Swissmar Borner V Power Mandoline, V-7000, Orange

When I saw the latest fad, a vegetable "spiralizer" that makes veggie "spaghetti" out of things like zucchini, I thought veggie sphaghetti was something actually worth giving a try. The problem is that I didn't need another cheaply made, single-purpose gizmo in my kitchen. So I bought this. It doesn't make long "spaghetti" like the spiralizer does, but julienning a zucchini lengthwise works just as well. I then quickly sauté the strips in butter and season with salt and pepper. That's a new family favorite, which is something because zucchini is a vegetable and there aren't many of those on the favorites list. Best of all you can julienne a zucchini with this thing in a couple of seconds; it's way faster than using one of those chintzy spiral gizmos.In fact everything this device does, it does insanely FAST. With it you can slice, dice and julienne your way through a mountain of vegetables far faster than you can with a knife. The only problem is that the speed with which this thing works is slightly terrifying, and I speak as someone who's cooked with *very* sharp knives all my adult life. The safety holder is a good thing, but it works best with spherical stuff like tomatoes. Julienning zucchinis is slightly awkward because the little tines that hold the vegetable secure aren't quite long enough, but it still works. I also wear an anti-cut glove on my working hand, just in case my attention wanders. This thing is beyond razor-sharp; it'd be so easy to julienne the tips of your fingers off in a moment of distraction...Clean-up is another thing that requires some initial thought. Tossing the the blades into a tub of soapy water could be very bad for someone's groping fingers. A quick rise with the sprayer, a dunk in soapy water, followed by another spray does the job. One really thoughtful feature is that the mandoline and auxillary blades fit into a caddy that also doubles as a drainer. So after you give your mandoline and julienne blade their quick cleaning, you pop them into the caddy and put the whole thing in the dish draining rack. That's a really nice touch because ou do not want to leave a mandoline around disassembled.I don't mean to scare you off a mandoline; they're a very useful addition to your kitchen if you already have a good set of knives. You just have to give a little thought about how to approach each task as you're getting used to using one. Figure out what works safely and stick to that. This model in particular has a well-thought out safety features.I still use knives for most small slicing and dicing operations. If I were dicing just two onions, I'd definitely use a knife. It's sitting right there in the knife block and it cleans up in just an instant. If I were dicing four onions I'd definitely take the mandoline out.

As the title says, I tried three other mandolines before giving this one a go. Two of the others were from Oxo, the other was a Bed Bath and Beyond branded mandoline that came highly recommended by a co-worker. All three were horrible. The blades just weren't sharp enough to cut anything but potatos or very firm veggies. anything else was turned to pulp as you smashed the food against the blades.I ordered the Swissmar V-7000 based on the reviews here and a couple of other sites. The reviews were pretty spot on. This thing is great. :)The blades are incredibly sharp and very thin. There is very little resistance when pushing food through. I can't stress enough how sharp the blades are. They sliced through an almost over ripe tomato without crushing it at all. It's easily sliced, and diced, everything I've thrown at it. Even the upright dicing blades are very sharp.The construction is simple, but very sturdy. Two of the other mandolines I tried had a stand. I wasn't sure about having a mandoline without some way to brace it and hold it firmly while slicing. But because the blades on this are so sharp, it doesn't take much effort at all to hold while using it. It also has these nice rubber indents so it will sit over a bowl. The blade adjustment is done by pushing the red button on the side and sliding the deck forward or back to make cuts thinner or thicker. There's even a nice little holder for the dicing blades that will hold the blades after you wash them so they dont just sit in the sink waiting for you to accidentally run your hand over them. The deck will also lock into place to keep you from running your hand over the main cutting blades while cleaning it.If I had to nitpick, I'd say that it would be nice if the adjustment went just a little thicker. But really, I'd be splitting hairs.Great product!

I bought a OXO Good Grips Mandoline at BB&B and could not use it at all. It would not slice anything I tried (thus resulting in the most cruel review I have ever given any product.)The Swissmar Borner is not fancy but it works. I have used it to cut tomatoes - excellent. Sweet potatoes - a breeze. Mushrooms - flawless. Apples, pears, oranges and lemons - perfect! I have used it for many other fruits and vegetables, too, all with ease and precision.The weaknesses - the julienne sizes are too small. Other reviewers stated the same so I was aware of this at purchase time but it is still worth noting. If you intend to make fries or wedges from your vegetables, be prepared to continue using your favorite knife unless you want ultra-slim fries. For me, I do not like the slim cuts because they do not cook up right - thicker is better. Another MAJOR weakness, and almost resulting in a loss of two or more stars, is that this Mandoline does not have legs to raise up the device to allow food to flow out easily and it can easily slide on you. These are significant issues but both can be overcome. I just have to remember to regularly stop, remove the foods from under the mandoline, and then continue. My previous Swissmar could be mounted over a large mixing bowl allowing for all the food to fall nicely in without my having to stop at all.It cleans up easily. The blades are not replaceable or able to be sharpened, as several reviewers have noted and complained, but at this price, I am okay with this weakness.After using it for several major cooking projects, I decide to give the Swissmar four stars. If it had legs or was raised up just a bit more AND it had a better julienne feature, this tool would definitely have five stars.Would I recommend it? YES. Would I give it as a gift? YES. Why? Because it does its job and it does cut. I can live with the weaknesses because overall this tool will save me a lot of time in the kitchen.