18 August 2009 12:00 GMT / By Chris Haslam

Can this top of the line citrus juicer help Pocket-lint squeeze its way to five-a-day, or will it be another waste of worktop?

First up, the ZX7000 is a citrus press not a full-on juicer, so it won’t squish your apples, carrots and wheatgrass into a worthy mush. It will however blitz the juice from oranges, limes, lemons and grapefruit.

Straight from the box it’s pretty obvious the Krups is built tough – the dye cast metal base is unflinchingly hefty and the bowls, juicer heads, fruit press and handle all fit together with reassuring ease.

Measuring 34 x 26cm it isn’t small, but the sleek industrial design will look great on display – essential if you ask us; once a kitchen gadgets get stowed away they tend to get forgotten about.

There’s nothing complicated on show – the juice head spins automatically as you either use your hand (needlessly laborious) or the handle, to press fruit onto it. Juice then flows through the stainless steel filter and out the spout. But boy does it do a good job – this reviewer has sworn by an old school manual juicer for years, but the Krups did a better job in half the time with zero effort.

OK so it isn’t hard to squeeze an orange, but the true measure of a quality juicer is all in the cleaning. The whole base of the Krups lifts away so all the sticky parts can be moved to the sink in one go which is handy. Once there each section comes apart easily and can be rinsed. Be warned the pulp gets everywhere and even though all the parts are dishwasher safe if you don’t rinse well before stacking them, everything will come out covered.

Three average sized oranges produced half a pint of juice … with each rind being completely emptied of pulp. OK so for £99 it isn’t cheap and you can buy a lot of pre-squeezed juice for that, but as long as the fruit and veg man on the market is selling five oranges for a quid it’ll save this reviewer a packet on his Tropicana.

Verdict

The Krups Citrus Expert is a step-up in class from almost all citrus presses. It’s built to a really high standard, fits together with impressive ease and works like a charm.

Squeezing a whole glass takes a matter of minutes, and you’ll be surprised by how much juice can come from your fruit. Cleaning is messy, but all juicers suffer the same problem, so at least the sticky parts can all be removed together to make the job easier.

It is expensive, and we’d have to think hard before parting with £100, especially as most electric models come in around the £20-40 mark, but if you want the best and plan on squeezing a lot of fruit the Krups is going to be hard to beat.

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Krups

Price as reviewed

£99

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The good

Exceptional juicing, effortless operation, great looks and bombproof build quality

The bad

Cleaning’s a chore, expensive for a one trick pony

Quick verdict

If you’ll use it every day, the Krups is a sound investment – it’s by far the best citrus juicer we’ve ever used; just be prepared for the sticky hands and endless cleaning

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