Oscar Vital MAX 900 single gear masticating juicer
I must admit that I have a soft spot for this juicer as it was the first wheat grass juicer I ever purchased but what led me to buy the Oscar Vital MAX 900 masticating juicer? Read on to find out more…..
I liked the juicer for several reasons but chiefly because it looked good and matched the rest of the Chrome stuff we have in our kitchen, add to that the fairly sensible price and decent looking build quality and there you have the reasons I guess most people choose to buy this little juicing marvel.
What’s in the box?
Good question and the answer is rather a lot actually, there’s attachments for making nut butter, pasta, bread sticks and all sorts of other weird and wonderful things but we won’t go into that here because were a juicing site and I’ve never actually tried any of them.
Oscar VitalMAX 900 single gear masticating juicer parts diagram
Assembly
Assembly and cleaning are very simple, you can pretty much figure out how it goes together without need for the instructions but just to clarify, your going to need to put the screw inside the drum, followed by the JUICING strainer, these are all locked in place with the drum cap, you then twist the drum assembly onto the body of the machine and pop the hopper on and your ready to go.
Operating the Oscar Vital Max 900 masticating juicer
Operation couldn’t be simpler, switch her on and start loading the produce you want to juice into the top of the machine.
As with all juicers you’re gonna have to be patient and you’re going to have to watch the order in which you add the produce, if you intend on juicing soft fruits you’ll need to add some hard produce like Carrots or Beetroot to push the soft stuff through the machine, Pineapple is particularly tricky but Pineapple is a difficult proposition for all single and twin auger masticating juicers.
Take your time enjoy the juicing experience and don’t over feed the machine as this can lead to a damaged machine.
Cleaning the Oscar Vital Max 900 masticating juicer
Cleaning is really simple, just remove the parts rinse them in cold water immediately after juicing and they should be fine.
One component that needs special treatment is the metal part of the juicing screen, the Oscar Vital Max 900 masticating juicer is supplied with the long toothbrush like component, you should use this to clean the inside and outside of the metal juicing screen until all of the tiny holes are clear of fruit pulp, if the screen is particularly clogged or has been left to dry out you can leave it in cold water overnight and by the morning it should be ready for another scrub and your next batch of juice.
Long term use
I’ve been using this machine for a couple of years now and whilst the motor and the rest of the components have been absolutely fine, one area of weakness is the juicing screen
Oscar Vital max 900 juicing screen
Whilst I don’t have a problem with the design or the functionality of this component I do have concerns about the cost of replacement and the strength of the joint between the metal screen and the plastic body.
Over 2 years use we have broken 6 of these screens and they are not cheap at £22 + P&P, they are also difficult to get hold, every time we have looked to replace the screen we have been told that the item is out of stock and have had to wait for up to 4 weeks for a replacement. I will add though we haven’t tried to get a warranty replacement so we can’t comment on customer service.
If you are using this machine and you hear the juice screen crack
TURN THE MACHINE OFF IMMEDIATELY
Once the metal part of the screen has detached itself the machine will continue to turn causing damage to the screen, housing and the screw and a replacement front end is going to cost £85 + P&P
I’m sure there are going to be lots of comments about the juice screen issue both for and against it’s durability but what I will say to save any confusion is, we don’t put unnecessary load on the juicers we use and the screen has broken every time when juicing Wheat grass.
Make of that what you will.
Conclusion
If you discount the above issues we have had with the juice screen and you maybe don’t juice wheat grass then the Oscar Vital Max 900 masticating juicer the machine for you, I would certainly recommend the machine for occasional use but if you juice every day maybe you need to be looking for something a little more robust.
I would certainly consider asking the retailer at point of sale if they would consider throwing in a spare juice screen as part of the deal or maybe order a spare when you purchase the machine at least then if it does break you can still have the juice you need.
