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The Lequip Mini Juicer vs The
Hamilton Beach HealthSmart Juice Extractor
by John Kohler One of the most frequent questions we have
been asked lately is, "What about the $29.99 juicer that's available at my local
Department Store? Is that as good as the juicers you sell?".
In general, our answer is always, "NO, it is not as good as the
ones we sell". Due to our experience with juicing appliances, we find that most
juicers sold in department stores for under $50 are under powered and more difficult to
use. We are now backing up our statements with an in-depth test that we conducted.
Before getting to the tests, lets take a look at the construction of
the two machines. Both machines are made of plastic and stainless steel material.
 The
Lequip uses more stainless steel in its construction. In the picture, you can
see the juice collection bowls. The Lequip is stainless steel with a small plastic
lip, whereas the Hamilton Beach unit is all plastic. The stainless steel makes the
Lequip juicer much easier to clean. The Plastic of the Hamilton beach will stain
over time.
 You
can see in the picture above the size of the cutting blade and strainer of each juicer.
(An apple in the picture is used as a reference for size.) The Lequip
part is 5.75" in diameter, and the cutting portion is 3.5" in diameter.
The Hamilton beach is 4.5" in diameter, and the cutting portion is only
2.5" in diameter.
We did a direct comparison with the juicing of carrots and
pears. You can see the results of the test in the table below.
| |
Hamilton Beach |
Lequip 110.5 |
Change |
Pears
(2 lbs, 5 oz) |
15.5 oz |
18.5 oz |
+ 16% |
Carrots
(2 lbs., 8 oz) |
21 oz |
24 oz |
+ 12.5% |
As you can see from the table above, the Lequip 110.5
produced 12.5% more juice when juicing carrots and 16% more when juicing pears. Of
course, results will vary depending on the produce being juiced. In this instance,
due to the loss of yield with the Hamilton beach juicer, the extra yield would have cost
29 cents when juicing the carrots and 41 cents when juicing the pears. You are
throwing away money every time you juice!
A few other factors to consider:
- Juice Quality- The Hamilton beach juicer has
larger holes in its strainer basket, so it lets more fiber into the juice. This will
affect the yield by artificially inflating it. The pear juice that was made with the
Hamilton beach juicer was "gritty", like drinking water with fine particles of
sand in it. It wasn't a smooth juice, like the one made in the Lequip 110.5.
- Clean up- The Hamilton beach was harder to
clean, due to a number of factors. The juice bowl is an odd shape with a lip on it
that seemed to catch all the pulp, thus, making it harder to clean. It's also made
out of a white plastic that will stain over time. The Lequip bowl, on the other
hand, is made of stainless steel which is much easier to clean and keep over time.
- Pulp Collection - The Lequip pulp collection bin is
larger (56 ounces) and was much easier to line with a plastic bag, thus, easing cleanup.
The collector on the Hamilton Beach is only 40 ounces.
- Ease of Use - Every carrot had to be cut
before being fed into the Hamilton Beach juicer, while virtually no carrot needed to be
cut to be fed into the Lequip mini juicer. This cut down the time needed to juice.
The Hamilton beach juicer also seemed to splash juice on the counter as it came out
of the spout.
- Noise Level - The Hamilton beach juicer was
over 10 Decibels louder than the Lequip mini in our Sound test. Do you want a loud
juicer? We have heard people say that some juicers "Sound like an airplane taking
off".
- Warranty - The Lequip juicer warranty is 5 years
longer than the Hamilton beach juicer. We feel a juicer should be a lasting
investment for your money.
| Juicer |
Hamilton Beach 67811 |
Lequip Mini Model 110.5 |
| Picture |
 |
 |
| Extraction Method |
Centrifugal Ejection |
Centrifugal Ejection |
| Horsepower |
? |
1/2 HP |
| Watts |
350 Watts |
600 Watts |
| RPM |
??? |
10000 |
| Ejects Pulp |
Yes |
Yes |
| Size of Feed Tube |
2.25" x
1.125" |
2.75" x
1.5" |
| Shape of Feed Tube |
 |
|
Construction
of Juicing Screen and Grinding Plate |
Stainless Steel
Grinding Plate & Mesh Screen on plastic base |
Stainless Steel
Grinding Plate & Mesh Screen on plastic base |
| Stainless Steel Juice Bowl |
No |
Yes |
| Continuous Juicing |
Yes |
Yes |
| Pulp collection bin capacity |
40 ounces |
56 ounces |
| Decibels while running |
103 dB |
87 dB |
| See-Through top |
Yes |
Yes |
| Safety Interlock Switch |
Yes |
Yes |
| Juices Wheatgrass |
No |
No |
| Replacement Parts |
Available |
Available |
| Size of Juicer |
12.5" H x
7" W x 9.5" D |
12" H x
10" W x 8" D |
| Weight of Motor Base |
3 pounds |
5 pounds |
| Comments |
The juicer appears
"flimsy" and light. The larger holes in the juice screen make a less
desirable juice with more particles. The lower powered motor is prone to be
"bogged" down, and the plastic will tend to stain easily. |
With its large feed
chute, and simple design, the Lequip Mini is easy to clean and use. The Stainless
Steel bowl is a feature not usually seen on juicers of this price range. |
| Warranty |
1 year |
10 years |
| Your Price |
We do not
sell this model |
$99.99 |
| Retail Price |
$34.99 |
$139.99 |
| You Save |
N/A |
$40.00 |
We hope you have learned more about the two
juicers featured in this comparison.
Summary:
Each person has different expectations about a juice machine and how it will
perform. Our expectations are much higher than than most, since we specialize and
are experts in the field of juice extractors. We would tend to the suggest the
Lequip 110.5 Juice extractor if we wanted to recommend an inexpensive juicer to
someone. While it does cost about about $65 more, you get much more for your
money:
- A juicer that is easier to use (larger feed chute means less cutting)
- quieter (10+ db in our tests)
- produces a higher yield (12.5% - 16% in our tests)
- most importantly, a 5 year longer warranty.
Why do you think the longer warranty is important?
Because juicing has changed my life. It was my first step in adopting a
healthy lifestyle. Many of our customers report weight loss, more energy and just
"feeling better" after drinking FRESHLY made juices on a daily basis. If
you purchase a "cheap" machine now, and it breaks in 1.5 years (when it will be
out of warranty), you will need to spend more money on another juicer. If you invest
in a Lequip Mini and it breaks down
anytime during 6 years, it will be covered under warranty. This alone, in my
opinion, justifies the extra cost of the machine. Many stores try to sell
"extended" warranties. We all know how much they cost... Just purchase a
juicer with a long warranty in the first place, and don't worry about the expensive
extended warranty. The Lequip juicer is made by a company that specializes in
juicers, whereas the Hamilton Beach company makes a wide variety of kitchen appliances.
Public Service Announcement: The U.S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission has recalled certain models of the Hamilton Beach Juicer. Click here
for further information. |
