I will do a lot of research before I buy anything to make sure I'm buying the right thing and make sure that I can get the best price. So when I decided I wanted to juice I had to find the best deal. I asked my coworkers who juice occasionally which models they had. One had a $75 basic Sharper Image model and one had the Juice Fountain Elite model by Breville for $299. Pretty big spread. Then I re-watched "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" (FS&ND from here on out) to see what he used in the movie. That was a Breville Juice Fountain Plus for $149. So... which model to choose? I think I definitely want a Breville model at this point from the consistently high reviews I've seen online for any of them, so I begin the Google search for Breville.
There are a number of models to choose from. Here's the rundown from my research/opinion:
$99 BJE200XL - Juice Fountain Compact: If you can't afford any others you may give this one a try. Only one speed. 700watt. Plastic. Small.
$149 JE98XL - Juice Fountain Plus: As I said above, "the one from the movie". Clearly it should work for a 60 day juice fast then. 2 Speeds. 850watt. Still mostly plastic. Since I'm borrowing one of these right now (the 95XL, older model) I can say it works well. It feels sturdy and durable. It can handle most fruits and vegetables with ease. I can make 32oz. of juice before having to empty the pulp. It's also easy to clean and assemble/disassemble.
$199 BJE510XL - ikon Juice Fountain: 5 Speed. 900 Watt. Stainless steel. With the 5 speed settings, digital display, and stainless steel construction, this model is recommended versus the Plus model if you can spare the extra $50.
$299 800JEXL - Juice Fountain Elite: 2 Speed. 1000 Watt. Die Cast construction. This is the "deluxe" model. The die cast construction and powerful motor means this one can handle regular everyday use with ease. The die cast construction means it can also take the acid from some fruits better.
- There are 2 higher models if you have the extra dough but for my purposes I didn't research them at all so I won't talk about them.
My choice
My Googling was not producing the results I had hoped for. I started with the Elite model hoping to find a coupon and get a good deal. No Dice. Not only are the coupons hard to come by, most of the traditional stores (Bed, Bath, & Beyond, BestBuy, etc...) are out of stock on all the Brevilles. Even my go to, Amazon.com, is out of stock on most of the Brevilles or has them for inflated prices. If you want to get the Elite model your best choice seems to be Williams Sonoma(you will pay tax here though) or Brevilleusa.com for full price.
I decided I could do without the Elite model so I then went looking for the Plus. Same problems. Nobody had it in stock for a decent price. Even the older 95XL is much more than retail.
Next, I went looking for the ikon. Again?!?. Same deal. No one has any. Until... I was browsing Brevilleusa.com and suddenly "Add to Cart" was available. I went for it. This model seems to be the best fit for me. I know the Plus model can handle my juicing but for the extra $50 i think the ikon will handle my needs better. No discounts but no tax. $199.99. I also found a coupon code "reboot" which is supposed to get me a free FS&ND DVD. I'll let you know if that shows up.
I'll also mention that if you can't hang with the Breville I did also consider a Cuisinart CJE-1000. This is available at Bed Bath, http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=17351923, in-store and if you sign up for their email list you can get a 20% off coupon. The reviews are mixed on it so I decided to stick with the Breville.
So here we are. I'll give a comparison of the ikon vs. the Plus when i get my ikon in. Hope this helps anyone looking. If you have any questions or find any good deals let me know!
Up Next: Day 2: Grocery shopping on an empty stomach.
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