Fruit Press 18 Litre Solid Oak & Steel Construction Traditional Manual Spindle Operation Massive Capacity Includes 3 Free Straining Bags for Smooth Juices Cider Wine and More Ideal for Home Use

This is an excellent cider and fruit press the only disadvantage with this press is it does not come with enough wooden blocks so when you feel the 18l press bag it will only go down a certain amount so you do not get most of the juice I recommend that you get yourself a couple of pieces of 2 by 4 solid hardwood and cut them to the same size then inserted them in the press to make sure you get all the juice as the handle does not go down with only the blocks which are sent for you apart from that this is a magnificent press please be aware these bags for the 18 l are not cheap but I very strong and very reliable press

Found reasonably easy to use although will need to set up a method for securing the feet when pressing

Sturdy construction, to use this you need to cut up some 12 inch long wooden blocks so to compress fully. If pressing red grapes don't use the supplied pulp bag as it gets clogged easily and restricts flow of juice too much so you can't compress the fruit, also for red wine the skin's don't need to be separated for primary fermentation. The extension arm helps but is still hard work pressing, mainly because the simple design that one has to keep adding wooden blocks to compress the juice, this can make it a very time consuming process. There are other wine press variants which have an external steel cross member for the main screw, this type doesn't need extra wooden blocks so you don't have to keep putting blocks in and out. Pressing grapes can get messy so best done outside so you can clean down with a hose after. There are better designs available but they cost more than this type. After use wash down, expect the wooden parts to be stained red after if crushing grapes.

So I am mixed in my feelings towards this press. When I first received it, it smelt slightly acetic, which made me think it was a returned item, as you should only clean it with water after use. (Wondered why it was returned)When I began to use it I cut up some apples and filled it up, then realised that the parts supplied are just not up to the job, basically the spindle will hit the top of the press making it impossible to compress more. You basically need to cut up some more blocks, which I did (see picture amount you’ll likely need) basically 2x4 batterns, hardwood would be better but this is what I had.Then I still struggled and gave up, about to send it back....Then out of my relative inexperience I thought instead of just chopping the apples I should put them through a food processor. I did the same process again and what a difference it made. You really need to process fruits before using. Once done I got nearly 9L of juice for my cider, and started enjoying the process. It didn’t take long at all to get all the juice out.So overall I’m mixed, because what I have now is a solid working press, but the materials provided are not enough to do the job. But overall I’m relatively happy now, especially now my cider is bubbling away.