Kyocera CSN-202-RD Adjustable Mandoline Slicer, Red
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Kyocera CSN-202-RD Adjustable Mandoline Slicer, Red
Customer Review: Flimsy and dangerous
Summary: 2 Stars
Your first few experiences with this tool are likely to be delightful. It features a ceramic blade, which is much, much sharper than the machined steel blades found on most mandolins. It is small and light, making it quick and easy to use and clean. Adjustment is accomplished simply by rotating a rectangular piece of plastic on the underside of the tool to one of four positions.
Unfortunately, the faults in this tool will soon become manifest.
First of all, as many reviewers have said, it is dangerous. The guard that comes with it is worthless and it's difficult to imagine a guard for any hand-held mandolin being of much use; such a guard is, by necessity, too small and not held in a fixed line of movement relative to the blade. Second, this tool is dangerous even when not in use: there is nothing supplied to cover the blade when it is not in use, so if you have a drawer full of kitchen tools in which you dig to find things, your fingers will eventually meet the blade.
Second, there are only four thickness settings (3.0mm, 2.0mm, 1.3mm, and 0.5mm). This is somewhat limiting. That the thinnest setting is 0.5mm is especially disappointing: Be aware that 0.5mm is substantially thicker than "paper-thin," so if that's what you are buying a mandolin to do, do not buy this one.
Third, it is flimsy. Because it is constructed entirely of plastic, it bends while you use it. This is especially bothersome for the thinnest setting. When cutting thin slices, if the plane of the deck on which the food slides is not perfectly parallel with the plane in which the blade sits, you will end up slicing only part of the food, with your slice tapering out into paper-thin-ness and then into nothing. Cutting fibrous or dense foods is difficult at any thickness due to the flimsiness.
Finally, the blade, so sharp when new, dulled to the point of near inutility after slicing two bulbs of fennel and a bulb of celery root. The blade is neither replaceable nor even removable for sharpening, so as soon as the blade dulls, the entire tool is trash.
In summary, there is little or nothing that I can do with this tool that I cannot do as well with a knife and the knife is less dangerous.
Customer Review: A mandoline that works! Hooray!
Summary: 5 Stars
This mandoline does only one thing (slicing in 4 thicknesses), but it does it exceptionally well. I've used it more than a dozen times now to slice a variety of root vegetables, and I have not seen any signs of the blade growing dull.
The most important thing this device offers is safety. It will not fall apart while you are using it, like some of the (yes, even the higher-quality) mandolines with interchangeable blades for julienning, etc. I owned one of those once and sustained countless injuries from the thing malfunctioning. If slicing is all you need to do, this is your tool.
I am very pleased with its performance on all widths of slicing. Others have complained that this tool is flimsy; it is designed to be placed flat over top of a bowl, with the tip hooked over the bowl's edge and the handle resting on the other side. It's not as easy to use if you're just holding it in the air or resting the tip against something while gripping the handle.
I love being able to grab a vegetable and make professional-looking slices in record time, without fear of slicing off my thumb! If you want a great tool to make potato chips or really flashy salads, look no further.
Customer Review: Versatile and Great Value
Summary: 5 Stars
2 great points about this mandolin: ceramic and dishwasher-safe. It is not the most aesthetically pleasing mandolin, surely the shiny metal ones look more professional and flashier. However, for the home-chef who favors functionality over looks, you won't be disappointed with this model. It also has a lip on the bottom making it easy to fit over the edge of a bowl.
One of my biggest pet-peeves about metal mandolins is that they are so difficult to clean. With all the nooks and crannies food gets stuck in and the risk of rust, you have to invest a comparatively significant amount of time in cleaning.
The ceramic blade stays sharp and is superior in my view to any metal blade: you won't have to sharpen it and it does not rust. The only drawback to ceramic is that it is fragile, so you may want to be careful where you store this tool. Haphazardly tossing it in the same drawer you throw your meat tenderizer might not be the best idea.
At ~20$, this tool is a great value. You will spend more on a quality metal mandolin and it will rust. Additionally, if you do happen to accidentally break the blade, it's only 20$ to replace.
Customer Review: Wow, a mandolin that works!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've used mandolins before. I've had three or four given to me and I've always sent them back to the manufacturer with a note asking them to check and see if they were defective. It's unreal the number of veggies I've cut that have turned out horribly. I was beginning to think that I'd never have an easy way to slice and chop food. Then my husband chose this mandolin from my wish list. Who knew that you don't have to spend $100 on a mandolin for it to work? I'm so thrilled with it that I've been recommending it to everyone I know. It makes uniform slices and can slice so thinly that you can see through the slices. And it does it with minimal effort on my part. The ceramic blade is very, very sharp, and I am sure that is what makes the mandolin so good at slicing through anything I try. The mandolin is also wider than I thought it would be - about 4 inches or so - which means that I don't have to pre-cut veggies in order to slice them. I plan on making potato chips soon, since we love homemade chips. I've never made them before because I just never had a slicer that would work well enough. I would recommend this to anyone who cooks.Customer Review: The Perfect mandoline
Summary: 5 Stars
Although I also bought a "professional mandoline", I thought this would make a handy little item. Boy - was I right! I use this mandoline more than the professional. Why? It is convenient! It's very sharp (the porcelein blade is much sharper than metal), the hand guard is comfortable and easy to use, the whole device is dishwasher safe, and it takes little counter space and little storage space. I use it to slice veggies for everything from sandwiches to tostadas to soups to breakfast burritos. Here's what it does not do: Although the blade is "adjustable", only the biggest setting works correctly. The smaller settings makes mush of your veggies. Also, it is not quite wide enough. At the thickest part of a big round onion, it would have to be turned sideways. Finally, it only has 1 blade and so it only does the one style of cut. I highly recommend it. It is so easy to use that you will use it frequently. In fact, when you think: "Should I drag out the big mandoline?" You will say "No, I'll just use my little one (the Kyocera)".