Omega NC900 vs. Cold Press 365 Juicer Review

Omega NC900

I’ve been juicing since the mid 2010s. When in the market for my first juicer, many sources recommended a low-speed masticating juicer to preserve the nutrients in the vegetables being juiced. Most of these sources recommended Omega brand juicers. Did research, and found a decent deal on the Omega NC900. A new or at least recently new model at the time, it apparently has incremental improvements over its predecessors. I’ve forgotten those details, else i’d share them here.

I’ve been using this model daily most days of most weeks since purchase, and for the most part remain pleased with it.

NC900 Features, Good, Neutral, and Bad

• Powerful motor and mechanism—keeps going without bogging down, even with tough veggies and the like
• Durably built
• Chute size handles many smaller/longer fruits and vegetables without cutting. Rounder items need minimal cutting.
• Reasonably quiet

• Adjustable end thrust

• No thermal protection from overheating: up to the user to monitor
• Juiced liquid overflows gum up the locking ring which holds the drum + hopper assembly to the main unit

My Experience

There were times when i ran the NC900 continuously for over half an hour, to juice a big batch of soup veggies. The machine did not like it: it got hot to the point where one could hear more noise from it. This is my fault, but an automatic-resetting thermal breaker might have saved me from my mistake.

The power switch is a good part, but it’s somewhat easy to go from On (forward) to Reverse rather than the Off center point. Being careful and getting used to the switch works around this issue.

The adjustable end thrust feature is barely documented. I wrote the company, and their response suggested it wasn’t especially critical. I find that over years of use, the end thrust lessens for a given numerical setting, so what might have been the correct number when new may after some time be too low a pressure. It would be nice if Omega went into more detail in their instructions on the hows and whys of this feature.

This is a powerful machine. I’m often highly favorably impressed with how it chews right through tough, fibrous veggies. It excels at juicing carrots.

The drum lock ring can get nearly impossible-to-turn stuck if there has been a sticky liquid overflow which has dried. This only tends to happen when the drum is overloaded, which happens when the user is trying to push items down the chute faster than the auger and the rest of the mechanism can chew through them and let the juice flow out into the juice container. Taking a deep breath, slowing down, and letting the juicer do its thing prevents liquid overflow into the locking ring and eliminates the problem.

Sticky Lock Ring Fix

If the lock ring does get super sticky, carefully unlock against the stickiness and remove the drum/hopper/auger etc. assembly. This reveals four Philips-head screws holding the lock ring mechanism to the front of the machine. Remove these screws. Carefully note how the pieces relate to one another as you remove the entire lock ring and inner parts as one, and as you take them apart. Hand wash them in warm soapy water. Allow to dry and reassemble. If you’ve done this correctly, the lock ring will be nearly effortless to turn when there is nothing attached to the machine, and reasonably easy when locking the drum into place.

Omega Cold Press 365

In 2023 i found myself living long-term away from my NC900 juicer. For reasons i won’t get into, juicing is closer to essential for my health than optional. It seemed to make sense to look for another juicer, hopefully used and/or inexpensive, since the NC900 still works just fine. A like-new Omega Cold Press 365 came up for sale at a fair price, and was purchased.

While basically similar in concept to the NC900, there are enough differences between that model and the Cold Press 365, and my experiences have been different enough, that it seems worth writing this review and comparison.

Cold Press 365 Features, Good and Bad

• Thermal protection for the motor
• Redesigned drum locking mechanism is far less prone to sticking
• Smaller: takes up less counter space

• Motor is much weaker than in the NC900: the Cold Press 365 bogs down easily and often
• Smaller chute in hopper: fewer things fit through without being cut into smaller pieces
• Noticeably noisier than the NC900. Has an annoying power-on beep
• Entire drum/hopper/auger/etc. assembly bobs up and down with each auger revolution, making me wonder about build quality

My Experience

The Cold Press 365 gets the job done, but not as easily nor effortlessly as the NC900. The motor bogs down with just about anything that isn’t super soft, and outright struggles through carrots which the NC900 gnaws through easily with no drop in motor speed. So far it hasn’t stopped running nor overheated, but it slows down enough and makes enough unhappy noises that i fear for its longevity.

Not sure why Omega went with the smaller hopper chute dimensions. Annoying to have to cut things up smaller that would fit right in to the NC900 with less cutting or no cutting at all.

I do like the improved latch mechanism. No downside to that, other than maybe harder to take apart… but if it doesn’t get sticky, then there’s no need to take it apart.

The size difference relative to the NC900 is minor, but appreciated. There’s very little countertop space in either of the kitchens where these two juicer models are used.

The Cold Press 365 lacks adjustable auger end thrust. So far i have not experienced any issues from the lack of this feature.

Conclusions

Not sure what Omega’s intent is with the Cold Press 365 model. Introductory juicer? Different market? In my experience the NC900 model is superior in nearly every way, apart from its lack of thermal protection and tendency for the drum lock ring to get sticky. I’m quite concerned that some folks might start with the Cold Press 365 or a similar weaker model, and give up on juicing before really getting into it. A better-made, more powerful model like the NC900 is a good investment for anyone who expects to be juicing on an ongoing regular basis, or less frequently but who likes promoting quality-made appliances rather than junk which wears out. It’s too soon to know how long the Cold Press 365 will last—it might well last years and years as well. The way the motor struggles with even simple juicing tasks does not give me confidence.

Reviewing the Omega Juicers website on 14 April 2024, although both models—and many others!—are listed under Low Speed, Horizontal Juicers, a comparison of each model’s individual pages makes it clear that indeed, the Cold Press 365 is a lower-end model. Specifically, the NC900HDC has a 15 year home use warranty, whereas the Cold Press 365 has only 1 year limited. List price on this date for the NC900HDC was $400 (rounding up the silly pennies to the nearest dollar), and only $100 for the H3000RED Cold Press 365.

Unless one cannot possibly ever afford the higher price and dearly needs a juicer, or needs a second juicer for less frequent juicing as i do, i see no reason to settle for the the cheaper model. If i had it to do over again, i’d have held out for another NC900, or any of several other of the dizzying array of models Omega currently (April 2024) offers which feature full power, a full-width chute, and 15 year (or thereabouts) warranty.