Quick answer: centrifugal juicers are fastest and cheapest but oxidise juice quickly and struggle with leafy greens. Masticating (slow/auger) juicers run far slower, keep more nutrients, and handle greens well, for a mid-range price. “Cold press” is mostly a marketing term for home juicers — see the clarification below — and the genuine benefit of that category is maximum yield and the longest-lasting juice, at a premium price and the slowest prep time. If you want the short version for your specific situation rather than the full mechanism breakdown, see our Cold Press vs Centrifugal: Which Is Best for Your Kitchen guide instead.
Centrifugal vs Masticating vs “Cold Press”: At a Glance
| Type | Speed | Oxidation / Juice Life | Best For | Price Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centrifugal | ~6,000-14,000 RPM, fastest prep | High oxidation, drink same day | Hard fruit/veg, quick daily use | Entry-level |
| Masticating | ~40-100 RPM, slower prep | Low oxidation, lasts 48-72 hrs chilled | Leafy greens, wheatgrass, pulp control | Mid-range |
| “Cold Press” (home) | Same auger mechanism as masticating, marketed separately | Low oxidation, lasts 48-72 hrs chilled | Shoppers specifically searching “cold press” | Mid-to-premium |
How a Centrifugal Juicer Works
A centrifugal juicer shreds produce against a fast-spinning mesh screen, then uses centrifugal force to fling the juice out through the mesh while the pulp is caught separately. It’s the quickest way to get a glass of juice and usually the cheapest machine to buy.
The blade and screen typically spin at 6,000-14,000 RPM depending on the model. That speed is what makes prep so fast, but it also whips air into the juice and generates heat at the cutting edge, both of which speed up oxidation. In practice, that means centrifugal juice separates and loses freshness within hours, so it’s best drunk immediately rather than batched and stored. Leafy greens and wheatgrass also don’t juice well on a centrifugal machine — there isn’t enough to throw against the screen, so yield from greens is noticeably lower than from a masticating juicer. A model like the Philips Viva below is a reasonable, well-known example of this category:
Our Best Centrifugal Juicers UK guide covers the full range of models worth considering in this category.
How a Masticating (Slow/Auger) Juicer Works
A masticating juicer uses a single slow-turning auger to crush produce against a screen rather than spinning it. Running at roughly 40-100 RPM — a fraction of a centrifugal juicer’s speed — it introduces far less heat and air into the juice.
That slower, gentler process is why masticating juice keeps for roughly 48-72 hours in the fridge rather than needing to be drunk straight away, and why these juicers handle leafy greens, herbs, and wheatgrass noticeably better than centrifugal models — the auger has time to properly break down fibrous cell walls instead of relying on raw spin speed. The trade-off is prep time: feeding produce through slowly takes longer than a quick centrifugal pass. The AMZCHEF model shown above is a genuine masticating machine, despite being marketed as “cold press” — more on that naming overlap below. See our Best Masticating Juicer UK reviews and the full benefits breakdown for more detail on whether this type suits your kitchen.
What “Cold Press” Actually Means (and Why It’s Usually the Same Machine)
Strictly speaking, a true cold press juicer is a two-stage machine: produce is first ground into a pulp, then that pulp is pressed separately under hydraulic pressure to extract the liquid. That’s genuinely a different mechanism from a masticating juicer’s single auger, and it’s where the term “cold-pressed” originated — a real juice press introduces almost no air or heat at all.
In practice, almost none of the “cold press juicers” sold for home kitchens are actually built this way — true hydraulic press machines are commercial-grade equipment, not something you’ll find in a typical home juicer listing. The AMZCHEF model above is a clear example: its own product title literally reads “Cold Press Juicer, Slow Masticating Juicer” — the same machine, marketed under both names, because “cold press” has become the consumer-facing term for any juicer that avoids a fast-spinning blade, whether or not it actually presses anything. If you see “cold press” on a home juicer’s listing, assume it means masticating (auger) technology unless the description specifically describes a separate press stage.
Practically, this means the yield and shelf-life advantages people associate with “cold press” juice over masticating juice mostly don’t apply at the home-appliance level — they’re close to the same machine. The real yield/shelf-life step up from genuine two-stage pressing is mainly relevant to commercial operations, not a £70-£150 home juicer.
Noise & Cleanup
Centrifugal juicers are the loudest of the two real categories, since a motor spinning a blade at thousands of RPM simply makes more noise than a slow auger. Masticating machines (including the ones marketed as “cold press”) run much quieter. On cleanup, centrifugal machines like the Philips Viva above usually have the fewest parts and are built around quick-rinse features; masticating juicers have more components (auger, screen, housing) and benefit from rinsing immediately after use before pulp dries on.
Which Juicer Type Should You Buy?
- Centrifugal if you want juice in under a minute, drink it immediately, and mostly juice hard fruit and veg rather than greens.
- Masticating / “cold press” if you want better nutrient retention, the ability to batch juice a day or two ahead, and you juice a meaningful amount of leafy greens. For most home buyers this is the better-value choice than it first looks, since (per the section above) it’s usually the same machine either way.
Budget is often the deciding factor in practice — if you want to see what’s realistically available at a lower price point first, our Best Affordable Juicers Under £200 guide is a good starting point, and this breakdown of where the “cold press” price premium actually comes from covers the pricing side in more depth.
FAQ
Is “cold press” juice actually healthier than centrifugal juice?
The nutrients present at the moment of juicing are similar across all types — the real difference is how fast that juice oxidises afterwards. Masticating/”cold press” juice retains its nutrient profile longer because less air and heat are introduced during extraction, so if you’re not drinking the juice immediately, that matters more than it would if you drink it right away.
Is a “cold press” juicer actually a different machine from a masticating juicer?
Almost always, no — at the home-appliance price point, “cold press” is a marketing term for a masticating (auger) juicer, not a genuine two-stage hydraulic press. See the clarification section above for why.
Do I need a “cold press” juicer to juice leafy greens?
No — any masticating juicer (regardless of whether it’s labelled “cold press”) handles leafy greens well. A centrifugal juicer is the one type that genuinely struggles with greens.
Related guides: Cold Press vs Centrifugal: Which Is Best for Your Kitchen · Best Easy-to-Clean Juicers UK
