Z Star manual juicer - wheatgrass capable
On unpacking the Z Star manual juicer it was immediately apparent that it was
going to take up less space in the kitchen than most electric powered juicers.
Setting up the Z star for use was very intuitive and simple, it could have been
done without reading the instructions in the manual. The manual is quite basic
but covers all the necessary information such as assembling and disassembling
the juicer and cleaning instructions.
Assembling
the juicer is also a very quick process. The Z star manual juicer is secured
to your kitchen worktop by a G-clamp, both the G-clamp and the juicer base have
rubber grips to prevent any damage to your work surface. The main juicer body
is made of aluminium that has been painted thus giving a rust free juicing environment.
Most of the other juicer parts are plastic. The juice screen is made from stainless
steel and a toothbrush type brush is provided to help clean the screen. With
its see through auger holder you can see the effect of the auger as it crushes
the juice out of the produce. The Z-star is certainly a good looking manual
juicer and would not look out of place in the most modern of kitchens. The crank
handle that you turn to make the auger turn is removable so when you aren't
using the juicer you can reduce the amount of room the juicer takes up. The juicer comes with a 1 year warranty.
the Z star manual juicer juiced wheatgrass very efficiently
In use the Z star feels solid and well built. Tribest, the juicer manufacturers
suggest that as well as juicing wheatgrass, the Z Star is capable of juicing
other fruits and vegetables as well as leafy greens. Sure enough the Z star
manual juicer juiced wheatgrass very efficiently, the wheatgrass pulp was quite
dry and was expelled successfully through the pulp ejection hole at the end
of the juicer. If you wish you can refeed the pulp back through the juicer to
extract any remaining juice. The juice did not contain a large amount of froth
as can be produced by some of the electric powered twin gear juicers. Feeding
wheatgrass through the Z Star took no longer than feeding it through an electric
juicer and little effort was required turning the crank handle.
The Z star did manage to juice carrots but a good deal more pressure was required
to push the carrot down onto the auger. The carrot juice also contained a good
deal of pulp and so I found it preferable to put the juice through a sieve.
The carrot pulp was successfully ejected. The Z star also managed to juice apples
although the pulp ejection system did get clogged up and I had to disassemble
the juicer to clear the blockage. Again the juice produced was quite pulpy.
I would not recommend the Z star for juicing large amounts of fruit and vegetables
but it is certainly capable of juicing small amounts even though the juice may
contain a large degree of pulp.
One design flaw of the Z star manual juicer is the juice jug that catches the
juice. It fits neatly into the juicer body but it's length reaches to right
underneath the pulp ejection hole. This means that sometimes I found the ejected
pulp falling into the juice jug, thus introducing more pulp into the juice.
How such a simple design fault could have been overlooked I am not sure. However
this can be easily remedied by using an alternative vessel for catching the
juice in.
Disassembling the Z star normally takes less than 30 seconds although I found
when juicing carrots the unlocking end part of the juicer had formed some kind
of vacuum seal with all the pulp that had been forced up against the pulp ejection
section. It required a good minute of effort in twisting the end to unlock the
juicer. Cleaning of the juicer parts was very simple and as with all juicers,
if you clean straight after juicing its a lot easier than when you have let
the pulp dry onto the screen.
My overall view of the Z star is that it is an excellent wheatgrass juicer
with the ability to juice small amounts of fruits or vegetables if necessary.
The Z star would be ideal for someone who already has a fruit and vegetable
juicer and wants to start drinking wheatgrass juice without having to buy another
more expensive wheatgrass capable juicer such as the Green Star or Twin Health
The Z star is also ideal for those who want to juice mainly wheatgrass but
would like to 'dilute' the taste with vegetable or apple juice, the Z star excels
in this area as you can juice your wheatgrass and then stick a couple of apples
or carrots through. For those short on time the Z star is also preferable to
the more complicated cleaning and assembly of the larger twin gear machines.
Happy Juicer Recommended!
Other models reviewed in this juicer comparison series include:
