TribestSolo Star-II SS-9002 Single-Auger Juice Extractor

I did as much research as I could online for masticating juicers in this price range and then spent two days deciding between the Omega 8005 and the SoloStar II. Although the Omega seems to be the more dominant product, all the reviews on the SoloStar where excellent. I had hoped for more reviews on Amazon to help me out but there was only one person that had reviewed it. Hence, I'm adding my own to hopefully help someone else out. The juicer is terrific. I had it put together in a matter of a few minutes and as I stared at it, I knew I had to try it out. My other juicer is a centrifugal so I could hardly wait to see the difference. This juicer does an awesome job. I juiced celery, carrots, asparagus, grapes, and an apple right away. I was amazed at how much juice I got. I would have used twice that much fruit and vegetables in the centrifugal juicer. The pulp came out very dry and then for the best part...I had this thing taken apart washed and ready to go again in 3 minutes. It's that easy. Time to scrap the old juicer! If I had to completely dig for a complaint about the juicer I would have to say that I wish the chute was bigger; however, I don't think it is any bigger on any other juicer of this type. I also expected some instructions or a little recipe book and that was not there but no big deal. It did come with a VHS tape which I know I will never watch. The three selling points on this juicer for me where #1 - Dual Stage extraction (which really works - you can see the juice that other juicer would have lost come out of the second stage spout) #2 - Larger Auger #3 - Made by the same company that makes the highly acclaimed Green Star juicers (which are too expensive for me right now). So far, I couldn't be happier with this purchase.

This juicer is wonderful in many ways but it does not make it to all four stars. Does it juice? Yes, and very well at that. Does it juice everything equally? No, the most difficulty that it has is with soft berries. It tends to either mush them so much that they get squeezed through the grate or they just go on through and exit the pulp extruder. Still taste and all but there are times when I simply want juice and not slurry. Does it make a good pasta press? Meh... well it started OK, but as I went on it started to struggle. The end cape where the pasta came out kept springing dough leaks and then it kept popping off. I could also tell that the process really taxed the motor even to the point of seizing once. I would say that unless your dough is a lot softer than mine (and in all honesty mine was pretty thick) you would be better off getting a dedicated pasta maker and leave the juicer for juicing. Also a word on cleaning, the only difficult thing to clean is the grate. the toothbrush that it comes with is a lifesaver. Is cleaning it a hassle? Yes, but this is going to be the case with any good juicer so suck it up and do it and do it right after the juicing because if you let that junk dry on there you will never get it clean. Have your drink as a reward for you hard work.

The SoloStar 2 juicer is several years old, so maybe the age of this machine accounts for the deterioration of this "new" juicer, but I did not find this to be quality material at all. It arrived and I inspected it closely. Dry and cracked rubber feet, scratched auger, broken round strainer (looks like it was compressed funny in the box for many years, then broke in that direction), and the internal juicing screen had several chips inside and out on the plastic as well as the beginning of hairline cracks. It appeared unused. But who really knows. Nope. This will not do, not even for the incredibly low price. I worry about a piece of that plastic chipping off and getting in my juice. Not worth it to me. I'd rather spend a little more on a better constructed machine. Returned.

So easy to use and so easy to clean. I have never "juiced" before so finding out what veggies and fruit worked best for me was a bit of a chore. Finally settled on a recipe from Montel Williams and now I juice everyday. Will add other vegetables as we go for whatever health concern I might have. It's quiet, it does a great job. The screen was a bit hard to clean at first and then I discovered that just "hot water" and the brush that comes with it (and I use both ends of the brush)will really clean it up nice. Worth every penny.

I got my Solostar II on December 28, 2012. Within a week, the juicing screen had several major cracks and countless small ones. I had followed the directions and cut the fruits and veggies into small pieces and only put a couple pieces at a time down the chute.When I called customer service, I was told they hadn't yet received my warranty card, but the woman took all my information and sent me a new screen. She also essentially told me that the carrots are probably what is causing the screen to crack because they are so hard.She also told me that due to the volume of complaints, the Solostar II is being discontinued and a new and improved Solostar III is in the works.Interestingly enough, I tried to post a similar review on Tribest's website, and it refuses to let me do so, saying I've already posted a review, which I haven't. Makes me suspicious that they are screening out negative reviews; perhaps it was a coincidence.I gave this two stars because it works great when it's working. Unfortunately, I anticipate calling customer service several times a year to have my screen replaced.******January 14, 2013 update:I received my new juicing screen on Saturday. I used it Saturday, Sunday and Monday and by Monday the plastic in the screen is full of countless hairline cracks. I have babied this machine, cutting the carrots up so small that the slices are sucked right into the auger without having to use the plunger. I have also cut up small apple and pepper pieces, and even cut the kale in half rather than try to put an entire stalk in there.How disappointing it was to find out within a few days of purchasing this that it is being discontinued due to the exact issues I am having.I am going to keep this as a pasta maker, and purchase the Omega 2004 which has much better reviews and no complaints of easily cracking screens.