Whole Slow Juicer Review: Kuvings vs BioChef

Whole Slow Juicer Review: Kuvings vs BioChef

The latest type of cold press or slow juicer on the market is the 'Whole Slow Juicer', 'Wide Mouth' or 'Whole Fruit Juicer'. Its primary selling feature certainly welcomes in a new era in slow juicing as the advanced wider chute can juice whole fruits or vegetables at one time, without the need for preparation.

BioChef vs Kuvings Comparison Test

 

 

You can jump ahead to the following sections of this article:

Whole Slow Juicer Comparison Table
Compare: Design
Compare: Preparation & Cleaning Time
Comparison Overview
Which is the better Whole Slow Juicer?
3 Reasons to buy a Whole Slow Juicer

With this new generation of cold press juicers changing the way we view slow juicing, we've compared the industry leading models to find out exactly what sets these juicers apart. The most widely recognised in this juicer category is the Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer B6000. BioChef, the healthy appliance brand developed by Vitality 4 Life, introduced these developments in 2014 with the BioChef Atlas Whole Slow Juicer. Oscar, one of the very first cold press juicer brands, released it's own take on the vertical whole slow juicer model with the Oscar Neo XL Whole Slow Juicer. Below we've highlighted the key specification differences between these three models.

Whole Slow Juicer Comparison Table

Whole Slow Juicer Comparison

One of the most important comparison factors is the design of the chute and juicing mechanism. The BioChef Atlas and the Oscar XL have the same dual-flap chute design as each other, while you can see in the above video that the Kuvings has a singular chute with an internal "blade". As shown in the video, this dual-flap design is far superior in terms of efficiency and yields a better result. We will explore further how the differences in design can have a significant impact on the quality of juice produced.

Compare: Design

As mentioned above, the most important difference between the models is the design of the chutes and juicing mechanism.

BioChef Whole Slow Juicer Chute vs Kuvings B6000 Chute

One difference between the BioChef and the Kuvings is that the Kuvings has one chute and the BioChef actually has 2 chutes. The BioChef has one chute for whole, round fruits such as apples and another chute for longer vegetables such as carrots or celery. The BioChef Fruit Chute has a two-way flap which gently pushes the fruit straight down into the auger, therefor there is no need for a plunger or tamper for that chute. This ensures that the fruit enters the auger at the right angle and at the right speed.

The Kuvings Juicer has a small plastic cutter or blade which sits at the bottom of the chute, which stops whole fruit from falling directly into the auger as it drops straight down the chute. This has been described as a safety requirement by Kuvings in order to prevent hands from fitting down the chute. However, this means that a tamper is required to then push down on the whole fruit to slice it through the cutter. As you can see from the video this requires a far amount of pressure from the user.

We have found that as you push the produce through the cutter, you are basically pushing it with force onto the auger after it goes through the cutter which creates over-feeding. As you can see in the video the Kuvings Juicer had a significant amount of back up inside the drum, with large pieces of apple left un-juiced and clogging up and around the juicing strainer and auger. There was also hardly any pulp left in the container at the end, as it looks like it was not juiced in the first place. We believe this is due to the produce coming into contact with the auger too forcefully, which creates a build up inside the drum.

The BioChef on the other hand, had no backup inside the drum which we believe is attributed to the shape and design of the drum. As the whole fruit is dropped into the chute, the two-way flap gently guides the fruit into the auger at such an angle that juices with ease. This user developed design is proving to be more effective at juicing and for usability!

BioChef Whole Slow Juicer Design

Compare: Preparation & Cleaning Time

As you can see in the video, fruits and vegetables require the same amount of preparation time in terms of peeling, slicing and dicing as each other. The Kuvings B6000 has a 7.5cm x 7.5cm wide chute and the Oscar Neo XL and the BioChef Whole Slow Juicer have an 8cm x 8cm side chute. This is wide enough to fit whole apples, carrots, oranges and other fruits and vegetables without cutting prior to juicing.

We also tested the juicer's cleaning capabilities by following the instruction manual and flushing through a glass of water, while the juicers were operating. This helps to firstly flush out the juicer of any leftover juice and any bigger particles of fruit or vegetables.

Kuvings

As you can see in the video, due to back up of produce within the drum, when the water was poured in it didnt flush through as it does the BioChef. We found the Kuvings had an unbelievable amount of apple residue and back up inside the drum after juicing just 4 apples. This meant that cleaning was a lot harder and took a significant amount of time longer.

The Kuvings B6000 comes with a Rotational Cleaning Brush, which is designed to slide on top of the juicing strainer and in a rotating motion clean the strainer sections. While it seems like a handy tool to have, we have found that a bit of elbow grease and the standard included cleaning brush gives the best results as the rotating brush doesn't get into the holes of the strainer very effectively.

Total cleaning time: 1 minute, 59 seconds

BioChef & Oscar

After juicing the 4 apples and giving the recommended rinse over, we found there was hardly any residue or build up on the juicing parts. This meant it was a fairly easy clean for the BioChef, simply rinsing most parts under water and giving the drum and strainer a scrub with the included cleaning brush.

Total cleaning time: 1 minute, 19 seconds

Comparison Overview:

BioChef Atlas Whole Slow Juicer

  • Juicing is effortless
  • No backup = more juice
  • Smoother juice consistency
  • Less residue means cleaning time is faster

Kuvings B6000 Whole Slow Juicer

  • Cutter causes build up inside the drum
  • Cutter makes it harder to juice
  • Juice can be more pulpy
  • Comes with an additional rotating cleaning brush

Which is the better Whole Slow Juicer?

  • Juicing: Dual-flap design is more superior and in the video comparison juiced the 4 apples far more effectively.
  • Cleaning Time: All juicers are similar in terms of cleaning, however back-up inside the drum due to the Kuvings design means there is more residue and pulp to remove in the Kuvings.
  • Warranty: The BioChef Whole Slow Juicer & Oscar Neo XL have the same warranty - lifetime on warranty & 5 years on parts. The Oscar Neo XL also comes with a 3 year commercial warranty. The Kuvings B6000 has a 10 year warranty on motor & 2 years on parts.
  • Motor: The Oscar XL & BioChef are the most powerful of the the at 250w. With subsequently has a slower RPM of 40 to accommodate for the increase in torque. The Oscar XL or BioChef are designed more for commercial purposes and those who are looking to make large quantities of juice over a longer period of time and thus requires a bit more power from the motor.
  • Price: The Kuvings B6000 is £349.00 / Biochef Atlas Whole Slow Juicer is £249 / Oscar Neo XL Whole Slow Juicer is £269.

To find out exactly which type of juicer is right for you, read our helpful article here.

3 Reasons to buy a Whole Slow Juicer:

1. Fast juicing time.

This is the most obvious reason for using a whole slow juicer. Whole slow juicers are estimated to cut the juicing time in half when compared to other slow juicers. A whole slow juicer will juice in a similar time frame as a centrifugal machine, however you still get the incredible health benefits that a cold press juicer has to offer over a centrifugal machine.

2. Extra nutritional boost.

The preparation or cutting of fruits and vegetables exposes them to air and oxygen. This is what causes them to oxidise, you will notice this when a cut apple starts to brown. Oxidisation is the result of vital nutrients and enzymes starting to diminish or die. A whole slow juicer will effectively remove the preparation stage altogether, meaning that nutrients and enzymes are not lost during the preparation process, and produce isn't exposed to air during juicing.

3. Better juice that lasts longer.

As mentioned above, the valuable nutrients and enzymes are retained in a "living" juice. Not only that, the juice from a whole slow juicer will last for up to 48 hours at a time, meaning you can juice at a time that is convenient for you and your family and save in the fridge for later.

Shop our Whole Slow Juicer range below:

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