Swissmar Borner V Power Mandoline, V-7000, White

Why did I wait so long to buy one of these? To tell you the truth, I was afraid of the blades. Yes, this is definitely a "slicing machine," and it does it remarkably well. I've been putting it through its paces over the last couple of days and as long as I am careful, I will have remarkably evenly sliced and diced fruits and vegetables and retain my fingertips.Why use a mandoline slicer over a knife? A mandoline makes quick and extremely even slices of just about anything you throw at it. You can slice a ripe tomato into beautiful, thin, perfectly even slices faster than you can take the serrated knife out of the drawer. You can make translucent-thin slices of radish or chop an onion for sautéing. And there is very little mess as everything is contained under the mandoline and doesn't go flying around as it is being cut.This Swissmar mandoline is made by Borner in Germany. Everything about it is solid, well thought out and precision made. I purchased the product in white, but it also comes in orange, red, and green.Here are some things you should know:1) The instruction book is quite thick as it comes in 24 different languages. English is on the last two pages. Go directly to the back and read the instructions, they are important.2) There are also pictographs. Some are very helpful, some are quite small....too small to be really useful. A larger, easy to understand version is on the Amazon product page.3) The product page on Amazon has a video by the manufacturer. I found it quite helpful4) The main part of the mandoline is a molded slab of plastic with a handle on one end and two very sharp, permanently attached blades angled into a V in the middle. The "Plain Insert" is a sturdy, V shaped piece of plastic that is inserted into slots at the bottom of the main part of the mandoline. When inserted fully, and clicked into place, the "Plain Insert" rests against the sharp blades and acts as a "Safety" to close and secure the device for storage and cleaning. The "Plain Insert" can be pulled and clicked into four slicing positions that provide different thickness of slices for varying textures of food.5) In addition to the "Plain Insert" there are two additional inserts: a 3.5 and a 7mm slicer for cutting strips, julienne, shreds, and cubes. The "Plain Insert" is removed from under the mandoline and one of the others is inserted in its place. Each of these inserts has two positions, one providing a slightly thinner version of the other.6) There is a plastic holder for the two inserts that snaps on to the back of the mandoline for safe storage.7) There is a large, round "Safety Holder" or finger guard. It is absolutely imperative that it is used! Cleverly designed, it is a large, dome-shaped plastic disk that has multiple prongs on the bottom and a large tab on the top. You secure the food on to the prongs and, as you guide the finger guard over the blades, you provide slight pressure to the disk on the top. By providing the slight pressure, the tab pushes most of the food through the blades and there is very little waste that remains on the prongs. Arrows on the finger guard ensure that it is moved in the correct direction.8) As you slide the finger guard (with the food attached to it) over the mandoline with a light back and forth motion, the food is silently sliced and lays in neat piles under the device. The first time I used it, I was slicing a large radish that was totally obscured under the finger guard, and it seemed as if it had almost immediately vanished into thin air! I picked up the finger guard and just a bit of the stem end of the radish remained attached to the prongs. Where was the rest of it? I picked up the mandoline off the counter and there, underneath, was a little, perfect pile of translucent radish slices.9) Tomatoes require an adjustment for a thicker cut. I also found that one needed to "start" a tomato by slicing a small bit off the end so that the blades could "grab" the fruit and start slicing. Four back and forth movements slices a large tomato.10) The 3.5mm insert was good for mincing an onion, the 7mm blade chopped it finely.11) There is a way to dice that requires turning the finger guard 45° before the first cut and then 90° back prior to the next cut. I have yet to master this technique and have strangely cut a potato into peculiarly shaped pieces.12) Cleaning up requires some attention. Everything detaches and rinses easily but the blades are exposed and possibly dangerous. For this reason, the manufacturer recommends that the "Plain Insert" be placed into the "Safety" position prior to washing the device. I found that I needed to rinse the blades prior to inserting the "Pain Insert" back into mandoline or I couldn't get the blades clean enough. The manufacturer also recommends rinsing the two additional inserts and letting them air dry in their holder which is snapped to the back of the mandoline. This makes very good sense.13) This mandoline is not dishwasher safe.I'm quite happy with this purchase.

My first Swissmar Borner mandolin was purchased 20 years ago. As a former chef, I had purchased mandolins for over $200 and returned them because they were a disappointment. When I received my first Swissmar mandolin I was disappointed and thought it was a cheap piece of crap...until I tried it and realized that they put all the money in the blades. You can slice a ripe tomato in slices so thin you can see through it...great for pizza! I kept that unit for 15 years and threw it out figuring the company had updated the unit and made the body as awesome as the blade. It cut as well after 15 years as the day I bought it...then I found there had been no change and bought another of the same unit 5 years ago. I have that unit to this day but when I saw they FINALLY updated the body I jumped at it.First of all I LOVE the new safety feature that protects the blade flat...I now have a grandson and always worry he will find it in a drawer and cut himself...and those blades are sharp. Unlike the old unit where you flipped the plate over for thick or thin, you have several options for thickness. The grip feet at the base are nice and the holder for the other two blades is an improvement. Although it's still plastic, it doesn't look as cheap as the older model and the plastic is better quality.The blades are the gem here and it remains the same. You can still slice that tomato paper thin or nice and thick or in between. I paid a fortune for my food processor but this is what I break out 90% of the time.When my daughter found out I bought this unit she begged me for my old one...I ordered her one of these instead.Now if they would only make this in stainless steel I would pay the high price tag...maybe someday.In the meantime enjoy a really well made mandolin for a bargain price...and please don't ignore the safety holder...20 years ago I thought I could do without it until it took a good chunk of my knuckle...now I might start slicing a carrot or cucumber without it but once I get halfway I put the guard on...these blades are REALLY sharp. I have always put it in the dishwasher and never had a problems with warping, rusting or dulling.

Takes a bit of practice to use