Champion 2000+ Masticating Juicer

I have been juicing since I was in my early twenties, I am now fifty - I have had a number of juicers, all of which did not deliver nor continue to work over the many years of heavy use, or drove me mad with their poor design or continuous need to stop juicing and clear out the mesh (mainly those using centrifugal action). It is hard to believe now how difficult it was to find any juicers for sale 25 years ago. How I wish reviews such as these existed in the "old" days, I had to do a great deal of research to finally stumble upon the Champion and then finding where to buy one in the UK involved more research. I bought my Champion 12 years ago and wish I had bought it at the very beginning of my juicing days, I would have saved a great deal of money.

I cannot begin to imagine what the reviewers who are giving a negative feedback for this item are doing wrong, I certainly have never produced hot juice or pulp nor has my juicer ever jammed once in 12 years. Read the instruction book from cover to cover before your first use, and always, always, remember to oil the shaft each time you reassemble after cleaning (olive oil works well) and your Champion will repay you with years of effortless use.

As a Home Economist I am used to appraising equipment, I know that quality lasts, the old cliché, you get what you pay for is certainly true of kitchen equipment. Like the quality American Kitchenaid products, the Champion is heavy duty, industrial strength; it is heavy and is consequently very stable on the worktop, where you should keep it permanently ready for everyday use, it would not be realistic to lift it in and out of a cupboard every day.

You will simply be wasting money on any other juicer; this is the daddy of them all. Centrifugal juicers will have you tearing your hair out, while few juicers, if any, will have the 1/3 of a horsepower motor this chap has, yes, I did say 1/3 of a horsepower, you are not reading it wrongly, and that is a very powerful motor. As the Champion is American, from Plastaket of California, then you will be reassured it has evolved from years of experience, after all California must be where the juicing craze originated.

You get a high yield of juice to pulp, the pulp is very dry, much drier than that produced by all of the other machines I have had or used over the years. It deals with all kinds of fruit and veg in seconds, but will not take wheat grass. If you have any of Jason Vale's excellent books, he says you should avoid juicing Granny Smith apples because they do not juice well, but the Champion loves masticating them up and deals with them with no effort at all.

I use a litre Pyrex jug, as the juice does slosh out of the rectangular opening and this catches it more efficiently than the 500 ml sized jug. It goes on and on juicing without the need to ever stop and clear the pulp, because the clever design works in a continuous action to extrude the by-product (pulp) in a hollow shaped sausage, straight into your kitchen compost caddy.

It rinses clean very easily too, but note the instructions say to not use hot water or you may cause distortion of the nylon parts (obviously it cannot go in the dishwasher either, but there is no need for this as it cleans easily). If staining occurs, and bothers you, carrot juice is particularly bad for this; a quick soak in some Milton solution brings back the white colour. I have only done this once in 12 years.

I have only been using this juicer for a couple of months; I bought it from Juiceland. It is heavy, but ideally it is useful to store & use it in one permanent place on a sturdy shelf (not move it around) The most important thing regardless of what I have written below is to read the very simple assembly & operating instructions.
The machine does become heated, but I juice a large amount of fruit & vegetables one to three times daily.
You should always move the switch at the base of the machine to the off position, switch off & unplug it from the mains after every use.
All of the small parts easily rinse clean under a cold tap, if rinsed immediately after use; obviously you must remove & dispose of the fibre/pulp or use it as compost. The tiny cutter blades are sharp, but there is ample space in rows between the blades to hold the cutter. Try not to get water, liquid or anything inside the cutter shaft hole & always stand it virtically in a safe place after use. The parts do become discoloured, but it is harmless. (Instructions for stain cleaning come with the machine). If you store a bottle of bleach against a bottle of lemonade the bleach defuses into the lemonade, it is known as osmosis. I store the small parts on a clean folded tea towel, you should dry them with a clean tea towel after rinsing. Clean the motor with a clean damp cloth, do not submerge it in water, do not rub away at or poke the oil seal in the hub. Always apply a thin film of olive oil on the motor shaft before each assembly to prevent sticking or vacum locking. Only assemble the machine prior to using.
I found the books below so very simple to use from day one. Such a large variety of tasty recipes, clearly written & no unnecessary writing. Numerous reviews about them are available on this site.
Miracle JuicesThe Juice Master Keeping it Simple: Over 100 Delicious Juices and Smoothies
A one litre jug is available on this site which fits only just, but perfectly under the juicer to catch the juice. Wet pulp can be refed into the machine. Cabbage needs cutting into very small pieces, otherwise it is very difficult to juice but I juice it. Cut all food thin enough to fit into the funnel. It only becomes clogged if food is fed to rapidly or the tamper is not pushed down properly. Pushing a large carrot or a piece of apple into the feeding chamber easily unblocks it. All food is best used chilled from the refrigerator, it really does stay fresh longer, you can also put some ice in the jug.

I have been using a Champion juicer for over 15 years so I consider myself fairly competent offering this review and I think any consumer wanting to make an informed choice, needs to have some of the uninformed negative opinions expressed on this review section put into context. I have worked in health-related jobs since 1992 and I'm a keen juicing enthusiast.

Juice from the Champion definitely DOES NOT 'pour all over' when you are using it. A 1 litre pyrex jug catches the juice perfectly. Juicing is of course a messy business and this is hard to avoid but until someone invents a self-cleaning juicer, the clean up after the Champion is as easy as it gets. Most people who read the instructions and apply a little common sense will come to love the Champion for its speed, ease of use and excellent juice quality once they are familiar with its correct operation.

The motor does get warm in use but the criticism that the Champion produces 'steaming pulp' and warm juice is a clear indication of failing to use the juicer properly. People who have had ordinary juicers sometimes don't realise what a powerful and durable machine the Champion is and they use it too timidly. If you leave pulp in the machine too long when it is switched on, of course it will get warm. I have NEVER managed to produce steaming pulp or warm juice with mine. The Champion is a beast and if you feed it it properly all it delivers is cool, highly nutritious juice. Anyone who thinks this juicer is hard to assemble has misunderstood how to do it.

Someone below claims the filter screen on the Champion blocks up. It does not. Again the user fails to understand the machine. The pulp is moving ACCROSS the screen continuously in use and the pulp that is apparently 'blocking' the screen when you disassemble it, is the very last bit of pulp that was fed through - if the user went on juicing this pulp would be continuously changing. I have used ALL types of domestic juice extractor and while there are some bad ones out there, generally speaking there are no massive differences in juice yield between the better models. the Champion gives a very respectable yield with over half a litre of juice from a kilo of carrots and much more from a kilo of apples.

The Champion is superb. My first one is 15 years old and still going strong with my student son. In terms of reliability this makes the Champion one of the CHEAPEST juicers available over the long term - they just don't break down. If the negative reviews were true, I don't think Nutritionists the world over and the Gerson Institute would recommend it's use in nutritional therapies. DON'T be put off!!!