Been using this every day since I came back from Mexico October 9th. And I mean *every* day. One 8lb bag of oranges from wherever I can get 'em (not so easy in the NE). This unit is well constructed and works almost flawlessly. It is indeed quite easy to clean - just 4 pieces and you don't even need soap just fingers and water.

It gets about 95% of the juice out of an orange. If the orange is too large, however, like those horrible navels from Chile, it's very difficult to use in this press. The sides of the peel get cut up by the top piece squeezing down and then not only do you get that bitter rind oil that gets squeezed out but then the peel gets stuck inside. Stick to medium sized navels and you will be fine. As others have pointed out doing grapefruits will not work. As a work around I had to cut a slice out of the middle which made the whole process more tedious and also more juice waste from extra cutting.

Also the base is not the sturdiest thing in the world. I know they tried to conserve space and weight by making it as small and compact as possible...but I think they might have been better off if they had made a solid base. Since the handle is off to the right side the unit always wants to twist and thus teeters on the 4 rubber pads.

The other slightly annoying thing is the drip cup often times will just slam into your container. If the container is somewhat filled it's not a problem but it did flip over once at the beginning of juicing which was massively annoying.

I do like the fact that all parts are serviceable. I plan on using it more often than most people. I also really like the sieve cup - that thing is solid stainless steel and you'd have to be really careless to break it.

This unit performs quite well with any fruit that is 3.75" or less in diameter. I have used it for lemons, oranges, grapefruits, and pomegranates. For those of you considering whether to buy this model or one of the cheaper knock-offs, keep in mind that this model is the grandmother of all the others and has performed well for several decades. I believe that, in the past, the strainer was aluminum. It is now stainless, and this is where all of the juice passes through. As another reviewer indicates, the plunger is aluminum and not anodized on the inside as it should be. However, the majority of the juice does not come into contact with the plunger and thus I think that concerns about citric acid and aluminum contact, in the absence of a heat source, are over-stated.

This model is stable on the counter top. It takes a forceful, two-handed pull without moving or stripping the gear. The strainer and basket are easy to clean after use; just throw them in soapy water and brush the strainer on the inside to remove the pulp.

If I want pulp in my juice, there is often enough on the inside of the strainer that I can spoon it out with a teaspoon and add it to my juice.

The construction (high-density plastic, steel, and aluminum) strike me as a little looser and less robust than the model my family had in the 1970s, but I can't say that for sure. I have been using this model almost daily for 9 months and have not had any issues.

I've worked with this type of juicer before, and after many years decided to forego the electric juicers and get me one of these classics. Well, the design appears the same, but a lot of shortcuts were taken when manufacturing went overseas. For an extra few dollars (which someone paying $200 for a juicer would shell out anyway), you could have made the machine sturdier, ALL parts that touch the juice made out of stainless steel, and maybe even the rest of the machine to some degree. The way the head is attached is weird, and probably needs a drill hole or two in order to get it properly set. Overall, I'd love to see this made like it was back in the day. Oh, and the aluminum funnel base... did anyone consider whether it would be strong enough for the 2000 lbs of force coming down on it? I just bought it, but I'm hearing cracks every so often without putting too much pressure on the handle. Overall, I hope it lasts me for at least 10 years.

Looking around at manual juicers, this model was expensive, but it seemed like good quality and less bulky than the others, so I chose it. After a few days of use, I'm very pleased. It's really easy to use and makes great juice. I was concerned about the size of the pressure cup and strainer cone which some reviewers thought was too small and which is not as wide diameter as some other models, but it has worked fine for me even with extra large-sized oranges and average-sized grapefruits. Maybe with extra large grapefruits, the cup is a little small, but it hasn't been an issue for me. The machine is very sturdy and the build is high quality. The only flaw I noticed is that the inside of the pressure cup is made of aluminum and didn't have the clean finished look of other parts. It seems to me that the manufacturer in China took a short cut there and it would have been better if that part was also stainless steel or chrome like the other exposed parts. However, since it only touches the skin of the fruits and is not visible, I don't think it matters much. All of the parts that need cleaning (4 pieces including the pressure cup) are easy to remove and clean. Overall, I highly recommend this juicer, especially considering its compact size and high quality!

I read all reviews - I've bought so many 'wanna-be' products that when you add them all up you may as-well have bought the best to begin with !
This is my third juicer - over some 10 years mind - total phases of wanting to drink fresh orange juice in the morning. Well this phase was born out of a hotel in Germany pre-Christmas where they had this fab., simple manual juicer with a large bowl of halved oranges & grapefruits alongside- that was it - I must have one.
Just think- nothing to get out of the cupboard, set-up and plug in - I wanted this simple press and drink.
After much searching for a UK supplier on the Hamilton Beach and the total annoyance of having to pay the import deposit because you can't get it anywhere in the UK - well there was one but they were out of stock ! (I thought you could get deposits back - but nobody has enlightened me on that) - bottom line is this is NOT a cheap appliance but on reflection I'm happy and it looks good on my worktop with a basket of oranges sat alongside
N.B. this one does not fit under standard wall units - I think they have a junior model - I've dedicated an area for it - and I'm glad I went for this size.

I have come down to about 3 no.oranges per day (it was 10) I find 3 fill a tall glass.(I mean 59p for 6 at Aldi !!--- bargain or what ?)

One thing was I was short on my washers - supposed to be two and I only have one - wanted to report this and have one sent through the post but there is only the 'Return' section in Amazon - I waited ages for this juicer and there was no way it was going back for 1 x washer.
I did contact Hamilton Beach direct - they said as they didn't supply it was nothing to do with them - derrr - I just want another flipping washer !
Anyway it's working fine without it.
Press On !!!