Juicero vs. Literally Any Other Juicer: The Pressure is On
Juicero has come under some heat since they released their signature juicer. That scrutiny didn’t ease up after Bloomberg dropped a bombshell: Turns out, you can just squeeze the juice out of a Juicero pouch by hand. In the end, then, this dystopian WiFi iJuicer may not be any better than a manual juicer. Let’s compare the two to figure out if it’s worth your hard-earned money.
Price
The most obvious glaring issue with Juicero is the price. When it first came on the market, it was $700. Juicero decreased the price of the press to $400 earlier this year. But after you purchase the appliance, you still need the proprietary packets that contain the fruits and vegetables. On Juicero’s website, each pouch is between $5-$8, or you can buy a five-pack bundle for $32-$36.
You can get a good manual juicer for anywhere from $10-$25. That’s a savings of $390, for those keeping score at home. Granted, it mostly only works on citrus. But you still have a whole world of other juicer options. Black and Decker has a juicer that’s usually just $30-$40 that can also strain without a mess. After you have the juicer, you need to purchase your fruits and vegetables. Obviously, the pricing on that is going to depend on where you live and what you’re buying. Even so, it’s pretty safe to say that you can get a week’s worth of juice for less than $36 unless you’re throwing goji berries in the mix.
Packets
Juicero is designed to work with Juicero packets, which can be found online or at specific retailers in select states. When you first get your Juicero, you register it with your phone by using a QR code. This step is important because you can’t use the Juicero without it. The real reason for this is that it prevents you from using any other kind of package. Also, now you’re stuck buying brand name juice. For that price, why not just purchase juice that isn’t going to hit you up for your WiFi password?
Regular ol’ juicers have the ability to use nearly fruit or vegetable you can grab. There is a whole wide world of produce out there, just waiting for you to juice it. If you’re tired of a particular flavor, just remove it from your morning routine.
And if you just really love the flavor of Juicero packets, you can always buy them online and squeeze them by hand. You get the flavor without spending $400 on the device.
Mess
Juicero commercials are hilariously awkward, but they do drive one point home – this appliance does decreases mess and cleanup time. The juice comes prepackaged, and all you have to do is place it in the machine. You don’t have to cut or clean any fruits or vegetables in the morning before you go to work. You can even send back the packets for recycling after you’ve removed the pulp for composting.
But does making your morning smoothie really create that much of a mess? And if you’re that pressed for time, why not make it the night before and store it in the fridge for easy access the next morning? With a bit of foresight, clean up isn’t too difficult. That Black and Decker juicer is also dishwasher safe, so cleanup gets that much simpler. Plus, there’s a lot less waste and no post office trip.
