Kelly Dobkin, who conducted the most recent round of testing for this guide, is a food writer, editor, and culinary school graduate who has worked at Cravings by Chrissy Teigen, Thrillist, Zagat, and Eater New York. For this update, she spent over 50 hours testing out 15 juicers, from electric to manual models (and has 5 quarts of OJ in her freezer to prove it).

Writers Winnie Yang and Nick Guy also contributed research, testing, and writing to previous versions of this guide.

Over the years, we’ve spoken to a slew of industry professionals about their preferred methods for juicing citrus and have invited experts to our tasting panels. For the latest update, we interviewed several bartenders, chefs, and bakers about their favorite citrus juicers.

Whether you choose an electric citrus juicer or a manual one depends on how you plan to use it. Electric juicers are ideal for making more than a few ounces of juice at a time. These machines may be appealing to people who frequently serve a pitcher of OJ with breakfast or people who want to juice quickly and with minimal effort. They can also be fun for kids to use. (Don’t confuse electric citrus juicers with masticating juicers, which we’ve also covered in depth.)

For people who need a small amount of juice to use in a recipe or a drink, a manual juicer may be just the thing. They’re more agile than electric machines and tend to work better with smaller citrus, like lemons and limes. Manual models often extract more natural oils from the rind, which may be desirable for some home cooks and bartenders.

Most manual juicers fall into one of three categories: reamers, such as the Chef’n Juicester Citrus Juicer, which require twisting citrus onto a cone to release the juice; squeezers, like the Chef’n FreshForce Citrus Juicer; and presses, such as the Zulay Kitchen Professional Heavy Duty Citrus Juicer, which, as the name suggests, extracts juice by squeezing or pressing the fruit. We tested juicers in each of these categories.

For this update, we tested 15 juicers, including electric and manual models. We evaluated them based on mostly the same criteria but in a different rank order, favoring neatness, ease of use, yield, and agility as the most important factors for manual juicers.

• Yield: We looked for models that generated a good amount of juice and could handle a variety of sizes of citrus.
• Ease of use and agility: We evaluated juicers based on how intuitive they were to operate and how much manual force they required. The best models were easy on our hands, wrists, and arms—very important after pressing a few dozen oranges. For manual models, we also prioritized agility. For instance, we considered how easy it was to move the juicer from the kitchen to the table and tuck it away into a drawer afterwards.
• Taste: We sampled the resulting juices to assess the overall flavor and looked out for things like bitterness that could result from juicing into the pith.
• Pulp and seed control: We evaluated how well each juicer strained out pulp and seeds. Some people prefer pulp-free juice, but others like a little texture. Both of our electric juicer picks have pulp selection features.
• Speed: When testing electric models, we evaluated how quickly each machine juiced.

Beyond these fundamentals, a few other factors separated the good juicers from the great ones:

Neatness and ease of cleaning: Most of the manual squeezers as well as electric models with dribble spouts tended to be messier than juicers that empty into pitchers. Though some mess is unavoidable, we favored juicers that minimize it. All of the models we tested but one have top-rack dishwasher-safe parts. We also hand-washed each juicer to give us a sense of how difficult it was to do.

Noise: We evaluated the noise level of each electric juicer and how it affected the overall experience.

Size and storage: We considered the footprint of countertop models and how easily they could be stowed away. In the case of handheld manual juicers, we checked how comfortably they could fit into a drawer.

To test the juicers—after buying a suspicious amount of citrus at the local grocery store—we weighed the fruit before juicing, then weighed the resulting juice from each contender. Then we calculated each juicer’s yield as a percentage of the total fruit weight.

On the electric models, we juiced four cara cara oranges, two lemons, two limes, and a grapefruit to see how well they handled different sizes of citrus. For the oranges, most of the electric machines extracted somewhere between 33% and 41% of the fruit’s weight in juice, and our picks yielded 35% or higher.

For the manual juicers, we tested two lemons and two limes on the models that were intended for smaller citrus, plus oranges on the juicers that were large enough to handle them. The winning manual models were also top performers when it came to juice quantity.

We also vetted our finalists with a group of paid testers, some of whom had joint pain or limited mobility or dexterity.

The Vinci Hands-Free Electric Citrus Juicer produced more juice than most of the electric juicers we tested, including models that cost twice as much. Its labor-free mechanism was unparalleled in our testing, especially when compared with other electric models, such as our budget pick, which requires you to press down on the fruit while you juice it.

To operate the Vinci electric juicer, all you have to do is load the fruit onto the juicing cone, snap the lid shut, push a button, and voilà—you have juice. It was also a favorite among our paid testers for accessibility, ease of use, and wow factor—they only wished it was a fraction of the price.

It produces a lot of juice quickly. The Vinci model was a top performer among the electric juicers we tested, extracting about 40% of the oranges’ weight in juice. The cycle for juicing half a fruit lasts about seven seconds, whereas on other machines you would still be pushing down on the fruit, checking to see if you got it all.

It’s automatic. The Vinci electric juicer stops squeezing the fruit automatically, taking out the guesswork that comes with other electric models, like our budget pick, the Black+Decker Citrus Juicer, or the fancier lever-operated Breville or Eurolux juicers. And in our tests, the Vinci juicer always stopped short of gutting the pith, resulting in a delicious juice without any bitterness.

It works with different citrus, and it controls pulp. Unlike our budget pick, whose large reamer is too small for a grapefruit, the Vinci juicer performed well on all sizes and types of citrus.

This model also comes with two different pulp strainers: one with slits that let some pulp through, and one with perforations that strains most of the pulp out. Both are effective.

The parts are made mostly of plastic, but the juicing cone and strainers were still sturdy, and we found it easy to switch out the pulp strainers and clean them by hand. They can also go in the top rack of the dishwasher.

It’s fun to use. Our paid testers described “a sense of wonder” watching the fully automated machine juice on its own. Once closed and in operation, the machine’s juicing cone spins automatically to ream the fruit, while a plate simultaneously compresses it from below. In seconds, juice starts dribbling out of the spout like magic.

Vinci offers a one-year warranty on registered machines (with caveats).

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• Though the Vinci electric juicer works well with all sizes of citrus, it was tough to close the lid on larger grapefruits.
• The purpose of a button that reverses the direction of the juicing cone was not intuitive (it’s there in case your juicer stalls from an accumulation of pulp, an issue we didn’t have). Other models do this automatically.
• At about $100, the juicer is expensive, but it still performs better and costs considerably less than models we tested from Breville or SMEG.
• The Vinci juicer is bulky. It takes up a comparable amount of counter space to other electric models, but it’s taller (about 12.5 inches), so it may not fit under your upper cabinets when open. The size also makes it harder to store, even though the machine can be broken down into multiple parts.
• Though the removable parts are dishwasher-safe, we found tiny flakes of pith and hard-to-remove white residue stuck to them after cleaning. (It’s unclear whether this was the dishwasher’s fault or the juicer’s.)

If you’d rather spend less on an electric juicer and you don’t mind exerting some elbow grease, the Black+Decker Citrus Juicer is a good option. At around a third of the price of our top pick, it’s a great value, and it extracts more juice than expensive machines like Breville’s The Citrus Press Pro or the SMEG Citrus Juicer.

It makes a lot of juice. In our testing, the Black+Decker juicer extracted 37% of the oranges’ weight in juice, which was among the highest yields of all of the electric models we tested.

It’s tidy. The design features nesting juicing cones and a strainer set over a pitcher, so the juice goes right into the pouring vessel. We liked this streamlined design compared with models like the Vinci Hands-Free Electric Citrus Juicer and the Eurolux ELCJ-3000, which have drippy spouts that drain into another vessel and can get messy.

The pulp strainer works. The easy-to-use adjustable pulp strainer did the job better than the similarly designed one on the Proctor Silex juicer we tested, which barely allows for pulp even on the pulpiest setting.

It offers more control. Pressing the fruit by hand, rather than with a lever like the Citrus Press Pro or the Eurolux ELCJ-3000, has an upside: You’re less likely to over-ream the fruit. Some of our paid testers liked having tactile contact with the fruit when juicing for this reason.

It takes some effort. You need to use a decent bit of manual force to operate this machine; our hands and wrists were tired after juicing four oranges.

It works well on most sizes of citrus, except the biggest. The machine comes with two nesting juicing cones, one small and one large. They’re easy to swap (it only takes a few seconds), and the smaller cone did well with lemons and limes. But when it came to grapefruit, the larger cone wasn’t wide enough, and we had to mold the fruit around the cone to capture all of the juice.

It can be unstable. The Black+Decker juicer’s powerful motor can overwhelm its lightweight build, causing the machine to jump, especially when the pitcher is empty. Placing a towel underneath it should help.

It has a two-year limited warranty, which is generous for an appliance of this price (and better than the warranty on our top pick).

If you’re looking to juice smaller amounts of citrus and don’t mind taking the time and energy to squeeze, the Chef’n Juicester Citrus Juicer is a great choice.

It’s good for one. The self-contained design includes a plastic carafe that holds up to 1½ cups of juice, ideal for a single serving of orange juice.

It’s handy for home cooks. Volume measurements in milliliters, cups, and ounces are marked on the side of the carafe, so it’s easy to measure as you go, which is especially useful if you’re following a recipe.

It has an ergonomic design, but it still takes a long time. The spring-mounted juicing cone takes pressure off your hands and wrists. Though it took us about five minutes to juice two oranges for a tall glass of OJ, we weren’t especially fatigued. (Compared with the 28 seconds it takes the Vinci Hands-Free Electric Citrus Juicer, it’s apples and oranges.)

It has a second, smaller cone nested inside the larger one that is designed for juicing citrus like lemons and limes, but we had difficulty removing the larger one, and we found that it worked just as well for smaller fruit.

It’s neat. The Juicester’s self-contained design made it one of the tidiest manual models we tested, with some of the highest yields. The carafe kept in the juice, while the built-in strainer did a good job of keeping out seeds and excessive pulp (but unlike with our electric picks, you can’t swap or adjust the strainer to customize your pulp level). It’s also top-rack dishwasher-safe.

All Chef’n tools come with a lifetime warranty with proof of purchase.

The Chef’n FreshForce Citrus Juicer is the best manual squeezer we tested for juicing small amounts of citrus for cocktails, recipes, or even tableside. Thanks to its unique ergonomic design, it outperformed the Barfly, KitchenAid, and OXO squeezers we tested when it came to ease of use and overall experience.

Smart design gives you extra leverage. The FreshForce’s dual-gear design took pressure off of our wrists and hands and required less force than the KitchenAid and OXO squeezers. It didn’t produce the most juice compared with other squeezers, but the difference was insignificant, and it was the easiest and most fun to use.

It’s best for small citrus. The FreshForce worked equally well with lemons and limes, but it’s too small to fit an orange or a grapefruit. (We tried the larger size intended for oranges, but we didn’t find it very effective.)

It’s neat, and it catches seeds. Whether you’re juicing for a salad dressing or squeezing directly into your cocktail, the FreshForce is far easier and less messy to use than a handheld reamer. While it’s not as neat as the Juicester, virtually no juice sprayed out the sides. When we juiced five lemons, only two seeds slipped through. Still, this model is made for squeezing directly into a dish or a drink, or with a container underneath.

It’s sturdy. The FreshForce is made of heavy plastic, with an unpainted metal cup that presses down on the citrus, so you don’t need to worry about chipping paint. All Chef’n tools come with a lifetime warranty with proof of purchase.

If you’re looking for a high-end electric model with nonplastic parts: The efficient, lever-operated Breville’s The Citrus Press Pro, a previous pick for juicing large quantities, feels elegant to use and is easy on the arms. It’s made with high-quality stainless steel parts, which is unique among the electric juicers we tested. It’s a great option for juicing large volumes quickly. But it doesn’t come with pulp control or a pitcher, and the easy-to-use lever increases the risk of over-reaming and imparting bitterness to the juice. It’s also bulky, and is triple the cost of the Eurolux ELCJ-3000, a similar but cheaper model.

If you want a Breville-style juicer that costs less: The Eurolux ELCJ-3000 is a lever-operated juicer that is comparable in design to the Citrus Press Pro, but it costs about half the price. Unlike the stainless steel Citrus Press Pro, the ELCJ-3000 is made with plastic parts. Like the Citrus Press Pro, it effortlessly juices all sizes of citrus, but it lacks a pitcher and pulp control, and it’s predisposed to over-reaming the fruit. You also have to align the citrus half on the tip of the juicing cone with some precision before lowering the lever for the juicer to work properly, which some of our paid testers found tricky.

If you want an old-school manual cocktail juicer for under $20: The medieval-looking Barfly Jumbo Aluminum Juicer was recommended to us by several bartenders, and for good reason: It’s a very effective squeezer. It can be used flat on a table, so it’s more accessible for people with limited mobility. It has a self-contained design, with a strainer, a cup for holding juice, and a spout for pouring. It’s aluminum, so it’s not too heavy. The Barfly juices by crushing the fruit, peel and all, which releases more natural oils than other juicers. It has a high yield for juice, though the method is unconventional: The manufacturer calls for cutting the fruit into quarters or sixths, rather than halves. When we tried juicing both ways, the smaller chunks yielded 12% to 15% more juice. At under $20, it’s one of the more affordable juicers we tested. The downsides of the BarFly juicer are that it’s bulky, making it harder to store than other squeezers, and it’s the only model we tested that isn’t dishwasher-safe.

If you’re looking for a dishwasher-safe squeezer that captures the juice: Unlike our manual squeezer pick, the KitchenAid Citrus Squeezer can be used flat on the table, because its closed cup contains the juice. And unlike the BarFly juicer, it’s dishwasher-safe and easy to store in a drawer. But the cup holds a very small amount (about half a lemon’s worth), so you have to pour it out almost immediately. It also requires a decent amount of force.

This is not a comprehensive list of everything we tested in previous iterations of this guide, just what’s still available.

Electric

Proctor Silex Alex’s Lemonade Stand Citrus Juicer, our previous pick, left us fatigued after juicing, while the similarly designed Black+Decker budget pick required less force. Some commenters have also remarked that the build is flimsy and parts have melted in the dishwasher over time. However, if the Black+Decker juicer is out of stock, this is a decent substitute.

The retro SMEG Citrus Juicer looks good on the counter, but it was one of the least effective juicers we tested. With low yields and a juicing cone that’s too small for the average navel orange, it’s not worth the $200 price tag.

The Eurolux ELCJ-2200 was loud, messy, and produced less juice than other comparably priced machines.

The Dash Dual Citrus Juicer has the same design as our budget pick, but in our tests, it was slightly less efficient. The pulp catcher’s two pieces don’t fit snugly together, which leaves a gap substantial enough to let a lot of pulp through even at the lowest setting.

The Oster Juice-n-Serve Citrus Juicer doesn’t have a pulp-control mechanism or multiple cones, and it isn’t dishwasher-safe. But it was one of the quietest of the bunch.

Tribest’s CitriStar Citrus Juicer requires hand-washing and offers no way to catch juice or strain pulp. It was also less efficient than our budget pick despite costing more. It did require less pressure than some of the other models we tried.

The Cuisinart Pulp Control Citrus Juicer was a low producer, and it lacked a pitcher and multiple cones. It is handsome, though, thanks to its brushed-metal housing.

KitchenAid’s Stand Mixer Juicer Attachment mounts onto the front of the mixer, so you have to hold the fruit sideways to juice, which is much more taxing and messier than holding it face down. The pulp strainer is too small for the task, and it didn’t fit well in the attachment, so it tended to fall out, sometimes dumping its contents into the juice.

Manual

The OXO Good Grips Citrus Squeezer is popular among our commenters and it works decently well, but it requires more force to operate than the comparable Chef’n FreshForce Citrus Juicer.

The old-fashioned OXO Good Grips Wooden Reamer is good at extracting juice, but it has no strainer and is therefore messy compared with our manual picks.

We tried the Chef’n FreshForce Orange Juicer with high hopes. However, it’s not as effective as the FreshForce Citrus Juicer we recommend which is designed for smaller citrus. The juice yield was low and left a lot of fruit on the orange after use.

Even with a towel underneath to stabilize it, the Zulay Kitchen Professional Heavy Duty Citrus Juicer manual press moves around as you use it, making it almost impossible to operate.

This guide was edited by Gabriella Gershenson and Marguerite Preston.