It has been a great investment and has paid for itself, many many times over. I use it more often than any other gadget in my kitchen. Clean up is simple, just rinse and store in back in it's holder, it drips dry with no rusting and the blades are still super sharp after being used pretty much daily since November of 1999.I use it to dice onions and peppers in seconds when I make chili, sloppy joes or tacos. I use it whenever I make hashbrowns, potato chowder, potatoes au gratin or even french fries as I can safely and swiftly slice potatoes into cubes, thick or thin strips, chips, scalloped slices or fries. It can julienne tender-crisp delicate slices of veggies for stir-fry or a salad or side dish. You can make quick easy carrot and celery sticks for snacking, cucumber slices for salads, tomato slices for burgers -you name it this does it.
I love my Borner V-slicer and recommend it to everyone. I still buy this for every wedding gift and housewarming party that I've attended since 1999! Yes, there are less expensive mandolins and more expensive ones, but for the ease of use, super quick clean up, handy storage/safety holder and just overall sturdiness and reliability of this little tool I rate it 5 stars all around. I know I sound a bit over the top raving about it, buy I could not recommend it more enthusiastically.
Wait--I can! This thing rocks! Buy it, try it, you will adore it!
It has drastically reduced my preparation time on many dishes and it has become as essential to my kitchen as my chef's knife and fry pan. But again, this is a high quality product with German-made blades that stay sharp longer than you will. It's super sharp and slicey. If you like your finger tips and don't like blood and gore--then use the safety guide and a little care and you'll be a-ok.
When dealing with any cutting tool, just as you would with a chainsaw or with a knife--use care, common sense and precaution. Always use the little safety food guide that comes with it, and make sure that you are holding the guide properly so that the arrows point the right way and the guide slides smoothly! It's very safe to use if you use your head, but yes, the blades are really very sharp. However, with sensible care the Borner V-slicer is safer than a knife and very easy to use.
The V-slicer has a safety catch at the base. To get it out of it's case you simply release the catch and gently remove the slicer. If you reach inside or try to yank or force it out without releasing the safety catch first--you'll injure yourself. The unfortunate woman whose hand was badly sliced while removing the slicer from its case probably didn't take the time to release the catch before she tried to remove it from it's safety case. Having had a tendon reattachment of my own after a box-cutter hit a metal staple and sliced into my hand, I do really feel for her, but it's not the Borner V-Slicer's fault she injured herself--Please use care!
It's a very sharp edged tool, and the bladed edges for julienne and cubed foods are dangerous too. Read the instructions, use the safety guide, store it in its safety case and avoid touching the blade edges. With a little normal caution you'll soon be confidently slicing veggies in seconds like a pro.
****
REVIEW UPDATED NOVEMBER 28, 2011 I am updating this review to reflect my 12 years of product use. I wrote the original review in November of 2002, after owning the V-slicer for only a few years. I've had it 12 years now and I still use this thing (the same unit) practically every day. Crazy.
It's a great tool, and very safe when used correctly. In all the years I've used the V-slicer I've cut myself maybe six times and each time it was because I wasn't using the safety guide from laziness or I had oriented the guide the wrong way.
Despite using it more or less daily since November 1999, the only issue we have had with it is that one of the small plastic hooks on the front of the storage unit broke off and now the safety guide (or "hat" as my husband calls it) cannot stay neatly attached to the unit when stored. No biggie. There's some minor cosmetic stuff too it's gotten a bit stained from tomato sauce at some stage, and there's also a slight ding in the blades right in the center "V" where the two blades meet not sure how that got there, but it has no effect on the slicey-diceyness of the thing. 12 years and it still works great and is ridiculously sharp.
****
REVIEW UPDATED NOVEMBER 29, 2011 Murphy's law. I updated the review for this and the very next day -the safety catch on the bottom broke off. It can't be stored safely on the countertop now, so I'm ordering a new one.
12 years. The product lasted me 12 years. Pretty dang good for a mandolin that cost me about $25 bucks back then. I firmly stand by it, and I endorse it as a great, economical and labor-saving tool.
Buy Swissmar Borner V-1001 V-Slicer Plus Mandoline 6 Piece Set Now
...Here are some of the distinctions that you might not notice from a distance.
First off, it is a great slicer. The parts fit together securely and it feels like quality. It's made in Germany and has a stainless steel blade, which does eventually get dull. It can be sharpened, but it's a little awkward.
Just because you haven't cut yourself with a knife for years, doesn't mean that you're safe with this tool. The cutting action with this tool is distinctly different from using a knife. Take my advice and use the safety handle... even when you think you don't need it.
I remember cutting an orangeonce; my hands were wet... the blade hit a seed and my hand slipped. In a flash I had cut half way through the tip of my index finger. The good news is that it was a really clean cut and healed within a week, but I learned my lesson.
You have two different sizes of julianne cuts. One is nice for french fries, the other is more like shoestring potatoes. There are also two different thicknesses of slices.
If you want to make some quick diced tomatoes or salsa, just make a few cross-cuts on a tomato (after placing it into the safety handle) and then run it through the larger julianne blade.
I imagine that you will be happy with your purchase if you chose to get one. I gave everybody a satisfaction guarantee, and only had one come back, from someone who was just scared to use it.
Read Best Reviews of Swissmar Borner V-1001 V-Slicer Plus Mandoline 6 Piece Set Here
This device is great for home cooking.This device marks my third attempt at getting a mandolin right.
My first attempt was some cheap as seen on TV special. It was both dangerous and useless as it only mangled the food you tried to cut. It got chunked.
My next attempt was a rather high dollar professional grade Mandolin that I paid too much for (this was before internet mail order..). It worked as a slicer, mostly. It was good in that it was fast (long stroke) and you could set the thickness but it wasted a lot of the food and its julienne features left a lot to be desired.
So a number of years go by and based on reviews I decide to get this one. In particular I'm doing a lot of carrots and Daikon these days. I tried it last night and it worked. In under 30 seconds and had 2 cups full of julienned Daikon!
Overview-
The unit stores in a box, which is pretty clever and a good idea considering the sharp exposed blades.
The main unit slips into the box and then locks into place. To release it you have to push a tab on the bottom of the box. This means its not going to fall out. On the "backside" of the box the julienne blades are stored. One is for French fry sized cuts, the other more for salad. If your looking for micro small stuff this isn't the tool for you. But its good enough for most home uses.
The remaining parts are the slicing tray and the food holder. The slicing try is double sided and lets you diced if you want thick or thin slices. The depth is controlled by the height of the plastic ridges on the tray that hold the food closer or farther from the V slicing blade.
The food pusher is without a doubt the best I've used. It has an inner shaft that the top of the handle slides up and down on. This handle has prongs that stick in this shaft. So you can impale your food on the prongs for a positive grip. The prongs are plenty long (over an inch) but are set up so that you will never hit the blades with them. So finally you get a real grip on your food with no exposure to the blades. It lets you cut all your food except the last 1/8" or so.
To use the unit you pull the main part out, then select your tray. Carefully insert the tray (angle side down) till it locks. Spear your food on the prongs, grab the holder and slide down into the V blades. The instructions say it can also "chop". This is accomplished by making with a knife cuts down the length of your food after you have skewered it on the holder. The cuts should be opposite the direction of slicing with the unit. It slices pre-cut food and thus "Chops". I'm not real sure this would be faster.
Cleanup is easy, run under water, use a scrub brush (NOT as sponge) and snap it all back into the box that holds it all together and lets it drain.
Pro's-
Cheap priceDoes a better job than units that cost several times as much
Safe Great food holder design. No exposed blades with storing. Compact enough to not take much space
Easy Quick to setup, takedown and clean
Functional It really works! Doesn't waste too much food! This is HUGE!
Cons-
Inflexible settings You get two depths and two widths, if that doesn't work for you then this won't. Probably not a big deal for home users but if you're a demanding type one that has adjustable settings will serve you better.
Build Quality The whole unit feels a little flimsy and flexible. You know one of these days it might go "tink". There is no easy way to sharpen the blades either, so when it gets dull you either really have to work at it or buy a new one. It is NOT dishwasher safe. Other reviewers have reported that they have used the unit every week for years.
Size Not really a con but if your going to be doing a LOT of stuff your better off with a bigger longer unit with a better handle. You could handle bigger veggies and have a longer stroke to work with. This is best used for 1-2 meals worth at a time.
Conclusion-
It's the best home use mandolin I've ever used. If you can live with the cut size limitations (I can) and that eventually many years from now it will break/get dull and need to be replaced (for the price I can) then this is the one for you. If you demand higher performance, durability and flexibility you'll probably need to keep looking. Let me know what you find because I've looked and I haven't found anything that works faster, easier and better in such a convenient package.
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I used this slicer for sandwich prep in my restaurant for 14 years.Averaged 200 lbs tomatoes & 50 lbs onions per week. After about
a year it would lose a little edge but I took it home for personal
use or gave them out to customers. Superior over restaurant types
(never used my Tomato King... again). Its cheap and easy to
clean & sanitize. Beware of cheaper plastic types.
The V blade is the best...
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