Ninja's NeverClog JC151 is a horizontal masticating (cold press) juicer with a reverse function for clearing jams and dishwasher-safe juice parts. TechGearLab scored it 76 of 100 and ranked it first of 13 juicers tested, praising velvety juice, standout yields from wheatgrass, kale and spinach, and some of the best orange juice it has tried. Hard produce is its weak spot: beets had to be cut small for the narrow chute and yielded little, and there are many parts to take apart and clean.
Full review
TechGearLab's top-ranked juicer
TechGearLab, which says it buys all the products it tests, ranked this Ninja first of 13 juicers with a 76 overall score, earning its Best Horizontal Masticating Juicer award. Its sub-scores: juice quality 8.8, soft produce 7.5, hard produce 5.3, leafy greens 8.7 and cleaning 7.0. The verdict: it handled all manner of fruits and vegetables, and for anyone regularly juicing kale, spinach or other greens it is clearly a top machine.
Juice quality and greens
TechGearLab's testers routinely described its juice as velvety and rated it among the top for juice quality. The orange juice had incredible yield, hardly any pulp and the best quality of any juicer tested, and the apple juice yielded 205 ml with no strainable pulp. With wheatgrass, 1 ounce in gave 0.9 ounce of juice, and kale and spinach yields were strong, though the kale juice had some stringy leftovers.
Hard produce and the narrow chute
Hard produce is the one category where TechGearLab found it below average. Beets had to be cut smaller than the halves used for other machines because of the narrow feed chute, produced only 126 ml of juice, and made the motor squeal. Carrots needed forceful use of the pusher, but sweet potato juice was very good at 202 ml. Celery had to be cut up extra and came out a bit watery.
Cleaning
The juicer comes completely apart, which TechGearLab liked for reaching every nook but which means disassembling and reassembling it every time. Every part that contacts juice is dishwasher safe, though the filters needed scrubbing and TechGearLab wished a cleaning brush were included. The reverse function cleared blockages but sometimes gunked up the strainer bowl.
Strengths
- +TechGearLab scored juice quality 8.8 of 10, with juice its testers routinely called velvety
- +Unmatched with wheatgrass in TechGearLab's test: 1 ounce in, 0.9 ounce of juice out, with strong kale and spinach yields
- +Some of the best orange and apple juice TechGearLab has tried
- +Reverse function made it easy to undo jams with fibrous foods, per TechGearLab
- +Every part that touches juice is dishwasher safe, per TechGearLab
Watch-outs
- −Below average with hard produce (5.3 of 10): beets had to be cut small for the narrow chute and gave only 126 ml, per TechGearLab
- −Squeaked and squealed during beet and wheatgrass juicing in TechGearLab's test
- −Many parts to disassemble and reassemble each time, and no cleaning brush included, per TechGearLab
- −Celery juice came out a bit watery for TechGearLab
How it compares
A cold press juicer like the Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus and the Nama J2, at a much lower price on its Amazon listing. TechGearLab found its feed chute narrow enough that beets and celery had to be cut down, where the Qcen Juicer Machine and Hamilton Beach Juicer Machine are centrifugal models with 3-inch chutes. TechGearLab names the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth its best budget juicer in the same test.
Rating sources
Our 4.3 score is the average of these published ratings, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores. More about methodology.
