In this corner, operating with an impressive 1000 watts, and a seriously sharp blade – the NJ600 Ninja™ Professional Blender. And in this corner, with an equally impressive 900 watts and multiple speeds – the sleek, silver fox of the juicing world – The Breville® Juice Fountain. Are you ready to… Okay, that’s enough of my boxing announcer voice. (You are lucky you can’t hear it).
In Part 1 of the Juicing for Health Guide, I gave you some crucial tips (i.e. kale juice and beet juice are NOT good at room temperature), and in Part 2 I will give you a comparison review of a blender and a juicer, so you can make an informed decision – or heck, maybe you will want both.
Let me first say, I purchased both of these products on my own dime, and all opinions are my own (no one is twisting my arm to endorse one product or another – plus I am not a celebrity, so my opinion carries very little weight). These opinions are totally un-objective because I purchased one of the products after I was slightly disappointed by the first.
Ninja™ Professional Blender vs Breville® Juice Fountain
Ninja™ Professional Blender – NJ600
- 1000 watts
- Frozen blending
- Food processor
- Complete juicing – This is the company’s claim – personally, I don’t feel like I was ever able to reach the same consistency as I did with my juicer – not to say that it wasn’t still a good drink.
- Cost: $100 – 140
The Ninja Blender isn’t so much sleek as it’s intense. Large in size and intimidating in all 900 watts of it’s presence. The patented blade could be a deadly weapon – it rises up through the center of the pitcher, ready to decimate everything from kale to chunks of ice. The first recipe I tried on my juicing adventure was actually a smoothie. It was an adaptation of some recipes I found on Pinterest, and I enjoyed it – even if it was a tad thick.
Pros
- It’s large (this is also a con – see below). The pitcher holds 9 cups.
- You can make pina coladas or margaritas or rum rummers (I am actually pretty boring and always stick to wine – but you know, maybe you are throwing a BBQ, maybe you want to serve some blended adult beverages in mason jars with cute straws…)
- You can make soup, salsa, pesto, crushed ice, peanut butter etc., etc. (Seriously, peanut butter!) This appliance can act as your food processor and your blender, and if you are short on space and like gadgets that can multitask than this might be the product for you.
- The pitcher, lid and the blade are dishwasher safe – but it does take up a lot of room in the dishwasher, so I just wash it by hand – pretty simple clean up.
Cons
- Right off the bat the “easy lock lid” annoyed me; I never feel like I am able to get it to lock into place completely, but it also has never flown off mid-blend, so I suppose that is fine.
- It’s quite tall when the pitcher is on the base, so if this is a small appliance you were hoping to leave on the counter, I would measure the distance between your countertops and cabinets first.
- For Complete Juicing, as the owner’s guide states, you can add more water-based fruits and vegetables and that the longer you blend the smoother it gets. They also suggest using a strainer if you need to, in order to remove any extra pulp. This is a bit of a pain. You’re better off learning to like a little more pulp.
Breville Multi-Speed Juice Fountain™
- 900 watts
- Centrifugal Juicer
- 5 speed
- Overload sensor that shuts the machine down, prevents overheating
- Cost: $199 – 250
The Juice Fountain is one of my favorite appliances! (I warned you I would be biased). I purchased this beautiful, sleek piece of kitchen appliance royalty once I had tried my hand at juicing for a few weeks (I borrowed my sister’s juicer to make sure I was going to use it regularly). The downside to this new King of my kitchen appliances is that it only serves one purpose. It does deliver on it’s promises and I admire that in my kitchen gadgets.
Pros
- The pulp. You will quickly see that it looks like a lot of waste. I also listed this as a con, but it doesn’t have to be. You can use the pulp in your compost bin or save it to add into a recipe. The owner’s guide even gives you some recipes for using the pulp.
- Filter bowl surround, juicer cover and pulp container are dishwasher safe on the top shelf, but just as with the Ninja it takes up too much space. The clean up is not as labor-intensive as is often thought when talking juicers; washing the parts by hand takes just a few minutes.
- The Juice Fountain has 5 speeds to accommodate a range of soft to hard fruits and vegetables. This means you are going to get more juice out of your produce – definitely important when considering food cost.
Cons
- If you like pina coladas… you can make them with the Ninja, not so much with a juicer. So if you buy this beautiful machine and then a week later it’s shoved in the corner or in the back of a cabinet because you decided it’s too much work to make juice… well, you won’t really be able to do anything else with it.
- There is a lot of pulp. Tip – use a plastic shopping bag or food storage bag to line the pulp container for easier cleanup. If you don’t have a compost bin and don’t want to use it in other recipes, than it definitely feels a bit like throwing money (wet money) in the trash).
- It is not a inexpensive small appliance. If you are hesitating because of the cost, ask around to see if you can borrow one from a friend or family member before making the commitment. And of course shop around for the best price if you do decide to buy.
Personally, I don’t like the consistency of blended produce; I much prefer the juice. I can take the same exact ingredients, blend them for one drink and juice them for another, and in my opinion, the juice tastes 100 times better. Keep that in mind when deciding whether to purchase a high-powered blender vs. a juicer. If your desire is to use it everyday to consume fruits and vegetables in beverage form, then I would lean towards the juicer. If you only plan on making juice here and there and want a strong blender that can also make salsa and broccoli soup, then a blender might be better suited for you – even if you had to strain your juice to achieve the desired consistency. Either choice would be a healthy addition to your kitchen.
Stay tuned for Part 3 – Juice Cleanses and a review of two Juice Cleanse companies.
Have you tried juicing or making smoothies at home? Which do you prefer?
This post may contain affiliate links.
My brother got the Breville Juice Fountain after watching the documentary and it worked perfect for him.
My family uses the Omega J8006 and we juice just about every day.
The Omega is supposed to be amazing – you must love it. I adore my Breville – I treat it like a member of the family:)