Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I purchased this same model in white, the J8004, from another vendor listed on the Omega website, even after reading the few negative reviews here which pointed out that bits of the auger were being chipped and shaved by the juicing screen during operation. I figured that this could simply be solved by allowing the unit to run dry for a time, and eventually a good "fit" would be made. Indeed, after allowing the unit to run for 5 minutes, the inside of the juicing screen was covered in a plastic dust that had been shaved off by metal inside the juicing screen. In terms of size of the particles, some of what I saw was like pepper, while most was very fine, like confectioner's sugar. There are irregular chips around the tip of the auger, but I haven't seen "large" pieces. I have done about 8 or 9 five-minute sessions of dry runs, and while the dust produced decreased from the first run, every session has produced visible plastic shavings. I called Omega about this. The representative said the problem is that the machine can't be run dry because of the tight fit between the auger and the juicing screen, and that the pulp waste pushed out of the front end would take the plastic shavings with it. I'm not satisfied with that response from Omega. While I'm certain some of the shavings would be eliminated that way, I'm not convinced that all the plastic shavings are picked up by pulp exiting the juicer. Consider that even though the pulp may carry some of the plastic out, juice on the auger will pick up some of the plastic shavings too, and drain through the juicing screen instead of being pushed out the front. Already, other negative reviews here have stated that plastic shavings were in the juice. In addition, consider that different users will have varying usage habits--some may allow the juicer to run a few seconds between pieces of food being juiced, and that lag time will increase the chance of plastic shavings spreading over the auger and getting washed down into the juice bowl. However, there is no warning to that effect in the product manual. The nail in the coffin, though, is the evidence of the blank screen--which is used instead of the juicing screen for making pasta, grinding coffee, spices, and nuts for nut butter. I ran the machine dry with the blank screen, as well, and still ended up with plastic dust on the auger and inside the blank screen--not quite as much as with the juicing screen, but still quite noticeable. The difference between the blank screen and the juicing screen is that the blank is designed to homogenize the contents--the only exit is through the front and into the bowl where you catch your final product. So here, the plastic shreds & dust get mixed into your peanut butter, baby food, pasta, or whatever else, without any question. I think many, if not most people purchasing this product are choosing it in no small part due to the increased retention of nutrients that the slow rpm auger allows. How disappointing it is, to find that this, or any product sold as a nutritional solution, ends up tainting what we consume with petrochemicals--or anything we did not consent to! You might, as I did, have the idea of filtering the juice through a coffee filter. I bought unbleached filters and stacked two filters on top of the mesh screen fitted on top of the juice bowl, but almost no juice passed through--so I reduced to one filter. Even after pulling out some pulp from just one filter, the juice (carrot) did not pass through, so I abandoned that attempted solution. Even if the juice did filter through, it wouldn't necessarily stop many of the fine pieces of plastic dust scraped from the auger. I gave this two stars because of the potential it has. The carrot juice I made looked great and I was impressed with the output and ease of cleanup. If I weren't afraid of using it, this would easily be 4, probably even 5 stars. But lacking confidence in the safety of it makes me hate it, a bit. I'd definitely skip the J8003, J8004, J8005, and J8006. Only small differences separate them.