Under the Hood of the PURE Juicer

PURE’s Founder and CEO, David Feinberg, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how the PURE cold press juicer was built.

When we originally published the Under the Hood video in 2021, we wanted to share how the PURE is constructed from food-grade stainless steel, and what sets it apart. We wanted to show the care and intention put into every part. We wanted to show what made the PURE Juicer special. Today, we wanted to revisit this video and dive a little deeper. Let’s get started.

The PURE’s food contact parts are all custom-made for PURE using the finest material, food-grade stainless steel. This makes the PURE both beautiful and easy to clean. The  stainless parts and all are dishwasher-safe. I’m always impressed at how bright and shiny they are after a cleaning cycle in the dishwasher. Simply reassemble the PURE and you’re ready to make more juice.

The Press and Pressure Really Matter

The PURE Juicer was unique among juicers. It had an external press. With a press designed this way, the juice quality and yield are maximized. While every brand wants to say they make cold-pressed juice, the PURE had a standalone 2.5-ton press! This is why we said, “The PURE juicer makes true cold-pressed juice!”

Quality is at the core of PURE’s DNA.

Richard, PURE’s Chief engineer is a 3rd generation mechanical engineer. He brings a hands-on practical approach to PURE. If something is not working, he goes to his design studio, rolls up his sleeves and goes to work. I’m a designer, I know what features and performance we want but not necessarily how to achieve them. Engineers are essential to get it right. Early on, we knew we needed a very stout ½ HP motor and a hydraulic actuator and that neither would not be off-the-shelf.

The motor for the PURE had a number of unusual requirements. Not all ½ HP motors are the same. We developed the PURE motor specifically as a motor for a two-stage true cold-press juicer. Richard says, “electric motor design is well understood”, this means we were able to custom design the ideal motor for the PURE Juicer.

1. The power of a motor is defined by locked rotor torque, this is the torque the motor develops when it starts at rest or zero speed. Sometimes people load the feed chute prior to starting the machine. This is where locked rotor torque comes into play. Through proper specification we were able to engineer the best possible motor for the PURE.
2. Duty cycle rating 1.0, this means the motor is rated for continuous use, it never needs to ‘rest’. Most juicers are rated 0.5, this means they can be run for ½ hour and then they require a ½ hour timeout to cool down to prevent permanent damage from occurring.
3. Thermal protection is built-in to the PURE. Should the PURE motor overheat, it will turn itself off and not restart until it cools off, or about a ½ hour. This feature works, we have seen zero motor failures due to overheating. Plus the thermal protection rarely kicks in and when it does it protects the motor from damage.
4. #316 stainless steel dual output motor shaft. #316 stainless steel is the most corrosion resistant stainless steel alloy that is commonly available, it is also super tough and durable. Dual output means the motor shaft sticks out both ends of the motor. On the front, to mount the cutter; on the back, to carry the pulley that drives the hydraulic pump. If you have ever wondered why the cutter cannot be turned off during pressing, it is because the motor needs to run to drive the hydraulic pump that powers the press.
5. Shorter front to back length than a normal motor. To maintain PURE’s aesthetics we required a shorter than standard motor to fit inside the PURE. We accomplished this by substituting a more expensive electric starter to replace the conventional centrifugal switch. To explain this, I need to get a little techy. All motors have a start, a winding, and a run winding. The start winding has the power (locked rotor torque) to start a stationary motor (just like the starter motor is momentarily engaged to starto your car), but once the motor is spinning it needs to switch to the run windings for continuous operation.
6. Dual voltage design, this means it can be switched from 120V to 240V at the flip of a switch. This allows PURE owners the freedom to take their juicer with them if they move from country to country. It also allows PURE to make one machine that can be used anywhere in the world.

The hydraulic actuator also had a number of unusual requirements. PURE’s main goal was to have the largest press chamber possible to allow the largest juice yield per press cycle, plus easy loading and unloading of the hydraulic press.

1. To do this, we needed the shortest actuator with the longest possible stroke. This meant that we could not purchase a ready made actuator, we needed to design one to fit inside the PURE. To do this, we created unique tooling to die-cast the actuator reservoir.
2. Also important is having the room to place and remove pulp packs. By utilizing a single side-post (versus two-corner posts) we were able to maximize the work envelope

Between the 110mm height in the press chamber and by utilizing a single side-post design we were able to maximize the press chamber accessibility and room to fit up to three pulp packs in the press chamber. With this design it is possible to squeeze 28 oz with a single squeeze!

It’s impossible to discuss the motor and the actuator without also describing the chassis. The PURE chassis has to be strong enough to withstand repeated use for years and years. We have tested the chassis up to 10,000lb/force (five tons), or 200% of the actual load and have had almost no failures (0.05%).

We are always in the process of refining the PURE’s design. We continue to make small adjustments for improved aesthetics and increased robustness. Over time, we have added sound softening, tightened up the sheet metal seams, added an o-ring to better retain the cutter, modified the chassis alloy to lighten the juicer, added a clip to the back of the juice tray to better retain it, stiffened the walls of the juice tray to prevent bowing. Reinforced the guide rail. There’s always room for improvement and we are always looking for ways to improve the juicing experience.

Enough shop talk. Below is why it matters.

What Does “Cold Press Juicer” Mean?

Per the Cambridge Dictionary, “Cold-pressed oils or juices are made from fruit, seeds, nuts, or vegetables that have been pressed without using heat, to remove the oil or juice from them.” Cold pressing was developed long ago as the best way to press olives to extract the oil. This same process is relevant today and is the best time-proven way to make juice.

Health Matters

If you are like me and enjoy fresh juice as part of a balanced diet, it makes sense to start with the finest ingredients and a true cold-press juicer designed to maximize the quality, yield, and taste of the juice.

Be Kind to the Planet with the Most Efficient Juicer

All produce is expensive so let’s be efficient and get the most from it. The PURE Juicer averaged a 66% yield. For every 3lbs of produce you could expect to average 1 quart (32 oz) of juice. Your mileage varied: with watermelon you could expect more and with leafy greens a little less. Every juicer came with a Periodic Table of Juicing. On the PToJ we provided the yield percentages, so you could plan your shopping list to get just what you need.

Highest Juice Yield on the Market

The PURE Juicer’s juice yields were 30-50% higher than centrifugal juicers and masticating juicers and you could plan on making 1-½ – 2 gallons per hour (2 gallons = 256 ounces or 7.57 Liters). On first getting their new PURE, many customers took the PURE challenge and squeezed the pulp from their old juicer just to see how much juice was in the damp pulp. To a person, they were all shocked at how much juice was in the wet pulp.

Delicious Juice

At PURE we are all about data. We reviewed lab testing, Household Juice Extractor Comparison, and Optimization, that compared juice from different types of juicers.

Raw, cold-pressed juice, squeezed in a press, contains nutrients, enzymes, minerals, and phytonutrients.

Personal Results

Anecdotally, we found that PURE juice stayed fresh the longest. The PURE team didn’t just sell juicers; we juiced with them ourselves!

For many of our customers, this was not their first juicer, but they shared with us that they had decided it would be their last.

If you own a PURE Juicer, you can find how-tos on the PURE Juicer owners page and replacement parts in the PURE Juicer service parts collection.

David Feinberg
Founder | CEO
PURE

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before changing your diet, especially if you have a health condition or take medication.