Hand Juicer Guide: Pros, Cons, and When to Upgrade

A hand juicer already does a great job with oranges, lemons, and other citrus fruits. Pair it with a blender, and it’s easy to assume your kitchen is ready for just about any juice recipe.

That can be true for some households, but not for every juicing routine. 

So, before buying another appliance, it helps to compare what a hand juicer does well, where its limits begin, and when a slow juicer starts to offer something different.

Let’s get into it.

Pro tip: A manual juicer and a blender may cover a lot of everyday needs. However, Hurom juicers can open up many more possibilities for your routine. You’ll see exactly what that means as we go.

What Is a Hand Juicer?

A hand juicer is a device you operate manually to extract juice from fruit because it lacks an electric motor. You apply physical pressure (squeezing, pressing, or reaming) to break down the fruit’s flesh and release its liquid. 

Cut an orange, lemon, or lime in half, squeeze it with the tool, and fresh citrus juice is ready in a matter of minutes.

Not every hand juicer looks and works the same way, though. 

How a Hand Juicer Works

Every hand juicer extracts juice using manual pressure. But the way you apply that pressure varies.

With a handheld squeezer, you press two handles together around the fruit. A manual reamer works by twisting the citrus over a ridged cone. Countertop presses use a long lever that helps apply more force with less effort.

The process stays focused on one thing: fresh citrus juice. If oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits are regulars in your kitchen, a hand juicer fits naturally into that routine.

Common Types of Manual Juicers

Hand juicers don’t look the same. The main styles all make citrus juice, but each one suits a slightly different routine:

• Handheld citrus squeezers. Small, lightweight, and easy to store. A good fit for lemons, limes, and the occasional orange.

• Manual citrus reamers. A simple tool that extracts juice as you twist the fruit by hand. It takes up very little space but asks for a bit more effort.

• Countertop citrus presses. Larger hand press models with a long lever that makes squeezing easier, especially if fresh orange juice is part of your weekly routine. They also need more room on the counter or in a cupboard.

Pros of a Hand Juicer: When It Makes Sense

Fresh citrus juice is all many people want from a juicer. If that sounds familiar, it’s easy to see why manual juicers continue to be a popular choice.

These juicers aren’t packed with features, and they don’t need to be:

• No electricity required. Fresh juice is always an option, even away from an outlet.

• Simple to use. Cut the fruit, squeeze, and pour. There isn’t much of a learning curve.

• Lower upfront cost. Manual juicers are usually one of the most affordable ways to make fresh citrus juice at home.

• Easy cleanup. Most have only a few parts, so a quick rinse is all they need.

• Quiet operation. Perfect for early mornings or late evenings when the rest of the house is still quiet.

• Great for citrus. Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits are exactly the kind of fruit these tools are made for.

• Compact options. Many models fit neatly into a kitchen drawer, which is always welcome in smaller Canadian kitchens.

Those strengths make perfect sense for the right routine. Like any kitchen tool, though, a hand juicer also has its limits.

Cons of a Hand Juicer: Where It Falls Short?

A hand juicer works well for the job it was built to do. The challenge comes when your juicing routine starts asking for something different:

• Limited produce versatility. Hand juicers are made for citrus only. If apples, carrots, celery, beets, or leafy greens are part of your shopping list, you’ll need another way to juice them.

• Manual effort. One orange isn’t much work. A dozen oranges for the family can feel very different, especially with smaller handheld models.

• Limited recipe variety. Citrus juices are only one part of what many people enjoy making at home. Fresh green juices, vegetable blends, and mixed fruit recipes simply aren’t on the menu with a manual citrus juicer.

• Repetitive for regular use. If fresh juice becomes part of your daily routine, squeezing every piece of fruit by hand can become less appealing over time.

• Different space needs depending on the design. Small manual squeezers barely take up any room. Larger countertop presses can need almost as much dedicated space as some kitchen appliances.

• Wide price range. A basic lemon juicer is inexpensive, while heavy-duty citrus presses can cost considerably more.

• Different extraction results depending on the design. Two hand juicers can produce noticeably different amounts of juice, even when they’re squeezing the same fruit.

The design makes a bigger difference than many people expect. 

Independent testing by Food & Wine showed that the average manual juicer performance depends on both the design and the fruit being juiced. Some models extracted up to 46% more juice than others. Meanwhile, the same juicer could perform very differently depending on if it was used with oranges, grapefruits, lemons, or limes. 

In other words, a hand juicer that works beautifully with one type of citrus may not be the best fit for another. If your kitchen regularly sees everything from limes to large oranges or grapefruits, choosing a versatile tool becomes more important than it first appears.

What Does a Slow Juicer Offer That a Manual Juicer Doesn’t?

A hand juicer keeps fresh citrus juice simple. Meanwhile, a slow juicer is built for a much broader kind of juicing routine.

The difference isn’t just the machine itself, as you’ll see below.

More Produce and Recipe Options

A slow juicer works with a much wider variety of ingredients:

• Fruits beyond citrus. Apples, pears, berries, pineapple, and many other fruits become part of your options.

• Hard vegetables. Carrots, beets, and other firm produce can be juiced without relying on manual force.

• Celery and leafy greens. Ingredients like celery, kale, spinach, and wheatgrass become realistic everyday choices.

• Green and vegetable-based juices. Green juices, wellness shots, and vegetable blends become easy to prepare at home.

• Mixed juice recipes. Fruits and vegetables can be combined in the same recipe instead of being limited to citrus alone.

A wider ingredient list also means more variety throughout the year, especially if you like making the most of seasonal produce.

Less Manual Work

The difference becomes more noticeable as the amount of juice grows.

• Powered juice extraction. The motor does the work instead of your hands.

• Less repetitive squeezing or pressing. There’s no need to repeat the same motion for every piece of fruit.

• Convenience for multiple servings. Making juice for a couple or the whole family feels much easier.

• Manual lever presses as a middle ground. Larger citrus presses reduce the effort compared to handheld models, but they’re still designed for citrus.

Pro Tip: One point is worth conceding here. If you’re making a quick glass of orange juice, a hand juicer is hard to beat for simplicity. Slice the fruit, squeeze, and you’re done. The only downside is that you may not be able to extract every drop of juice from it, like with a slow juicer.

Better Support for Regular Juicing

Daily juicing asks for a different kind of routine.

• Frequent and daily use. A consistent process makes it easier to turn juicing into a habit.

• Larger juice quantities. Preparing several servings takes much less effort.

• Everyday household routines. Fresh juice fits more naturally into busy mornings when the machine does the extraction for you.

• Consistent convenience. The experience stays much the same whether you’re making one glass or several.

That convenience becomes clear once fresh juice is part of your weekly routine.

More Ways to Use the Produce You Buy

Having more ingredients to work with also makes it easier to get more value from every grocery trip.

• Wider range of fresh produce. Apples, cucumbers, ginger, leafy greens, and many other ingredients become part of your routine.

• Seasonal produce in Canada. Local fruits and vegetables can inspire different recipes throughout the year.

• Produce bought specifically for juicing. Building recipes around different flavours and textures becomes much easier.

• Juice extraction and produce value. One appliance can handle a much broader range of ingredients instead of limiting you to citrus.

Independent testing also points to the consistency a slow juicer can offer. 

In a juicer test by The Guardian, the Hurom H400 achieved a 76% juice yield with oranges. While that’s just one ingredient, it shows the kind of performance a slow juicer can deliver while also handling fruits and vegetables well beyond citrus.

When Is a Hand Juicer Worth It?

A hand juicer makes the most sense when your routine stays fairly simple, and citrus is the main event.

If any of these situations sound familiar, a manual juicer could be all you need.

• You mostly juice citrus. Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits make up almost all of your homemade juice.

• You usually make one or two servings. A quick glass before breakfast or fresh lemon juice for a recipe doesn’t ask for much.

• Fresh juice is an occasional habit. You enjoy making it from time to time rather than every day.

• You already own other kitchen appliances. If your blender already covers smoothies and blended drinks, you may not feel the need for another appliance right away.

• Prefer keeping things simple. A manual juicer is easy to grab, easy to rinse, and easy to put away after a quick job.

• Your budget matches your needs. If citrus juice is your main goal, paying for extra versatility may not make much sense.

A hand juicer isn’t meant to replace every type of juicer. It simply does one job well. 

But the decision becomes more interesting once your routine starts growing beyond citrus.

When Is a Slow Juicer Worth the Investment?

The short answer: when juicing stops being an occasional treat and becomes a habit worth investing in. A slow juicer earns its place on the counter once you're juicing regularly, juicing more than citrus, or juicing for more than one person.

You might be ready for one if any of these sound familiar:

• Citrus is only the beginning. Apples, carrots, celery, beets, leafy greens, ginger, and plenty of other ingredients become regulars in your recipes.

• Fresh juice has become part of your week. The more frequently you juice, the more valuable a powered machine becomes.

• One serving quickly turns into several. Preparing juice for a couple or the whole family feels much easier when the machine handles the extraction.

• Trying new recipes is part of the fun. Green juices, wellness shots, vegetable blends, and mixed fruit juices are all on the table.

• One appliance sounds more practical. A slow juicer handles a much wider variety of ingredients, so there’s no need to switch between different tools depending on what you’re making.

• Even citrus is easier in batches. Juicing several oranges or grapefruits by hand adds up fast. A slow juicer processes a full batch in the time it takes to ream two lemons.

• Squeezing by hand isn’t always an option. If arthritis or hand strength makes manual juicing uncomfortable, a slow juicer does the pressing for you.

Versatility becomes much more noticeable once juicing grows beyond the occasional glass of orange juice.

For instance, Hurom’s lineup includes models for different routines. The compact H310 is a great fit for smaller kitchens, while the H400 makes batch juicing easier. If smooth, ultra-low pulp juice is your preference, both the H320 and H80 are built with that in mind.

How to Choose Between a Manual Juicer and a Slow Juicer

Choosing between a manual juicer and a slow juicer comes down to how you want fresh juice to fit into your everyday routine.

Before making a decision, take a minute to think about these points.

• Start with the ingredients. If citrus is all you juice, a manual juicer may already be all you need. If apples, celery, carrots, leafy greens, and other produce are part of your favourite recipes, a slow juicer is the better match.

• Choose the right manual juicer. Some work better with smaller citrus, while others are a better fit for large oranges and grapefruits. Depending on the fruit you juice most, you may even end up with two tools instead of one.

• Think about how often you juice. Making fresh juice once in a while is very different from making it several times a week.

• Consider your kitchen space. A handheld citrus squeezer fits neatly in a drawer. Meanwhile, countertop presses and slow juicers both need a little more room.

• Look past the price tag. A manual juicer can be the right choice for simple citrus routines. If you see yourself making all kinds of juices over time, investing in a slow juicer may make more sense.

• Think about the future, too. The way you juice today may not be the way you juice a year from now. Picking a juicer that can grow with your routine can save you from shopping for another one later.

One final detail is worth keeping in mind, though.

Hand juicers keep citrus prep simple. Slice the fruit, squeeze, and your juice is ready. 

A slow juicer asks for one extra step with citrus. In fact, Hurom recommends removing the peel before juicing to avoid bitterness. 

If oranges and lemons are all you plan to juice, a manual juicer remains a practical choice. Once your recipes grow beyond citrus, though, that extra minute opens the door to a much wider range of juices from the same machine.

Ready to Go Beyond What a Hand Juicer Offers?

For many people, a hand juicer and a blender are enough. If that setup still fits the way you make fresh juice at home, it may work.

Routines don’t always stay the same, though. Fresh juice can gradually become part of everyday life, and people naturally start looking for a juicer designed to keep up with that routine.

If your routine has outgrown the manual juicer and blender combo, Hurom’s slow juicers make that next step feel like a natural one. 

From compact models for smaller kitchens to batch-friendly designs and ultra-low pulp options, there’s a model designed to fit the way you enjoy fresh juice at home.

FAQs

Are Hand Juicers Worth It?

Yes, if fresh citrus juice is all you want to make. 

A hand juicer is affordable, easy to use, and doesn’t take up much space. If your routine starts including green juices, vegetable blends, or ingredients beyond citrus, a slow juicer will be a better fit.

What Fruits Are Best for Juice in a Hand Juicer?

Hand juicers are made for citrus fruits. Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits are the best choices because they’re easy to squeeze and naturally produce plenty of juice.

Is a Hand Juicer Worth It or Should I Get an Electric Cold Press Juicer?

It depends on what you want to make. A hand juicer is a great choice for fresh citrus juice. If you want to prepare celery juice, green juices, mixed fruit and vegetable recipes, or juice several times a week, a cold press juicer offers much greater flexibility.

What Is the Difference Between a Hand Juicer and a Slow Juicer?

A hand juicer uses manual pressure to extract juice from citrus fruits. Meanwhile, a slow juicer uses a motor to press juice from a much wider variety of fruits and vegetables, including hard produce and leafy greens.

Is a Manual Juicer Good for Daily Juicing?

It can be, as long as your routine focuses on citrus. If fresh juice becomes part of your everyday routine and includes different ingredients, a slow juicer is usually the more practical option.

Is a Slow Juicer Worth the Extra Cost Over a Hand Juicer?

For many households, yes. A slow juicer can handle a much wider range of ingredients and recipes, making it a better long-term choice for anyone who juices regularly instead of only making the occasional glass of citrus juice.

Which Type of Juicer Is Best for a Small Kitchen?

A handheld manual juicer is the easiest to store because it fits neatly into a drawer. If you’d rather have one appliance that can juice much more than citrus, a compact slow juicer like the Hurom H310 is designed with smaller kitchens in mind.

I Want a Juicer That Can Make Celery Juice and Green Juice Every Day Without Clogging. What Should I Pick?

A slow juicer is the right choice. It’s designed to process fibrous ingredients like celery, kale, spinach, and other leafy greens. If those recipes are part of your regular routine, models like the Hurom H80, H320, and H400 are built to handle them comfortably.