Norpro V-Slicer Grater Mandoline with Safety Guard Holder

Bought this last week after looking at quite a few other mandolines and reading reviews. I liked this one best because it has a lot of features for the price: 5 blades plus adjustable slice thickness, 1-9mm, as well as the 2 julienne slicing blades. Not noted in description is the included plastic box for storing the various cutting blades, which is nice to have.So far, I have made ratatouille which entailed thinly slicing eggplant, tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini and onions; french fries; apple pie; cucumber salad; and scalloped potatoes...dishes I never or rarely make because of the time-consuming tedious job of slicing thinly with a knife which yields irregular results at best.One reviewer said a lot of food is wasted in using the hand guard. I haven't found that to be the case at all. You are left with a small end, no bigger than what you would probably slice off most vegetables in preparation for cooking.In looking around for information about the mandoline, I saw a video on youtube showing how to slice a tomato using a straight blade mandoline which required using a sawing motion. That's just silly. The v-slicer has the advantage in not requiring the user to do that extra motion to slice a tomato. Cuts most veggies like butter. Nice unit.

Not a pro so I don't need the best; the price is great and it does exactly what I need. This thing dials in the thickness one wants in small increments; you should be happy with the choice of thickness provided; the increments are tiny. You can go paper thin.two small complaints -1- the main blade could perhaps be a tad sharper. It is sharp, but it could be better.2 - the carriage will deflect under moderate pressure causing some minor differences in thickness from slice to slice; not a deal breaker; you learn how much pressure can be exerted.Don't be afraid of the sharpness comment; it's sharp. However, if you demand very sharp then this might not be for you. The price of this thing, and how it is overall, makes it a good buy; plus, you don't break the bank on something you only use occasionally. This thing does what you need and does it well.

I received a OXO that had a factory defect that will take six to eight weeks to get replaced. I ordered this to use while waiting and wish I had just ordered this the first time. The way you adjust the thickness of cut on this is much better than the OXO and what was defective on the one I received from (another seller) not Norpro. IF YOU TRY THIS ONE YOU'LL LIKE... I PROMISE.

I bought this because I like to grate my onions but need a guard holder.The guard holder isn't so good.Slices good but doesn't grate so good...

The fact that the "safety guard" had to be purchased separately should have raised a red flag. I hated this thing, safety guard and all. I started out with a carrot and finished with exactly 10 julienne strips, a bunch of shreds and a large hunk of carrot jammed in the blades. Pretty much the same results with a potato. I tried the ripple cutter with the potato and shredded a fingernail. The printed instructions had no diagrams and descriptions of how to adjust the cutting blades were confusing. I'm returning the mandoline and buying another good knife.

First, the Norpro is %100 compatible with the Bron, including the Bron's replacement blades (available in a wide variety of sizes, though not at amazon--yet).Safety: First, if you haven't put in at least a hundred hours on a mandoline, be sure to use protection. No, not that ...worthless/dangerous pusher. Use a butcher's glove (or "oyster glove"), preferably a chain mail one. You could get by with significantly more affordable Kevlar or "Fibers Woven with Stainless Steel Threading" ones, but you will be more prone to bruising and nicks. Second, keep your eye on the blade, not on the vegetable. Third, use smooth, swift strokes applying as much pressure toward the mandoline's face as you do on the stroke itself. Last, and most importantly- don't rush! Take your time, maintain your focus, zone out that burning smell coming from the oven.The mandoline produces narrow shallow decorative crinkles. While waffle cut vegetables are quite possible with this sturdy industry standard, it takes a lot of adjusting and they come out thin without good definition of holes. For a better waffle cut consider a stand alone crinkle cutter. The washboard style ones typically aren't adjustable, so I'd recommend a hand held crinkle blade (look for deeper/wider scallops).To produce uniform slices, you can either move the julienne blades to neutral or remove the blades completely. The first method often produces slices with nicks on them from where the slices catch on the hanging julienne blades. The second method is time consuming and may lead to eventually stripping out the nuts (so be careful not to over tighten).This is a time saving and indispensable tool once you get accustomed to it. It could use more documentation.

Price doesn't always correlate with quality. So proves the Norpro. I found that this unit is clumsy and clogs often. The guard (sold separately) will not admit reasonably sized items, e.g. a large potato, doesn't secure the item to be sliced, and leaves an annoying amount of waste. Their legal department should take a look at the policy of selling the mandoline without a guard. You are looking at some serious time in the emergency room without it. I suggest you look elsewhere.