EUR110,–
Alessi Plisse lemon squeezer
When life gives you lemons - electric citrus juicers tested by Kassensturz
7.11.2024
Translation: machine translated
If a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice is part of your daily routine, you may have an electric citrus juicer. Kassensturz" and "saldo" have now had this everyday helper tested in the laboratory. The result is a hefty bill or two.
"Either freshly squeezed or Valensina", I was repeatedly told as a child and teenager in television adverts. However, I have never tried Mr Dittmeyer's orange juice from concentrate. I'll just say that freshly squeezed orange juice is always the better choice, even if it does involve a bit of effort. Electric citrus juicers are supposed to help with this. "Kassensturz" and "saldo" took a closer look at whether and how well they do this.
Press, press, PRESS!
For the test, the Swiss consumer advocates sent ten electric citrus juicers to the Applitest laboratory in Nuremberg. There, the experts tested and evaluated the appliances according to various criteria: squeezing, robustness, handling and safety.
The experts juiced a total of 30 kilograms of oranges, lemons, grapefruits and limes during the test, writes "saldo". Sounds like a complete vitamin overdose ... and an extensive test. Speaking of extensive: in the endurance test, all citrus juicers had to undergo 250 load cycles. One cycle consisted of pressing for ten times ten seconds. Spoiler: Not all models were able to withstand this load.
The test winner
Four of the ten citrus juicers tested received an overall rating of "good". The most expensive, but also the best model is the one from Alessi. It is the only one that received good to very good marks in all test criteria and also coped with all fruits. According to "saldo", most other citrus juicers had problems with limes or grapefruit.
Still well pressed
The model from Bosch performs almost as well as the test winner. It makes up for any deductions in terms of pressing with very good marks for handling and robustness. The Bosch electric citrus juicer is also significantly cheaper than the test winner.
If you would like to order the "saldo" purchase tip from us, you will need a little patience. So how about the almost identical successor?
The citrus juicer from Koenig also achieved an overall rating of "good". According to the test results, it is not as robust as the models from Alessi and Bosch, but it squeezes slightly better.
All right
The models from Mio Star and Solis landed in the midfield. In the testers' judgement, they are at least "sufficient". Both citrus juicers ran hot in the endurance test, but worked normally again after cooling down thanks to the built-in overheating protection.
Failed
The rest of the models fared worse: The press from Kenwood failed to start after cooling down. The motor of the Furber appliance still hummed, but no longer turned, writes "saldo". And the motor of the Russell-Hobbs model burnt out after less than half of the planned 250 load cycles in the endurance test.
For their failure in the endurance test, these citrus juicers receive an overall rating of "unsatisfactory", just like the test runner-up from Philips. Apart from the poor performance in the endurance test, the experts also found other major defects in this model. For example, pressing oranges and grapefruits was laborious and took a long time, writes "saldo". In addition, the whole appliance wobbled during pressing due to its poor stability.
I can do it without electricity
I wondered how realistic and practical this endurance test is for the private use of an electric citrus juicer. Test manager Nadine Weber from the Applitest laboratory in Nuremberg admits in the "Kassensturz" article that this is a very tough test. And yet: "It has to be said, however, that the majority of devices pass the test ... and some don't."
Independent of the test results from "saldo" and "Kassensturz", I continue to dispense with the services of an electric citrus juicer. Nevertheless, we still have freshly squeezed orange juice from time to time. A normal juicer and a bit of strength in my arms are all we need. For now.
Which juicer do you use to squeeze the last bit of juice out of oranges and the like? Write it in the comments.
Header image: SRF / Kassensturz
I'm a full-blooded dad and husband, part-time nerd and chicken farmer, cat tamer and animal lover. I would like to know everything and yet I know nothing. I know even less, but I learn something new every day. What I am good at is dealing with words, spoken and written. And I get to prove that here.