Most helpful customer reviews
469 of 480 people found the following review helpful.
Hasn't left the counter in ten years
By Daniel F. Moore
I purchased the V-Slicer over ten years ago and it has been a faithful companion in the kitchen. The speed with which it slices/dices onions makes it more than worth the price. You can make french fries or julienne fries, onion rings, scalloped potatoes, carrot or celery sticks...the list is endless! Cleanup is no more than a rinse under water. The safety holder ensures that you won't be suffering any mishaps. But for safety's sake, keep this appliance away from the kids. The blades are VERY SHARP and can deliver a nasty cut if you don't handle them carefully. For that reason, I never wash them in the sink where suds can hide them and risk injury. But these warnings aside, this is a wonderful and versatile tool. It is as useful as a mandoline at a fraction of the price. You will reach for it often and the V-Slicer will be one of your favorite and most used kitchen tools.
498 of 513 people found the following review helpful.
Best mandolin for the price, beats out higher priced items
By Martha A. Barton
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.
233 of 237 people found the following review helpful.
View from a former salesman
By F. C. Boyd
...
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.
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
An inexpensive alternative to a professional stainless-steel mandoline, this device makes it possible to quickly, uniformly, and safely slice and julienne vegetables and fruits. It also shreds cabbage and neatly dices potatoes, tomatoes, and onions. For safety, a holder firmly grips food with stainless-steel prongs so fingers are protected from the German surgical-steel blades, and the three inserts accompanying the device lock in position. The inserts act as a guide for slicing against the V-frame's knife that reverses to create slices either 1/4-inch or 1/16-inch thick and two julienne inserts for creating 1/8-inch or 3/8-inch strips. For storage, the V-frame, all three inserts, and the safety holder fit into a caddy that can stand upright on the counter, lie flat in a drawer, or hang on the wall. Made of rugged plastic, the device measures 15 inches long and 6 inches wide when assembled for storage. --Fred Brack
