My Hurom H-201 and HU-400WN-PLUS comparison: easier rinsing, but more drying

First, why I bought a new juicer: I’d used my old one for years and used it quite often, but cleaning it was a real chore. When I saw the new model and read reviews praising how easy it was to clean, the large-capacity hopper that supposedly let you add whole fruit and vegetables without cutting them was especially tempting.

Here’s a comparison of the old and new models.

The red one on the left is my old model, which I’d used for years. The gray one on the right is the H-201, the 2011 new model. The disassembled parts are shown in photo 3. Each juicer also came with a coarse pulp filter, which I didn’t photograph. The new model also has an ice-cream filter, which is a new feature for grinding ingredients into ice cream.

How they felt to use

1. The old model’s body is heavier and steadier. The new one shakes while grinding, although its manual says slight shaking is normal.
2. The old model’s auger is more solid (photo 6); the new one has a larger hollow space inside. That means more fruit and vegetable residue collects in it after each use.
3. There are a lot of parts to take apart. The new model isn’t as quick to rinse as the official website suggests. I no longer have to scrub a fine mesh filter, and the filter assembly is easier to rinse. But the larger hopper in photo 8 takes up the time I used to spend scrubbing the old mesh: sometimes residue gets stuck in the curved blade’s crevices, and I have to clean carefully around the cutting edge.
4. With so many parts, drying them is a problem too. The new model has even more grooves that really hold water. When I’m feeling diligent, I wipe off the droplets with a dry cloth, then leave the parts out overnight to air-dry.
5. Juice yield: I’d assumed the upgraded model would produce more juice. Later, I saw many online reviews saying the new model yielded less than the old one. In my own use, I didn’t notice an obvious difference.
6. Re-juicing the pulp? Soft fruit is hard to juice, as most people know. The manual also recommends mixing soft and firm produce to make juicing easier. After juicing 1 kg of fruit and vegetables, the machine needs to be cleaned before continuing, to prevent sticking and clogging. So neither the old nor the new model is suited to re-juicing the extracted pulp.
7. I mentioned recently that the new model’s parts had discolored and developed a fluorescent-green stain. I more or less figured out that residue from carrots or green vegetables had stuck to the auger and oxidized, causing the discoloration. After rinsing, I wiped the stained auger with a white cloth and could see an orange-yellow carrot-colored layer come off. I never noticed such vivid staining on the old model.
8. Adding whole fruit and vegetables: the manual says to cut produce into suitable pieces to protect the machine and speed up juicing. It also says that grinding apple seeds can produce a mild toxin, so apples should be cut up and cored. So much for adding whole fruit and vegetables—the advertising was a letdown. I usually peel produce before juicing to avoid pesticide residue. The new model’s lid is thoughtfully designed, though: opening it while the machine is running automatically stops the machine to prevent injuries when adding ingredients. It runs again only after the lid is closed.

Overall, after using it for a while, the upgrade wasn’t as much of a convenience improvement as I’d imagined. Maybe spending the money just didn’t buy me the happiness I wanted. But I’ve bought it, so I’ll make the best of it. If you don’t have a slow juicer, it’s worth considering; if you already have an older one, you don’t necessarily need to upgrade. I hope this helps. Feel free to ask if you have questions.