The latest type of cold press or slow juicer on the market is the 'Whole Slow Juicer', 'Wide Mouth' or 'Whole Apple Juicer'. Its primary selling feature is that it has a wider chute and can therefore juice whole fruits or vegetables without the need for preparation.

While there is only a small range of whole slow juicers on the market today, with the most widely known being the Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer B60000, BioChef - the brand and product range developed by Vitality 4 Life - also offers a whole slow juicer named the BioChef Atlas Whole Slow Juicer.

Oscar, one of the very first cold press juicer brands in the world has also released a whole/vertical model juicer; the Oscar Neo XL.

Let's put them to the test to find out which is the better Whole Slow Juicer?

One of the most important comparison factors for whole slow juicers is the design of the chute and juicing mechanism. The BioChef Atlas Whole Slow Juicer and the Oscar Neo XL have the same dual-flap chute design, while you can see in the above video that the Kuvings has a singular chute design with an internal 'blade'.

As you can see from the video the dual-flap design is far superior in terms of efficiency and yields a better result than a juicer with a 'blade'. We will explore in more detail the differences between the designs of these three juicers, shortly.

Compare Whole Slow Juicers

The below comparison table highlights key specification differences between the three models - BioChef Atlas Whole, Oscar Neo XL and Kuvings B600.

Which is the Better Whole Slow Juicer?

Juicing: Dual-flap design is far superior than the blade design, as you can see in the above video comparison, as it juices the four apples far more effectively.

Cleaning Time: Each juicer is similar in terms of cleaning, however back-up inside the Kuvings drum (due to the juicer design) means there is more residue and pulp to remove from the Kuvings during the cleaning process.

Warranty: The BioChef Atlas Whole Slow Juicer and the Oscar Neo XL juicer have the same warranty - lifetime on warranty and 5 years on parts. The Kuvings B6000 has a 20-year warranty on motor & 5 years on parts.

Motor: The Oscar Neo XL and the BioChef Atlas Whole Slow Juicer are the most powerful of the three juicers with a wattage of 250w. Subsequently these juicers have a slower RPM at 40 to accommodate for the increase in torque. The Oscar Neo XL has also been designed for commercial purposes and those who are looking to make large quantities of juice over a longer period of time, thus requiring a more power from the motor.

Price: Kuvings B6000 is $649rrp, BioChef Atlas Whole Slow Juicer is $399rrp and the Oscar Neo XL is $449rrp.

Compare: Design

As previously noted, the most important difference between these models is the design of the chutes and juicing mechanism.

One main difference between the BioChef juicer and the Kuvings juicer is that the Kuvings juicer has one chute and the BioChef juicer has two - one chute for whole, round fruits such as apples and another chute for longer vegetables such as carrots or celery. The BioChef Atlas Whole Slow Juicer 'fruit' chute has a two-way flap which gently pushes the fruit down into the auger and therefore requires no need for a plunger or tamper for that chute. This ensures that the fruit enters the auger at the right angle and at the right speed.

The Kuvings Juicer has a small plastic cutter or 'blade' which sits at the bottom of the chute, which stops whole fruit from falling directly into the auger as it drops straight down the chute. This has been described as a safety requirement by Kuvings to prevent hands from fitting down the chute. However, this means that a tamper is required to then push the fruit down to the cutter/ blade - as you can see from the video this requires a fair amount of pressure from the user.

We have found that as you push the produce through to the cutter to the auger, you do so with force, which creates over-feeding and back up in the juicer. As you can see in the video, the Kuvings Juicer had a significant amount of back up inside the drum, with large pieces of apple left un-juiced and clogging up and around the juicing strainer and auger. There was also a minimal amount of pulp left in the container at the end of juicing, however it looks like it was not juiced in the first place. We believe this is due to the produce coming into contact with the auger too forcefully, which creates a build up inside the drum.

On the other hand, the BioChef Atlas Whole Slow juicer had no backup inside the drum which can be attributed to the shape and design of the drum. As the whole fruit is dropped into the chute, the two-way flap gently guides the fruit into the auger at such an angle that juices with ease. This user-developed design is proving to be more effective at juicing and for usability.

Compare: Preparation Time

As you can see in the video, fruits and vegetables require the same amount of preparation time in terms of peeling, slicing and dicing. The Kuvings B6000 has a 7.5cm x 7.5cm wide chute and the Oscar Neo XL and the BioChef Atlas Whole Slow Juicer have 8cm x 8cm chutes. This is wide enough to fit whole apples, carrots, oranges and other fruits and vegetables without cutting into pieces, prior to juicing.

Compare: Cleaning Time

When we compared the cleaning time of both juicers, the results were very interesting.
Firstly, as per the instructions for each juicer, we flushed through a glass of water while the juicers were on and running - as this helps to flush out the juicer of any leftover juice or any bigger particles of fruit or vegetables...

Kuvings
As you can see in the video, due to back up of produce within the drum, when the water was poured in it didn't flush through as it does with the BioChef Atlas Whole Slow Juicer or the Oscar Neo XL. We found the Kuvings had an enormous amount of apple residue and back up inside the drum after juicing just four apples. This meant that cleaning was a lot harder and took a significant amount of time.

The Kuvings B6000 comes with a rotational cleaning brush, which is designed to slide on top of the juicing strainer and in a rotating motion clean the strainer sections. While it seems like a handy tool to have, we have found that a bit of elbow grease and a standard style cleaning brush gives the best results as the rotating brush doesn't get into the holes of the strainer very effectively.

Total cleaning time: 1 minute, 59 seconds

BioChef Atlas Whole Slow Juicer & Oscar Neo XL Juicer
After juicing the four apples and giving the recommended rinse over, we found there was hardly any residue or build up left on the juicing parts. This resulted in an easy clean for the BioChef Atlas Whole and the Oscar Neo XL by simply rinsing most parts under water and giving the drum and strainer a light scrub with the included cleaning brush.

Total cleaning time: 1 minute, 19 seconds

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Benefits of a Whole Slow Juicer

Faster Juicing Time
This is the most obvious reason for using a whole slow juicer. Whole slow juicers are estimated to cut the juicing time in half when compared to other cold press/slow juicers. A whole slow juicer will juice in a similar time frame as a centrifugal machine, however you still get the incredible health benefits that a cold press juicer offers, over a centrifugal machine.

Reduced Prep Time
The preparation or cutting of fruits and vegetables exposes them to air and oxygen. This is what causes them to oxidise - you will notice this when a cut apple starts to brown. Oxidisation is the result of vital nutrients and enzymes starting to diminish or die. A whole slow juicer will effectively remove the preparation stage altogether, meaning that nutrients and enzymes are not lost during the preparation process, and produce isn't exposed to air during juicing.

Is a Whole Slow Juicer Right for Me?

• If you are juicing large quantities of juicer, or juicing in a commercial capacity, then a whole slow juicer is the best choice for you
• If you are making the switch from a centrifugal juicer to a cold press juicer, then a whole slow juicer will most likely be the best option for you
• If time isn't on your side (juicing before work etc.) but you still want to get your daily cold press juice, then a whole slow juicer is the machine for you

Looking to Juice Greens?

If you are looking to juice large quantities of wheatgrass or green juice, then a vertical slow juicer like the Atlas Whole Slow Juicer or Oscar Neo XL may not be as suitable as a horizontal machine such as a BioChef Axis or Oscar Neo DA 1000. You can read more about the differences between these machines here - Which Juicer is Best for You?