Citrus Juicer vs Reamer vs Press

All three of these tools do exactly the same thing: apply pressure to half a citrus fruit and collect what comes out. The difference is not quality of juice, it is who supplies the force -- your fingers, a motor, or a lever. Decide that and the choice makes itself.

The verdict in forty words

The three mechanisms

Hinged squeezer -- your grip supplies the force

Two handles, a perforated bowl, half a fruit. Close the handles and your grip becomes the pressure. Chef'n's FreshForce adds a dual-gear hinge that multiplies that grip, which is a real mechanical advantage. One piece, dishwasher safe, lives in a drawer, costs less than a takeout lunch.

Best for lemons and limes, awkward for grapefruit, and entirely dependent on your hand strength.

Reamer -- your twist supplies the force

A ribbed cone. You press the fruit down and rotate. Manual reamers like OXO's two-sided model handle a wider size range than a squeezer and often sit over a measuring jug with a strainer, which is useful for cooking. Electric reamers -- Cuisinart's CCJ-500, BLACK+DECKER's CJ625 -- spin the cone for you, so you supply only downward pressure.

The electric versions are where pulp control appears, and that is the feature most worth paying for in this category: Cuisinart states three settings, BLACK+DECKER states adjustable control.

Press -- a lever supplies the force

A long arm multiplies a short pull. Hamilton Beach Commercial states up to 2,000 lb of pressure for its 932, the only force figure published by anyone in this category. Breville's 800CPXL combines the lever with a powered cone and adjustable pulp control.

Presses handle the most volume, give the most consistent result fruit to fruit, and ask the least of your hands. They also weigh 10 to 11 lb and live permanently on the counter.

Side by side

What about using a slow juicer for citrus?

It works, with two caveats. You have to peel the fruit first, because citrus pith is bitter and the auger will crush it straight into the juice. And it is slower with more parts to wash than any dedicated citrus tool.

So the rule is simple: if citrus is most of what you juice, buy a citrus tool. If citrus is one item on a list with celery and carrots on it, use the general machine and peel. Juicers for oranges covers that in detail.

Yield, briefly

Nobody publishes comparable yield figures here either. Chef'n claims 20 percent more juice than conventional handheld juicers without stating the comparison. Breville says its Quadra-Fin cone maximizes extraction, with no number. The best proxy available is force, and Hamilton Beach Commercial's 2,000 lb figure is the only one anybody states -- which does at least suggest that a lever press extracts more thoroughly than a hand you can close. How we pick.

One of each, so you can see the difference

1. The squeezer

Chef'n FreshForce Citrus Juicer

Chef'n · Under $100 · Our score 8.7/10

Your grip supplies the force, and Chef'n's dual-gear hinge multiplies it. Top-rack dishwasher safe, one piece, lives in a drawer. Right for a few lemons and limes a week and nothing more. The 20 percent more juice claim is Chef'n's own with no stated comparison basis.

Yield

Chef'n claims 20 percent more juice than conventional handheld juicers; the comparison basis is not publishedManufacturer claim: Chef'n · checked 2026-10-02

Pulp

The perforated bowl strains seeds and most pulp, per Chef'nManufacturer claim: Chef'n · checked 2026-10-02

Cleanup time

Chef'n states it is top-rack dishwasher safeManufacturer claim: Chef'n · checked 2026-10-02

What works

• The dual gear mechanism multiplies hand pressure
• One piece, dishwasher safe, and it lives in a drawer
• The cheapest tool on the whole site

What does not

• The 20 percent claim is Chef'n's own and has no stated comparison basis
• It still needs hand strength - read the arthritis guide before buying
• Lemon and lime sized, not orange sized

Skip this if: You want a full glass of orange juice. Handheld squeezers are for a few ounces, not a breakfast habit.

Representative photo. We have no manufacturer image library, so this is a licensed stock photo of the category, not a photo of this unit.

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• Yield7/10
• Pulp8/10
• Cleanup10/10
• Value10/10
• Quiet10/10

2. The electric reamer

Cuisinart Pulp Control Citrus Juicer

Cuisinart CCJ-500 · Under $100 · Our score 8.3/10

A motor spins the cone and you supply the push, which removes the twisting. Cuisinart states three pulp control settings and an auto-reversing universal cone covering small limes through large grapefruit, with a limited 3-year warranty. The sweet spot for a daily glass.

Yield

Not availableNot sourced

Pulp

Cuisinart states three pulp control settings: low, medium and highManufacturer claim: Cuisinart · checked 2026-10-02

Cleanup time

Not available - no published cleanup time in minutesNot sourced

Speed

Not available - Cuisinart publishes no wattage or RPM for this modelNot sourced

What works

• Three pulp settings at a budget price
• The auto-reversing cone handles small limes and large grapefruit
• 3-year warranty

What does not

• Citrus only
• Cuisinart publishes no power figure
• 8 oz working capacity means pouring off as you go

Skip this if: You want one juicer for everything. This does citrus and nothing else.

Representative photo. We have no manufacturer image library, so this is a licensed stock photo of the category, not a photo of this unit.

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• Yield8/10
• Pulp9/10
• Cleanup8/10
• Value9/10
• Quiet7/10

3. The press

Breville Citrus Press Pro 800CPXL

Breville 800CPXL · $200–400 · Our score 8.2/10

A lever multiplies a short pull into high force, and Breville adds a motorized cone on top of it. Adjustable pulp control, four dishwasher-safe parts, 110 W, and a dual-switch safety feature. 10.6 lb and a permanent counter fixture, which is the trade for handling volume without effort.

Yield

Breville states the Quadra-Fin acid-resistant cone maximizes extraction; no numeric figure publishedManufacturer claim: Breville · checked 2026-10-02

Pulp

Breville states adjustable pulp controlManufacturer claim: Breville · checked 2026-10-02

Cleanup time

Breville states the juicing cone, juice collector, filter and fruit dome are dishwasher safeManufacturer claim: Breville · checked 2026-10-02

Speed

Breville states 110 WManufacturer claim: Breville · checked 2026-10-02

What works

• The powered lever does the work, so no hand strength is needed
• Adjustable pulp control, which most citrus juicers lack
• Four parts, all dishwasher safe

What does not

• Expensive and heavy for a single-purpose tool
• 1-year warranty
• Citrus only - it will not touch a stalk of celery

Skip this if: You juice two lemons a week. A 10.6 lb die-cast press is absurd for that, and a hand squeezer is not.

Representative photo. We have no manufacturer image library, so this is a licensed stock photo of the category, not a photo of this unit.

Check price on Amazon

#ad How we are funded

• Yield9/10
• Pulp9/10
• Cleanup8/10
• Value6/10
• Quiet7/10