Not baby related- juicer or vitamix?

colleen62157 · February 2014

Any thoughts on which is better and why? I have done a bit of research and I know that the vitamix is basically just a super powered blender and you get pulp, whereas a juicer squeezes the juice out of stuff. I am not super interested in making soups or iced drinks as I already have a blender, but everyone who has a vitamix just loves it. We would likely be making mostly juices with whatever contraption we end up with. Any recommended brands/ models for juicers? Need something that isn't too complicated to clean and makes juices/ smoothies fairly quickly. Any input is appreciated!

yvanehtnioj · February 2014

I vote for the Vitamix. I don't have one but I've looked into it and it seems to be the gold standard. They are workhorses!

dogsombrero · February 2014

We used a Vitamix in culinary school as our blender. If you get one you will seriously want to throw your old blender away, they are magical. No opinions on a juicer I don't have one.

lovey1 · February 2014

I would say Vitamix since juicers have way more components to clean.

BeesKnees181 · February 2014

IMO - Nutritionally speaking juicing is better only because your body (on a cellular level) is more able to take up those nutrients - the fiber that is lost/expelled from the juicer is not digestible. I find juicing healing. I have suffered from digestive issues, and juicing has always helped me to get my gut back in working order. Smoothies have the added benefit of fiber, though...keeping you full longer. I have a Breville juicer that I absolutely love. I have been an avid juicer, and I love that any produce that is too ripe for eating can be juiced. I feel like I waste less produce with a juicer. I do not own a Vitamix, though I would love to have one! I have a Ninja, and it works exceptionally well for smoothies. I tend to use frozen fruits and fresh greens for my smoothies. Cleaning the Breville juicer isn't too bad. I have had other juicers that are a real pain to clean, though. Juicing takes time because of the clean up and chopping time. When I am being real good with juicing, I make enough Sunday to carry me through Tuesday (i.e. having 8-16 ounces of fresh juice/morning). I find putting a plastic grocery bag in the waste bucket before juicing helps with clean up, because it is one less component to clean. The Breville has a total of 5 components (including the carafe if you choose to not juice directly into a glass) to clean and the Ninja has 3 components.

CiaoBabyOH · February 2014

My ILs have a Vitamix and DH & I have a juicer...if I had to pick one, I'd go with the Vitamix! I feel like the juicer takes longer to clean than the Vitamix. Plus, it took much longer and a lot more produce than I anticipated to make a glass of juice.

deanna1313 · February 2014

I have a Vitamix my MIL bought me. We've used it a bunch of times at her house and now enjoy our own. Great margaritas!!!! I am also really excited to make baby food in it because it will steam the veggies and the purée them, too:)

We also have a juicer that we really don't use anymore. I enjoyed the juice, but it was a bunch of pieces to clean and more importantly I couldn't stand the little amount of juice that came out of such a large amount of fruit.

If I were you I'd watch for the Vitamix on QVC or HSN. watching their presentations really show you what you can do with it and how easy it is to clean and use.
Good luck!

Ladiebug710 · February 2014

I love my Vitamix!!!! I have had a juicer in the past and it was a pain to clean and I felt like there was a lot of waste.

JAM85 · February 2014

LOVE our Vitamix! Smoothies, soups, etc- I love it because I'm a chef and it is the same grade I used in the industry. I have a juicer as well but as pp have said it kind of gets to be a pain to clean and personally I never juiced alone I always wanted protein to balance the sugar load from the juice (no fiber=quicker insulin spike) so it was just easier to make a green smoothie.

Hooper88 · February 2014

In my opinion they are two totally different things. If you want something that will make a true juice buy a juicer for sure! We have both and I love them both! I use my vitamix daily for smoothies, soups and sauces but I use my juicer at least 5 times a week for juicing.

kweetkiki · February 2014

Vote for vitamix!!!...Leaves the pulp in ..and you can make all those healthy juices with fiber

...and add nuts, falxseed blah blah and not know!!

Mimaloo · February 2014

DH has been dying for a Vitamix since they came out. If they weren't so expensive we would definitely have one.

ama7165 · February 2014

We have a ninja mega kitchen system which is comparable to the vitamix but less expensive. I love it. You can make smoothies and it works well for blending, chopping, etc. We have used ours to make cookie dough and pizza doughs. Love it! Juicers are a pain to clean.

yogasailmomma · February 2014

Love my vitamix! It's really awesome. We use it mostly for smoothies and it really does the job of breaking everything down seeds and all. Highly recommend it even if you aren't going to make soups, etc.

Allibob · February 2014

Team Vitamix. I avoid juice because you get all the straight carbs of a bucket of produce (more than you could eat in it's natural form) without the benefits of fiber. Fiber slows absorption of sugars so your body can process it better, but also keeps you from eating more than your body needs. Also, poop is better with fiber.

caballo718 · February 2014

I have an omega juicer and it's amazing. I juice a few times a week. Best part is the juicer makes baby food, pasta and any nut butter. It was worth every penny. I looked into the vitamix but like you said it's a superpowered blender that still leaves pulp. My ninja does a swell enough job.

lauralou3x3 · February 2014

I personally like my NutriBullet. I like how I can just make a small smoothie and it's easy to clean. But my hubby really wants a Ninja.

momthatlifts · February 2014

I've heard nothing but good things about a vitamix

whimsy515 · February 2014

Go for the vitamix! My family is huge on juicing, but always told me (my doc told me too) that the skin of fruits have a lot of the good stuff, and that most juicers don't pulse the skin leaving out the goods. Of course we all know that there's conflicting info out there. But I have the ninja blender (supposed to be like vitamix) and I love it!

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