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Auger & Pulp

Cold Press vs Centrifugal Juicer

Cold press and masticating are the same machine. Here is what it does differently, and when it is not worth it.

By Brijon M. · Last reviewed October 2, 2026

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Cold press wins on fibrous produce, foam, noise and storage. Centrifugal wins on speed, prep time and price. If you will juice celery or greens, buy cold press; if your list is apples and carrots, the cheaper machine is genuinely the better purchase. First, though, one piece of language needs clearing up.

Cold press is a marketing term

Nothing in a home juicer is pressed cold in the industrial sense. There is no refrigeration and no hydraulic press. What there is, is a slowly turning auger -- and because slow crushing generates less friction heat and whips in less air than a basket spinning at thousands of RPM, the phrase "cold press" stuck.

Masticating is the mechanical term for the same machine. Slow juicer is the plain-English one. A product listing that uses all three is describing one mechanism three times. How cold press juicers work goes through the mechanics.

What the slower speed actually buys

EffectIs it real?Does it matter?
Less foamYes, clearly. Breville ships a froth separator on the JE98XL for the centrifugal version of this problemCosmetic for immediate drinking; matters if you batch
Slower color and taste changeYes. Less aeration means less oxygen contact. Omega claims 72-hour storage for its 80 RPM machinesMatters a lot if you make several days at once
Less heatYes, measurably less friction at 50 RPM than 12,000We do not make nutritional claims about it, in either direction
Better extraction from fiberMechanically yes - crushing along a strand rather than cutting across itThe single biggest practical difference
QuieterYes, and substantiallyDecisive if you live in an apartment or juice early
CriterionHurom H400 Easy CleanOmega J8006HDSBreville Juice Fountain Plus JE98XLBreville Juice Fountain Cold XL
YieldHurom claims the highest yield and least pulp of any Easy Clean model; no numeric figure, and no independent verification we could findManufacturer claim: Hurom · checked 2026-10-02Omega markets high juice yield; no numeric figure is publishedManufacturer claim: Omega Juicers · checked 2026-10-02Not availableNot sourcedNot availableNot sourced
PulpHurom claims the least pulp of any Easy Clean model; no comparable figure publishedManufacturer claim: Hurom · checked 2026-10-02Not availableNot sourcedBreville states the carafe includes a froth separatorManufacturer claim: Breville · checked 2026-10-02Not availableNot sourced
Cleanup timeHurom markets it as Scrub-Free Cleaning; no cleanup time in minutes is publishedManufacturer claim: Hurom · checked 2026-10-02Not available - no published cleanup time in minutesNot sourcedNot available - no published cleanup time in minutesNot sourcedNot available - no published cleanup time in minutesNot sourced
Price$400+Band from retailer listings, checked 2026-10-02
Check price on Amazon
$200–400Band from retailer listings, checked 2026-10-02
Check price on Amazon
$100–200Band from retailer listings, checked 2026-10-02
Check price on Amazon
$200–400Band from retailer listings, checked 2026-10-02
Check price on Amazon
NoiseNot availableNot availableNot availableBreville claims noise-reduction technology cuts mechanical noise by 40 percent; no decibel figure publishedManufacturer claim: Breville · checked 2026-10-02
SpeedHurom states 90 RPM, 150 WManufacturer claim: Hurom · checked 2026-10-02Omega states 80 RPM, 200 W, triple-stage augerManufacturer claim: Omega Juicers · checked 2026-10-02Breville states dual speed: 6,500 RPM low and 12,000 RPM high, 850 WManufacturer claim: Breville · checked 2026-10-02Breville states 1200 W, multi-speedManufacturer claim: Breville · checked 2026-10-02
WarrantyHurom states a 15-year warranty on motor and partsManufacturer claim: Hurom · checked 2026-10-02Omega states a 15-year limited warrantyManufacturer claim: Omega Juicers · checked 2026-10-02Breville states a 1-year limited warrantyManufacturer claim: Breville · checked 2026-10-02Breville states a 1-year limited warrantyManufacturer claim: Breville · checked 2026-10-02
Scroll the table sideways on a narrow screen. Every figure above is labeled with where it came from; “Not available” means we could not find a published source, not that the machine performs badly. How we pick.

What centrifugal buys instead

Time, and quite a lot of it. Breville states a 3 in feed tube on the JE98XL and 3.5 in on the Cold XL; Hamilton Beach states 3 in on a machine under $100. A 3 in chute takes a whole apple, which means no board, no knife and nothing extra in the sink. Then the juice arrives in a couple of minutes rather than twelve.

Money. The capable budget machines are all here. And some of the warranties are better than the premium shelf: Hamilton Beach states 3 years on a sub-$100 machine while Breville states 1 year on a $400 one.

Choose by produce, not by marketing

  • Celery, kale, chard, spinach, wheatgrass, herbs -> cold press. Not a preference. The mechanism.
  • Apples, carrots, beets, cucumber, peeled citrus -> either, and centrifugal is faster and cheaper.
  • Soft produce: tomatoes, watermelon -> cold press, gently. High speed just aerates what is already liquid.
  • Whole citrus -> neither. A citrus tool does it better than both.
Juice being poured into a glass on a light counter
Twelve minutes versus two. On the right produce, that is the honest headline difference.

Where we stand

We neither manufacture nor sell juicers, which is relevant here because most of the pages ranking for this comparison are published by brands whose catalogs are slow juicers. We earn an affiliate commission on purchases through our links, disclosed on every page, and it does not change the ordering -- which is why this page recommends a sub-$100 centrifugal machine for an apple-and-carrot buyer.

Which one lasts longer

The warranties are the only honest guide, and they point one way. Omega, Hurom and Kuvings all state 15 years on their premium cold press machines; Omega states the same on the mid-range J8006HDS, and Tribest states 10 to 12. Across centrifugal machines the range is 1 to 3 years: Breville states 1 on both the JE98XL and the $400 Cold XL, Mueller and BLACK+DECKER state 2, and Hamilton Beach states 3.

That is not a small gap, and a warranty is the one number on a product page that is a commitment rather than a claim. It is also worth reading the split: Nama covers its motor for 15 years and parts for only 2, where Hurom covers both for 15. Parts are what wear -- augers crack, screens deform, drums scratch -- so a motor-only figure is worth less than it looks.

The one surprise in the data is that price does not predict warranty inside the centrifugal category. Hamilton Beach's 3 years on a sub-$100 machine is three times what Breville commits to on a machine costing four times more.

Questions people ask

Is cold press the same as masticating?
Yes. Cold press, masticating and slow juicer all describe one mechanism: a slowly turning auger crushing produce against a screen. Cold press is the marketing term; nothing in a home juicer is pressed cold in the industrial sense.
Is cold press juice better than centrifugal juice?
It foams less, changes color and taste more slowly, and is extracted more effectively from fibrous produce. Whether that makes it better depends on what you are juicing and whether you drink it immediately. We make no nutritional claims in either direction.
Is a cold press juicer worth the extra money?
For celery and leafy greens, yes -- a centrifugal machine genuinely cannot do that job. For apples, carrots and peeled citrus, the advantage narrows and the speed and price of a centrifugal machine are real benefits.
Does cold press juice last longer?
It changes color and taste more slowly, because less air is whipped in during extraction. Omega claims juice from its 80 RPM machines can be stored up to 72 hours, which is the longest manufacturer storage claim we found.
Which is faster in practice?
Centrifugal, substantially. A wide 3 in chute removes most prep and a glass takes two to five minutes against roughly twelve on a slow juicer including cleanup.
Which type of juicer lasts longer?
The warranties point clearly at cold press: Omega, Hurom and Kuvings all state 15 years on their premium machines, and Omega states it on a mid-range one. Centrifugal machines range from 1 to 3 years. Also check the split -- Nama covers its motor for 15 years but parts for only 2, and parts are what wear.
How much counter space does each type need?
Vertical cold press machines are narrow but tall -- Nutribullet states 17 in high and 6.25 in wide, Hurom about 18.5 in tall -- and you need clearance above them to load the chute. Horizontal cold press machines are wide: Omega states 19.22 in for the NC900HDC. Centrifugal machines sit in between and are generally lighter.

Sources

Every figure on this page traces to one of these. Where a source does not publish a number, the page says “Not available” rather than estimating one.

  • Juicer Comparisons

    Type-against-type and model-against-model comparisons, all decided on the same four criteria.

  • Masticating vs Centrifugal Juicer

    The decision that constrains every other juicer choice, settled on the four criteria.

  • How Cold Press Juicers Work

    The mechanism explained: auger, screen, back-pressure, and why three different names mean one machine.

  • Centrifugal Juicers

    Fast juicers with wide chutes and low prices: what the spinning-basket mechanism does well, and where it fails.

  • The Best Juicers Under $200

    Four machines under $200 - the band where cold press becomes affordable, including the easiest-cleaning option.