entry, and among cold-press machines the ones engineered against clogging are the easiest to live with. Avoid a complicated multi-part machine as a first juicer — the more parts there are to rinse and reassemble, the more likely it ends up in a cupboard.

Are juicers hard to clean?

It varies more by model than by type, and cleanup is the make-or-break factor for whether a juicer gets used. Centrifugal machines have a mesh basket that needs a brush; cold-press machines have an auger and screen that can clog if you don't keep up. The practical tips: rinse parts right after juicing before pulp dries, choose a model with dishwasher-safe parts and a good anti-clog reputation, and count the parts before buying — fewer is better. A machine you'll actually clean beats a higher-spec one you won't.

How many watts should a juicer have?

Wattage matters less than buyers expect, and more for centrifugal machines than cold-press ones. Centrifugal juicers rely on high-speed power, so more watts can help with hard produce; cold-press machines work through slow torque, where raw wattage means little. Rather than chasing a wattage number, match the type to your produce and weight your decision toward yield, cleanup, and a strong owner-review record. A well-designed lower-wattage cold-press can out-juice a high-wattage centrifugal on greens.

Is an expensive juicer worth it?

It depends on how much you'll juice. A premium cold-press machine buys higher yield, quieter operation, better greens performance, and sometimes hands-free feeding — genuinely worth it for someone who juices daily and cares about the result. For occasional juicing or mostly hard fruit, a mid-range centrifugal machine delivers most of the everyday value for far less. The worst outcome is an expensive machine that's a hassle to clean and so goes unused, so buy for the juicing you'll actually do, not the juicing you imagine.

How to Choose a Juicer: Type, Yield & Cleanup

1. Type: centrifugal or cold-press

This is the decision everything else hangs on. Centrifugal juicers shred produce against a fast blade — quick, easy to feed, cheaper, but foamier, louder, and slightly lower-yield. Cold-press (slow, masticating) juicers crush and squeeze slowly — more juice, less foam and oxidation, much better with greens, but slower and usually pricier.

Speed and price point to centrifugal; yield and juice quality point to cold-press. The full trade-off is in centrifugal vs cold-press juicers — settle this first.

2. What you’ll actually juice

Match the machine to your produce, not to the widest possible menu:

Hard fruit and vegetables (apples, carrots, beets): either type handles them; centrifugal is fine here.
Leafy greens (kale, spinach, wheatgrass): cold-press wins decisively; most centrifugal machines struggle.
Citrus (oranges, lemons, limes): a dedicated press is simpler, cheaper, and often plastic-free.

If you imagine “everything,” be honest about what you’ll juice weekly. Buying a greens-capable cold-press you’ll only feed apples is spending for a capability you won’t use.

3. Cleanup — the factor that decides everything

Here’s the truth behind abandoned juicers: cleanup, not performance, is what kills the habit. A machine that’s a chore to disassemble and scrub gets used twice and shelved.

So weight your choice toward: few parts, dishwasher-safe components, a strong anti-clog reputation, and the discipline to rinse right after juicing before pulp dries. A slightly lower-spec juicer you’ll actually clean beats a higher-spec one you won’t. This single factor should move your decision more than wattage or extra presets.

The easy-to-live-with pick

If you want cold-press juice quality without the cold-press cleanup pain — the exact tension above — this is the machine built around it, and the top pick in our best juicers guide.

Best all-round

Ninja NeverClog Cold Press Juicer

Noolaguide says

A cold-press juicer engineered against the two things that make people quit slow juicers: clogging and slow cleanup. You still get the higher yield and lower foam of a masticating machine, but it's easier to live with day to day, and a large, well-rated owner base backs that up. It costs more than a basic centrifugal machine and feeds more slowly, but for most people wanting good juice they'll keep making, it's the sensible default.

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What buyers praise

Cold-press yield and low foam without the usual clogging
Easier cleanup than most slow juicers — the deciding factor
Large, well-rated owner base at a mainstream price

What buyers flag

Costs more than a basic centrifugal machine
Slower to feed than a wide-chute centrifugal juicer

4. Materials — if plastic contact matters

Most juicers put some plastic in the juice path. For a reputable modern machine that plastic is food-grade and BPA-free, so it’s designed to be safe — but if minimizing plastic contact matters to you, look for a stainless-steel auger and screen on a cold-press machine, or a cast-iron or stainless citrus press for fully plastic-free citrus. The full picture is in non-toxic and plastic-free juicers.

Features worth paying for (and not)

Worth it: a wide feed chute (less chopping), dishwasher-safe parts, a proven anti-clog design, and — for frequent juicers — a large hopper or hands-free feeding.
Secondary: multiple speed settings, high wattage numbers, and extra attachments you’ll rarely use. Don’t let a spec sheet outvote yield and cleanup.

The bottom line

Pick the type for how you juice, match it to the produce you actually use, and then — above all — choose a model you’ll be willing to clean. Materials are the fourth lever for anyone minimizing plastic. Nail those four and you don’t need to agonize over the exact model; the right machine will be the one that keeps getting pulled out of the cupboard.

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