What Size Juicer Do I Need?

Work it out from ounces of juice, not from the size of the machine. A generous glass is 12 to 16 oz, so one person needs a juicer that will produce about 15 oz without stopping, two people about 30 oz, and a family of four about 60 oz. Then measure the gap between your counter and the cabinet above it, because a vertical juicer is loaded from the top and has to fit under that gap with room to drop produce in. Those two numbers settle the question; almost everything else on a juicer spec sheet does not bear on it.

Capacity: the published figures

Only three brands on this site publish a capacity figure at all, which is why this question is so hard to answer from listings. Here is everything that is published:

The two rows that cause the most regret are the Nama pair. The J3's stated 10-15 oz is a one-glass machine by design, and couples buy it constantly because it is the cheaper Nama with the same 50 RPM auger -- Nama J2 vs J3 is that decision in full. And the Nutribullet's 24 oz catch cup is the hidden ceiling on the best-value cold press on this site: it juices perfectly well, it just makes you stop and empty it.

Why a second batch is worse than it sounds

A cold press juicer is not a machine you top up. When a batch is done you empty the pulp container, and on a vertical that usually means lifting the chamber off. Running a second batch is not a second pour -- it is most of the process again, with the first glass going warm while you do it.

That is the mechanism behind the commonest reason an expensive juicer ends up in a cupboard. It is also entirely predictable from the published figures before you spend anything, which is why this page exists.

Continuous feed sidesteps the whole question

The cheapest answer to a capacity problem is a machine with no capacity. A horizontal masticating juicer pushes pulp out of the far end while juice runs out underneath, so there is no chamber to fill and no batch to finish -- which is why Omega publishes no capacity figure for the J8006HDS or the NC900HDC. You feed it until the jug is full.

So a mid-band horizontal often out-sizes a premium vertical costing twice as much. The trade is footprint and parts: Omega's NC900HDC is 19.22 in wide at 18.7 lb with more parts on the draining board than any vertical here. Vertical vs horizontal juicers is the full comparison.

Footprint: the measurement almost nobody takes

The size question that actually decides whether a juicer gets used is vertical clearance, not counter area. A vertical auger is loaded from the top, so you need the machine's height plus room above it to hold a carrot over the chute. A typical counter-to-cabinet gap is about 18 in.

• Nama J3 -- Nama states 8.9 in wide, 6.5 in deep, 15.4 in high, 9.7 lb. Clears an 18 in gap with a little room.
• Nama J2 -- Nama states 9.8 x 9.0 x 17.7 in, 12.1 lb. Does not clear an 18 in gap for loading; you will pull it forward each time.
• Nutribullet Slow Juicer -- Nutribullet states 17 in tall and 6.25 in wide. Tight but workable.
• Omega NC900HDC -- 19.22 in wide at 18.7 lb, but it is horizontal, so height is not the constraint. Counter depth and length are.
• Tribest Slowstar -- 19 lb, and it does not want to live in a cupboard. Weight is the constraint when a machine is stored low down.

The rule that follows from all of that: a juicer that lives on the counter gets used, and a juicer that lives in a cupboard does not. Weight and the awkwardness of the lift matter more than the published dimensions once a machine is stored out of sight. Juicer size and storage is the page on that specifically, and best compact juicers is the shortlist for a genuinely small kitchen.

What to look for, then three machines by household size

Check four things in this order: the published batch capacity in ounces (or confirm the machine is continuous feed); the height against your counter-to-cabinet gap; the weight if it will be stored low; and the chute width, because a narrow chute means more prep for the same volume of juice.

For one person, the Nama J3 at a stated 10-15 oz per batch and 6.5 in deep -- or the Nutribullet Slow Juicer at a fraction of the money and a 24 oz cup. For two, the Nama J2 at a stated 20-30 oz, or an Omega horizontal for no limit at all. For a household batching several days at once, the Kuvings AUTO10 and its stated 100 oz hopper. The fuller versions are best juicers for one person, best juicers for two people and best juicers for families.

And if you have not settled on a type yet, best juicer machines sorts the field by mechanism, while how much celery for one cup of juice gives a sense of the produce volume sitting behind the numbers on this page.