Really nice design - expected to last

I was comparison shopping for a juicer, having not had one in years. I was impressed with the other Breville juicer Williams-Sonoma had carried ($299), and noticed the newer "compact" one in the stores recently for $149 undiscounted. I soon found one that was advertised as NIB for $49 in an auction, and I got it with $20 shipping. Don't expect to find that price, and I think the one I got might have been used a little. Still it was in nearly perfect condition. I used it the first day I got it, and was impressed.

This does fit a whole small apple down the shoot, but a slightly larger than small one, which I had, had to be forced a little. You can juice the cores, but I chose to core mine first. I don't like the idea of apple seeds being part of the equation.

The filter mesh seems more durable than on the juicer I had before, and everything fits together very well -- no splashing. A little "new" electrical dust burning smell was emitted at first, but that went away. The motor seems stable and powerful.

I also have juiced oranges, but I don't recommend juicing citrus as this system, with only one speed, is simply too fast for them, turning them into mostly foam, and they also drop into oblivion. Breville sells a citrus juicer which I would really like to have since it has a handle. I would feel obligated to sell my old Cuisinart citrus juicer, which I have not been particularly happy with because I don't like trying to hold the citrus fruit. --- I don't need a hand massage when I juice an orange.

The amount of apple juice extracted versus left in the pulp seems about average. If you want an extremely dry pulp, you're going to have to look elsewhere or buy a press. The pulp was moist, but by no means dripping of juice. I didn't feel like it was a waste.

Clean-up is simple enough, and everything seems dishwasher safe. The rounded spatula-like handle of the included nylon brush is a nice touch. The books recommends soaking the filter mesh for 10 minutes. I usually end up soaking it only a few minutes and seems like a few particles can never be removed, even though they don't seem to be dried on.

I wish there was a place to store the nylon brush on the unit, and I wash the cord were retractable. However, there is one really neat thing about the cord --- a sort of loop end on the plug in. EVERY cord should be this way. You can just put your finger in and pull it out. Why didn't they think of this before??

The included jug with foam separate does a decent job of separating foam. You'll still have some unless you let it rest for a while.

Go ahead and get one of these, even at $149. You'll enjoy it immediately and know you made a good purchase.