REASONS TO BUY
Decent general performance
Simple user interface
REASONS TO AVOID
Difficult to disassemble
Time-consuming to clean
Small feeding chute
Omega VSJ843QS Vertical Square Review
This difficult-to-use juicer is a poor masticator with a high price tag
Credit: Omega
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Our Verdict
Simply put, we were quite surprised at the poor show that the Omega VSJ843QS Vertical Square made in our evaluation. This unit looks and is priced like a high-end masticating machine. However, our tests revealed it to be a difficult-to-use device that renders marginal to poor juice quality. Shoppers would do well to look at other top juicers in our review.
Editor's Note: This juicer review was added on August 26th, 2022, along with several other new products making our lineup a comprehensive, contemporary look at the market.
Our Analysis and Test Results
This review of the Omega Vertical Square evaluates a wide variety of produce and examines each device's ease of use. Our research reveals more than numbers; it shares meaningful, real-world insights critical for picking the right device for your specific needs and budget.
Performance Comparison
The Omega VSJ843QS Vertical Square is a so-so masticating juicer that is, in our expert opinion, over-priced.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Juice Quality
This is the most important assessment in our review because it evaluates the end product that motivates one to purchase a juicer. To assess juice quality, we use three different recipes that blend various ingredients and evaluate them for their texture, taste, and thickness. We also assess the amount of foam in the drink and any separation. The Vertical Square delivered a well above average performance with few issues of note.
The one recipe with which the Vertical Square had some trouble involved many firm fruits and veggies such as apples, carrots, beets, celery, and ginger. The results of this blend were foamy, a bit gritty, and very earthy, with the carrot and beet overpowering the other flavors. Aside from this recipe, all other recipes came out quite well. However, as we moved through the recipes, we noticed carryover flavors despite careful cleaning.
We observed lingering flavors from one recipe to the next despite careful cleaning.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw
Soft Produce
While the juice quality metric looks at mixtures of ingredients, the soft produce metric looks at one ingredient at a time with a focus on fruits and veggies that are more supple. Firm and leafy ingredients are assessed separately. Specifically, we use celery, cucumbers, apples, and oranges. Results rely primarily on juice yield based on the weight of the raw ingredients. Additionally, we look at pulp, separation, foam, and color. There were no pronounced issues with the Vertical Square until we got to oranges, where the taste was off from bleed-over despite cleaning — this brought the score down a bit, but overall, the Vertical Square did quite well in this assessment and earned itself a top spot in the class.
There was a fair amount of foam produced in the cucumber test, but the juice yield was high.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw
Hard Produce
The hard produce metric is essentially the same as the soft produce metric, except we used firmer produce — namely carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes. The Vertical Square gave an above-average performance in this assessment, with the sweet potato juice being noticeably exceptional with moderate foam and pulp and vivid orange color. One issue worth mentioning was the difficulty this juicer had with carrots — we had to go back and forth several times to pulverize them fully.
Working through carrots with the Omega Vertical Square.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw
Leafy Greens
The results of the leafy greens assessment were surprising. The Vertical Square uses a masticator as its method of extraction. In general, the low RPMs at which masticators operate yield a greater volume of juice from low-mass ingredients like leafy greens. Unfortunately, this was not the case with this juicer. We saw more foam than juice come from this device. These results pose a serious problem to the value one would place on a large and expensive device such as this.
We didn't get the leafy green yields we had hoped for with this juicer.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Cleaning
Cleaning is the lowest-ranked metric in our evaluation, but an important one nonetheless. The Vertical Square is difficult and takes a while to clean. When a product requires this much work after using it, it clears away all the enjoyment it initially produced. What makes this device so hard to clean? It has many parts with nooks and crannies where the poorly masticated food bits get stuck. The device is hard to take apart and reassemble, and the cleaning tool it comes with is only marginally helpful. After many cleaning cycles with this device, we dreaded using it.
The Vertical Square is a beast to clean and, despite our best efforts, we still ended up with residual carry-over flavors.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Should You Buy the Omega VSJ843QS Vertical Square?
Simply put, no. This is a very high-cost machine that doesn't satisfy the expectations one reasonably has with a high-priced masticator. As such, we think the Vertical Square is a poor value, and we recommend that you look at other models in our juicer review.
What Other Juicers Should You Consider?
If you are in the market for a higher-end, masticating juicer, we highly recommend looking at the Kuvings Whole Slow C7000S. This machine exceeds expectations for what a high-end juicer can do. However, keep in mind that high performance comes at a premium. If you need to stick to a budget and are willing to go with a centrifugal option, the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth is a killer deal.
—
Genaveve Bradshaw and Nick Miley
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