Nama J2 Full Review | Juicer Test Kitchen (2024)

The Nama J2 Juicer has been hailed as revolutionary in the juicing world, with a reputation that has both the juicing public and experts buzzing. When it was released on September 15, 2021, it sold out in an astounding single week! In this Nama J2 Full Review, we’ll take an in-depth look at the juicer and see if it truly lives up to the hype. I’ll examine both the Nama brand and the J2’s features and list its pros and cons so you can decide if it’s the right juicer for you. Are you ready to dive in? Let’s go!

What’s In This Article?

Quick Nama J2 Juicer Review

Nama, The Brand

Before diving into the details of the Nama J2 Cold Press Juicer, let’s learn a bit about the company that makes it.

The Nama Philosophy

Nama was founded out of a desire to “nurture wellness rituals through connecting with food, nature, and our communities.” Dan Sheehan and Joe Cross developed the brand with the idea that wellness rituals are crucial in maintaining a healthy body, a calm mind, balanced emotions, and caring for the environment.

They see juicers and juicing playing a vital role in your daily wellness ritual by creating fresh, nutritious, cold-pressed juice. (Honestly, I couldn’t agree with them more.)

The Technical Commitment

With its original juicer, the Vitality 5800, Nama put its best foot forward. That model performs quite well, employing Nama’s patented Pure Press Technology ™, which combines torque, speed, and filtering elements to provide significantly more juice while retaining the high nutrient value expected from a cold press juicer.

As good of a juicer as it is, Nama wasn’t satisfied with their current level of excellence. Gathering feedback on their customers’ drawbacks and minor irritations, they threw themselves into completely transforming the juicing experience.

From this was born the Nama J2. Read on to discover what in the world they have done.

What Makes the Nama J2 Juicer Different?

Nama has taken any negative feedback they received from users of their original juicer, the Vitality 5800 (also known as the Nama J1), and made specific design changes to the J2 to eliminate those issues.

They Listened

The main complaints that the original Nama Vitality 5800 (also known as Nama J1) users reported were:

• Small Feed Chute – This requires extra chopping to make the produce small enough to fit in the chute, significantly increasing prep time.
• Pulp Outlet Chute Clogging – Even with that extra chopping, the chute (as with other vertical juicers) eventually gets clogged. Requiring users to take the juicer apart, clean, and reassemble it before resuming juicing.
• Time To Prep & Clean-Up – The two above issues combine to add significant extra time to juice. This is a common issue with many juicer models across the spectrum.

Nama J2 Juicer Top Innovations

So, what improvements did Nama engineers make to eliminate these complaints and revolutionize the industry? Let’s take a look.

• Large 5.25-inch Batching Hopper
  • Nama replaced the J1’s small feed chute with a huge produce hopper.
  • Simply fill it up, close the lid, and walk away while it juices.
• Wide, Hinged Pulp Chute
  • They redesigned the pulp chute to be much wider, making clogging a thing of the past.
  • They also made the chute hinged, so cleaning is effortless. No more digging out pulp!
• Super Fast Prep & Clean-Up
  • The J2 makes chopping up ingredients is a thing of the past. If it fits in the batching hopper, you can juice it.
  • No more standing by the machine constantly feeding produce. Load up the hopper and let it run on its own.
  • Clean-up is quick thanks to well-designed, minimal parts on the J2.
  • I clocked my typical cleaning run at 3 minutes and 30 seconds, much faster than many other juicers I’ve used.

It’s All About The Hopper

A few key features of the Nama J2 set it apart from other vertical, slow-masticating style juicers. The main one is how produce is prepped and fed into the machine. They completely transformed the small feed chute into a large batching hopper with the same diameter as the entire machine.

While most other vertical juicers, including Nama’s original Vitality 5800, have a small-sized feed chute, the J2 has a whopping 5.25 in (13.34 cm) hopper opening. The lid opens via a hinge with a trigger-like button that swings open vertically towards the back of the machine. Its large opening allows you to add minimally prepped produce to the hopper, close the lid, and walk away while it works.

Did you catch that? You toss everything in and then literally STEP AWAY. For anyone who has done even a minimal amount of juicing, you know how amazing a feature this is!

One of the most common complaints is that juicing takes too long, requiring so much prepping. The J2 tackles this top complaint head-on, wrestles it to the ground, hog-ties it, and neatly removes it entirely from the playing field.

With vertical juicers, it’s recommended that you chop up the ingredients, especially fibrous greens and herbs like kale, chard, celery, parsley, cilantro, etc. Chopping everything into tiny bits shortens the fibers that clog up the pulp outlet chute in other juicers of this style. This clogging is a central issue for most vertical juicers…but not the Nama J2!

With the J2, you only need to chop ingredients to fit into the hopper. That’s it. If they fit, no chopping needed.

For example, long carrots, cucumbers, or celery need only be cut in half or thirds. Apples, beets, ginger, tomatoes, and anything you can juice, just drop them in. Seriously, no prep is needed – I’ve even juiced whole pineapples! This makes juicing super fast.

This feature eliminates the time required to stand next to the machine and feed each piece of produce into the feed chute as the pressing auger slowly draws in and juices the produce. With the J2, you drop everything into the hopper, close the lid, and walk away.

Once the lid is closed and the juicer is switched to ON, the auto-cutting blade (a stiff plastic cutting blade) at the bottom of the hopper spins at the same slow speed as the pressing auger. It not only cuts the produce as it spins, but it also feeds the produce automatically into the juice auger pressing chamber.

No more need to chop apples into sections, cucumbers into spears, or beets into chunks! The slow-spinning cutter at the bottom of the hopper does the work!

Improved Pulp Chute – Less Clogging, Easy Cleaning

Nama also wholly re-designed the pulp outlet chute. Whereas the old chute design was prone to clogging when juicing fibrous pulp from greens, herbs, celery, ginger, etc, the new outlet chute has a perfect size and shape to allow the same fibrous pulp to flow out freely while simultaneously providing optimal juicing efficiency.

Additionally, they designed the outlet chute with a new feature that allows it to be hinged open for simple cleaning after juicing. The old design required digging with a cleaning tool to remove all the pulp. The new design pops open and allows easy, super-fast cleaning.

Save Significant Time

The above features combine to provide you with the most significant advantage: flat-out saving you a ton of time.

With the batching hopper, you no longer need to stand beside the juicer and continually feed produce. You can do other things while the juicer makes the juice all on its own!

I’ve even dropped a whole pineapple into the hopper without chopping it into pieces or cutting the core out. Simply remove the crown, bottom, and skin, drop it into the hopper, close the lid, and step away. The J2 handles it completely!

Instead of chopping and feeding produce ingredients in the juicer, you can use that time to put away extra produce and clean things up. You can do whatever you want while the J2 does its thing! You could sneak in some push-ups, read a blog post, or do some dishes, all while the J2 juicer makes you delicious fresh juice.

If you decide to clean your prep area while the juicer does its thing, all that will be left to do is to clean it. This even takes less time than the typical juicer. I’ve timed it from start to finish: a mere 3 minutes and 32 seconds. Everything about the Nama J2 saves you a significant amount of precious time.

Is the Nama J2 Right For You?

Even with all its innovations, there is much more to consider before deciding if the Nama J2 is the right juicer for you.

What to Look For in a Juicer

When it comes to choosing a juicer, my mantra is:

“The best juicer is the one that you use.”

To help you choose, I run every juicer I review through my juicer checklist of things you should consider before purchasing. This guarantees I look at every model using an apples-to-apples methodology, ensuring I cover the critical elements of each one.

• Juicing Speed / Convenience / Prep Time
  • How quick and easy is it to use?
• Juice Yield / Dryness Of Pulp
  • The drier the extruded pulp, the better the juice yield.
• Juice Screens / Juice Pulp Level
  • How much pulp is left in the juice?
  • Are there multiple screens included?
• Nutrient Extraction & Preservation
  • How well does the juicer extract and preserve nutrition?
• Ease Of Clean-Up / Simplicity Of Design
  • Is the juicer easy to assemble, disassemble, and clean?
• Juicer Size
  • How much counter space does the juicer take up?
  • Does it fit under a standard kitchen cabinet?
• Durability / Material Types
  • Material type and quality.
• Cost
  • What is the total cost?
  • How does it compare to other juicers in its class?
• Warranty
  • How good is the warranty?

Note that this checklist alone will not tell you if the juicer being reviewed is right for you.

Why?Because only you know your individual or family’s needs, which define what features you prioritize over others. YOU know you best. So, your role is to identify which checklist items are the most important and weigh them accordingly as you make your juicer purchasing decision.

Juice Feaster Pro Tip: For more resources on juicing, check out these other Juicer Test Kitchen Articles:

• Why Juice? A Beginner’s Guide to Juicing
• How to Keep Fresh Juice Fresh
• Tips On Saving Money on Groceries – Save Big When Juicing
• Whatcha Gonna Do with All That Juice Pulp?

How Does the Nama J2 Stack Up?

• Juicing Speed / Convenience / Prep Time = 5

As mentioned above, the J2 wins hands down on speed and convenience. It’s the fastest, most convenient juicer that we have ever reviewed. With prep time slashed (thanks to that large-mouthed hopper) and the ability to walk away while it does the juicing for you, it’s a definite winner in the speed, convenience, and prep time department.

It’s so easy to use, fast and convenient. If you are super busy with family, work, and other life obligations, and time is a top priority, then the J2 is a juicer you should seriously consider.

• Juice Yield / Dryness of Pulp = 4

The J2 has good juice yield, with fairly dry pulp, and is equal (if not better) to other vertical juicers. Does the J2 have the same juice yield as a Greenstar Elite, Greenstar Pro, or PURE Juicer? Nope. Will it be faster and more convenient to use? Yep. You decide if yield or convenience is most important when buying a juicer.

• Juice Screens / Juice Pulp Level = 4

The J2 comes with two juice filter screens constructed from stainless steel in a durable plastic framework. One has smaller mesh screen holes than the other. The small-holed one is for juicing, whereas the other is designed for smoothies (producing a much more viscous, pulp-filled liquid than typical juice).

Using the juicing screen, the J2 produces what I refer to as a medium pulp level. The pulp level will be more than experienced on the Greenstar Elite, Greenstar Pro, and PURE Juicer but less than other vertical or horizontal juicers in its price range.

I primarily use the fine mesh “juice” screen to make juice, which provides a more pulp-free liquid. If you like a higher pulp level juice, use the “smoothie” mesh screen described above.

Juice Feaster Pro Tip: If you want your juice even more pulp-free, use my trick of pouring it through a fine hand strainer before drinking. I do this with all my juices, regardless of what machine I use to make them.

• Nutrient Extraction & Preservation = 4

As a slow juicer, the J2 has excellent nutrient extraction. Its vertical auger, slow masticating style is critical to extracting nutrients, enzymes, and phytochemicals and preventing oxidation to retain nutrition.

This style of juicer won’t extract as much nutrition as a twin-gear horizontal style, such as the Greenstar Pro, or a two-stage, hydraulic press style like the PURE Juicer, but it is the best in its class of single auger, slow masticating styles.

• Ease Of Clean-Up / Simplicity Of Design = 5

The engineers at Nama have done an incredible job designing the J2 with minimal parts. This provides easy assembly, operation, disassembly, and cleaning.

The entire juicing and hopper assembly that sits on top of the motor base is assembled as one unit before placing it onto the motor base. Similarly, after juicing, it is removed as one unit and disassembled into its parts for cleaning. This keeps the motor base and countertop clean, minimizing total clean-up time.

Cleaning from start to finish (disassembly, cleaning in the sink with some dish soap, and placing in a drying rack) takes an average of 3:30 seconds. This is super fast! Dishwasher washing is not recommended, as high temperatures can damage plastic parts.

• Juicer Size = 5

The J2 slips under most over-counter cabinets and has a sleek, modern design that looks great on any countertop.It’s not huge, but it isn’t what we’d consider a travel juicer. With its total dimensions, Weight – 12.1 lbs / 5.5 kg; Width 9.8 in (249 mm) / Length 9.0 in (229 mm) / Height 17.7 (451 mm), the J2 will fit nicely on the counter of even the smallest of kitchens.

• Durability / Types of Materials = 4

The J2 is made with a durable combination of ABS, Tritan & Ultem plastics. The hopper and base are made of ABS plastic. The juicing auger is made of Ultem plastic. The chamber is made of Tritan plastic. The juicing mesh screen is made from Ultem plastic and stainless steel. All plastic used on the J2 is BPA-free and food-safe.

• Cost & Warranty = 4 & 5

The J2 price is considered a mid-range for its type and class. While it’s not the most expensive juicer, it’s also not the cheapest. Nama provides a payment plan option through Affirm starting at $50 per month.

Nama is a premium brand, selling all its products (including the Nama J2) exclusively on its website. You can’t buy the Nama J2 Juicer Amazon, or anywhere else.

The J2 has a 15-year warranty for the motor and a 2-year warranty for all other parts.

Additional J2 Features

There are some other notable features of the Nama J2 that are worth pointing out.

• You Can Make Nut Milk

The J2 makes delicious nut or non-dairy milk, like almond, cashew, hemp, oat, or coconut. This is accomplished by soaking the items to be milked, adding them to the hopper with sufficient water, turning on the juicer, and ensuring the juice outlet lid is closed. (When using fresh coconuts, don’t soak the flesh but blend with the captured fresh coconut water instead.)

Once the juicer is turned on, it will extract the milk and discharge the nut pulp through the outlet chute. Once the pulp is completely discharged, the milk is finished! Open the juice outlet lid to collect the delicious non-dairy milk.

• Juice Collection Pitcher

The juice collection pitcher has a 1.5 liter or approximately 48 oz capacity. Other juicer pitchers are typically only 500 ml – 1000 ml.

The J2 pitcher comes with a lid to store it for a short time in the refrigerator. I recommend that juice made on slow, cold press juicers like the J2 can be stored for up to 3 days (72 hours) in sealed, completely filled (no headspace) glass jars in the refrigerator.

Juice Feaster Pro Tip: I store my juice solely in glass as it prevents oxygen transfer through plastic and thus reduces oxidation and nutrient loss. Also, I prefer the sustainability and recyclability of glass as well. I strongly suggest you use glass as well for juice storage. These are my go-to jars and leak-proof lids. I have a TON of them and use them daily. They never steer me wrong.

• Powerful, Reversible Motor

The Nama J2 is designed with a powerful 200-watt motor, which is on par with other vertical masticating juicers in its class. Like other juicers with this motor size, the J2 has a 30-minute continual run time. This prevents it from overheating, causing the motor to stop temporarily (a standard motor safety measure). The juicer will restart once it cools down to the proper operating temperature.

Although it is not recommended, I’ve tested this by running the juicer for longer than 30 minutes using soft ingredients (like pineapple and honeydew melons), and the machine hasn’t shut off. However, if I used hard roots, fruits, or fibrous ingredients such as beets, ginger, and celery, I presume it would have triggered the automatic shutoff mechanism.

In my experience with this juicer, thanks to its batching hopper, 30 minutes is ample time to create a TON of juice. So, this automatic safety feature is not a limitation for the machine.

A reverse option on the control switch reverses the motor and auger direction momentarily. This can be used if a piece of produce gets stuck on the cutting blade in the hopper, etc. The piece of produce can be dislodged by reversing, and then the switch can be moved back to “forward” to continue juicing.

The motor produces one of the slowest juicing RPMs for juicers in its class, coming in at 50 RPMs. Other juicers in its class typically have 80 RPMs or higher. When it comes to juicing, slow is good! With slow RPMs, oxidation is reduced while optimizing juicing efficiency. This reduced oxidation retains vital vitamins and enzyme activity, keeping your juices fresh and full of nutrition.

• Whisper Quiet Noise Levels

The J2 is incredibly quiet. It is one of the quietest juicers I’ve ever tested. This is a very nice feature if you are trying not to disturb sleeping family members or roommates, traveling with your J2 juicer while staying in a hotel suite or Airbnb, or simply tired of loud kitchen appliances. Your eardrums and those around you will be grateful.

• Kid Safe. Mom Approved.

The J2 Juicer design is very safe, especially for children. When the hopper lid is open, even if the switch is toggled ON, the juicer will not run. This excellent safety feature lets your little kitchen helpers (aka children) get involved with the juicing process without worry. Nama engineers carefully included these safety features so kids can enjoy juicing as a shared experience with family.

• Color Options

The J2 comes in three colors, black, white, and grey, compared to the single silver option on the Nama sister juicer, the Vitality 5800.

Is There Anything We Don’t Like?

• Sorbet Attachment Sold Separately

If I had a magic wand, I’d love for the Nama J2 to include their sorbet attachment, used to make frozen fruit and nut sorbets (also known as “nice cream”). Unlike the original Nama juicer, the Vitality 5800, the J2 does not have a blank juicing screen (one without fine mesh holes) included that would allow the J2 to make nice cream. So, if you’re looking specifically for a juicer that also makes nice cream, you’ll need to purchase this attachment separately.

• A Bit On The Pulpy Side

I prefer a more pulp-free juice, and the J2 does have higher pulp levels than horizontal juicers in its price range. It has similar pulp levels compared to other vertical juicers, so it is not out of the ordinary.

• No Citrus Reamer

It would make the J2 a little more versatile if it had a citrus juicer/reamer attachment. Currently, citrus must be peeled first to juice using the J2. This is a slower process unless you have an automatic peeler (like this one that I LOVE).

Is the Nama J2 Juicer Worth It?

I’ve been in the juicing world a long time, and new products that get my attention rarely come along. Well, I have to say that the Nama J2 Juicer has done precisely that.

In a sentence, the Nama J2 is totally worth it and lives up to its “Revolutionary” reputation!

Even with the few small things noted above, the simple fact is that the J2 is so incredibly fast and convenient to use that it outweighs any of those less-than-perfect points. It’s the fastest, most convenient juicer I’ve ever used and has become my go-to daily juicer.

After using the Nama J2 intensively, I’m genuinely impressed by its overall performance, so much so that I consider the J2 as my favorite all-purpose juicer in its price range.

Have you used the Nama J2? Do you plan on purchasing one? Any questions about it? Let us know in the comments!