A review of Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer Express

The Jack LaLanne Power Juicer Express was delivered to me as a gift. The appliance was packed securely in foam and was easy to remove with the help of my daughter who tugged on the box as I lifted the appliance.

The user manual is easy to read and understand.The manual lists all the parts and accessories that come with the juicer; all were present and accounted for. I had the juicer unpacked and ready to use within 15 minutes (that included hand-washing it prior to use), and I'm known to be instruction-challenged.

Wash the juicer before using it. Allow it a few minutes to drain or dry it gently with paper towels (cloth towels might leave behind lint, especially in the juicer/shredder area.

The juicer disassembled easily. As with too many things I've disassembled in the past, I worried that this would be difficult to put back together. It was not. Each piece locks into place, so there's no way to do this wrong.

The instruction manual says to run the juicer for a short time before adding produce. When I did this the first time, there was no sound. My problem was that the pulp container was not securely popped into place. Once I did that, the juicer started up just fine.

I've seen all the documentaries about people losing weight by juicing, and it seems that all the drinks are green. I like green food, but green drinks are another story. So, I tried a Granny Smith apple, pear and carrot for my first juice mix. It was green until I added the carrot. That gave it an orange/dark peach color that I was even able to get my kid to drink! The Granny Smith apple gave it a little tartness, the pear made it sweet, and the carrot -- except for color -- was undetectable.

Drinking it, at first, was unsettling for my daughter. She's accustomed to the fruit juice we buy bottled from the store shelves. Not being able to see through it was something she had to get past. Once she did, she liked the taste.

I believe my family will use this juicer quite a lot. The juicer was surprisingly easy to operate in addition to being easy to put together. I washed my fruits and cut them into wedges. If the produce is small enough to fit in the chute, you don't even have to cut most of them (except fruits with pits; remove those first).

With just a little pressure on the presser, juice flowed with ease. It drips into a cup on the front of the juicer and the pulp is shot into a plastic container on the back. Next time, I'll line the pulp container with foil so the pulp will be easier to remove. (A handy recipe book included with the juicer lists many ways to use the pulp in cooking, too.)

Cleanup takes a little time; but if you are dedicated to juicing, it's worth it. There was plenty of pulp that remained on and around the juicer blades. A brush that comes with the appliance made it easier to remove.