With the introduction of the two newest styles of the single auger juicer, one of the questions that we have been getting very frequently is, which is the better dual-stage single auger juicer.  From our previous test, its apparent tha the dual stage juicers generally yield more juice, while juicing carrots, but is there a difference between the new dual stage models?

Omega, is not a new name in the juicing business.  It has its roots in juicing back for over 30 years with its original model, that hasn't changed much over the years, the Omega 1000 juicer.    Unlike the other juicers in the Omega product line (1000, 4000, 9000), the 8002 (and now discontinued 8001) are made in Korea.   

Tribest (has been in the juicer business since the early 1990s, originally introducing the Green Power twin gear juicer, which has now been upgraded to the Green Star Juicer.)    It's no surprise that the Solo Star is also made in Korea.

There are a few visual differences when looking at the two juicers side by side.  The Solo Star has more of a square look and the Omega 8002 has more of a rounded look.  The 8002 is white in color, while the Solo Star is an off-white, Almond in color.  The 8002 has cord storage underneath, while the Solor Star does not.

The new Solo Star Juicer and the Omega 8002 juicer have longer augers than the single stage auger juicers.  The extra length in the auger is used for the extra juicing stage.  As you can see by the photo to the right, the dual stage augers are about 1.5" longer.  Of the two juicers we are comparing, the Solo Star auger is a bit longer than the 8002 auger.

Will the longer auger translate into more juice??  In a few moments, you will read about the head-to-head tests we did with the two juicers.

In the picture above, you can see the visual differences of the main housing of the two juicers.  To me, it looks like the Omega 8002 took the 8001 and basically added a second stage to the juicing process.  They did this by adding a  different nozzle, keeping the same basic size of the old 8001 juicing screen.  On the other hand, I believe  the Solo Star, took a whole different approach.  I believe they totally redesigned the auger and the screen, which is apparent at looking at how the juicer works.

The Solo Star and Omega 8001 both encorporate the  dual stage juicing design.  The produce is first crushed.  The juice that is released at this stageis directed to the collection tray through a filter.  On the 8002, you can see this filter on the flat part in the picture above. On the solo star, the extra filter screen is built into the main body of the juicer.   You can see both filter screens in the picture above.  The solo star has a much smaller screen, with smaller holes (which due to surface area, is easier to clean in my opinion).

We did a direct comparison with the juicing of baby orgainc carrots.   We juiced a one pound bage of carrots in each juicer.   You can see the results of the test in the table below.

As you can see from the table above, the Solo Star produced 2.5% more juice when juicing carrots in our test.  Of course, results will vary depending on the produce being juiced.  Remember that  loss of yield means that you are throwing extra "juice" away in the fiber!

We then juiced 1 pound, 3.3 ounces of celery in both juicers.   See the table below for the results.

Again you can see that the difference was   5.75%, which would lead us to believe that the Solo Star Juicer is more efficient, since it does extract the juice more juice out of both of the produce items we juiced.   

We hope these two quick tests and article gave you some insight on the newest dual-stage single auger juicers.   A few other factors to consider with these juicers:

• Clean up-  The Solo Star has a smaller juicing screen, which has less surface area to clean.  The other juicing screen was built into the housing, and was easily washed with my kitchen sprayer.
• Warranty - The Omega 8002  juicer warranty is 10 years, while the Solo Star juicer is 5 years. 

Juicer	Solo Star	Omega 8002
Picture
Extraction Method	Single Auger	Single Auger
Watts	180 Watts	150 Watts
RPM	80	80
Ejects Pulp	Yes	Yes
Size of Feed Tube	1.50" x 1.50"	1.50" x 1.50"
Shape of Feed Tube
Construction of Juicing Auger	Melamine Plastic	Melamine Plastic
Dual Stage Juicing	YES	YES
Juicing Screen Material	#1 Plastic #2 Stainless Steel in Plastic Frame	Stainless Steel in Plastic Frame
Continuous Juicing	Yes	Yes
Decibels while running (not juicing)	70 dB min / 79dB max	72 dB min / 82 dB max
Juices Wheatgrass	Yes	Yes
Replacement Parts	Available	Available
Size of Juicer	10" H x 7.75" W x 17" L	11.5" H x 8" W x 16.5" L
Warranty	5 years	10 years
Your Price	$239.99	$259.00
Retail Price	$299.99	$299.99
You Save	$60.00	$40.99

We hope you have learned more about the two juicers featured in this comparison. 

Summary:
These juicers are both great juicers, and for all practical purposes, the results were so close, so if you were looking to yield alone, you couldn't go wrong with either juicer.   So maybe some other factors should be taken into consideration:

Overall, we prefer the  Solo Star Juicer for the following points:

• Quieter (~2 to ~3 dB in our tests)
• Produces a higher yield (2.5% - 5% more  in our tests)
• Easier to Clean (smaller Screen)
• Lower Price
• More powerful motor

We also like the Omega 8002 for the following points:

• Longer warranty - 10 years
• Appearance - White, sleek rounded (almost looks like a shape out of Star Trek!)
• Comes with two juicing screens (one small hole, and one with larger holes, which provides more flexibility when juicing fruits or veggies)
• Better for homogenizing due to both screens are entirely plugged when operating.

Please note: These are our tests and our opinions, your results may vary.

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