Breville JE200XL Compact Juice Fountain review: Breville's clever juicing machine is svelte and a cinch to clean
Squeezing its various juicing parts into an extremely small chassis, the $100 Breville JE200XL Compact Juice Fountain costs a little more than competing machines but it's worth the extra money.
An interesting twist on your average centrifugal juicer, the $100 (roughly £70 in the UK or AU$140 in Australia) Breville JE200XL Compact Juice Fountain places its pulp collector, food chute and mesh filter apparatus as close together as possible. The result is a machine that is relatively easy to clean and occupies a minimum of space on kitchen countertops.
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The Compact Juice Fountain also handled itself well on our tests, earning a lofty average orange juice extraction percentage of 60 percent (calculated by factoring in the amount of ingredients, remaining pulp and extracted juice). Sucking liquid out of kale wasn't terribly difficult for the appliance either. I recorded an average 41.2 juice extraction percentage when I ran leaves of the vibrant green and fibrous plant through the machine.
Like its bigger sibling, the JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus, Breville crafted the Compact Juice Fountain to be durable and easy on the eyes. Its chassis relies on similar premium materials such as brushed metal and sports a steel locking arm to keep its lid in place. You'll find a handy bristled brush to clean the juicer's mesh strainer bundled with the juicer too, plus a detailed printed manual offering a variety of drink recipes.
The only minor drawback to the Breville JE200XL Compact Juice Fountain, aside from a relatively steep price, it makes slightly less juice in a go: 800 ml instead of the typical 1 liter most juicers produce. Even with those issues, this juicer adds up to the most compelling machine in our review group of five recent centrifugal juicers. Of course if you'd like to save a few bucks, then the $80 (roughly £55 or AU$110) Hamilton Beach 67601A Juice Extractor delivers even better performance but with a no-frills design.