L'Equip 221 Juice/Pulp Extractor

I wish I had listened to E.Buhkman of Ohio's review, instead I went with the others. I have owned at least four other brands of juicers, for the money this is probably the worst. It produces very little juice and it stopped the second time I used it, while only juicing carrots and cabbage. I was really looking forward to the extra large chute(BAA HUM BUG!!!) it is only slightly larger than the Juiceman juicer. I had to clean it after two carrots to get it to start again. When I pushed the on button it hummed and gradually started again, only to give little juice,I found the rest of the juice when I squeezed the pulp. It was medium as far as sound. The basket takes a little extra to remove. I gave it two stars because it looks cute. If you still want to purchase one of these, I'll gladly sell mine.

Update: August 23, 2004

More than two years after my initial review (see below from June, 2002), this juicer is still going strong and I still love it. I'm at a loss to explain the problems that other people have had with theirs because they just haven't happened with mine. A few times the blades made some louder than normal sounds but I just pressed down on the dome a bit and that took care of that. No one has mentioned any other brand that they like better so for my money I'm sticking with my L'Equip!

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I've been using the L'Equip 221 for several months now, and I just love it. While doing research on juicers I heard rumors that it tended to break more often than it's chief rival, the Omega 4000, but it has worked perfectly right out of the box without any problems at all.

It has the most powerful motor of any home juicer on the market, and with its extra-wide...Read more

The main selling point of this juicer was the pulp extractor and the option to attach a catch bag for the pulp. This made for extended use without having to stop and change a filter or empty the main compartment. The very first day I had this I juiced 25 lbs of beets, 25 lbs of golden beets, 8 lbs of parsley, 6 lbs of cilantro and 11 lbs of red peppers. I did not have one problem and the whole list only took about an hour from start to finish. That is professional endurance that I am looking for. This efficient machine is now a permanent fixture in my kitchen. As the Chef des Cuisine for The Dining Room at the Inn on Biltmore Estate, I would highly recommend this brand and model to other professional chefs and serious home juicers.

With a hand-shake in mind,
Charles "Chet" Thompson, CCC MAT
Inn on Biltmore Estate