Before You Buy an Omega VRT 350 HD Vertical Juicer

Thinking of buying a new juicer?  Looking at the vertical juicers?  Trying to decide which juicer will meet your needs?  Here are some things to consider:

Looking down into the juice collection container after pouring the juice into a jar:  You can see some of the foam the Omega VRT 350HD produced still clinging to the sides, and at the bottom you can see little chunks of carrot!  Scroll down to previous posts as far back as September 2011 to see other examples of strings, etc. found in the Omega VRT350HD juice.

1.  Size of the juicer - Will it fit under your cabinets, on your counter space, and allow enough vertical and horizontal space for comfortable juicing.  Don't forget that you need to allow horizontal space for the juice and pulp collection bins or jars.  This could be several inches of additional horizontal space on either side of the base of the juicer.  Some online sources do not list the actual dimensions.  If you have the dimensions of the juicer you are interested in, be sure the juice and pulp collection vessels are included.
     You also need to consider additional vertical space to comfortably input produce.  If there are shelves or cabinets above the place you plan to put your juicer, is there enough space above the juicer to add produce?
     I found that the cabinets above and behind the Omega VRT350HD got carrot juice drops splattered on them.  I am not sure how the drops of carrot juice shot up from the produce input chute, but I had to clean the cabinet door after almost every juicing.

2.  Weight of juicer -  The Omega VRT350HD juicer I had weighed over 18 pounds in the shipping box.  The actual juicer, without packing material, weighed a bit less, but it was heavier than I had expected.  It was somewhat cumbersome and awkward to move the unit as it had not grips or handle.  I had to move the juicer out from under the cabinets daily because the bottom of the cabinet above the counter was so close to the top of the juicer.  Then, as described above, the cabinet door got splatters of juice from the juicing.
    Back to the weight of the juicer:  If you buy online at one of the many online merchants, be sure you get free shipping.  And, that brings us to topic 3...

3.  Can you return the juicer?  Online merchants may not allow you to return the juicer.  In the case of the Omega VRT350HD,  there is a manufacturer's warranty on parts, but if you do not like the amount of pulp, etc,. if you do not like the strings in the juice, if you do not like the amount of foam, if there is anything you do not like that cannot be remedied by replacement parts or replacement juicer, you may be stuck with an expensive piece of equipment that does not meet your expectations.  The online merchant I purchased from had a no returns policy.  Getting replacement parts from Omega takes time and may not remedy the problem(s) one is experiencing.  Returning the juicer to Omega for replacement took me over 2 weeks of transit time.  That was time without the juicer.
     If you have to pay to return a juicer, insure it, etc. it could cost more or less $30 depending on how far you have to ship the juicer and whether you have retained the box and packing materials. If you have to purchase boxes and have it packed at the shipping store, the price could rapidly escalate.

4.  You can return whatever you want, but whether you will get your money refunded is another issue.  I suspect most consumers have neither the time, nor the tenacity to deal with online merchants with attitude.  I received what I can only describe as a nasty, threatening, over-reactive voice mail from the online merchant I purchased my Omega VRT350HD juicer from.  It was extremely worrisome and unsettling.  I have retained that recording.  I hope none of you have to go through that sort of drama. You may need to be highly persistent to get the outcome you desire with some online merchants.  Hint:  contact the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in their geographic area.  If there is a BBB online complaint form, your job may be easier. 

5.  Your first juicer?  If this is your first juicer, you may want to start cheaper and work your way up.  You may find that you do not like to juice your own juice.  You may not have the time to juice often.  You may not like to wash the juicer parts.  It may not be for you, so why plunk down the better part of $400.  Maybe you should just go to a big discount warehouse like the one I lovingly call "Costlo" and get a name brand juicer for under $100.  Costlo, and the others of its ilk, have easy return policies, so if you do not like the juicer, the juice, the process of juicing, you only want to juice once a month, or the juicer just doesn't "feel" right, you can return it for a hassle-free refund.
     Got friends with juicers?  Watch them juice and wash the juicer.  Taste the juice.  If you have never had any experience with a juicer, you may want a juicer that has better instructions than the Omega VRT350HD.  The Omega VRT350HD I purchased came with minimal instructions.  Even after decades of juicing, I wished for more info with the vertical juicer.  Additional information from the dealer and the company sources tended to conflict.
   
6.  Who can you trust?  When merchants steer you toward purchasing one juicer over another, is it because they make a greater profit on that item?  Do they genuinely like that juicer over another because of the potential profits?
     I wanted the juicer with the non-toxic plastic and was repeatedly told to get the Omega because of the warranty.  Every day I thought about that plastic.  Every day I disliked the Omega VRT350HD pulp and strings.  The juicer with the non-toxic plastic doesn't have a long warranty, but what is the use of a long warranty if you just don't like the juicer and the quality of the juice it produces? 

Strings and other matter in the Omega VRT 350 HD juice.

  After drinking most of the quart (liter) some of the pink foam remains at the bottom of the jar, above the red veg juice.  Measure in inches.

Sorry guys, I am over the buy a new juicer thing.  I am happily juicing with my 16 year old juicer and I purchased another used juicer of the same model as a back-up in the secondary (i.e., used) market, for significantly less than one-tenth the price of a discount Omega VRT350HD. 
     If you love your VRT, extol it's virtues on your own blog.  The above observations and opinions are based on my frustrating experience during months of juicing and efforts with the Omega vrt 350hd. 
I'm not here to sell you a juicer.

Hope you get what's best for you,
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c)2012 
P.S.  I do not insert ads or ads with cookies on this site as so many bloggers do.  If you'd like to support this blog, check the health food and supplements, including raw and organics at www.iherb.com/info/benefits  or just copy and paste www.iherb.com and use discount code WAL660.  The iherb site also has super foods, vitamins, green powders (Hawaiian Spirulina, and others), homeopathics, organics, raw food http://www.iherb.com/Search?kw=raw+organic
and supplements such as raw chia seed, raw hemp seed, raw cacao, coconut oil, kelp noodles, healthy pet food, Dr. Bronners, organic shampoos and skin products, tea, loose herbs, sports supplements, essential oils, protein powders, all at discounts. There are helpful product reviews and quick shipping. The WAL660 code will get you $5 off a first time order and there is free shipping for US orders of $20 (there may be weight restrictions) or $40 or more (no US weight restrictions).  Just enter the code WAL660 in the shopping cart before final check-out.  Remember to add a "freebies" free product to your order.
iherb ships to over 180 countries.  Thanks for helping support this blog, and saving yourself some money by using the WAL660 discount code at iherb.com .

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
C. (c)2012   P.S.  Support this blog and get healthy products using discount code WAL660 for $5 off first purchase at www.iherb.com .  They sell nutritional supplements, raw supplements, raw and organic food such as tahini, coconut oils, energy bars, goji, etc., herbs, teas, organic and natural soap, shampoos, conditioners, skin creams and lotions, cosmetics, dry skin brushes, Madre Labs acai and Cafeceps, soaps such as Dr. Bronner's, raw cacao, organic chia seed, hemp seed, seaweed, nuts, kelp noodles, oils, homeopathics, organic pet food, etc. at discounts.  Orders of $20 or more ship free in US.  They also ship internationally.  Just enter code WAL660 at check out.    Plus, there are helpful product reviews.   And more free:  iherb offers a variety of FREE PRODUCTS to sample, so be sure to select one with your order.
Thanks.