An overview of the Rolls Royce of juicers: the Angel Juicer
The Angel Juicer
Consider this a tribute to the ultimate juicer machine, commonly referred to as the Angel Juicer! Angel is a company that make high end juicer machines, and their top of the range juicer has barely changed in design since 1983, when it was first sold. It is a true heavy weight, 22 pounds(!) and is built almost entirely of stainless steel.
Why is it so special? Firstly, the Angel is what is known as a masticating juicer. Check out the link if you want to learn more about the ins and outs, but basically a masticating juicer works by slowly crushing and grinding food. Usually this occurs by means of a single, slowly turning auger (or screw) that slowly pushes ingredients through a cone shaped mesh screen. The Angel Juicer is special because it uses TWO augers - this is why it's sometimes called a twin gear juicer design - to effectively double the juicing capacity. The two augers roll the ingredients between them, applying enormous pressure and releasing maximum possible juice content.
Twin gear juicers can be found from other makers, but are generally made of plastic. While this is OK for a while, plastic always wears out, and there are of course mounting concerns that plastics are leeching unknown amounts of chemicals into our foods. The Angel doesn't have to worry about this, because all the mechanism is stainless steel. Stainless steel juicers are much more robust, and this is reflected in the warranty the manufacturer gives, which is a huge 10 years. Its funny that the Angel is commonly called the "Rolls Royce of juicers", but Rolls Royce only give 5 years warranty on their luxury cars!!!
So...why hasn't everyone got an Angel Juicer? Well there is the price. It IS expensive, nearly double the price of a relatively decent single gear juicer. But you certainly get what you pay for, and if quality is high on your priority list then don't be too quick to discard the Angel. It is one of the few machines that can juice everything including wheat grass, as well as being able to make nut butters from peanuts, almonds, cashew and more. It is also the only juicer I am aware of that is able to cold press linseed oil, and flax seed oil from seed. Some people even use it to extract their own soy milk and rice milk form soaked legumes and rice grains.
There are more reviews than you will have time to read, but you will notice that everyone RAVES about how good this machine is. In terms of customer satisfaction and versatility this is one of the best machines out there.
Where to buy and how
1. Do you need a brand new one? Ebay sellers frequently sell used Angel Juicers, and since this machine is built to last, you probably expect a decent life out of a second hand one yet.
2. Angel do have their own website and direct sales via distributors, but this might not always give you a great deal. Shipping costs can also be VERY high from the dealers, as this thing weighs over 20 pounds!
3. Online stores are a good place to look for bargains, as they often clear excess stock or older models. This is where you are likely to get an excellent deal. Safe, fast and convenient.
