Got Omega VRT Problems?

Wheatgrass (?) string in my Omega VRT350HD juice

This morning I made a juice with my Omega VRT 350 HD juicer.  I juiced baby spinach, a handful of second growth wheatgrass which was not more than a few inches in length, skinny carrots, yam, cucumber, and a bit of apple.  In addition to the usual huge amount of pulpy particles there was a 1.5 inch fibrous string that I assume to be a piece of wheatgrass (what else could it be?  baby spinach has short tender stems) in my juice.  It was, as the youth used to say, "Gross."

Then I read an anonymous comment asking whether I cut my veggies into pieces, feed them slowly, and rotate the produce (leafy then non-leafy) as I feed.  Yes, yes, and yes, generally.  As I understand the official Omega version of the cut the veggies into pieces, from my contact at Omega, is that too small is not necessarily better.  Other so called experts vary suggestions regarding the size of the produce to feed into the Omega VRT.  It jams if the carrots are over an inch in diameter so... I like to keep the jams to a minimum.  Feed slowly?  I never use the pusher tool.  Slow enough I presume.  Rotate the produce?  If I don't, all I get is wheatgrass foam and maybe finally a bit of juice.  I need to put in a carrot or something else to get the VRT juicer to put out or push out the green juice.  This makes it difficult to accurately measure the amount of green juice produced.  In other words, the green juice does not come through on its own when I just want an ounce of wheatgrass of a couple of ounces of baby spinach.  There appears to be green juice, perhaps in stages of juicing, that requires another firmer fruit or vegetable to push it out.  The Omega VRT I have seems to need the variety of produce to juice most effectively. 

"Anonymous" commenter, why don't you tell me and the other Southwest Desert Blogger readers how small you cut your veggies?  Do you have a VRT350HD?  How do you get one ounce of pure wheatgrass juice without rotating in other produce?  I don't want my wheatgrass mixed with anything else, and I do not want to produce mass quantities of wheatgrass juice.  Just an ounce or two of fresh, pure wheatgrass juice.  Not wheatgrass foam!  Mono-juice; not V8.  

I wanted to get off the complaining about the Omega VRT350HD, but that 1.5 inch string in my uber-pulpy juice this morning chaffed my emotional chaps. Then the anonymous commenter with the standard cut the produce, feed it slowly, rotate... line peeved me.  Are you from Omega?  Do you sell Omega?  Do the Omega sales give dealers more profit than other brands like the other vertical juicer I was talked out of by the dealer?  I suggest "anonymous" teach the Southwest Desert Blogger readers how to deal with the produce and pulp that gets under the auger regularly, how to clean the tiny pulp port and juice exit port, how to get beet and green stains off the parts and tiny areas the cleaning tool does not reach, how to clean the vegetable matter caught in wiper blade assembly.  Should I take the blades out?  Or maybe anonymous can tell me how strings are getting into my juice?  Don't just feed me that old "slow feed and rotate" line.  We are talking about an expensive juicer, not a buffet and square dance.

Is it possible I have received 2 defective VRT350HDs?  Is it possible all the folks who use search terms like "Omega sucks" (not my words mind you) and "Omega ... too much pulp" who find their way to this blog are just not feeding the produce slowly?  If I fed it any slower, I could write a post between additions.  I'll tell you what.  Why don't you get your own blog and laud the virtues of the Omega VRT350HD?  Based on our experience, some of us just think it is a poorly designed, sloppily manufactured, disappointing product for the purpose which we intend it.

I need to get a wisdom tooth extracted.  I would like to drink healthful, nourishing, fresh juices after the extraction, during the time I must avoid hard food, vigorous swishing, brushing, and flossing the extraction area.  However, the juice my Omega VRT350HD produces is too pulpy and stringy.  I would worry that the "pulp", which is actually composed of tiny pebbles of produce, would irritate the healing gum area during the initial sensitive recovery period.  I will use my other juicer, as I do several times per week, to get a clean, pulp-free and string-free juice.  The only good thing about my Omega VRT 350HD: it is a little quieter than my other, 16 year old juicer.  But for me, a pulp-free, string-free juice quality is more important than the noise factor. 

Tried to end on a positive note, really,
Southwest Desert Blogger
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