Pros
- Elegant stainless steel finish – easy to clean, durable, and matches other Cuisinart appliances you may already own
- Produces a juice that is relatively pulp-free
- Comes with a very good 3-year warranty
Cons
- Below average performance (low yields) in most of our juicing performance tests
- More difficult to assemble and therefore disassemble than most other centrifugal juicers
- Several design flaws introduce long-term reliability concerns
Category Scores
| Assembly Diff. | 3.0 |
| Food Prep. | 5.0 |
| Soft Produce | 2.5 |
| Hard Produce | 3.0 |
| Pulp Free | 4.0 |
| Overall | 3.0 |
| Cleaning Diff. | 3.0 |
| Ease of Use | 3.5 |
| Versatility | 3.0 |
| Durability | 3.5 |
| Value | 3.5 |
| Cumulative | 37 |
All category scores are out of 5.
Contents
Comparison to Breville Juicers
Breville juicers, in general, represent the industry standard for high quality, durable, and dependable centrifugal juicers. The Cuisinart CJE-1000 represents an alternative to these very popular Breville juicers. It is only reasonable for us to assume that many consumers will want to know how the CJE-1000 compares to some of Breville’s most popular juicers and more specifically, to the Breville juicer we’ve rated as the best centrifugal juicer currently on the market, the Breville Juice Fountain Compact. For this reason, we will be comparing the CJE-1000 to Breville juicers and especially the very similarly priced Juice Fountain Compact throughout this review.
Assembly
Most centrifugal juicers currently on the market are essentially composed of all of the same parts. The overall size and structure of the parts may vary slightly between different models but how the parts fit together is for the most part the same. As such, assembly steps and procedure varies very little between different models. That being said, the CJE-1000 is a bit of an exception to this rule. There are in fact many differences between its assembly and that of most other centrifugal juicers we tested. Those differences are discussed in detail in the paragraphs that follow.
The CJE-1000 features the following parts
- Food pusher
- Juicer cover
- Filter basket
- Foam management filter disk
- Filter bowl
- Motor base (or “juicer body”)
- Juice container
- Froth separator (juice container lid)
- Pulp container
All of these parts with only one exception are exactly the same parts you’d find on a typical centrifugal juicer from any other centrifugal juicer manufacturer. The only exception is the CJE-1000’s foam management filter disk. The CJE-1000 was the only juicer we tested that features this particular part. The juicer’s foam management filter disk is a separate part that fits into the bottom of its filter bowl. We’ll have more on how this particular part works and how it affected the juicer’s performance later on in the review. For now, simply know that it is an additional part that fits into the bottom of the juicer’s filter bowl – the only of the CJE-1000’s parts that it does not share with other centrifugal juicers. We discuss the specific steps required for the Cuisinart’s assembly next.
Procedure
The pulp container is the first of the juicer’s parts that is assembled. There is a rectangular piece of plastic extending from the bottom of the main body of the juicer onto which the pulp container fits into place. The pulp container is also molded in such a way so that it fits onto the side of the main body in only one orientation.
The filter bowl is the next part that is assembled. It is placed on the top of the main body of the juicer. Next, the foam management filter disk is placed into the filter bowl. The filter basket is then placed inside the filter bowl so that it fits onto a part called the “motor coupling” which extends through the center of the filter bowl out of the main body of the juicer. This is the second time (the first was the additional step of installing the foam management filter disk) where we see a difference between the ease of assembling the CJE-1000 compared to a typical centrifugal juicer or more specifically, Breville juicers. Breville juicers have three white arrows on the bottom of their filter baskets which match with three white arrows labeled “Align” on their motor couplings. These arrows allow the user to properly align the filter basket to secure it in place quickly and easily onto the motor coupling. The CJE-1000’s filter basket and motor coupling don’t have any of these same labels and arrows. You simply place the Cuisinart’s filter basket onto the motor coupling in any orientation you like and then rotate it around until it fits into place. Essentially, you are securing the filter basket in place through trial and error. This method only takes a few seconds but it is definitely not nearly as easy as properly aligning it without trial and error by using labels and arrows.
The next part to be assembled is the juicer cover. The CJE-1000’s cover is unique in that it is hinged. There is a black plastic slot on the top and back of the main body into which a plastic cylinder on the back of the cover fits into place. This hinged arrangement allows the cover to be set in two different positions. The first is an “open” upright position in which the cover is positioned in such a way as to allow access to the filter bowl, foam management disk, filter basket, and pulp container without the user having to remove the cover from the main body. The second is a “closed” horizontal position in which the cover actually covers all of the aforementioned parts. It is the second position into which the cover should be set to continue assembly.
The Cuisinart’s cover is also unique in that it features a handle that secures the cover (and all of the juicer’s parts underneath the cover) in place. Most other centrifugal juicers have a safety locking arm that is permanently attached to the main body of the juicer. This locking arm is moved from a horizontal to vertical position and fits onto the top of the juicer cover to secure it in place. This is not the case with the CJE-1000. The handle is a part of the cover and it is this handle that is the mechanism by which all of the CJE-1000’s parts are secured in placed. There is a long rectangular stainless steel piece of the handle that can be pushed downward to an “open” position or upward to a “closed” locked position. To complete assembly this piece should be pushed to the upward position.
As a final step the food pusher can be placed inside of the juicer’s feeding chute and the included juice container can be placed underneath the juicer’s juice spout.
Summary
We began this section on juicer assembly by discussing how most centrifugal juicers are composed of all of the same parts and because of this, that most are assembled in much the same way. That being said, the CJE-1000 features perhaps the most unique design of any of the centrifugal juicers we tested for review. It even has one part that is unique to this model alone – its foam management filter disk.
The question is, does its unique design make it more or less difficult to assemble than other centrifugal juicers we tested? The answer is that it definitely makes it more difficult to assemble. The juicer’s foam management filter disk is an additional part that must be assembled. Sure, it’s easy to simply place it in the juicer’s filter bowl but it’s still an additional part that you don’t need to worry about when assembling other centrifugal juicers. The juicer’s filter basket and motor coupling lack markers and guides to secure the filter basket in place in the correct orientation. This only adds a few seconds of trial and error to assembly, but it’s still a few seconds you don’t have to squander when assembling juicers that do have marked filter baskets with arrows and guides to help with their assembly. The CJE-1000’s hinged cover does very little to make assembly or disassembly any easier. If anything, it’s a liability in terms of durability as we discuss later on in the review. The cover’s handle and the mechanism by which it secures the cover in place is another unique aspect to this juicer’s design. And, unfortunately, we found it much more difficult to use this handle and its locking mechanism than the safety locking arm design of other centrifugal juicers on the market. All things considered, we can’t give the CJE-1000 anything more than a below average 3 out of 5 for assembly difficulty.
Food Preparation
The CJE-1000 features a 3-inch diameter feeding chute which is exactly the same sized chute as all Breville centrifugal juicers have and most other centrifugal juicers from other manufacturers have as well. Slow juicers require users to take into account more than just feeding chute size when evaluating to what extent to cut produce before juicing it. This is not a requirement for users of centrifugal juicers – such users simply have to cut produce so that it fits into the juicer’s feeding chute.
Because most of the centrifugal juicers we tested all have 3 inch feeding chutes most of them required exactly the same food preparation (cutting of produce) prior to testing. The first table below lists the fruits and vegetables we juiced with the CJE-1000 and all other centrifugal juicers and how much cutting was required for most. Note that all of the centrifugal juicers we tested with 3 inch feeding chutes (including the Cuisinart) only required that we cut apples before juicing them while most slow juicers (we give data for two example slow juicers in the tables below) required almost all of the produce we juiced for testing to be cut.
Most Centrifugal Juicers (including the CJE-1000)
| Fruit/Veg. | Size of Cuts | Time to Cut | Avg. Time to Cut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oranges | no cutting required | ||
| Grapes | no cutting required | ||
| Carrots | no cutting required | ||
| Celery | no cutting required | ||
| Apples | quarters | NA | 18 |
| More Information | |||
| Chute Size | 3″ diameter |
Tribest Solostar 4
| Fruit/Veg. | Size of Cuts | Time to Cut | Avg. Time to Cut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oranges | eighths | 50 | 59 |
| Grapes | no cutting required | ||
| Carrots | 1″ to 2″ pieces | 52 | 50 |
| Celery | 1″ to 2″ pieces | 62 | 66 |
| Apples | sixteenths | 84 | 99 |
| Spinach | pre-cut | ||
| Wheatgrass | pre-cut | ||
| More Information | |||
| Chute Size | 1.25″ diameter | ||
| Type | Horizontal Masticating |
Kuvings NJE-3580U
| Fruit/Veg. | Size of Cuts | Time to Cut | Avg. Time to Cut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oranges | eighths | 63 | 59 |
| Grapes | no cutting required | ||
| Carrots | 1″ to 2″ pieces | 55 | 50 |
| Celery | 1″ to 2″ pieces | 66 | 66 |
| Apples | 1/32s | 130 | 130 |
| Spinach | pre-cut | ||
| Wheatgrass | pre-cut | ||
| More Information | |||
| Chute Size | 1.5″ diameter | ||
| Type | Horizontal Masticating |
Note: all times are in seconds. For a comparison of “time to cut” vs. “avg. time to cut” .
Performance
In order to test the CJE-1000’s ability to juice we used it to juice five different fruits and vegetables – 1 lb. each of oranges, grapes, carrots, celery, and apples. We also juiced a combination of these same fruits and vegetables in a sixth test – a combination performance test. For the first five tests we measured and recorded out of juicer yield and after sieve yield. For the combination test we only observed how well the juicer could handle quickly juicing a combination of produce. We didn’t measure or record any yields for this test. In the first five tests we juiced very slowly in order to obtain maximum yields. The combination test was the means by which we could test whether the juicer could handle a combination of fruits and vegetables juiced in quick succession and juiced very quickly. We also used the combination test to find out whether the included foam management filter disk did indeed reduce foam buildup in the extracted juice. We used the disk for each of the first five tests and then removed it for the combination test. We can confirm that we didn’t observe any less foam in juice extracted using the Cuisinart while using the disk (in the first five tests) than what was present in the juice extracted using other juicers such as the Breville Juice Fountain Compact with no disk (in all of their tests). Thus, the Cuisinart’s foam management filter disk doesn’t give it an advantage, in terms of foam output, compared other juicers by other manufacturers that do not come equipped with this additional part. But, we did in fact observe less foam in juice extracted using the Cuisinart while using the disk (in the first five tests) than in the juice we extracted with the same juicer without using the disk (in the combination test). Thus, it is our recommendation (as is the manufacturer’s) that when using the CJE-1000 that those users wishing to extract a juice with as little foam as possible absolutely use the included foam management disk.
This table, a part of our general buyer’s guide, shows test results for the Cuisinart CJE-1000 and the other centrifugal juicers we tested.
Juicing Performance Summary and Score
The CJE-1000 performed quite poorly in almost all of our juicing performance tests. It obtained below average out of juicer yields in four of five tests and average yields in only one test. It obtained below average after sieve yields in three of five tests and average yields in two tests. It performed equally poorly juicing softer fruits such as oranges and grapes as it did juicing harder vegetables such as carrots and celery. We therefore do not recommend this juicer for anyone that is at all concerned about obtaining maximum yields from their juicer. The CJE-1000 earns a disappointing 3 out of 5 for juicing performance.
Cleaning
There are aspects to the CJE-1000’s design that make it easier to clean and there are aspects to its design that make it more difficult to clean than other centrifugal juicers. Let’s first take a look at the positives and then go over the negatives.
The Good
The Cuisinart, overall, is dark in color. It has a stainless steel body and filter basket; its filter bowl, juice spout, foam management disk, pulp container, juice container lid, and food pusher are all made of a dark black plastic; and the juicer cover is made of a clear but darkened plastic. As we discuss in many of our other reviews, it is only a matter of time before a juicer stains. Fruits and vegetables contain chemicals that cause stains. When a juicer breaks down these fruits and vegetables (during the actual juicing process) it releases these stain inducing chemicals and exposes most of its parts to them at the same time. Lighter parts stain much more easily than darker parts. Plastic stains more easily than stainless steel. A juicer constructed of lighter colored plastics is much more likely to stain than a juicer made of darker color plastics and stainless steel. Thus, the CJE-1000 earns positive marks in this category (cleaning difficulty) for its dark plastic parts and stainless steel parts.
The Bad
On the negative side of things, the juicer’s cover is made of darkened clear plastic but the plastic is still clear. And this clear plastic not only can stain more easily but it also scratches more easily than stainless steel. As we discuss in other reviews (such as this one), most centrifugal juicers have at least a clear plastic cover, and all of them stain, scratch and smudge because they are made of this clear plastic. So this problem is not unique to the CJE-1000. That being said, we did note that the particular plastic used for the Cuisinart’s cover attracted dust more so than the plastic used for other juicers we tested. The Cuisinart’s cover is also particularly complex in its design with lots of nooks and crannies not present on covers for other juicers. These nooks and crannies were very difficult to clean during testing.
The only other complaint we have regarding the CJE-1000’s design that relates to how difficult it is to clean is its chrome knob. We found this knob to be prone to smudges much more so than any other part of the juicer. The chrome finish was also more difficult to clean than the juicer’s stainless steel body.
Another Negative
Something that doesn’t relate to the juicer’s design but did negatively impact our experience cleaning it was the cleaning brush included with it – a brush included with the juicer specifically for the purpose of cleaning its filter basket. Almost all of the centrifugal juicers we tested come with some kind of specialized brush to clean its filter basket. The filter basket has very sharp razor blades and a fine mesh – both components require that they be cleaned by a heavy duty bristled brush. The brush included with the CJE-1000 was distinctly less heavy duty than the one included with Breville juicers. We found it to be adequate for cleaning the juicer’s filter basket but we definitely would have had an easier time cleaning the filter basket using a Breville cleaning brush instead..
Dishwasher Safe Parts
The CJE-1000’s manual states that “all removable parts can be submerged in water for cleaning and are dishwasher safe”. Note that we did not wash the juicer using a dishwasher during testing. We did not do so for reasons we discuss here. Instead, we washed this juicer and all of the juicers we tested for review by hand using warm soapy water and a microfiber cloth.
Cleaning Summary and Overall Score
The CJE-1000 wasn’t very easy for us to clean despite its stain resistant dark black plastic and stainless steel parts. It was definitely more difficult to clean than any Breville juicer we tested for review. All of the reasons why are discussed in detail above. We give the Cuisinart a lackluster 3 out of 5 in the category.
Ease of Use
Juicing Speeds
The CJE-1000 is a five speed juicer. Its filter basket can be set to rotate at five different speeds depending on the type of produce that is to be juiced. We were unable to obtain any information regarding the exact RPM of that rotation from the manufacturer’s website or from the documentation that comes with the juicer when you purchase it. However, it’s safe to assume that on the absolute highest setting (speed 5) it rotates at 10,000+ RPM while on the lowest setting (speed 1) it rotates at closer to 5,000 RPM. We make this assumption based on data obtained from the documentation accompanying similar juicers with similarly powerful motors (the Juice Fountain Elite, for example, has exactly the same wattage motor and its filter basket rotates at 13,000 RPM on the highest setting and 6500 RPM on the lowest setting).
In any case, the manufacturer recommends that softer produce such as oranges and grapes be juiced at lower speed settings (speed 1 for grapes and speed 2 for oranges) and that harder produce such as carrots and celery be juiced at higher speed settings (speed 5 for carrots and speed 4 for celery). Note that we followed the manufacturer’s speed recommendations (as outlined in the juicer’s user manual) for all juicing performance testing.
The Cuisinart being a five speed juicer is important within the context of ease of use because we found it to be distinctly easier to operate and use juicers with fewer speed settings (only one speed setting was optimal) than juicers with more speed settings (such as the Cuisinart). We discuss why we found this to be true in other reviews. For now, simply understand that the CJE-1000 having five different speeds does make it more difficult to use than say a single speed juicer such as the Juice Fountain Compact.
Manual Quality
The CJE-1000’s manual isn’t quite at the level of quality of Breville juicer manuals, but it’s still more than adequate in terms of how in depth it gets explaining proper juicer care and use. We did not find the included manual to be inadequate explaining how to use and care for the juicer properly.
Weight, Juice and Pulp Containers
The Cuisinart weighs about 9 to 10 lb. fully assembled which is a slightly above average weight for a centrifugal juicer. The included juice container has a maximum volume of 44 oz. which is the second largest volume we measured for juice containers included with the 17 centrifugal juicers we tested for review. The pulp container was measured to have a volume of about 80 oz. which was about average size compared to pulp containers for the other centrifugal juicers we tested for review. Of note is the fact that the pulp container comes with a handle – a unique feature that makes it easier to put into place during assembly and makes it easier to empty when cleaning the juicer. For more information about how juicer weight and juice and pulp container volume affect overall ease of use please see the relevant section of our general buyer’s guide here.
Ease of Use Summary and Score
The largest detriment to the Cuisinart’s ease of use is its five speed functionality. Having to worry about which speed to set the juicer to depending on which type of produce you’re juicing is something that makes multi-speed juicers inherently more difficult to use than single speed juicers. Manufacturers add multi-speed functionality for no other reason other than to allow the juicer to produce maximum yields. However, we did not find any correlation between the number of a juicer’s juicing speeds and yield in our testing of juicer performance. In fact, the top rated Breville Juice Fountain Compact – the centrifugal juicer that performed the best in our juicing performance tests was merely a single speed juicer.
In other areas relating to ease of use the Cuisinart scores average to above average. The quality of its included user manual and its pulp container volume are average while its juice container volume is above average. All things considered, the CJE-1000 earns only a 3.5 out of 5 for ease of use.
Versatility
Most of the centrifugal juicers we tested for review score a below average 3 out of 5 for versatility. For our reasoning behind this score please see here.
Durability
Build Quality and Materials
The Cuisinart CJE-1000 has several unique design features that make it less durable and more susceptible to reliability issues than comparable juicers from Breville and certain other manufacturers. The first unique feature of note is the design of its cover. As we discussed when we went over the juicer’s assembly at the beginning of this review, the CJE-1000’s cover is hinged. There really isn’t any reason to have it hinged. In our experience using the juicer we didn’t find this hinged design to improve any part of using the juicer. Assembly wasn’t any easier because of it, cleaning wasn’t any easier because of it, and so on and so forth. What this hinged design does introduce is a weak spot in the juicer’s overall design. Should you have the cover on the hinge and in the open position it’s very easy to bump into it and put strain on the hinge. Put enough strain on it – in other words, bump into it enough times and/or with sufficient force – and it’s only a matter of time before the hinge breaks. Even simply attaching the cover to the main body of the juicer through the hinge can put enough strain on it to break it within time.
Another weak spot in the juicer’s design is the locking mechanism that secures the cover in place over the juicer’s filter bowl. We found this locking mechanism to be much more complex in its design than it needed to be and this complexity makes it more susceptible to breaking within time.
Yet another weak spot in the design of the juicer is the rectangular piece of plastic that extends from the bottom of its main body. This piece of plastic is a mount onto which the pulp container fits into place during assembly. The problem is that there exists a strong possibility that many users won’t store the juicer fully assembled. If such users store the main body by itself, it leaves this mount exposed. And should the mount be hit with sufficient force it can easily break off from the main body of the juicer.
Brand Reputation
Cuisinart is a very popular brand in the United States. They are mostly known for their affordable yet elegant kitchen appliances.
Quality of Support
Cuisinart provides several means of contact including a toll free number and email address for customer inquiries. There is nothing that we found in our survey of consumer reviews of Cuisinart products that would lead us to call into question Cuisinart’s customer service.
Warranty
The CJE-1000 has one of the best warranties of any of the centrifugal juicers we tested for review. Breville juicers come with only a 1-year warranty. The CJE-1000 comes with a warranty three times as long. The included 3-year warranty lists no exclusions also. The one downside to the included warranty is that Cuisinart specifies that in order “to facilitate the speed and accuracy of your return, (that you should) enclose $10.00 for shipping and handling.” While this is a nominal fee, no such fees exist for making warranty claims with Breville. Breville actually provides a pre-paid shipping label for warranty claims.
Summary and Score
We found several problem areas in the CJE-1000’s design that cause us to question the long-term reliability of the juicer. That being said, the juicer does come with a very long (by centrifugal juicer standards) 3-year warranty. Should the parts we’re concerned about break within the first three years of ownership you can rest assured that you are covered by the included warranty. Cuisinart is also a strong, trusted brand that isn’t going anywhere – a good thing should you need to make a warranty claim at the end of the 3-year warranty window. It’s only because of its outstanding warranty that the CJE-1000 receives better than a below average score in the category – it receives an average 3.5 out of 5 for durability.
Value
Cost and Comparison to the Top Rated Juice Fountain Compact
The CJE-1000 normally retails online for anywhere between $110 and $140. At this price point it’s slightly more expensive than the top rated approximately $100 Breville Juice Fountain Compact. Is there anything about the CJE-1000 that would compel us to recommend it over the Compact? There really is not. The most obvious difference between the two juicers is the fact that the Compact is a single speed juicer while the Cuisinart is a 5 speed juicer, but we’ve already discussed how this increased number of speeds really doesn’t aid the juicer’s performance and only makes it more difficult to use. Otherwise, the CJE-1000 has a stainless steel finish while the Compact does not. Is this stainless steel finish worth the extra few dollars to get the Cuisinart? Maybe. But even if you were to spend a bit more to get a centrifugal juicer in this finish, is this enough of a benefit to offset the CJE-1000’s many design flaws and its underperformance in our juicing performance tests? We don’t believe it is. Our recommendation therefore is that you buy the Breville Compact instead. The CJE-1000 is only recommended for users looking to purchase this juicer to match other Cuisinart appliances they may already have and are willing to put up with possible reliability issues and the juicer’s lackluster juicing performance.