Just as they did with the 808, Sana again has a winner with the 828.
The changes compared to the 808 are incremental but useful. We were a bit puzzled at first by the pulp control lever. Rather than being an analog pressure regulator like on the Sana 606 horizontal juicer, the 828's pulp control lever is designed to release pressure to make it easier to juice soft or fibrous fruit. In practice, we found it useful toward the end of juicing to set it to the "half-open" position, as this pushed out more pulp and made it easier to clean.
The dual hopper isn't as big as the wide mouth on the Kuvings or MMV. But since we generally cut produce into smaller pieces with verticals, it wasn't an issue. The side tray turned out to be especially useful for spinach, as we could slide a handful of spinach in sideways from the tray, and then push down from the top. This eliminated the usual problem of spinach leaves everywhere on the counter or in the juice.
The sorbet screen is something not typically found in a vertical juicer. We've seen them as optional accessories on the Kuvings and Omega MMV, so it was nice to see it included here. This one is strictly designed for sorbets and banana-based "ice cream". We wouldn't recommend trying to make nut butter with it.
In our tests, we found it performed similarly to the Sana 808, with just a bit higher yield. The consistency was very clear, with minimal pulp measured in our strainer. Surprisingly, we found the juice from the same carrots tasted noticeably sweeter in the 828 in a blind taste test. We're guessing that some tiny bits of sweet pulp remained in the juice - too fine to be noticeable in the texture of the juice. It handles carrots, spinach, apples, and pineapple with no problem. The pulp regulation lever was especially useful with the pineapple, as that tends to jam vertical juicers.
The small improvements did make a difference in daily operation of the 828. We noticed that apple juice had less foam, most likely due to the low rotation speed of the cleaning blades. The motor was the quietest we have tested, noticeably quieter than even the Sana 808. Strangely, the crunching sound of carrots and squeaking sound of apples being processed was quieter as well, almost as if the juicing chamber is better insulated. The wide pulp opening with the large notch taken out of the top made for faster cleaning, although the integrated pulp control lever meant that the rubber stopper under the juicing chamber couldn't be fully removed during cleaning.
The glass juice pitcher was a nice feature. It's the first one we've seen with a vertical, which usually have smaller plastic pitchers which discolor over time (at least the BPA-free pitchers). The pulp container is also glass, which means you need to be careful about dropping it or banging it against a sink to get out the last bits of pulp.
Looks are subjective, but we personally liked the design of the juicer. The large toggle switch for the juicer is high and up front, right where it should be. The build is solid as we've come to expect from Sana. Assembly and disassembly was fast, especially since the new auger doesn't need to fit into a notch in the juicing screen. Cleanup was similar to other premium juicers, although a bit quicker due to the wider pulp outlet.
This is definitely in the top class of vertical juicers. In terms of alternatives, the Kuvings 9500 and similar Omega MMV have a more powerful motor and a wider feeding tube. They produce juice significantly faster, but produce pulpier juice. They also take longer to clean and are quite a bit louder. The Sana 808 remains a fine choice. It is a little cheaper and performed similarly, but doesn't include the glass accessories or the sorbet screen, as well as some of the updated features.
