REVIEW – Why The Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL Is The Best Juicer For Home Use

Updated March 2012 by Ellen Kaylor

The Breville 800JEXL Juicer

Although we realize the health benefits of fresh juice, Karen and I rarely feel like making it at home as juicing is usually just too much work. It’s an effort to pre-slice the fruits and vegetables so that they fit in those typical traditional cheap machines and cleanup can be a big hassle.

Alternatively, you might think that those glass plastic bottles of juice you find at your grocery store are the way to go, but I can tell you most of them have been treated with preservatives just so that they would last more on the shelf. So we finally decided to give juicers a second chance and started our research.

One of the things you will quickly figure out is that there are literally hundreds of them out there and that you should REALLY do your homework as to which one is the best juicer to buy. If you really want to invest in a high quality machine, then you shouldn’t let the price alone decide for you because there are many more important factors to consider such as:

• The power of the motor
• The juicing speed
• The size of the feed tube
• Ease of cleaning
• Durability
• The housing material
• Customer reviews
• Warranty

So as I was looking for a powerful, time-saving and easy to clean centrifugal juicer with a large opening size, the Breville 800JEXL juicer caught my eye.

After reading hundreds of Breville juicer reviews, I couldn’t help noticing this particular model was consistently a favorite choice among consumers online, which led me to dig deeper into it. This model was also recommended by Martha Stewart as she was using it to make healthy juice recipes during her show.

I don’t know if you have ever owned a Breville appliance before, but I have to say that Breville products are usually quality and solid products that are meant to last. The Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite is no exception. Its brushed die-cast metal construction has been forged in extremely high temperatures, making it durable and attractive as well. It’s also the simplest to operate and by far the easiest to clean.

In the following review, I cover everything you need to know about the Breville Juice Fountain Elite, its pros and cons and customer reviews as well.

In a hurry? Scroll down to find out where to get the best price or read more reviews from people who have purchased and used this appliance.

It’s all about the speed of the motor…

One of the unique features of the Breville 800JEXL juicer is its Italian made 1000-watt 1-1/3 horsepower electric motor which is 3 times faster than other juicers. This not only makes juicing fast so you don’t have to wait minutes before enjoying a glass of juice, but it also means that the electric motor is powerful and efficient enough for handling heavy-duty tasks and maintaining filter revolutions that can reach 13000 RPM!

The Breville Juice Fountain Elite gives you the choice between 2 speeds. You have the HIGH speed setting which makes the filter spin at 13000 RPM. This setting is perfect for hard vegetables and fruits such as carrots, apples, sweet potatoes, celery, etc. In the LOW speed setting however, the filter basket spins at around 6500 RPM. This is more appropriate for soft and “watery” fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, lemons and watermelons.

Juicing Speed Control: HIGH speed setting (13000 RPM) and LOW speed setting (6500 RPM)

The powerful engine is also backed up by a smart built-in electronic chip that will automatically adjust the blade’s power in the juicing process depending on what is being juiced. This assures that everything is sliced evenly and that more juice ends up in your pitcher than in the waste bin!

Tip: While juicing, especially with large quantities of watery fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes and watermelons, I suggest that you use the LOW speed setting and that you push the food pusher down at a slow rate. Otherwise, the filter basket squeezes them into juice so fast that the force may cause the juice to leak between the plastic juicer cover and the filter bowl surround.

3 inch feed tube!

Breville was the first company to introduce the 3-inch (7.6 cm) open feed tube so you can actually juice whole fruits without having to cut them down to size, and it’s so powerful that you can juice whole fruits with the rind on if you wish. I’m sure you realize how time-saving this can be, especially if you are used to working with other juicers. No need to chop down the fruits and vegetables anymore so that they fit in the tube. The feed tube is also 7 inches tall which makes it easier to handle tall fibrous vegetables.

No need to cut fruits down to size with a wide 3-inch open feed chute like this!

Also, there is a stabilizing knife in the tube that guides the fruits towards the center of the cutting disc. This ensures an even consistent juicing process as you press the tube down.

The cutting disc of the Breville 800JEXL

An impressive component that you won’t find in cheaper juicers and that only comes with this particular model of Breville juicers is the ultra sharp titanium cutting disc, surrounded by an Italian made micro mesh filter. This disc can actually crush very large chunks of pineapple still covered with rind.

The blades themselves are dual action diagonal knifes and this particular juicer has 115 blades to cut the pulp into the tiniest particles. This will squeeze and juice whole vegetables and fruits without having to pre-cut or pre-slice them. How cool is that? You also won’t need to exert a great amount of force when pushing things like hard carrots down the tube because of the sharp cutting blades action (unlike the twin-screw type of juicers). All you have to do is gently slide them down in and watch the Breville 800JEXL juicer eat whatever is thrown at it.

Performance of the Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL

In my opinion, this is where the Breville 800JEXL shines the most. It certainly stands apart from other juicers in terms of power and speed. You’ll really like how fast the juicing process actually is and how quickly the pitcher fills up. It’s really amazing to see!

You must probably know that the health benefits of juice disappear quite rapidly, so the faster the juice is produced, the less oxidized is its taste and the higher its vitamin content is, and the longer you can keep it without oxidizing. This is the part where this juicer will definitely not deceive you. Carrots, apples, pears or mangoes all vanish down and reappear within seconds as fresh, delicious and healthy pulp-free beverages. The Breville juicer can actually fill a cup in as little as 5 seconds.

Tip: If you want to make juices which would last a day or two without oxidation, then I recommend that you add a bit of lemon to your juice just in case, this will help preserve your juice for a longer period of time. Also, I suggest that you always drink juice when it is freshly extracted in order to benefit from the highest vitamin content.

You can watch the Breville Juice Fountain Elite in action in the video below (great thanks to the owner for sharing it with us). Notice that it doesn’t jump around on the counter when it is processing.

Also, the fact that the Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL minimizes chopping and cutting prior to feeding the tube makes it such a great choice for busy cooks, especially that it’s very easy to clean after use.

Usability

Apart from performance, the attention to detail is such a treat with this juicer. As you use the Breville 800JEXL more often you will start to appreciate the small details in the machine’s design that will make your daily juicing easy and fun to make:

Simple to use

The Breville juicer can’t be simpler to use. All you need to do is place the fruits and vegetables in the loading tube without having to peel them or cut them down to size, select the LOW speed for soft fruits like tomatoes and melons or the HIGH speed for hard fruits like carrots and apples and slowly push down with the feed pusher. So far, this is the easiest way to make refreshing and healthy juice at home.

Safety lock mechanism

Another feature you will appreciate in this juicer is the safety lock mechanism. The juice maker will not operate until the safety lock is clocked into place. Very nicely thought of!

Pulp container

The Breville Juice Fountain Elite extracts the residue into a 3 L pulp container, large enough so that you don’t have to constantly empty it while juicing. What I specially like about it is that it perfectly fits on any plastic bag, which will make cleaning as easy as throwing the bag away and replacing it with a new one. There is also a sign at the top which lets you know when you need to replace the bag.

Although the pulp container fits perfectly, putting a plastic bag inside makes clean-up easier.

Juicing pitcher

Included with the Breville 800JEXL juice extractor is a 1 L serving pitcher which is much larger than those that come with other juicers. Although you wouldn’t necessarily notice how big of a deal this is, it will definitely make your juicing experience hassle-free and allow you to have enough juice for the day without having to continually move it and dump it somewhere else before placing it back to be refilled.

You can also use the special froth catcher that comes with it to keep the foam away when pouring the juice. You can also pour the juice without the froth catcher on if you like your juice frothed.

Included juice jug with spout opening and froth catcher

Easy to assemble

Included in the product manual are clear step-by-step instructions on how to set up the Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL for first use.

The following video from Breville might also help make this process even easier on you.

Easy to clean

As far as cleaning the Breville juicer itself, the juicer has only 4 main parts that need to be cleaned, so it’s easy to disassemble and even easier to clean because all parts are dishwasher safe so you just need to un-snap it and put all parts in the top shelf of any dishwasher.

Very easy to disassemble and clean

However, you want to give the filter a little extra care. Always hand-wash it! Never put it in the dishwasher. The included cleaning brush has got very strong bristles to get right into the micro-filter as well as to clean the cutting blades. The titanium-plated cutting disc and stainless steel filter are so resistant to the buildup of pulp that they don’t need regular maintenance beyond cleaning it with the brush to remove pulp and fibers from the mesh holes.

In case you don’t have a dishwasher, then a quick soapy wash under hot water will take care of all the different parts in no time. I recommend that you clean the Breville juicer right after you’re done using it. You should at least rinse all removable parts right after usage as this will greatly reduce cleanup time when you are ready to wash them.

Tip: A little tip is to put a plastic bag in the pulp container because it’s so easy to clean it like that so you directly get rid of the pulp!

What about durability?

We had a look at plastic juicers in the past and they just don’t cut it anymore. The great news is The Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL is made of highly durable components. Particularly, this juicer is built to last as it is made of die-cast heavy grade metal which guarantees maximum durability.

The parts are made of esthetically attractive and elegant stainless steel which prevents corrosion. Stainless steel also makes the juicer easy to clean so you won’t have to worry about the stains that you can get from juicing vegetables, and it will also give your kitchen a sense of beauty and professionalism.

Technical Details

Dimensions: 16.5″ H x 12.5″ W x 8.5″ D

Weight: 10 pounds

Model: 800JEXL

• 3″ (7.6 cm) circular feed tube
• 1000-watt Italian made motor
• Durable stainless steel parts
• Heavy-duty die-cast metal base
• Titanium cutting disc surrounded by an Italian micro mesh filter
• 2 speed settings – High (13,000 RPM) , Low (6,500 RPM)
• 250 ml in 5 secs
• 30% more extraction rate
• 3.5 L pulp container
• 1 L juice jug with froth separator
• Safety lock mechanism
• Dishwasher safe parts
• One year warranty

What’s in the box?

Breville juicer reviews – What are customers saying?

Most customers, some of which had already owned other juicers of different classes, rated the Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL at the top and awarded it with an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon making it the best in juicers category. There are tons of users raving about the soft and pulp-free juice this particular juicer produces and how hassle-free their juicing experience became. Here are some customer reviews snippets from Amazon:

Any complaints?

I really couldn’t find any real complaints about the Breville Juice Fountain Elite as I was reading hundreds of Breville juicer reviews online. The only negatives I have read were from a few consumers who found the juicer to be quite noisy.

A few customers noted that the Breville juicer was not really suitable for juicing leafy and green vegetables and couldn’t effectively juice certain things like wheat grass (as a tip you can roll it up in a few lettuce leaves first). So if you mostly want to make green juices, I suggest that you rather have a look at masticating juicers like Omega J8006 that are geared towards this type of juicing.

But overall, according to my research and customers reviews, this is a quality juicer that received exceptional ratings compared to most other juicers in the market.

Pros and Cons

Is the Breville 800JEXL worth the price? Any alternatives?

This juicer is not the least expensive in the market, that’s why you need to ask yourself why you want it in the first place. Are you going to use it on a regular basis (like daily or a few times a week) ? Are you really going to incorporate juicing while you are in a transition into a healthy lifestyle or are you just going to juice once in a while?

If you are just going to juice “once in a while”, or are simply unable to afford the 800JEXL, only then I suggest you consider cheaper models in the same line such as the Breville BJE510XL or Breville JE98XL (although those models don’t have the powerful 1000-watt motor and the ultra sharp titanium-plated cutting disc). But definitely stick with Breville juicers as their construction, mechanics and engineering “guts” are simply unmatched among other juicers.

On the other side, if you are really serious about juicing and are more likely to use the Breville 800JEXL on a regular basis, then you are definitely getting a quality and solid product that will last for years to come. Cheaper juicers are usually difficult to operate, not powerful enough, messy to clean and will not last a long time before you need to replace them with a new one!

Where should I buy the Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite Juicer ?

We check prices regularly on different online retailers and so far Amazon has always had the best price. You can’t go wrong with their generous discount, the free shipping and exemplary customer service.

Because this Breville juicer is quite popular, it often sells out pretty quickly at Amazon due to the huge discount. So if you find it in stock, it is worth grabbing.

Where can I read more reviews for the Breville Juice Fountain Elite?

Amazon is the perfect place to read reviews from real consumers who actually use the Breville juicer every day. Click here to read more customer reviews on Amazon