I thought buying a juicer would be a good way to help me towards consuming the recommended 5 fruits a day, so chose this Philips model on the basis of its attractive price (around £70) and popularity.

On opening and assembling the juicer it is immediately evident that it is well made. The main unit is very weighty and has an attractive metallic finish. Also included in the main body are a 'bucket' for dry fruit waste and a lid with a cylindrical tube though which fruit or vegetables and pushed. There's also a jug for collecting the juice.

As you'd expect, given the weight of the juicer, it is very powerful and will juice an apple in literally two seconds even on the lower setting intended for softer fruits.

Obviously I can't comment on the taste of the juice as this depends on the quality of what you put in, but I was disappointed in the volume of juice that comes out. In my experience it takes around five apples to make a half-pint glass of juice (the same goes for oranges, pears, etc). This may be on a par with other juicers, but I was disappointed to see the amount of damp waste that the juicer discards in the waste bucket. From what I could see a considerable amount of juice could be gotten from this waste as well, so this juicer doesn't seem to efficient is this respect.

It must be said, of the juice it produces, this juicer is excellent and very fast. It may just be me, but there appears to be too much waste churned out.

It is also time consuming to disassemble the juicer, but fortunately washing up is not too much of a problem given the dishwasher-safe nature of this product.

If you're thinking about buying this you need to ask yourself if the fuss of assembling and disassembling the device is worth it for the amount of juice you'll get. If your intending to spend a lot on fruit and make lots of juice then this is ideal.

Personally, however, I prefer smoothie makers as all the fruit is used, and you ultimately get more out.