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Juicer Types: Centrifugal vs Masticating

A centrifugal juicer shreds produce against a fast spinning basket in seconds; a masticating (cold press) juicer crushes it slowly and handles greens better.

On this page
Bar chart of juicers on Wiki Shopping by type. Citrus juicers are the largest group with 283, followed by cold press with 120 and centrifugal with 52.
Juicers on Wiki Shopping by type, from our listing data on October 26, 2026. Chart by Wiki Shopping.

The short answer

Most juicers that handle whole fruits and vegetables use one of two methods:

  • Centrifugal: a flat cutting disc at the bottom of a mesh basket spins fast, shreds the produce and flings the juice through the mesh. It is quick and usually cheaper.
  • Masticating: a slow turning auger (a screw) crushes and squeezes the produce against a strainer. Stores often call these slow juicers or cold press juicers.

A third group, citrus juicers, only presses halved oranges, lemons and limes on a cone. It is the largest group on Wiki Shopping.

What is a masticating juicer

"Masticating" means chewing. The auger moves slowly, crushes the food and pushes the pulp out one side while the juice drains through a screen. Hamilton Beach describes its slow juicer as an auger that crushes and squeezes produce at a slow speed, driven by a 150-watt motor. Breville describes its own slow juicer the same way, with a screw and filter that crush and squeeze, and calls it ultra quiet.

The low wattage is normal for this design: the auger relies on gearing and squeezing, not speed.

Centrifugal vs masticating juicer

CentrifugalMasticating
How it worksSpinning cutter and mesh basketSlow auger presses against a strainer
Example motor800 W (Hamilton Beach Big Mouth), 850 W (Breville Juice Fountain Cold)150 W (Hamilton Beach slow juicer), 240 W (Breville Big Squeeze)
SpeedJuice in secondsSlower; feed pieces at the auger's pace
Leafy greensWeakerStronger
Example price$74.99 (Big Mouth)$129.99 (Hamilton Beach slow juicer)

Hamilton Beach claims its slow juicer extracts twice as much juice from leafy greens as centrifugal juicers. Centrifugal makers answer with speed and wide chutes: the Big Mouth and the Juice Fountain Cold both have a 3-inch chute, so many fruits go in whole without cutting.

Heat is the other argument for slow juicers. Breville answers it too: it says its Cold Spin centrifugal model transfers less than 1.8 degrees F to the juice while extracting.

Is a cold press juicer worth it

A cold press juicer is worth it if you juice greens, wheatgrass or herbs often or want a quieter machine. Expect to pay more: in the examples above, the slow juicer costs $55 more than the centrifugal one from the same maker.

A centrifugal juicer makes more sense for apples, carrots and other firm produce, for a fast glass before work, and for a smaller budget. If you mainly want orange juice, a citrus press is the simplest choice of all.

Juicers on Wiki Shopping

Of the 649 juicers listed on Wiki Shopping on October 26, 2026, 283 are citrus juicers, 120 are cold press juicers and 52 are centrifugal juicers. By motor, 74 are rated under 300 W and 53 at 600 W or more. 328 are under $100.

How we count

Type, wattage and price are read from each juicer's store listing. Juicers that do not state a type or wattage are left out of those counts. The counts change as listings are added or removed.

Shop by spec

Juicers

Cuisinart

Citrus

+Three pulp control settings for adjustable juice texture
+Designed as both an orange juicer and a lemon squeezer
$29.99-25%List: $39.95
as of 11/03/2026 22:32 PST - Details
Ninja

Cold press, Electric, Under 300 W

+Cold press type for slow juicing
+Auger designed to handle fibrous fruits
+24 to 34 oz capacity for batches
−Under 300 W motor is lower power than centrifugal models
$119.99-20%List: $149.99
as of 11/04/2026 00:27 PST - Details
Omega

Cold press, Under 300 W

+Cold press slow masticating extraction
+Vertical design with a compact footprint
+43 RPM slow speed
−No feed chute size is given
$330.99-17%List: $399.99
as of 11/04/2026 00:31 PST - Details
GarveeSpec score 8.6

Cold press, Electric, Under 3 inches, Under 300 W

+Cold press design for slow juice extraction
+Large 1.6 inch chute for bigger produce
+Long 5 foot cord for flexible placement
−Chute under 3 inches limits larger produce
$75.59-6%Was: $79.99
as of 11/03/2026 23:09 PST - Details
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