# Juicer or Vitamix



## Flyboy2992 (May 25, 2013)

Im undecided. The guys I ride with are juicing and say its great. On the other hand, with vitamix you get all the fiber and pulp. 
Id say price point is about the same. Which is the better way to be and why?


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## head gamez (Dec 6, 2013)

I have both. An Omega J8004, and a Vitamix 6300. I loved the juicer until I bought the Vitamix. They both yield great product, but the Vitamix requires allot less time and effort. I start everyday with a green smoothie, and we also use it for hot soups, almond butter, almond milk, etc. If you catch them on demo at your local costco, then they can be purchased for $499. 

If you have kids, then the Vitamix is a great way of helping them get their green veggies via smoothies, soups, and even "ice cream".


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## head gamez (Dec 6, 2013)

I also want to add that when I was researching juicers, a settled on the Omega 8004 due to its low speed. The lower speed auger units do not oxidize the veggies as compared to the high speed units. They also, according to my research, where more efficient in terms of produce in versus juice out.


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

Vitamix. You can "juice" with a blender but you can't mix with a juicer.

As far as oxidizing your produce...if you are juicing/blending and drinking immediately...there's not time for oxidation or at least not enough to really matter. It's a marketing ploy. Now if you are making juice to drink later in the day...perhaps it would be more of a difference.


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## head gamez (Dec 6, 2013)

Good point on the oxidation nubster. With the juicer, it was a concern because of the time it took to make juice. I would make it the night before.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

The prices of that gear is insane. I've been rockin' a new NutriBullet, which uses all parts of the fruit and vegetable, every single day for about 3 months, now. $100 for the 600 watt unit. The thing is awesome! They have a new 900 watt unit out, too. It has a very small footprint on the countertop so it stays out and gets used a minimum of once a day.


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## Centurion_ (Aug 13, 2011)

I bought my Vitamix in 1993. I used it nearly every day for many years. I had an issue with it in '98 (can't remember what it was), but they replaced the unit for free. Their customer support is outstanding. I no longer use it as much (maybe a couple of times a week), but it is still running strong.


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## spartacuslv (Mar 21, 2013)

+1 for the vita mix. I am a chef by trade and as others have said you can't mix with a juicer. Single purpose kitchen appliances are not worth it. Vita mixes are professional grade and will last years with just home use. We beat the crap out of these things and it just keeps working. They even have the new models that heat so you can cook in it, amazing stuff.


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## PrincipalRider (Jun 24, 2005)

I have a Vita-mixer and a Breville juicer. The juicer never leaves the cabinet. The Vita-mixer gets used about twice a day.


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## Summit Ridge Guy (Aug 16, 2010)

I will jump on the Nutri Bullet band wagon. Had a juicer for years but got tired of tossing out all the pulp. Got the NB in Decemeber. Love it. It is nice to be about to toss in leafy greens and nuts/seeds into the drink.


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## Flyboy2992 (May 25, 2013)

So against all the advice, i just watched "fat, sick and nearly dead" (very inspiring) and have decided the juicing/reboot is what Im going to do. Thanks for all the advice. Ill post up again with my thoughts and conclusion in a few weeks. Wish me luck!


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

Flyboy2992 said:


> So against all the advice, i just watched "fat, sick and nearly dead" (very inspiring) and have decided the juicing/reboot is what Im going to do. Thanks for all the advice. Ill post up again with my thoughts and conclusion in a few weeks. Wish me luck!


It's your money but you made the wrong choice. Good luck with your endeavor.


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## IF2004 (Jun 25, 2007)

Pay now or pay later, you absolutely did not make the wrong choice. There is no over spending when it comes to health. I have both (vita mix and omega low speed juicer) - start every day with a fruit and greens smoothie (prepare the night before, mix in morning, drink on the way to work). Bring a juice with me to work to drink around 3pm. This gives me a plenty of energy to train in the evenings and overall just feel good. Agree, none of it is cheap, but it's your health, I rather pay a bunch now on this stuff rather than on medical bills later. Talk to the farmers at the farmers market, they usually have cheaper fruits and veggies for juicing and smoothies that they don't have on the table. That movie also inspired me, not that I would ever consider a juicing diet, but absolutely motivated me to value the positive response to loading up on plant based nutrition. Motivation and discipline are the key to success. My $0.02.


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## IF2004 (Jun 25, 2007)

forgot to mention, I also use the vita mix to ground up the pulp from the juicer into a liquid form to pour into the garden as compost. Found a cheap used container on ebay that I use as the dedicated compost collection bin.


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## jrastories (Aug 2, 2008)

Juicing I think would be a bad idea. Check out Sugar a Bitter truth. In there he sates and explains how nature packages sugar in fibre to slow down digestion and prevent blood glucose spikes. Fibre is also important for keeping the lower intestine clean and healthy, lowers the risk of cancer and as we all should know healthy poo means a healthy body. 

I use a magic bullet so not quite as powerful as the nutribullet but the same idea. I haven't ventured into the veggie smoothies yet but some day I might and when I do that I will pick up a nutibullet. 

Nature got fruits and veggies right I don't understand why we think we can make them better by taking all the fibre out of it making it into juice.


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## Poe4soul (Nov 18, 2012)

IF2004 said:


> Pay now or pay later, you absolutely did not make the wrong choice. There is no over spending when it comes to health. I have both (vita mix and omega low speed juicer) - start every day with a fruit and greens smoothie (prepare the night before, mix in morning, drink on the way to work). Bring a juice with me to work to drink around 3pm. This gives me a plenty of energy to train in the evenings and overall just feel good. Agree, none of it is cheap, but it's your health, I rather pay a bunch now on this stuff rather than on medical bills later. Talk to the farmers at the farmers market, they usually have cheaper fruits and veggies for juicing and smoothies that they don't have on the table. That movie also inspired me, not that I would ever consider a juicing diet, but absolutely motivated me to value the positive response to loading up on plant based nutrition. Motivation and discipline are the key to success. My $0.02.


I don't know if I buy into some of your post. Just because it's expensive, it doesn't mean it's good. Also, I don't necessarily want everything to last forever. Nothing worse than throwing away something that is working but outdated and doesn't work as well as a new one because of advancements.


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## Poe4soul (Nov 18, 2012)

If you don't have a regular blender then I'd start with a blender over a juicer. You can do a ton with a blender and bang for buck you can get a decent blender for pretty cheap.

That said, you should evaluate what you want a blender to do. I never planned on making soups with mine so I just wanted one to blend. This was mostly because I own an immersion blender for making soups.

Here's the video I saw about three years ago that lead me to the blender I purchased. 



 I ended up buying the cheaper one shown. It's been going strong for over 3 years. I used it almost everyday for a couple of years. I now also own a juicer so it gets a break about for most of the week. Some things are just better in a juicer, like kale.

If you decide on a juicer, do your research. Some are faster than others, but some are better and extract more juice. If you juice everyday the more expensive, slower blenders will save you money in the long run. But if you are always running late in the morning and never juice because the juicer is slow, then you'll never juice.


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## Centurion_ (Aug 13, 2011)

> I don't necessarily want everything to last forever. Nothing worse than throwing away something that is working but outdated and doesn't work as well as a new one because of advancements.


Yeah. Like my 20 year old vitamix. Still runs like a champ. But it's so um... _outdated_ looking.

Seriously, besides my '95 Toyota Tacoma, which I bought new and which is also still running strong, It's one of the best expenditures I've ever made.

Thing is...yeah...fruit pulp makes great compost. But it's also loaded with nutrients, fiber, and makes even better food.


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## michael1 (Nov 17, 2011)

head gamez said:


> I also want to add that when I was researching juicers, a settled on the Omega 8004 due to its low speed. The lower speed auger units do not oxidize the veggies as compared to the high speed units. They also, according to my research, where more efficient in terms of produce in versus juice out.


How exactly would cutting speed relate to oxidation rate?


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

Because the faster the blades move the more oxygen is introduced. Oxygen is what causes the oxidation. Slow press juicers are the best and I'd guess a blender or centrifugal juicer the worst. But it's really of no concern if you are blending/juicing then drinking right away. I personally don't make my smoothies (I don't juice often) in advanced. I make them then drink them.


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## Poe4soul (Nov 18, 2012)

Centurion_ said:


> Yeah. Like my 20 year old vitamix. Still runs like a champ. But it's so um... _outdated_ looking.
> 
> Seriously, besides my '95 Toyota Tacoma, which I bought new and which is also still running strong, It's one of the best expenditures I've ever made.
> 
> Thing is...yeah...fruit pulp makes great compost. But it's also loaded with nutrients, fiber, and makes even better food.


My last blender lasted more than 10. The current one is about 5 years old and no signs of wear. If I get 10 years out of it I'll have spent less than half of the cost of a new vitamix. Basically, at that rate I have 40 years worth of blenders for the cost of the vitamix... I don't doubt that it's a good blender but I would have thought it would have done better than the cheaper model shown in this review. I just don't think there is $400 worth of machine in a vitamix.

Out of curiousity, what are the contents of your smoothies? What do you use for liquid? I rarely do fruit anymore. My juices are mostly veggies. If I want a smoothie alll add some berries and almond milk. I don't necessarily want all of that fiber in my drinks. I'm looking for a high nutrient drink without all of the calories.


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## head gamez (Dec 6, 2013)

michael1 said:


> How exactly would cutting speed relate to oxidation rate?


I missed the notification for this response, and nubster beat me to it.

As he pointed out, it is the heat and generated and the introduction of oxygen (from my limited research when purchasing).


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## head gamez (Dec 6, 2013)

Poe4soul said:


> Out of curiousity, what are the contents of your smoothies? What do you use for liquid? I rarely do fruit anymore. My juices are mostly veggies. If I want a smoothie alll add some berries and almond milk. I don't necessarily want all of that fiber in my drinks. I'm looking for a high nutrient drink without all of the calories.


My normal smoothie in the mornings (not exact measurements)...

Plain almond milk
Coconut water
Lots if Kale and spinach
Frozen pineapple
Frozen mango
Chia seeds
Raw quinoa
Flax seeds
Fresh berries
Teaspoon of local honey

Last week at Costco, they had the vitamix roadshow there (they are getting more frequent), and he was selling a vegan protein powder called natures nectar (I think that is the name). I took a quick look at the ingredients and decided to give it a try. I haven't used it yet, but intend to put it in some variation of a smoothie. Not sure how good it is for you, as I just took a quick look, and haven't looked at it since.


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

Poe4soul said:


> I just don't think there is $400 worth of machine in a vitamix.


You'd probably be wrong. There's a reason why commercial kitchens use Vitamix and Blendtec almost exclusively. Not only do the last forever, have awesome customer service, but they are very powerful to boot. That's the thing...I had a cheap Oster that lasted 5+ years...still works in fact. But it is way under powered. Just because it lasts doesn't mean it's good. My Vitamix would blend my old blender into dust and keep on going without missing a beat.


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## Poe4soul (Nov 18, 2012)

head gamez said:


> My normal smoothie in the mornings (not exact measurements)...
> 
> Plain almond milk
> Coconut water
> ...


Mine are pretty similar.

I hope you meant ground flax, chia and quinoa. I'm not sure about the quinoa, but flax and chia need to be ground or you're not going to get all of their benefits. . I've also read that, like vegetables, it's better to grind them just prior to using them.

A couple of other things I add is ginger and turmeric. I'll also add parsley and cilantro most days. I might also will use some hemp of veggie protein (currently using Plant Fusion) depending on how hungry I am and what I'm doing that morning.

If I make a juice it will be mostly kale, spinach, celery, carrot, parsley, and cilantro. I'll add some lemon or lime juice to balance out the flavor. I'll also add pomegranate seeds.

It's interesting that once you get in the habit of having a breakfast juice/smoothie, it's hard to replace it with other foods. I just spent a weekend on vacation at relatives. They made a full egg and bacon breakfast one morning and oats the second. I was really craving a juice on the third morning. I also noted that while they eat pretty well, I didn't get the normal amount of veggies. When I got home I ate full plates of broccoli, cooked cabbage, etc. The standard american diet is SAD for a reason...


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## Poe4soul (Nov 18, 2012)

Nubster said:


> You'd probably be wrong. There's a reason why commercial kitchens use Vitamix and Blendtec almost exclusively. Not only do the last forever, have awesome customer service, but they are very powerful to boot. That's the thing...I had a cheap Oster that lasted 5+ years...still works in fact. But it is way under powered. Just because it lasts doesn't mean it's good. My Vitamix would blend my old blender into dust and keep on going without missing a beat.


I get it and if I owned a commercial kitchen I probably would, but I don't. All I'm generally blending are things like frozen blueberries and leafy greens. Watching the Popular Mechanics video it's hard to imagine what you are claiming. The bonus, I spent the money I saved to by an omega vertical slow juicer. I use it way more than I do the blender.


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## Centurion_ (Aug 13, 2011)

> Originally posted by* Poe4soul*:
> Out of curiousity, what are the contents of your smoothies? What do you use for liquid?





head gamez said:


> My normal smoothie in the mornings (not exact measurements)...
> 
> Plain almond milk
> Coconut water
> ...


I use some of the above, but will also add protein powder. Back in the 90's when I was working out a lot I would make recovery drinks from whey protein powder, carbohydrate powder, soy milk, some kind of fruit such as frozen mango and/or blueberries, and creatine. Now it's usually fruit, whey protein powder, and either water, nonfat milk, or almond milk.


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## qwetry00 (Mar 29, 2021)

Vitamix is not doubt one of the best brand in the blenders but I would recommend to check the other juicers too because some companies like omega they have juicer with the dual qualities juicer with blender, so you should go on and check the reviews regarding the other blenders. you may consult different website, I am sharing the one from where i have read, like 10 Best Budget Juicers Guide & Top Picks March 2021 or you can search on google.

You should consider how cheap and reliable it is? and does it fits in every other requirement one need? because people blindly follow brands and they consider brand name over everything


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