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The Omega 8002 is a single gear machine that turns at a low 80 RPMs, a powerful, slow auger that doesn't heat up the food or cause the juice to foam. This protects the nutritional content of the juice from degradation. In addition, it is "multifunctional"--the juicer can also be employed to make baby food, meat pate, nut butter, or fine ground coffee. The machine is durable, said to be quiet, and has a 10-year guarantee. Sounds good, so we plunked down the cash and got the Omega juicer and set to work. So, how is it to USE the Omega? Well, it's EASY to put together, though there are quite a few parts and choices to make. Essentially, the steps are: 1. Install the screw drive--the big green plastic spiral, into the plastic housing. 2. Pop a juicing cone (a type of sieve) over the screw so it sits into the housing around the screw. This takes a bit of jockeying, but it drops in just fine. 3. Screw on the end cap and nozzle. 4. Mount this housing onto the front of the juicer motor. 5. Add the food platform on top of the feed tube on the housing. 6. Put the two receiving pitchers underneath the housing; one for the pulp, one for the juice. Now it's ready to start juicing. 1. Cut up your vegetables into strips or pieces that will fit the 1.5 inch diameter of the feed tube. This means if you juice carrots, those tasty large ones need to be halved or quartered lengthwise. 2. Turn on the motor: it has a forward direction to drive the food OUT, and a reverse setting on the toggle switch to move the food back in case of a clog. I've never needed to do this. 3. Push down the vegetables or other foods with the plunger which is included with the juicer. The food feeds along the screw, is broken up, and the juice is forced through the sieve (cone.) Out the nozzle comes the pulp. The juice flows out underneath, nearer to the motor. 4. When you are finished, turn off the motor, which is QUITE quiet--nothing like a blender or vacuum cleaner. More like the sound of a pasta maker or food processor, for comparison. Dismantle the machine and wash the parts. A big bottle brush is included for this, very helpful. 5. Cleanup takes about 2-3 minutes and is mainly rinsing. The worse job is the sieve of the cone and even that doesn't take but a moment to swab off some pulp that clings to it. I do this ASAP, as I sip my juice, because letting pulp dry on the machine makes it hard to clean. I then reassemble it right then and there, and it's ready to go again. The Omega juices kale, which is a rather tough leafy dark green form of cabbage. We now can do wheatgrass, once we grow some or find a source of flats of it. Just for grins, I tried the blank cone and did some meat grinding. It makes a fine grind--not something you'd use for hamburger. It would work for soft, somewhat grainy baby food or pate. I did not try making pasta. How does it compare to spinning cup type models, like the Braun which we previously used for juicing? 1. The spinning cup model (Braun) is LOUD, really loud. This is because the cup spins at a high speed and whines as a result. This is typical for the cup-type juicer. Sounds like a blender. 2. The cup model cannot juice wheatgrass--the tender stalks of growing wheat or barley that have a lot of antioxidants. It also can't do tough leafy vegetables such as kale. 3. The cup model definitely does not extract as much juice from the vegetables and fruits as compared to the Omega. The pulp in the cup model is a wet slurry. The pulp from the Omega, by contrast, is like slightly moistened sawdust--definitely drier. In summary, the Omega juicer, while pricier than the typical spinning cup models, is quiet and effective. It gives you the ability to juice and grind things the spinning cup can't handle, like wheatgrass and if you want, meat. It extracts more juice--and at the prices for produce these days, especially if you buy organic produce, this is an important benefit. The juicer is relatively easy to clean and to assemble and use. If you are really serious about drinking vegetable juice or making fresh fruit juices and baby foods, I would say, this is a model to strongly consider over others. The performance and added functionality well repay the higher price. Was this review helpful to you?  
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Squeezes out
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January 5,
2005
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