Magimix Le Duo XL Juicer Review
A quick examination of the wide range of juicers available left with us no real alternatives. If you are someone who firmly believes that any juicer machine you buy should look and feel good, have as many features as you can find and should not fall to bits within 2 months of use, then the new Le Duo XL Juicer from Magimix can fit the bill perfectly. It is undeniably true that you can go for quiet cheap juicers and extractors these days around the £20 mark, but you cannot expect the gamut of features that Le Duo comes worth nor they seem like they will last the mile. The Magimix model is substantial, sturdy and has a really good quality feel to it. At £170, it is virtually one of the most expensive juicer models you could find in the market. The next one up should be an industrial grade model and perhaps could be more powerful than you actually want.
Appearance & Design features:
The Magimix Le Duo XL Juicer is housed in high quality plastic. The juicer model comes in four strikingly attractive colours namely white (14250), cream (14251), red (14252) and satin (14261). There is also a stainless steel finish available and obviously the price is slightly higher. And when it comes to actual space consumption, it occupies space no more than a larger-sized electric kettle. This of course might save some space in your kitchen worktop. The unit looks very sturdy and the weight of the motor at the bottom suggests that it is quite stable. The juicer machine rests comfortably on four soft rubber feet provided. Regardless the unit’s comparative height, it is not easy to knock over as such during usage. The unit is nearly cylindrical and could fit superbly in most modern kitchens. It is also worth mentioning the compact size and design of the unit. The fact that it takes up very limited space in your cupboard makes the Le Duo XL a highly practical unit to select. Also, the shape and layout is such that the operation seems to be a doddle. We had no problem fitting the several parts of the juicer and they fitted quite snugly into place (now this should be a big sigh of relief!). Even dismantling the juicer parts proved easy and we had no trouble washing independently and putting them together again – you do not have to be a contestant of ‘Krypton Factor’ to work it out. Let us see all these and more in detail in the review.
Powerful motor operation:
The Magimix Le Duo XL is one of the slowest centrifugal juicers available around at a speed of 1500 RPM with 1 speed setting and extracts extremely thin juice which does not disintegrate into layers when you leave it standing. The juicer comes with a quiet, powerful 400W induction motor (commercial grade) that sits in the extractor base and stands upright. The motor can juice both soft as well as hard produce with a fair bit of efficiency.
Double function juicer:
The Le Duo XL Centrifugal Juicer gives you double function as it comes with two tops, one which is meant for extracting juice from fruit and veggies and the other is handy as a citrus press. We were not too concerned about having the citrus press, but it does work exceedingly well. The juice extractor rests in the upper half of the juicer. This generally consists of a stainless steel basket having little teeth in it. The on and off switch is situated on the base of the unit and once you switch on the machine, the basket spins round at a speed that makes the teeth work like a circular cheese grater. This slice opens the fruit or veggies and then releases the juices inside. You can find a plastic lid on the top that clicks cleanly into place with just one simple turn. The basket and lid have no real hard-to-reach areas. Feeding the chunks of fruits or vegetables is a lot easier with the juicer. First, cut the fruit or vegetable into smaller chunks and make sure it is small enough to go into the new extra large feed tube (upright tube) and then push it down by a pusher against a type of grater. The extra large feed tube will take in whole or large pieces of fruit and veggies. The grated material spins at a high speed and does the extraction of juice from the fruit and/or vegetables.
The juice that is being extracted is drained through the stainless basket and out of the unit through an adjustable spout you can find on the side of the juicer unit. The large free flow spout is designed in such a way that there are no accidents. The juice too will not run out unless you fold it downwards and this gives you time to place a glass or jug underneath. The pulp can be collected internally and this means you need to empty the machine after every 2 to 3 glasses of extracted juice. This is a fast and painless operation and just takes around 30 seconds.
Depending on the fruit or vegetable in question, we found the waste tends to clog the drainage flow and the juice begins to leak directly below the spout. There is a way to avoid this and that is to keep taking the machine apart and removing the waste regularly. When the chamber is too full, the juicer begins to vibrate its way across the kitchen worktop and should be paused and emptied. The Magimix Le Duo XL 400W Juicer is quite heavy and therefore it does not happen for a while unless you juice a lot of fruits and veggies with a lot of skin or seeds. The instruction manual tells you that soft skinned fruit must be peeled before you juice them. In case, you find pieces getting struck in the tube, you are provided with a plastic utensil and this should come in handy for pushing into the tube and forcing the struck pieces or chunks out of the other end.
Large & Small cones:
We have already discussed on the types of cones supplied by the manufacturer, though it deserves a bit of mention. You can use the larger cone for bigger fruits including oranges, grapefruits, etc and the smaller cone can be used for smaller fruits such as limes and lemons. When juicing lemons or oranges, the two special cones come to your help, onto which the pieces of fruits could be placed and on activating the mechanism, it starts the juicing operation. In this case, you just lift the lid and dispose of the peel. With other kinds of fruit and vegetables, the drum stores the waste and you need to empty it out when you are done. Not to mention there is a citrus press with lever arm that can be used to hold all sorts of citrus fruits in place.
What about the quality and quantity of juicer?
On testing, the Le Duo XL 1500RPM Speed Juicer seems to extract good, clear and pure juice. All the waste, froth and the pulp from the fruits and vegetables is safely retained in the stainless steel drum, therefore only the real juice makes it way through the extractor. A key aspect that makes it a cut above the rest is the comparative size of load that you can juice before you need to clean it. The drum features a generous capacity to juice a nice portion of orange juicer. Perhaps, it does not get worse than having to keep stopping for emptying out all the waste. In one extraction, you could get almost a pint of juice before you need to empty the drum, though this might vary depending upon what you are actually juicing.
For fresh quality juice:
Make sure you wash the ingredients thoroughly. Vegetables including turnips or carrot require scrubbing. In order to retain the goodness, you do not have to peel your ingredients. But you also have to make sure that all traces of soil or containments are got rid of. Do not trust ‘Ready to Eat’ labels; they are not necessarily so. Chop and dice ingredients to a convenient size. While it may be fun to see if you could shove an entire marrow down the tube in one go, this sometimes may do the juicer some damage and reduce its efficiency levels. If you are having problem getting the segments of fruits and veggies down the tube, then the chances are likely that you have not cut them up enough. Avoid preparing too much in one go. As you may know that fresh juice only retains its taste, goodness and flavour for a limited time, therefore try juicing what you require there and then. Do not store juice for more than 24 hours as it is really not an option.
Instruction manual:
The Magimix Le Duo XL juicer machine comes with a nicely written instruction manual booklet. Common sense is such a useful thing to have under any circumstance, but the booklet is a good starter to kick start things. Including tips on maintenance, cleaning and general care, the instruction book also offers you some brilliant recipe suggestions for some juicy drinks. There is also a customer service help line, but to be honest we have not tried this service and how can we comment about it?
Cleaning the appliance:
Cleaning the machine is quite easy, if not a time consuming chore. All the juicer components come apart and must be washed in hot, soapy water immediately after use. Avoid leaving the waste and remains in the basket until the next day. This can make cleaning much trickier. It does take some time for cleaning the machine. Once you have removed the drum and the lid, you require getting all the waste and the pulp before you can really rinse the drum. Mind you, this task could be a bit taxing, as the drum comes with a plastic lip which makes it all the more difficult to get rid of all the bits. There is a plastic spatula which comes alongside the product, designed specifically to make the task a simple one, though it could still be a bit awkward. Cleaning the little teeth on the drum can also be tricky. Perhaps, a brush is the most convenient way to clean it because a cloth will just get shredded. The juicer parts are not dishwasher safe at normal wash cycles, though the plastic parts are simply easy to clean, but in due course of time, you would find that the juice will stain the plastic, if you do not scrub it promptly and briskly soon after use. Therefore, one of the reasons that will make you use the Magimix Le Duo XL far less often is the difficult part of cleaning. (And this can simply put you off using it). While we appreciate that all similar juicer machines require regular cleaning after use, the effort required comparatively to make a jug of juice can simply offset the joy of drinking it.
Things to watch out for:
Exercise precaution while putting your fingers in the interior base of the drum while you are dismantling it for cleaning as there are quite a few sharp little serrations. The dishwasher tends to leave some amount of pulp in the pulp chamber because it features a wide lip that prevents it from being cleanly rinsed out and this means you should wash it by hands first.
Manufacturer Warranty:
The Magimix Le Duo XL Juicer carries a guarantee of 12 years for the motor as well as a 3 year guarantee for the machine parts, starting from the original purchase date.
Verdict:
So here is all we have to say on the Magimix machine in terms of positives and negatives:
Positives:
• Heavy duty motor
• Brilliant juicing
• Extracts maximum juice out
Negatives:
• Parts are not dishwasher safe at normal wash cycles
• Requires frequent emptying
• Difficult to clean
Overall, the Magimix is a durable piece of machine and has a high price tag, but quality always goes hand in hand with price and you simply get what you pay for. And yes, our criticisms on cleaning will apply to any sort of appliance and one cannot really find fault with Magimix for his or her laziness of washing the machine!
Magimix Le Duo XL Juicer Machine – Technical Specification Table
| Manufacturer | Magimix |
| Model Name | Magimix Le Duo XL Juicer |
| Available colours/Model Number | White (14250), cream (14251), red (14252), satin (14261) |
| Type of Juicer | Centrifugal juicer |
| Best function | Juice extractor/ Citrus press |
| Housing | Plastic |
| Motor Power | 400W |
| Speed | 1500 RPM |
| Speed setting | 1 (1500 RPM) |
| Voltage | 220/240V |
| Lightweight | No |
| Chute | Yes (Extra large feed tube) |
| Adjustable spout | Yes |
| Pusher | Yes |
| Rubber feet | Yes |
| Integrated cord storage | No |
| Safety locking system | No |
| Foam separator | No |
| Pulp Container | Yes |
| Dishwasher safe | No (at normal wash cycles) |
| Instruction manual | Yes |
| Recipe book | Yes |
| Design features | Double function juicer Plastic lid, Stainless steel basket Pulp can be collected internally Large & Small cones for bigger/smaller & citrus fruits Drum of generous capacity Plastic spatula Citrus press with lever arm |
| Highlight features | Maximum extraction of juice Direct extraction into glass Less space consumption |
| Manufacturer warranty | Motor: 12 years Machine parts: 3 years |
