Chef Verde Pasta and Pastry Cutter - Made in Italy (Ridged Brass with Beechwood Handle)

This is a unique tool, and I haven't seen anything around like it. It is a quality-made cutter, heavy, and weighs about 6.1 oz. (174g) For comparison, the dedicated brass cutter with a smooth wheel by Chef Verde weighs about 3.8 oz. (107g) Interestingly, their ridged wheel version weighs the same as the smooth wheel version. LaGondola's dedicated ridged wheel brass cutter is also 3.8 oz. (109g).There are some rough spots on the brass parts of the handle(s) that could be smoother, but they don't affect the performance, or how it feels when held. The stainless steel section is smooth, and the brass sections are screwed into the stainless steel center. Because there is no waterproof seal, water could enter the threading, so it's advised not to submerge it in water. The sections are firmly attached, and I haven't tried to unscrew anything by force. The wheels are properly aligned along a single plane.The wheels don't show any major imperfections, they seem to be very well made. The blades are not sharp (in my opinion), and you do have to apply a decent amount of force to get these to cut properly. The edge of the wheels are maybe a quarter of a millimeter. There's a distinct flat edge on the blade, and it's not sharp like a knife blade. You can run your fingers on the blade without fear of cutting yourself. The LaGondola ridged wheel blade is much sharper than the Chef Verde blade, but the LaGondola ridged wheel blades have some quality control issues. I purchased a few of them, and many of the LaGondola blades have minor dents in various places, which might not affect performance, but the quality is not as consistent as the Chef Verde. If you purchase the Chef Verde dedicated smooth wheel and the ridged wheel, the wheels are identical to the combo wheel. My main concern with the dedicated cutters is the stainless steel section that attaches to the wood, as I'm not sure if water could get trapped inside, and I don't know how or if the brass parts can be detached from the handle. I decided to not bother with the dedicated wood handle tool (as comfortable as it might be) since it would probably need a bit of proper wood care (oiling, etc.) over time, and for mostly practical reasons, I prefer the dual smooth/ridged wheel tool. I hope that the all-metal combo tool will work out for me, and I like the idea of having both blades (smooth and ridged) very readily available.Because the blades are not sharp (in my opinion), it is easy to hold the tool. While the wood handle is far more comfortable, I'm not a professional who's making pasta daily. For the few times in a month that I might make pasta, this seems to be a more practical tool for my usage. If I were making pasta everyday, I'd probably opt for the dedicated wood handle tool.The angle of the ridges on the ridged wheel is pretty much at a 90 degree angle going all the way around. The LaGondola wheel is about a millimeter wider than the Chef Verde, and the angle is probably around 55-60 degrees, so you are getting a slightly different cut. There is slightly more "grip" on the LaGondola wheel when moving across a slicker surface, probably because the blades are sharper and closer together than the Chef Verde wheel.The Chef Verde wheels are secured with a piece that screws into the handle that requires a hex tool (not included) to loosen, but it does come off in case you needed to clean it. The wheel does not spin as freely as the LaGondola wheel because the LaGondola wheel has a bearing held in place by a flat-head screw, and the addition of the bearing allows it to spin much more freely than the Chef Verde wheel. This is just a very minor detail that has little to do with the performance of the tools. I like the fact that both of these allow for the wheel to be detached, if desired.The price might be a bit on the high side (I got it at retail price), and the warranty could be much better (60-day against craftsmanship defects). LaGondola offers a lifetime guarantee.This tool works for what I wanted it for, I only wish the blades were a bit sharper, but I guess that could make it more difficult to handle it while cutting pasta, since your palm is often exposed to the opposite end. But since you aren't really digging the wheels into your palm, I still think a sharper blade would be more useful. If I were to decide on a dedicated single ridged (or smooth) wheel with a wood handle, I'd go for the LaGondola because of the construction (wheel bearing, sharper blades, no stainless steel collar). This dual-sided tool is unique, and practical for me, and LaGondola doesn't make one like this (at the moment). I prefer this opposite-ended blade design over the two-headed wheel design with a wood handle that LaGondola offers.

An expensive piece of kit, but I thought I'd treat myself. Feels good to hold, weighty & solidly built. Using it for the first time it cut the pasta beautifully and cleanly with a lovely edge, so maybe worth the price after all. Should last a lifetime

I placed a quarter on one end of the pasta cutter which gives you an idea of the size. This tool is amazing in every way.

Pretty to look at, functional to use. Nice bag to keep pristine. Well made which justifies the purchase price. If you have a pasta maker friend or family member you want to give a gift I’d say go for it. I would have loved if someone had given this to me. But I gifted this to myself and am very happy with it.

Easy to use and not made with plastic. Made with quality materials.