The Omega J8004 Commercial Masticating Juicer sports all of the advantages of any quality masticating juicer as well as the disadvantages. Unfortunately, this juicer also features some unique disadvantages which I believe place it in the bottom of its class.
I will preface this entire review by saying that, overall, I do not recommend this juicer – it is not one I would choose. That being said, I believe that it is not only important for you to make your own educated decision, but also to understand why I made mine. Do not settle for taking my word for it; decide for yourself if this is an inferior juicer and take a moment to learn a few things as you read through this review. Hopefully this will help you narrow down your options and will inform you in your future searches.
No Rush
Let’s begin with one of the most controversial aspects of any juicer: Is it better to juice quickly or slowly? This debate has been around for about as long as juicers have been around. Generally speaking, centrifugal juicers work quickly whereas masticating juicers work slowly. The debate about which process is better depends heavily upon the arguer’s preferences; this is why I find the entire controversy silly. One cannot say what will best suit another. This is precisely why I refuse to simply tell you my opinion and carry on. Instead, I make it my mission to explain my point of view and I do my best to argue against myself in these reviews.
Like any masticating juicer, this one moves slowly. It will take a while to create your juice and you will be required to slow the process down even further by cutting your food into small pieces before feeding it into your juicer. There is, however, a hidden advantage to this slow process – it extracts more juice and leaves you with less foam. If you are the type of person who finds your life packed with to-do lists and schedules, you may want to steer clear of masticating juicers altogether, including this one.
In fact, it appears that the feeding tube of this particular masticating juicer is even smaller than the feeding tube of many other masticating juicers, which will surely slow you down even further. You will require time and patience if you would like to reap the rewards of this slow process.
Multifunction Masticator
Like most masticating juicers, the Omega J8004 is capable of doing more than simply creating juice. Its two-stage process features two release spouts – one for broken down food and one for juice. If you choose to juice your food, you can collect juice after it has passed through both stages. If you choose to create certain other types of food, you can collect it after it has passed through the first stage of processing.
This multifunctional masticating machine is capable of creating juices, smoothies, sorbets, nut butters, salsas, hummus, and soy milk. It can mince, dice, and chop your food for you. Attaching additional nozzles allows you to create fresh, soft pastas in many shapes and sizes. A wonderful upside of this particular juicer is that it comes with all of the nozzles and attachments you need in order to create all of these delicious foods – you do not need to purchase them separately.
Better Breakdown
As I have already mentioned, most masticating juicers are capable of breaking food down much better than their centrifugal counterparts. You will be able to get much more juice from your food and, thus, spend a lot less money purchasing food.
Another great perk of slow juicing is that the masticating process can easily break down and extract juices from leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale. It can even break down and extract juices from dainty herbs such as dill and basil. Very few centrifugal juicers are able to extract much juice from these types of foods. The better breakdown of foods provided by a quality masticating juicer such as the Omega Commercial Masticating Juicer means more nutrition, more flavor, and less expense.
On The Down Side
Nothing is perfect and the Omega J8004 is not an exception to that rule. In fact, most of what I have boasted about for this juicer so far are features shared among most masticating juicers. When viewed as a standalone machine, the only feature which even begins to place this juicer ahead of some of its competitors is the fact that it comes with many of the attachments necessary for making other types of foods.
Unfortunately, once we begin to discuss the down sides of this particular juicer it quickly slips behind many similarly-priced masticating juicers. First, placing a pitcher or large bowl beneath either of this juicer’s spouts will be quite difficult and would probably require that you set the pitcher on some sort of elevated shelf or pedestal to gain the necessary distance between the spouts and the countertop.
A major downside, acknowledged by consumers, is that this juicer is very difficult to clean. Even the special cleaning brush which comes with the juicer does not appear to be able to reach inside of all the necessary nooks and crannies.
Another important problem pointed out by consumer reviews is that the Omega J8004 has been known to clog quite easily when trying to break down soft and mushy foods.
Closing Remarks
I hate to not recommend a masticating juicer especially when, for whatever reason, it appears to be quite popular on the current market. Unfortunately, that is quite simply what I must do here. I am a huge fan of masticating juicers and personally prefer them to any centrifugal juicer, though I must acknowledge that centrifugal juicers have many of their own unique advantages. But despite the many advantages of any masticating juicer, I believe that the Omega J8004 Nutrition Center Commercial Masticating Juicer is a poor representation of the quality for which masticating juicers have come to be known.
