A slow juicer — also called a masticating or cold-press juicer — turns a single auger slowly and squeezes fruit against a fine screen. A centrifugal juicer shreds fruit on a spinning blade disc and flings the juice out through a basket at high speed. The practical differences are real: a slow juicer is quieter, handles leafy greens better, makes a denser glass with less foam, and ejects pulp continuously. The nutritional difference is smaller than marketing suggests. A 2019 peer-reviewed study that juiced the same fruit both ways found no significant difference in vitamin C, total phenolics, carotenoids or antioxidant capacity. What does matter is time: home juice is unpasteurised, so wash the produce, drink it fresh, and keep any leftover in the fridge. Buy a slow juicer for texture, greens and convenience — not for a promise of extra vitamins.
How does each type of juicer work?
The two designs solve the same problem — separate juice from fibre — in opposite ways.
A centrifugal juicer has a flat disc of small blades at the bottom of a mesh basket. The disc spins at high speed, grates whatever you push down the chute, and centrifugal force throws the pulp against the mesh so the juice passes through. It is fast, and it is loud.
A slow juicer has a single screw-shaped auger that turns slowly inside a fine screen. It draws the produce down, crushes it, and presses the juice out through the screen while the dry pulp is pushed out of a separate outlet. "Masticating" describes the chewing action; "cold press" is the marketing name for the same thing.
| Slow (masticating / cold-press) | Centrifugal | |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanism | One slow auger presses against a fine screen | Blade disc grates; fast-spinning basket separates |
| Noise | Low | High |
| Leafy greens and herbs | Handles them well — the auger grips and presses | Tends to throw them out half-juiced |
| Foam on the glass | Less | More — air is whipped in at speed |
| Speed per glass | Slower | Faster |
| Pulp | Ejected continuously through its own outlet | Collects in the basket or a bin |
| Nutrients in the glass | No significant difference in the study cited below | No significant difference in the study cited below |
Is cold-pressed juice healthier?
This is the claim on most slow-juicer boxes, and it is the one worth checking. The best direct test we found is a 2019 study in Heliyon by Khaksar, Assatarakul and Sirikantaramas. They juiced pineapple, guava, two kinds of dragon fruit and carrot with a cold-press juicer and a normal centrifugal juicer and measured the results.
Their finding was blunt: no significant differences in ascorbic acid (vitamin C), total phenolic content, total carotenoids, or two standard measures of antioxidant capacity. The authors say their results "strongly question" the claim that cold-pressed juice is nutritionally superior.
Two caveats keep this honest. First, they ran the centrifugal juicer for only about 30 seconds per batch and note that longer runs could heat the juice and change the result. Second, an earlier study they discuss, on grape juice, found the opposite. So the fair summary is: the machine is not a reliable way to buy extra vitamins. Choose a slow juicer for the reasons below, which are solid on their own.
What a slow juicer is genuinely better at
- Greens. Spinach, kale, celery leaves and herbs are light and fibrous; a pressing auger grips them where a spinning disc often flings them out.
- Texture. Less air is whipped in, so there is less foam sitting on top of the glass.
- Noise. A slow motor at low speed is far quieter — which matters at 7 a.m.
- Continuous pulp ejection. Pulp leaves through its own outlet as you go, so you are not stopping to scrape a basket.
Why a wide chute changes the routine
The old complaint about slow juicers was the prep: a narrow feed tube meant cutting everything into fingers first. Wide-chute models fix that. The Solis Nectar 65 opens 5.12 inches (130 mm) across, which takes a small whole apple, a halved orange or a handful of leaves in one go, and the auger draws it down on its own.
Solis Nectar Slow Juicer
Slow-press auger, 5.12-inch (130 mm) feed chute on the Nectar 65, automatic pulp ejection, reverse and a non-drip spout. Three versions, 3-year warranty.
$118.99 — view product →
What to put through it — and what to keep out
| Juices well | Prepare first | Keep out |
|---|---|---|
| Apples, pears, carrots, beetroot, cucumber, celery | Citrus: peel thick rind; halve | Hard stones and pits — peach, mango, cherry, plum |
| Pineapple flesh, ginger | Pineapple and melon: remove the tough rind | Ice |
| Spinach, kale and other leafy greens, herbs | Very fibrous stalks: cut into shorter lengths | Very soft, low-juice fruit — banana, avocado (use a blender) |
If something fibrous wraps the auger mid-press, the Nectar's reverse function backs it off without taking the machine apart.
Is homemade juice safe?
Juice from a home juicer is unpasteurised — nothing has been done to it to kill bacteria. The US Food and Drug Administration explains that when produce is fresh-squeezed, bacteria on the produce can end up in the juice, and that children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are most at risk from untreated juice (FDA — juice safety).
The FDA's steps for preparing juice at home are simple and worth following every time:
- Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water.
- Cut away damaged or bruised areas; throw away anything that looks rotten.
- Wash all produce under running water — do not use soap, detergent or commercial produce wash.
- Scrub firm produce such as melons and cucumbers with a clean brush, even if you will peel it.
- Dry it with a clean cloth or paper towel.
Then drink it soon. In the Heliyon study, cold-pressed juice held its measured quality in the fridge until about day 5 and declined from day 6, while juice left at around 28 °C lost quality within 48 hours. Fresh juice is a same-day or next-day drink, not a week's meal prep.
Cleaning: the part that decides whether you keep using it
Rinse straight after juicing, before the pulp dries on the screen. On the Nectar the hopper, auger and screen lift away from the motor base, the food-contact parts are dishwasher safe, and a brush clears the screen. The motor base only ever gets a wipe — never water.
Nectar 65 or Nectar 90?
Both press the same way: slow auger, wide hopper, pulp ejected through its own outlet. The Nectar 65 has a round body with a rotary dial on the front and comes in midnight black or titanium grey; its published figures are a 5.12-inch (130 mm) chute, a 250 W motor, 208 × 204 × 437 mm and 3.7 kg. The Nectar 90 has a squared, two-tone base in titanium grey. The manufacturer has not yet published a spec sheet for the Nectar 90, so we do not quote chute size, motor or weight for it — ask us before you buy if a specific figure matters.
The Nectar sits in the Kitchen collection, next to a pan chosen on the same principle — buy the thing that lasts, not the thing that wears out. That argument is made in full in our guide to PFAS-free cookware.
Frequently asked questions
Is a slow juicer better than a centrifugal juicer?
For leafy greens, noise, foam and continuous pulp ejection, yes. For nutrients, the evidence is weaker than the marketing: a 2019 study in Heliyon that juiced the same fruit both ways found no significant difference in vitamin C, phenolics, carotenoids or antioxidant capacity.
Does cold-pressed juice have more vitamins?
Not reliably. Khaksar and colleagues (Heliyon, 2019) measured cold-pressed and centrifugal juice from the same fruit and found no significant difference. They note that running a centrifugal juicer for longer could heat the juice, and one earlier study on grape juice found the opposite, so treat vitamin claims on either type with caution.
How long does fresh homemade juice last?
Drink it the same day if you can. In the Heliyon study, refrigerated cold-pressed juice kept its measured quality until about day 5 and declined from day 6; at around 28 °C it declined within 48 hours. It is unpasteurised, so always keep leftovers in the fridge.
Is homemade juice safe for children or during pregnancy?
The FDA notes that untreated (unpasteurised) juice carries the most risk for children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems. Wash produce thoroughly under running water, cut away bruised areas, and drink it fresh; if you are in a higher-risk group, ask your doctor.
What should I not put in a slow juicer?
Hard stones and pits (peach, mango, cherry, plum), ice, and thick inedible rind such as melon or pineapple skin. Very soft, low-juice fruit like banana and avocado belongs in a blender instead.
What does a wide feed chute actually save?
Prep time. On a narrow-chute juicer everything has to be cut into small pieces first. The Nectar 65's 5.12-inch (130 mm) chute takes a small whole apple or a halved orange, and the auger feeds it down on its own.
Sources
Written by the Solis Fortune editorial team. Specifications quoted are the published manufacturer figures for the products linked above; where a supplier publishes no figure we say so rather than estimate one. Regulatory summaries are general information, not legal advice — check the rules that apply where you live before you buy.