Pros
- Obtains well above average yields juicing grapes and reasonable yields juicing oranges – obtains good yields juicing softer produce
- Obtains exceptional yields juicing wheatgrass
- Extracts a relatively pulp-free juice no matter what fruit or vegetable is juiced
- Is constructed of mostly dishwasher-safe parts – a unique feature for a slow juicer
- Is extremely versatile – much more so than any other type of juicer and even most juicers of the same type
Cons
- Has a very small feeding chute – only 1.5 inches in diameter – which makes food preparation (cutting of produce before juicing) a chore
- Obtains poor yields juicing leafy greens and especially hard produce such as carrots
- Takes a long time to process produce – further adds to the time requirement for using this juicer
- Is inherently difficult to use because of the type of juicer that it is
- Comes with only a 5-year warranty (compared to similar models that come with 10+ year warranties)
- Not a very good value despite its low price because of its poor performance in many of our juicing performance tests
Contents
Model Notes
This juicer is available in four different colors/finishes: silver (Kuvings NJE-3580U), chrome (NJE-3570U), white (NJE-3540U), and white and green (NJE-3530U). Even though each finish corresponds to a different model number (given in parentheses), please note that all four “models” are identical in every way except for their color/finish. Therefore, the following review does not only apply to the specific model we tested, the NJE-3580U, but it also applies to the Kuvings NJE-3570U, NJE-3540U, and NJE-3530U as well.
Assembly
The Kuvings NJE-3580U is a highly versatile machine that can be assembled for a myriad of different applications. It can be assembled for juicing, mincing, making pasta, making rice cakes, or for basic crushing and/or grinding – crushing ice, for example. Each application requires the use of different parts. Let’s start off with the parts required for juicing.
Kuvings NJE 3580u parts list
- Food pusher
- Hopper
- Drum, feed chute
- Auger
- Juicing strainer
- Drum cap
- Juicing nozzle
- Main body
- Juice container
- Pulp container
Notes
The included juicing nozzle is non-adjustable. We’ll discuss why this is important later on in our review.
There are eight total nozzles included with your purchase. Two of the eight are identical – the two included juicing nozzles. The extra nozzle is included should you lose or damage the first. There are six other nozzles included for use in different applications (all of which we discuss below).
Mincing – Parts List
- food pusher
- hopper
- drum, feed chute
- auger
- blank screen
- drum cap
- mincing nozzle
- main body
- pulp container
Notes
To set up the Kuvings for mincing simply replace the juicing strainer with the included blank screen and the juicing nozzle with the included mincing nozzle. With this setup all processed food will exit the juicer through the pulp outlet so the juice container is no longer necessary. By using the juicer as a mincer you can make ice cream with frozen fruits, make purees and sauces, and even grind meat, herbs, and seasonings. All of these tasks require using the blank screen and the mincing nozzle.
Making Pasta
Making pasta entails using all of the same parts listed for mincing, except the mincing nozzle is replaced with one of the four included pasta making nozzles. Each nozzle has a unique design to allow for making different types of pasta. We can label the nozzles according to the size and shape of the holes on the nozzles. The nozzles can be labeled
- Round Large
- Round Small
- Flat Large
- Flat Small
Using the round large nozzle will allow you to make thick round pasta. Using the round small nozzle will allow you to make thinner round pasta, and so on and so forth.
Making Rice Cakes
To make rice cakes you can use almost all of the same parts required for mincing. The only part that needs to be replaced is the nozzle. Replace the mincing nozzle with the rice cake nozzle to make rice cakes.
Grinding/Crushing
To set up the juicer for basic grinding or crushing use all of the same parts required for mincing but remove the mincing nozzle. By employing this setup you’ll be able to do things like crush ice.
Assembling the Juicer for Juicing
To assemble the juicer for juicing start by attaching the hopper to the feeding chute of the drum assembly. Take this whole assembly and secure it to the main body. Turn the locking clip to the “OPEN” position when first placing the drum onto the main body and then turn it to the “LOCK” position to lock it into place.
Next, take the auger, metal end first, and fit it into the main body. It should firmly lock into place like the drum assembly. The juicing strainer is the next part to be assembled. It fits over the juicing auger inside the drum assembly. Make sure that the part of the strainer marked “UP” is facing upward. Next, secure the drum cap to the exposed end of the drum assembly by turning it counterclockwise to tighten. In the same way secure the juicing nozzle to the drum cap, once again turning it counterclockwise to tighten. This completes assembly and the juicer is now ready to juice properly prepared fruits and vegetables (more on this “proper preparation” later on in our review).
Notes and Comments
The juicer’s manual instructs the user to assemble the drum, auger, strainer, drum cap, and nozzle first and then fit all of these parts, already assembled as one piece, together onto the main body. We found it easier to fit the drum onto the main body first and then assemble the rest of the parts from there one part at a time directly onto the juicer. Doing things this way allowed us to have both hands free to handle the auger, strainer, etc. since the juicer was doing the job of holding the drum assembly in place – something that we would have had to do had we followed the manual’s instructions, exactly as they’re written.
The Negatives
As is true for other juicers in its class (horizontal masticating) assembling the Kuvings is straightforward and intuitive except for the last two steps, assembling the drum cap and juicing nozzle. Both parts require that you turn them counterclockwise to tighten. Do note that while this counts against the ease of assembly when it comes to comparing the Kuvings to vertical masticating juicers and centrifugal juicers, it does not count against it when we compare it to juicers of the same type. We have this same complaint with all other horizontal masticating juicers we tested including the top-rated Omega NC800 – all feature the same counterintuitive means to tighten both the drum cap and juicing nozzle. As we discuss in our NC800 review, this isn’t as much of a problem as it is a nagging irritation. When testing the juicing performance of the Kuvings, we repeatedly had to assemble and disassemble it to clean it in between the numerous tests we performed. Almost every time we assembled it we were fiddling around with the drum cap and the juicing nozzle trying to get it tightened and secured to the main assembly. Why were we having trouble? Because we were trying to tighten these parts by turning them clockwise. Why were we doing so? Because almost everything else we’ve ever tightened has required us to tighten it by turning clockwise. Again, this is only a nagging irritation and, if you’re paying attention and have enough experience using this type of juicer it should go away. In our case, being newcomers to using this type of juicer when starting testing, it was more of an irritation than it should have been.
The Positives
On to the good things that make assembling the Kuvings a little bit easier than the competition. A part that may give a new user some trouble during assembly is the juicing strainer. To the untrained eye it looks to be a symmetrical part that can fit into the drum in any orientation. This isn’t the case, however. Thankfully, Kuvings has clearly marked the top of the strainer “UP” which takes the guesswork out of fitting the strainer into the drum assembly correctly. Lastly, we found it a welcome addition for the manufacture to clearly mark the locking clip “LOCK” and “OPEN” which simplifies attaching the drum to the main body. On some juicers in this class (the Tribest Solostar 4, for example) the locking clip isn’t labeled. The user has to fit the drum and lock it into place through a bit of trial and error, unless of course he or she is directly referencing the manual or has a bit of experience using the juicer. On the Kuvings you simply have to turn the locking clip to the desired position using clearly marked labels.
In Summary
The Kuvings, like other juicers in its class, is only really difficult to assemble the first few times you put it together. With even a little bit of experience you’ll be putting it together, fully assembling it from start to finish in less than 30 seconds. This isn’t much more time than it takes the average user to assemble a centrifugal juicer – the typical centrifugal juicer took us just over 20 seconds to fully assemble. And it’s even faster to assemble than most vertical masticating juicers – these took us closer to 40 seconds to assemble on average. That being said, once again like other juicers in its class, new users and forgetful users alike will be cursing at the counterintuitive means by which the last two parts are fitted to the main assembly. It’s a nuisance that we’ve spent too much time discussing already, but it’s one that we note nonetheless and is the reason for the slightly less than perfect 5 out of 5 we give the Kuvings for assembly difficulty.
Food Preparation
Most centrifugal juicers have large 3-inch diameter feeding chutes that require that few fruits and vegetables be cut into smaller pieces prior to juicing them. Most types of produce can be fed whole into a centrifugal juicer. Most masticating juicers, on the other hand, have smaller diameter feeding chutes that require exactly the opposite – a lot of cutting and chopping of most types of fruits and vegetables prior to juicing them. The Kuvings NJE-3580U is no exception to this rule. We had to cut almost every fruit and vegetable we tested juicing with it. The only produce we didn’t have to cut was pre-cut spinach and wheatgrass.
The Kuvings NJE-3580U’s 1.5-inch diameter feeding chute is certainly very much responsible for your having to cut most types of fruits and vegetables prior to juicing them. However, two other factors also contribute to this requirement namely, juicer type and produce type. Different types of juicers handle and process produce differently and as such require that fruits and vegetables be cut into different sizes for maximum efficiency. Different types of produce vary in their overall composition and consistency. These characteristics dictate how much manual cutting and chopping is required before handing off this task to the juicer. For a complete detailed analysis of how chute width in combination with juicer type and produce type dictate food preparation requirements see here.
Food Preparation Results
The table below shows how much cutting was required for each of the produce items we juiced with the NJE-3580U to test it for juice yield (during our juicing performance tests). The table shows exactly how long (in seconds) it took us to cut each produce item to size for juicing with the NJE-3580U, specifically, but it also shows the average time (in seconds) it took us to cut the same quantity of the same type of produce to the same size for all of the juicers we tested that required that the same type of produce be cut to the same size. For more information on why we’ve added these average times to the table and why they are actually more important than model specific times please see here.
| 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 |
The NJE-3580U is both a horizontal masticating juicer and has a below average sized feeding chute. Not surprisingly, it required more preparation of fruits and vegetables prior to juicing them than most other juicers we tested for review. As such it receives a well below average 2.5 out of 5 for food preparation.
Note
We cut apples into 32 smaller wedges for juicing with the NJE-3580U and only 16 smaller wedges for juicing with the J8006. Since both juicers have exactly the same size 1.5-inch diameter feeding chutes and both juicers are horizontal masticating juicers juicing the exact same type of fruit you might be wondering, if you’ve read our Omega 8006 review, why more cutting was required for the Kuvings than for the Omega. The reason for this is actually very simple. We cut apples into smaller pieces longitudinally for all other juicers that required that apples be cut into smaller pieces prior to juicing them. It was our mistake to cut the apples we used for juicing with the Kuvings cross-sectionally when we cut them from 8 large wedges into 16 smaller wedges. Because they were cut cross-sectionally they were too large to fit into the juicer at this stage of the cutting process. This is the reason why we had to cut them further – into 32 wedges – to fit them into the juicer.
Our mistake taught us a valuable lesson that also serves as a useful tip for you, should you end up buying a small diameter masticating juicer. Always cut spherical fruits longitudinally when preparing them for juicing. This makes for less work for you preparing them for juicing and also reduces the time it takes you to prepare them for juicing.
Kuvings NJE-3580U Performance
To test the NJE-3580U for juicing performance we first juiced 7 different fruits and vegetables one at a time and then juiced 5 different fruits and vegetables all at the same time – for a total of 8 different tests. For the first 6 tests we juiced exactly 1 lb. of each fruit or vegetable – 1 lb. of oranges, then 1 lb. of grapes, etc. For the 7th test we juiced 4 oz. of wheatgrass. For the last test we juiced 1 lb. of oranges and 4 oz. each of spinach, apples, celery, and carrots alternating feeding each into the juicer throughout the test. The table below shows the out of juicer yield for each of these tests and the after sieve yield for the first 7 tests. We didn’t run the juice we extracted from the final test (the combination test) through a sieve to weigh it.
OJ = out of juicer yield. AS = after sieve yield. All results below are in ounces.
| Oranges | Grapes | Carrots | Celery | Apples | Spinach | Wheatgrass | Combination | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OJ | AS | OJ | AS | OJ | AS | OJ | AS | OJ | AS | OJ | AS | OJ | AS | OJ | AS |
| 10.0 | 9.5 | 13.8 | 13.6 | 6.0 | 5.6 | 11.4 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 8.4 | 7.1 | 6.3 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 20.7 | NA |
For more information on the difference between out of juicer yield and after sieve yield as well as a discussion on some of the more nuanced points of our testing procedure please see here, where we discuss our testing methodology in great detail.
The Juicer’s Juicing Nozzle and How It Relates to Its Performance
In our Omega NC800 review, we discuss at length how its adjustable juicing nozzle impacts the difficulty of using the juicer on a daily basis to juice different fruits and vegetables. The nozzle has to constantly be adjusted to allow the juicer to juice properly and efficiently. Unlike the NC800, the NJE-3580U does not come equipped with an adjustable juicing nozzle. Its juicing nozzle is simply tightened onto the drum cap as much as it can possibly be tightened. Again, it’s not adjustable. There aren’t any numbers on its juicing nozzle designating different pressure levels as there are on the NC800’s adjustable juicing nozzle. This definitely makes operating the NJE-3580U easier but does it come at the cost of reduced juicing performance – i.e. lower yields? The answer is, according to our testing, only negligibly so. Only when we were juicing grapes did we see the Kuvings’ lack of having an adjustable juicing nozzle have any type of impact on its performance. During all other 7 juicing tests it performed without issue.
In order to understand how the Kuvings’ lack of having an adjustable juicing nozzle impacted its performance when juicing grapes, specifically, we first have to explain what the juicing nozzle’s function is – in other words, what having an adjustable juicing nozzle enables the juicer to do. Note as you read the paragraphs below that a non-adjustable nozzle is essentially equivalent to a fully tightened adjustable nozzle.
The juicing nozzle is the mechanism by which pulp is ejected out of the juicer. An adjustable juicing nozzle can be tightened to increase the amount of pressure within the drum assembly. This allows for maximum juice extraction. Conversely, it can be loosened to decrease the amount of pressure in the drum assembly. This allows pulp to more freely be ejected from the juicer but also reduces juice yield – the fruit or vegetable isn’t “squeezed” as much as it is when the nozzle is tightened.
Of course, we always want to juice for maximum yield and thus will almost always want to set an adjustable juicing nozzle to its fully tightened setting. The only instance in which loosening the juicing nozzle is even necessary is when juicing only soft produce (the word “only” here meaning not in combination with other produce). Thus, an adjustable juicing nozzle’s only advantage over a non-adjustable nozzle is when juicing such produce.
The one adverse side effect of having the juicing nozzle fully tightened or, in this case having a non-adjustable juicing nozzle, is that it will prevent proper pulp ejection for certain soft produce items. Lack of proper pulp ejection can cause a variety of problems, including excessive pulp accumulation within the drum assembly which reduces juicing efficiency. This is exactly what happened when we juiced grapes with the Kuvings NJE-3580U.
After several minutes of juicing grapes we noticed that barely any pulp had ejected out of the juicer. We proceeded to hit the reverse button to get a better look at what exactly was going on inside of the drum assembly and, sure enough, a large quantity of pulp was pushed back up the feed chute – pulp that was hiding inside of the drum assembly and not being properly ejected out of the juicer. The culprit? Its non-adjustable juicing nozzle.
Note that the Kuvings had no trouble juicing oranges (due to a non-adjustable juicing nozzle), only grapes. Proper pulp ejection was made possible for oranges most likely because oranges are not 100% a soft fruit. Most of the orange absolutely qualifies as being “soft” but it also contains a harder, less easy to juice pith. It is this pith that we believe facilitated successful pulp ejection for the oranges that we juiced.
Also note that despite these issues, the Kuvings NJE-3580U’s grape juice yield was actually very high compared to most other juicers we tested. Its out of juicer grape juice yield of 13.8 oz. placed it in a two-way tie for 2nd in this category among the 14 slow juicers tested – a very good result. The problems we noted above are only a nuisance. As pulp accumulates in the drum assembly it becomes more and more difficult to actually push the produce down into the feed chute to facilitate proper juicing. The longer you juice – the more grapes you juice – in one session, the more pronounced this problem will be.
Time To Juice
In addition to yield we also take into account the time it takes any particular juicer to juice different types of produce when assessing its overall juicing performance. The table below shows how long it took us to juice each produce item we tested with the NJE-3580U and compares those times to those of other top-rated juicers.
In the table below time is given in the following format: “minutes:seconds”.
| Oranges | Grapes | Carrots | Celery | Apples | Spinach | Wheatgrass | Combination | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuvings NJE-3580U | 1:55 | 4:04 | 3:42 | 5:27 | 4:59 | 10:07 | 5:50 | 7:26 |
| Omega NC800 | 1:13 | 2:40 | 2:30 | 4:05 | 4:53 | 6:50 | 6:00 | 4:35 |
| Omega 8004/8006 | 1:58 | 2:04 | 2:53 | 4:03 | 4:27 | 11:20 | 7:06 | 7:02 |
| Tribest GSE | 3:49 | 3:28 | 3:19 | 2:34 | 3:30 | 7:27 | 3:20 | 8:44 |
Notes
- Juicing grapes took an especially long time because we repeatedly (two times) stopped juicing to check parts (drum cap and juicing nozzle) to see if something was wrong because pulp wasn’t ejecting out of the juicer at nearly as fast of a rate as it should (see our discussion regarding the juicer’s juicing nozzle above).
- The time it took us to juice celery was made slightly longer because some pieces were cut smaller midway through juicing to facilitate the auger catching them more easily (we noted after juicing for a few minutes that smaller pieces were getting caught by the auger more easily than larger pieces).
- A few apple pieces were cut while juicing which increased overall apple juicing time. Similar to what happened with the NC800, pulp also accumulated more so than it should have in the drum assembly while juicing apples. With reference to our earlier discussion on how the Kuvings’ lack of an adjustable juicing nozzle affected its juicing performance, we can, with confidence, say that this was not the reason why the Kuvings had difficulty juicing apples. More likely to have caused pulp build up in the drum assembly is the juicer’s design. We did, as we just mentioned, see the exact same thing happen with the Omega NC800, which shares a very similar design with the Kuvings and does have an adjustable juicing nozzle, which we adjusted while testing apples, and had little to no impact on this pulp build up issue in the Omega.
Juicing Performance Summary and Score
The NJE-3580U’s performance in our juicing tests with regards to yield is quite the mixed bag. Its orange, celery, and apple juice yields are average. Its spinach and carrot juice yields are well below average. And its grape, wheatgrass, and combination yields are well above average. The fact that it performed below average juicing spinach and carrot is interesting because these two vegetables are two of the three most difficult to juice produce items we tested. What’s even more interesting is the fact that it performed well above average juicing what is perhaps the most difficult to juice produce item of all – wheatgrass. And so, we’re left scratching our collective heads trying to make sense of these test results in order to make a judgment regarding the juicer’s overall performance. Is it a good juicer for most things or is it not?
Our final word on the Kuvings NJE-3580U is that it certainly does a great job of juicing many fruits and vegetables but, unfortunately, not all of them. It actually does a terrible job of juicing root vegetables such as carrots and leafy greens such as spinach or kale – and these may very well be the two types of vegetables you’re most likely to juice. The Kuvings is also not recommended if the time it takes you to juice is an important consideration for you. It took us much longer to juice most fruits and vegetables with the NJE-3580U than it did with most other slow juicers we tested. All things considered we give the Kuvings NJE-3580U a disappointing 3.5 out of 5 for overall juicing performance. Its exceptionally poor performance juicing carrots and leafy greens is just too much of a negative for us to consider its overall performance anything better than average.
Cleaning
Cleaning the NJE-3580U took us a little bit longer than cleaning most other horizontal masticating juicers we tested for two reasons. First, it had slightly more parts to clean. The NJE-3580U has a juicing nozzle – an extra part you won’t find (or have to clean) on either the Hamilton Beach 67950A or Omega J8006. The NJE-3580U’s hopper also comes apart from the main drum assembly – an extra part that we didn’t have to clean separately when cleaning the Omega NC800. Finally, the NJE-3580U’s juice container has a lid – a great addition that limits splashing within the container as juice pours into it from the juicer’s juice outlet, but an extra part that requires cleaning that isn’t included with any other horizontal masticating juicer we tested.
The second reason it took us longer to clean the NJE-3580U is its juicing strainer’s design. The juicing strainer is always the part composing a horizontal masticating juicer that’s most difficult to clean. However, the Kuvings NJE-3580U’s juicing strainer was especially difficult to clean even compared to other strainers of other horizontal masticating juicers. The Kuvings’ strainer (like other strainers of other horizontal masticating juicers) is composed of plastic pieces holding together the metal parts of the strainer. The areas where the metal parts of the strainer make contact with the plastic parts of the strainer are where pulp tends to collect (and eventually harden and deposit) the most. These are the areas on the strainer that are most difficult to clean. The NJE-3580U’s strainer simply has more of these points of contact and thus its strainer has more areas that are difficult to clean than the strainers of the other horizontal masticating juicers we tested.
Despite these setbacks we were still able to clean the NJE-3580U faster than most vertical masticating and most centrifugal juicers we tested. Vertical masticating juicers took us about 5 minutes to clean on average while centrifugal juicers took us about 6 minutes to clean on average. The Kuvings NJE-3580U took us about 4 minutes, 40 seconds to clean which is about 1 minute longer than the approximately 3 and a half to 4 minutes it took us to clean most other horizontal masticating juicers we tested.
Note
The juicer’s manual recommends that the rubber ring that fits into the its drum cap be removed for cleaning. Although we didn’t remove this part when cleaning the juicer during our testing, it really should be removed to clean the juicer thoroughly. This rubber ring is yet another part that has to be cleaned separately when cleaning the Kuvings NJE-3580U that doesn’t have to be removed and cleaned when cleaning most of the other horizontal masticating juicers we tested.
Kuvings NJE-3580U Cleaning Method and Tools
We used warm soapy water, a microfiber cloth, and the cleaning brush included with the juicer to clean all of its parts.
Dishwasher Safe Parts
Kuvings NJE-3580U is one of only two slow juicers we tested (recall that we tested 14) that is composed of mostly dishwasher safe parts. Its manual states that all parts, except the juicing strainer – in other words, 9 of the 10 parts we hand washed during testing – are dishwasher safe, provided they’re only placed on the dishwasher’s top shelf. The manual also recommends that a low temperature setting be used.
Staining and Deposits
Almost all of the Kuvings’ parts that come into contact with food are made of the same type of clear but darkened plastic. We did not observe any staining on these parts during testing. The one part that comes into contact with food and is not made of this type of plastic is the auger, which is also made of some type of plastic but a more durable, thicker plastic that’s green in color. We didn’t observe any staining on this part either during testing, even after juicing the most likely to stain vegetables we tested – carrots and spinach.
Cleaning Summary and Overall Score
The NJE-3580U has plenty of quirks that make it slightly more difficult to clean than most other horizontal masticating juicers we tested. However, it’s still easier to clean than almost every vertical masticating or centrifugal juicer we tested. It also features dishwasher resistant parts. Although we do not recommend that you clean any part of any juicer using a dishwasher, even if its manual specifies that you can, some consumers may very well want to do so. And as such we have to take this unique “feature” into consideration when trying to decide on the score we give the NJE-3580U in this category. When we do, the fact that its composed of dishwasher safe parts offsets the fact that it has a greater number and more difficult to clean parts than its competition. We give it the same score we gave most other horizontal masticating juicers we tested – an almost perfect 4.5 out of 5.
Ease of Use
Initial Learning Curve
Juicing with a masticating juicer requires that specific techniques be employed in order to be able to juice most efficiently – to extract a maximum amount of juice. Anyone can cut produce to fit a juicer’s feeding chute, push the produce down into the feeding chute, and extract juice. However, certain techniques must be employed in order to juice with maximum efficiency. Some juicers require a greater number of techniques and/or more complex techniques than others. As such, the difficulty of learning these techniques and perfecting them varies from juicer type to juicer type and model to model.
The Kuvings NJE-3580U is a horizontal masticating juicer and as such requires that certain techniques be employed that are specific to using this type of juicer. The two most difficult techniques to master are (1) proper food preparation and (2) juicing nozzle adjustment.
Proper Food Preparation
What do we mean by proper food preparation? Proper food preparation involves not simply cutting produce to a size that will fit into its feeding chute. Instead, it involves cutting produce to a size and shape that will be processed by the juicer most efficiently. Learning how to do so for a horizontal masticating juicer involves having a complete and proper understanding of the juicing process- more specifically, the path that the produce must take in order to be processed by the juicer. We will discuss this path and how it relates to proper food preparation in just a bit as it also relates to how difficult it is to push produce into this type of juicer – a topic we cover in our assessment of the continued difficulty of using the juicer on a day to day basis later on in this review.
Juicing Nozzle
We discussed the NJE-3580U’s juicing nozzle at length earlier in this review when we discussed its role with regard to juicer performance. Relative to the current discussion we will simply note here that the NJE-3580U’s lack of an adjustable juicing nozzle makes it much easier to learn how to juice efficiently this this juicer than it is to learn how to juice with juicers that do come equipped with an adjustable juicing nozzle – juicers such as the Omega NC800.
Continued Difficulty
When you first purchase the NJE-3580U you’ll have to learn certain techniques that will enable you to juice with it as efficiently as you possibly can. There’s a certain difficulty associated with learning these techniques which we just discussed. In contrast, the discussion below has to with the continued difficulty of using the juicer on a daily basis.
How Hard Is It to Push Produce into The Juicer?
Pushing produce into a horizontal masticating juicer such as the NJE-3580U is not an easy thing to do. We discuss why it is so difficult in this part of our general buyer’s guide.
Other Design Choices and Features that Improve or Detract from Ease of Use
Weight and Carrying Handle
The NJE-3580U’s body weighs 11 lb. 12 oz. and fully assembled the whole juicer including all of its parts weighs 13 lb. 10 oz. At this weight the juicer is still very easy to move around in your kitchen. Weight only really becomes a concern (in terms of portability) when a juicer weighs closer to 20 lb. We only tested two such juicers – the Tribest Green Star Elite and the Champion juicer.
The NJE-3580U’s body weight and fully assembled weight is very close to the weight of all the other horizontal masticating juicers we tested.
Buttons and Controls
The juicer has only one switch which is very clearly marked “FORWARD”, “STOP”, and “REVERSE”. Many other juicers we tested of the same type do not have a switch that’s labeled, meaning that you’ll have to rely on either the juicer’s manual or your memory in order to remember which direction to flip the switch to run it forward vs running it in reverse. This is not an issue with the NJE-3580U.
Power Cord
The NJE-3580U has a very long 63.5-inch power cord, which means that you’ll have quite a bit of flexibility in terms of where you’ll be able to place your juicer on the countertop. Juicers with short power cords require that you place the juicer close to an available wall outlet. Such requirements are not as stringent with the NJE-3580U.
A more unique characteristic of this juicer is the fact that it features power cord management. There are tabs underneath the juicer body that enable you to fasten a power cord around them. This allows for much easier storage of the juicer.
Other Factors That Affect Ease of Use
Manual Quality
A juicer can be made much easier to use if its manual is thorough and complete in its explanations of how to use the juicer most efficiently. The NJE-3580U comes with a good quality manual that explains the ins and outs of using the juicer very well. Diagrams that describe juicer assembly, disassembly, and proper use of the juicer are of a very high quality and underneath all of these diagrams are very clear and to the point text directions. The manual also includes about 16 juicer recipes which is a nice added bonus.
Parts and Their Properties
Most masticating juicer manufacturers include a juice and pulp container with the purchase of their juicers. These containers are normally designed in such a way that they are accommodating to the juicer’s design. For example, juice containers for horizontal masticating juicers such as the NJE-3580U are short and squat so that they can fit underneath the drum assembly.
Speaking of the NJE-3580U’s juice container, it was the smallest of all of the included juice containers for all of the slow juicers we tested. Its volume was measured to be only 20 oz., a full 6 oz. less than the volume of the next smallest juice container (that of the Hamilton Beach 67950A). Juice containers for most other horizontal masticating juicers we tested had volumes measured between 32 and 34 oz.
Juice container volume is important because it determines how often the juice container needs to be emptied when juicing a large quantity of produce. For example, the NJE-3580U’s juice container was so small that we had to empty it about 90% through our combination juicing test – something that we didn’t have to do for any other juicer we tested.
The juicer’s pulp container is also relatively small with a measured volume of 40 oz. However, this volume puts it neck and neck with the volume of pulp containers included with most other juicers we tested of the same type.
Ease of Use Summary and Score
The NJE-3580U is first and foremost a horizontal masticating juicer. Juicer type is very much the primary factor dictating how difficult it is to use any particular juicer and as such the NJE-3580U has a particular learning curve and continued difficulty that very closely resembles that every other juicer of the same type that we tested. Compared to one such juicer in particular, the top rated Omega NC800, the Kuvings, for one, doesn’t have an adjustable juicing nozzle which definitely makes it easier to learn using the NJE-3580U than it is to learn using the NC800. It also comes with better labeled buttons and controls, power cord management which the Omega doesn’t have, and a much better manual. The one negative for the NJE-3580U in terms of the everyday difficulty of using it is its tiny juice container. Having to empty and replace the juice container because of its small volume can certainly be chalked up as being only an insignificant nuisance. However, for those consumers who plan on juicing large quantities of produce on a regular basis it can be a deal breaker. When it comes to scoring each juicer for ease of use we give the NJE-3580U exactly the same score we gave the NC800 – a 2.5 out of 5. In our opinion, when assessing its ease of use compared to the Omega, the positives associated with the Kuvings’ lack of having an adjustable juicing nozzle and its excellent manual are easily offset by what we consider to be very large negative – its very small juice container. Both juicers score as low as they do overall because of the difficulties associated with using this type juicer in particular (stringent food preparation requirements because of their small feeding chutes, etc.).
Versatility
The NJE-3580U receives a perfect 5 out of 5 for versatility. For our comments regarding all the different applications it can be used for and how to assemble it for those applications click here to go to the relevant part of this review.
Durability
Build Quality and Materials
There is a definite difference between the quality of the parts composing the NJE-3580U and those parts composing more expensive masticating juicers such as the Omega NC800 and J8006 and the vertical masticating juicers we tested. From our observations we can confidently say that the parts composing the NJE-3580U are definitely made using cheaper, thinner, less durable plastics and cheaper less durable metals. This goes for all parts including (1) the clear but darkened plastic parts used to construct the hopper, drum, feeding chute, drum cap, and juicing nozzle, (2) the green plastic used to construct the auger, (3) the black plastic parts of the juicing strainer, (4) the metal parts of the juicing strainer, and (5) all of the plastic and metal parts comprising the main body of the juicer.
Note that the juicer’s actual build quality is good. Only the materials used for its parts are of a lesser quality than comparable parts on comparable juicers.
Consumer Feedback
The NJE-3580U has received fewer consumer reviews than most other slow juicers we tested, primarily because it isn’t nearly as popular as the other juicers we tested. Of the reviews we did survey only about 10% were negative (we consider a negative review to be any review with a rating less than 3 out of 5 stars). Many of the negative reviewers, like us, were very much concerned with the low quality of the materials used for the juicer’s construction.
Brand Reputation and Quality of Support
Kuvings is very much a reputable brand that is very well respected in the juicer community. Their flagship product, the Kuvings B6000 whole slow juicer, is one of the most well-made best performing slow juicers we tested and is very well reviewed by most other consumer publications also. Kuvings is a Korean company (they are headquartered in South Korea) that has offices throughout the world, including the United States (in Elk Grove Village, IL). It shouldn’t come as a surprise then, that all of their juicers are manufactured in Korea while their US customer service is conducted via their offices in the United States. Note that most other slow juicers we tested are also manufactured in Korea (including Omega, Tribest, and Hurom slow juicers). The difference between Kuvings and other manufacturers (Omega and Tribest, specifically) is that Kuvings’ headquarters is located in Korea while company headquarters for Omega and Tribest appear to be located in the United States.
That is not to say that you’ll receive better customer service from Omega and Tribest than you will from Kuvings. In fact, our research has led us to believe exactly the opposite. Like Omega and Tribest, Kuvings provides several means by which to contact them for support. They provide an email address, toll free phone number, and physical address by which to contact them. Unlike Omega and Tribest, however, Kuvings also provides an online warranty request form which greatly simplifies the process by which you can start a warranty claim.
Warranty
The NJE-3580U comes with only a 5-year warranty. Similar juicers from Omega (the NC800 and J8006) and Tribest (the Solostar 4) have warranties three times longer in length (15 years). The Kuvings warranty is similar to Omega warranties in that there do not appear to be any parts composing the juicer that are excluded from the warranty. Tribest warranties, on the other hand, do list exclusions. The Solostar 4’s warranty, for example, doesn’t cover the juicer’s juice or pulp containers or plunger.
Summary and Score
Despite the fact its warranty is not nearly as long in its duration we do feel very strongly about the fact that it’s so much easier claiming the NJE-3580U’s warranty using Kuvings’ online warranty request form than it is claiming the warranties of juicers manufactured by companies that only process warranty claims via email or phone (Omega, Tribest, etc.). We didn’t even mention above that Kuvings also covers shipping and handling costs should a warranty be claimed within the first year of purchase. Omega, Tribest, etc. do not.
That being said, we cannot look past the fact that the NJE-3580U is absolutely made using cheaper less durable parts than most other slow juicers we tested for review. It is primarily for this reason but also because of its shorter 5 year warranty that we have to give the Kuvings a less than average 3 out of 5 for durability.
Value
Bonus Accessories
In addition to a juicing nozzle six other nozzles are included with your purchase of this juicer: a mincing nozzle, four different pasta nozzles, and a rice cake nozzle. These nozzles are a great bonus considering the fact that most other horizontal juicers we reviewed either came with no extra nozzles, or only three extra nozzles. The Omega J8006 was the only juicer of this type that we tested that also comes with six extra nozzles.
Initial Cost
Perhaps the greatest factor contributing to our overall positive assessment of the Kuvings NJE-3580U is its low price. It sells from anywhere between $200 and $230 at most online retailers. This makes it the second least expensive slow juicer we tested. The only slow juicer we tested that can be had at a lower price is the Hamilton Beach 67950A which normally retails for about $190. Most of the NJE-3580U’s competitors are priced closer to $300. The Tribest Solostar 4 can be had at a price in the mid $200s but Omega options start at around $300.
Long Term Cost
We discuss the long term cost of juicer ownership and how it relates to juicer value in great detail here. We encourage you to read our thoughts on the subject before making any juicer purchase if price considerations are important to you.
Value Summary
The NJE-3580U’s low initial cost is very much a positive with regards to its value. However, the initial cost of a juicer only tells a fraction of the “juicer value story”, if you will. For reasons we outline in the write-up we referenced above we give the NJE-3580U only a 3 out of 5 for value, despite its low price.