If you’re looking for a vertical masticating juicer that is BPA-free and has a very wide feed chute, then Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer is one of your best options. As a matter of fact, this model beats even Omega when it comes to how fast it is to create juices.
But is the juice yield and quality great too? Is this juicer flimsy?
In this review, you will learn if this juicing machine is worth buying based on your juicing preferences and the price. Even if it costs lesser than the more popular Omega and Tribest, it is still important that you understand if you’re getting your money’s worth.
Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer Review
Imagine Breville and Omega having a baby. That is what Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer. It combines the large feed chute of a Breville centrifugal juicer with the juicing power of Omega. Thus you’ll get the best of both worlds.
Compared to the very popular Omega J8006, the Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer is a vertical masticating juicer. This means it occupies a small space in the kitchen counter. It even runs at a much slower speed than the 8006.
Perhaps the most significant advantage that this model is the size of its auger. It has a larger auger which means more ingredients are crushed in one revolution than horizontal masticating types.
Power & Speed
Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer runs at a low speed of just 60RPM. Also known as a cold press juicer, it the slow speed makes sure that no heat transferred to the juice. This means enzymes are better retained.
In addition, the slow revolution of the 240W AC motor crushes the ingredients slowly. This helps to significantly lower the oxidation process.
It can effectively juice both hard and soft produce. Juices from leafy greens like spinach and kale can be easily extracted as well as ginger roots and beets. The key to making it efficient is to alternate soft and hard ingredients.
The pulp produced by this unit is very dry, which means juice yield is actually high. You can save up on the number of ingredients in the long run. For instance, celery can yield up to 70% of juice, while an orange 90%.
Noise Level
Since this is a masticating juicer, Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer operates quietly compared to the centrifugal ones. It’s a lot quieter than a blender. You wouldn’t have to worry about disturbing the entire household if you decide to juice early in the morning.
However, if you are going to use celery or other fibrous veggies most of the time, you should expect some squeaky sound. It is not is still not as noisy as blenders.
If you want to make sure that this machine runs very quietly, you also have to ensure that you place it on a level counter. Otherwise, it will vibrate and produce some additional noise.
Feed Chute
One of the issues with masticating types is not actually the speed it extracts juices, but with the amount of prep time involved.
You’ll need to cut your produce into bite-size chunks so that each one fits the opening. This is actually a design choice, though. The small size makes sure that fruits and veggies are fed to this type of juicer slowly. A masticating juicer can easily clog up if ingredients are fed to it too fast.
This is one of the reasons that makes this juicing machine stand out from its competition. Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer has an opening that is 3” wide. It is actually the same size as those of Breville juicers.
Prep time is significantly reduced because you wouldn’t have to chop the ingredients into smaller pieces. In addition, this also helps to reduce oxidation.
You can just drop a whole peeled orange or a medium-sized apple. Since the chute is also tall, it can easily accommodate long veggies like celery stalks and carrots.
Juice Jug Capacity
This machine comes with 2 containers, one for the juice and the other for the pulp. They are both have a capacity of around 30 ounces or 900 ml. They’re made of hard plastic and have a curved design to hug the unit and catch any spills.
The juice container does not contain any strainer or lid. You will have to transfer the contents to a glass before consuming it. If you plan to drink it later, you can easily transfer the juice to a mason jar as the container has a spout.
Juicing Operation
The Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer makes juicing a lot easier mainly because of its large opening. As you already know, prep time is greatly reduced. This benefit is more significant with people who love to juice in large batches.
You no longer have to necessarily cut your fruits and veggies as long as they can fit into the opening. Together with the uniquely designed auger, both work together to help prevent clogging.
However, I would still advise on cutting the stringy ones in 2 to 3 pieces to reduce the chances of pulp backing up.
To lessen oxidation, it also best to make use of the drip-free valve. It has to be kept close while you’re juicing. In addition, it can help prevent spills while transferring the contents from the juice cup to your glass or a mason jar.
Another great feature that you’ll get from this machine is that amount of juice it yields. So if you’re going to be creating drinks a lot more often, you’ll save a lot with a lower number of ingredients.
While this machine is able to produce extremely dry pulp, not all pulps are actually discarded. If you’re someone who doesn’t like these on your juice, you will need to purchase a separate strainer.
Another caveat this model has is that it can only continuously run for up to 20 minutes. Compared to Omega VSJ843 model, this duty-time is quite low. However, for a lower cost, this tradeoff is not actually a big deal especially if you’re not consistently doing large batches.
There are separate attachments provided with this unit to make frozen sorbets. You can also create nut butter. However, you’re out of luck if you plan on creating baby foods.
Cleanup
Cleaning the machine is quite easy. As with other vertical masticating juicers, you can actually pour warm water into the machine to help loosen up the food bits further. Then after you drain out the water, you can disassemble it in like 20 seconds only.
Detaching the parts doesn’t require any special tools. You will only need to do some twisting and you can get them dismantled.
The manual clearly instructs that this model should be cleaned by hand. This implies that the parts are not necessarily dishwasher safe. Cleaning by hand is much easier and faster, though.
You will only have to clean all the parts, except for the strainer, with running water. For the strainer, you will need to use the cleaning brush included with the unit.
Dimensions
Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer has a height of around 18 inches. If you’re planning to place this under your hanging kitchen cabinets, make sure that you have at least 20 inches of vertical clearance.
The parts are made of TRITAN food grade materials. They are hard plastic and are all BPA free.
They’re also lightweight which is why the unit only weighs 16 lbs. In case the unit is too high to sit under the cabinet, you can place it in front and move it around easily.
Warranty & Customer Support
Kurvings Electric offers a 2-year warranty for all the parts, including accessories. You have the option to extend it to 10 years but it will only cover the motor and the main body. Customer service is pretty quick to answer especially when you through their Amazon seller account.
If you purchase the product from Amazon, you don’t only get a 30-day free trial for the machine but the warranty is automatically validated. You do not need to fill up forms or send any proof of purchase.
Pros
- 3” wide chute significantly reduces prep time
- Made of BPA-free TRITAN food grade materials
- Comes with a 2-year warranty, extendable to 10 years
- Produces very dry pulp which means high juice yield
- Drip-free valve helps reduce oxidation further
Cons
- Stringy veggies can cause the unit to produce a squeaking noise
- Can only juice up to 20 minutes at a time
Consumer Ratings
Describe the current rating on Amazon. Give the reason why most users ranked it high. Give the most common reason why it was ranked low.
Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer received a perfect rating from around 80% of customers from Amazon. They were surprised by how clean and consistent this machine makes it juices. Most of the reviewers have already long-term experiences using other popular brands and they’re actually pleased when they switched.
Most of the customers who gave a very low ranking have their machine broke down in less than a year of usage. Fortunately, the 2-year warranty covers the entirety of the unit. I advise that you check other reviews from Amazon if you want to be very sure before making a purchase.
Final Words
This model is a hybrid. It’s a marriage of a centrifugal and masticating juicer; the wide chute of the former and the juicing power of the latter. It is made for those who want to have great consistency with their juices but does not like to endure the prep time of chopping ingredients into smaller pieces.
Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer works well with any type of ingredients, from leafy greens to hard veggies even ginger roots. If you’re one who does not want to have all pulp completely removed from the juice this is for you, otherwise, you’ll need to purchase a strainer.