I did as much research as I could online for masticating juicers in this price range and then spent two days deciding between the Omega 8005 and the SoloStar II. Although the Omega seems to be the more dominant product, all the reviews on the SoloStar where excellent. I had hoped for more reviews on Amazon to help me out but there was only one person that had reviewed it. Hence, I''m adding my own to hopefully help someone else out. The juicer is terrific. I had it put together in a matter of a few minutes and as I stared at it, I knew I had to try it out. My other juicer is a centrifugal so I could hardly wait to see the difference. This juicer does an awesome job. I juiced celery, carrots, asparagus, grapes, and an apple right away. I was amazed at how much juice I got. I would have used twice that much fruit and vegetables in the centrifugal juicer. The pulp came out very dry and then for the best part...I had this thing taken apart washed and ready to go again in 3 minutes. It''s that easy. Time to scrap the old juicer! If I had to completely dig for a complaint about the juicer I would have to say that I wish the chute was bigger; however, I don''t think it is any bigger on any other juicer of this type. I also expected some instructions or a little recipe book and that was not there but no big deal. It did come with a VHS tape which I know I will never watch. The three selling points on this juicer for me where #1 Dual Stage extraction (which really works you can see the juice that other juicer would have lost come out of the second stage spout) #2 Larger Auger #3 Made by the same company that makes the highly acclaimed Green Star juicers (which are too expensive for me right now). So far, I couldn''t be happier with this purchase.
My SoloStar II has been plagued by problems. In less than a year, many of the outer parts have broken. The juicing screen ($35.00) has broken three times. When the juicing screens break, it happens before the pulp container is even full. As a result, the auger and juicing screen need to be cleaned constantly within a session. The screen locking cap ($5.80) has also broken. Speaking of the auger, even that cracked ($35.00). Several times, I e-mailed customer service about such issues with no reply. When I called, Tribest Life promptly sent out free replacement parts.
Benefits
When the parts aren''t breaking, the SoloStar II works very well. It''s simple to assembly and operate. The actual extraction process seems efficient. Cleaning is a breeze since most of the parts rinse under the sink. The only cleaning challenge is the juicing screen. Along these lines, the modified toothbrush that comes with the unit is worthless. I now use a steel auto detailing brush that does a great job. The SoloStar II is visually pleasing and the unit operates at a good volume. I was inspired to purchase the juicer after watching the online video as hosted on the Tribest Life web page. It accompanies the juicer in VHS format. Being a first time juicer, this was extremely helpful.
In conclusion, there are benefits and drawbacks to the SoloStar II. While it may have been a good introduction to the juicing world, I definitely look forward to an upgrade. Talking to juicers (people who juice, not the machines;), it seems that you really need to spend around $350.00-$400.00 before getting a quality juicer. Should you decide to purchase the SoloStar II, make certain that you send in the warranty/registration card. That was essential in getting parts replaced at no charge.
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I have to stop and comment about how much i enjoy this juicer. I am new to the juicing experience and so I bought this one based on the reviews of SOLOSTAR I. I got it, used it and was disappointed. The pulp seemed too wet. I then went to Target and bought another juicer with higher rpms. I could throw whole apples in this one and it would grind it up really fast. Not only was the "Jack L-" juicer VERY time consuming to clean up but the juice tasted "cooked" and not fresh. I then tried the SOLOSTAR again and relized I was juicing wrong. Now I have returned the "Jack" juicer and i am enjoying the SOLOSTAR. It even juiced the heck out of spinich! The clean up is all too easy and the little brush it comes with helps a lot. I read a book on juicing and there were a few factors one should consider when buying a juicer #1 ability to produce "live" juice and dry pulp #2 Cost your willing to spend #3 Clean -upIf you are looking for a juicer that is easy to clean-up, produces "live" and not cooked juice (BIG DIFFERENCE in taste and nutrient content, and is affordable (Affordable great quality machine) Get this.
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This is my first juicer, and I think for what I spent, I received a good value. There are some flaws however, which is why I did not give it 5 stars.1) The pulp from everything I juice is almost always wet, and while I do get more juice from running the pulp through again, it is wetter than I expected it to be, given the advertisements for the high yield of juice it is supposed to produce. While you can''t help the pulp wetness with some veggies like tomatoes or any fruit with high water content, I really expected it to wring the heck out of everything and not produce such wet pulp. But, I believe that you really cannot get every single last drop, no matter how much you spend.
2) Sometimes, a good amount of produce gets trapped in the groves of the auger. I discovered this after taking it apart after a juicing. When I see it through the auger housing, I try to push it out by juicing some more pieces of veggie or fruit, but it doesn''t help. Granted, it''s not an enormous quantity, but I am sure that if the bits didn''t get stuck before they reached the crushing process, there would be a greater juice yield. Maybe in the future there will be juicers that have a squeegee type mechanism that will scrape and force every last bit through.
3.) The pulp coils out and looks rather funny; you will understand what I mean when you see it for yourself. However, it will come out 3/4ths of the way and break off, and the rest is stuck until you put something else through to push it out(which will also get stuck) or take it apart to clean it. I just wish there was a mechanism that pushed all of the pulp through. It''s really quite minor though because when you take it apart, the pulp that gets stuck is easily cleaned out.
Aside from those three flaws, I am happy with the juicer. While I am aware it won''t get every last drop, it has actually produced a large quantity of great quality juice from just a few items. The quality of your juice will of course depend on what you put in it. But, I think you can spend a fortune on an expensive juicer and not really get anything any better than this or any other inexpensive machine; granted, at $212 it''s more than I thought I''d spend for a juicer, and compared to Target or Wal-mart brands, it''s a lot more expensive, but this machine "retails" for a little over $300 so in the end it is a good value for me. It seems very sturdy and that it will last for a very long time. I am very glad I bought it because I am enjoying drinking different fruits and veggies and feel much healthier.
It does produce juice at a fairly moderate pace, at least as fast as you are shoveling in pieces for it to juice. I recommend having all of your ingredients prepared ahead of time (washed, chopped) so that you don''t let your juice sit there while you chop or wash the next ingredient. You are supposed to drink it pretty fast, at least according to the information I read on the Internet. The chute does accomodate medium sized chunks, so you will have to do some chopping, but if you are serious about juicing, it is not that big of a deal.
Assembling, disassembling, and cleaning the Solostar II is very easy. A kindergartener could do it. Once you get used to it and do it a few times you will become more proficient. I don''t know about the prior person who said it took her half an hour to scrub the mesh screen. A toothbrush is included as an accessory, and if you use it to clean the mesh screen under running water with a smidge of soap, everything comes off easily, that is, if you do it right away. If you let the mess dry, it will take more time. I always clean it immediately so it is ready for me the next time I juice. If I had to estimate how long it takes to disassemble and clean after juicing, I would say about 3 minutes, because under running water, the pulp and other mess rinses right off of the pieces of the juicer (except for the mesh screen, you have to scrub the bits out of it), and the rest of the cleaning is just a matter of using a soapy sponge and running warm/hot water through the various pieces and letting them dry on a rack.
I recommend purchasing this over the centrifugal juicers, since it slowly masticates and doesn''t create unnecessary heat that would damage the juice or its content. A centrifugal juicer would be ideal if you didn''t mind losing some of the nutritional value. The Solostar II does get a nice quantity of juice from leafy vegetables. I have never juiced wheatgrass but I have juiced cilantro and parsley and a great deal of juice comes out of a small bunch. I am assuming if it juiced cilantro and parsley then wheat grass would not be a problem. The pulp from the leafy greens, celery, and carrots tends to come out fairly dry. The wettest vegetable pulp I have seen is from cucumbers and tomatoes. Fruit wise, citrus fruits have drier pulp while cantaloupe and grapes will have wetter pulp. But if you are very concerned about a few lost drops then you can always run the pulp through a second or third time.
All said, I highly recommend this juicer if you are thinking about getting a juicer and are wondering which brand/type to choose. It has a couple of flaws, but they are mitigated by the fact that it juices everything imaginable, that it can make pasta and homogenize (although I have not used these features just yet), and that it is easy to assemble/disassemble/clean. It does work very well and is a great deal of fun to use.
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I have never written a review before. I consider them untrustworthy. Nevertheless, I am writing this one.I have had this juicer for 4 years. The filter has broken more times than I can remember. I finally tracked it and realized that it broke on the average of every six months. Once it broke after 10 days! The first time I replaced it the company failed to tell me I had a warranty on ALL parts and I paid full price. The second time they finally told me the truth. Now they refuse to honor their warranty and I am buying another juicer from another company as the filter is breaking yet once again. The rest of the juicer held up but without a filter . . . . So, if you wish to be frustrated with a second rate product this juicer is for you. If I could give it no stars I would.
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