Swissmar Borner V-1001 V-Slicer Plus Mandoline 6 Piece Set
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Swissmar Borner V-1001 V-Slicer Plus Mandoline 6 Piece Set
Customer Review: It works!
Summary: 4 Stars
This device is great for home cooking.
This device marks my third attempt at getting a mandolin right.
My first attempt was some cheap as seen on TV special. It was both dangerous and useless as it only mangled the food you tried to cut. It got chunked.
My next attempt was a rather high dollar professional grade Mandolin that I paid too much for (this was before internet mail order..). It worked as a slicer, mostly. It was good in that it was fast (long stroke) and you could set the thickness but it wasted a lot of the food and its julienne features left a lot to be desired.
So a number of years go by and based on reviews I decide to get this one. In particular I'm doing a lot of carrots and Daikon these days. I tried it last night and it worked. In under 30 seconds and had 2 cups full of julienned Daikon!
Overview-
The unit stores in a box, which is pretty clever and a good idea considering the sharp exposed blades.
The main unit slips into the box and then locks into place. To release it you have to push a tab on the bottom of the box. This means its not going to fall out. On the "backside" of the box the julienne blades are stored. One is for French fry sized cuts, the other more for salad. If your looking for micro small stuff this isn't the tool for you. But its good enough for most home uses.
The remaining parts are the slicing tray and the food holder. The slicing try is double sided and lets you diced if you want thick or thin slices. The depth is controlled by the height of the plastic ridges on the tray that hold the food closer or farther from the V slicing blade.
The food pusher is without a doubt the best I've used. It has an inner shaft that the top of the handle slides up and down on. This handle has prongs that stick in this shaft. So you can impale your food on the prongs for a positive grip. The prongs are plenty long (over an inch) but are set up so that you will never hit the blades with them. So finally you get a real grip on your food with no exposure to the blades. It lets you cut all your food except the last 1/8" or so.
To use the unit you pull the main part out, then select your tray. Carefully insert the tray (angle side down) till it locks. Spear your food on the prongs, grab the holder and slide down into the V blades. The instructions say it can also "chop". This is accomplished by making with a knife cuts down the length of your food after you have skewered it on the holder. The cuts should be opposite the direction of slicing with the unit. It slices pre-cut food and thus "Chops". I'm not real sure this would be faster.
Cleanup is easy, run under water, use a scrub brush (NOT as sponge) and snap it all back into the box that holds it all together and lets it drain.
Pro's-
Cheap price- Does a better job than units that cost several times as much
Safe - Great food holder design. No exposed blades with storing. Compact enough to not take much space
Easy - Quick to setup, takedown and clean
Functional - It really works! Doesn't waste too much food! This is HUGE!
Cons-
Inflexible settings - You get two depths and two widths, if that doesn't work for you then this won't. Probably not a big deal for home users but if you're a demanding type one that has adjustable settings will serve you better.
Build Quality - The whole unit feels a little flimsy and flexible. You know one of these days it might go "tink". There is no easy way to sharpen the blades either, so when it gets dull you either really have to work at it or buy a new one. It is NOT dishwasher safe. Other reviewers have reported that they have used the unit every week for years.
Size - Not really a con but if your going to be doing a LOT of stuff your better off with a bigger longer unit with a better handle. You could handle bigger veggies and have a longer stroke to work with. This is best used for 1-2 meals worth at a time.
Conclusion-
It's the best home use mandolin I've ever used. If you can live with the cut size limitations (I can) and that eventually many years from now it will break/get dull and need to be replaced (for the price I can) then this is the one for you. If you demand higher performance, durability and flexibility you'll probably need to keep looking. Let me know what you find because I've looked and I haven't found anything that works faster, easier and better in such a convenient package.
Customer Review: Best mandolin for the price, beats out higher priced items
Summary: 5 Stars
It has been a great investment and has paid for itself. I use it more often than any other gadget in my kitchen. Clean up is simple, just rinse and store in back in it's holder. The blades are still super sharp after being used pretty much daily since 1999, and it's November of 2002 now. I use it when I make chili, sloppy joes or tacos to dice onions and peppers in seconds. I use it whenever I make hashbrowns, potato chowder, potatoes au gratin or french fries as I can safely and swiftly slice potatoes into cubes, jullianed strips, chips, scalloped slices or fries. It can julianne tender-crisp delicate slices of veggies for stir-fry or as a lovely french side dish. You can make quick easy carrot and celery sticks for snacking, cucumber slices for salads, tomato slices for burgers, you name it this does it. And it's very safe to use if you use your head. I love my Borner V-slicer and recommend it to everyone. I buy this for every wedding gift and housewarming party I've attended since 1999! Yes, there are less expensive mandolins and more expensive ones, but the ease of use, super quick clean up, handy storage/safety holder and just overall sturdyness and reliability of this little tool make me go over the top raving about it. I could not recommend it more enthusiastically. Wait--I can! This thing rocks! Buy it, try it, you will adore it! Hmmm...having read through the other reviews of this product I will add a conditional caveat to the above review. The blades are really very sharp. When dealing with any cutting tool, just as you would with a chainsaw or with a knife--use care, common sense and precaution. Always use the little safety food guide that comes with it, and make sure that you are holding the guide properly so that the arrows point the right way and the guide slides smoothly! With sensible care the Borner V-slicer is safer than a knife and very easy to use. It has drastically reduced my preparation time on many dishes and it has become as essential to my kitchen as my chef's knife and fry pan. But again, this is a high quality product with German-made blades that stay sharp longer than you will. It's super sharp and slicey. If you like your finger tips and don't like blood and gore--then use the safety guide and a little care and you'll be a-ok. The V-slicer has a safety catch at the base. To get it out of it's case you simply release the catch and gently remove the slicer. If you reach inside or try to yank or force it out without releasing the safety catch first--you'll injure yourself. The unfortunate woman whose hand was badly sliced while removing the slicer from it's case probably didn't take the time to release the catch before she tried to remove it from it's safety case. Having had a tendon reattachment of my own after a box-cutter hit a metal staple, I really feel for her, but it's not the Borner V-Slicer's fault she injured herself--Please use care! It's a very sharp edged tool, and the bladed edges for julienne and cubed foods are dangerous too. Read the instructions, use the safety guide, store it in it's safety case and avoid touching the blade edges. With a little normal caution you'll soon be confidently slicing veggies in seconds like a pro.Customer Review: Useful kitchen gadget
Summary: 4 Stars
My wife and I love this. Although it looks simple, trying it for the first time is not that simple. We have to figure out how to unpack it and how to switch the blades. It is actually a nice looking kitchen gadget. In regards to construction, it seems to be well made with good quality materials. Packaging is a bit underwhelming as it is boxed in a thin cardboard; not so good if you want to present it as a gift. There is a small direction/manual booklet which is a bit confusing as it is written in multiple languages on the same pages. Good thing, some of the most important instruction is permanently imprinted on the mandoline itself. Made in Germany.
You can slice thin or thick. Thin slices is perfect for making potato chips, and the thick slices are great for tomatoes. To switch thickness, all you have to do is flip the triangular insert. You also have two choices for making julienne, the bigger blade with wider gaps is what you use for making french fries, while the smaller blade works great for carrots. The later , is also great for chopping onions. Just need a knife to finish the job. To clean it, I just rinse it under the faucet and wiggle it a bit to throw excess water out.
All in all you have 3 triangular plastic inserts. One without a blade for slicing, and the 2 blades for julienne. This thing is dangerous and I will not let it lay on the kitchen counter or anywhere accessible to kids. Although the main blade is hidden with the built-in locking storage, the two triangular blades are just sitting on the pocket. I read that it can be a good idea to get one those kevlar gloves. If you search, it is available on Amazon around eight to fifteen bucks. Every time you take out one of them, it also scratches the plastic on the inside, not only scraping the plastic but also dulling the blades. (It also feel like scratching a board with your nails every time you remove and replace them). You can also do dicing but it is not very practical. To do that, you will have to slice the vegetable beforehand prior to running it to the mandoline. I prefer, cutting it first with the bigger blades and then cut them square with a regular knife.
We are satisfied with the quality and the usefulness; although I still think it is a little over priced.
Customer Review: Add me to the LOVE IT list
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had mine for 20 years. I saw one in a professional chef's kitchen then bought mine from an infomercial. I use it all the time.
It's very safe to use, if you use it properly, with the food holder always. That last little bit of veggie can be easily chopped with a couple of slices from a knife - don't be tempted to try to push it through with your fingers. I always pop the last little bit of tomato or carrot in my mouth - yum.
It seems some folks haven't figured out how to dice with it. I make Indian food and the curry sauce takes lots and lots of onions. I can dice an onion in under 30 seconds with this (safely and not hurrying). Put the onion in the holder. Slide it across just the julienne blade with it lying flat on the counter - this is a prep slice, then put the blade in the slicer. Turn the onion 45 degrees and slice it - it will come out diced, then turn it a 1/4 turn and slice, turn and slice, turn and slice - the whole onion comes out diced beautifully.
The same can be done with potatoes and tomatos. I seriously can dice up 6 onions in 4 minutes (after I peel the top layer and chop the ends off). There isn't any time for tears to even start.
I just figured out something! If I only cut the top and not the end off the onion, that would be the part that was left over in the holder. It is a part I throw away anyway! Can't wait to try the new technique.
The holder looks like it is designed to only go down to the blade one way - with the wide part running down the rails but it doesn't catch even if you have the narrow sides parallel with the rails. So just switch back and forth for dices. No need to make knife cuts in the veggies.
That tiny sliver of veggie that doesn't go through the slicer can be chopped up in seconds by hand or if you don't mind wasting it - throw it away or compost it - it's only worth about a penny! Certainly not worth a trip to the emergency room because you tried to force it through with your fingers.
Don't get complicated with the washing either. Just run it under warm water and use a soapy brush if you want. I admit that I usually just rinse it and drop it in the holder - it still looks and works great after 20 years.
Customer Review: not bad for the price
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a decent slicer. For $22, I can't complain too much. If your knife skills are a little dull, or you just have a lot of slicing to do, this can be very handy.
The cuts are a little thick for my taste. Unlike a professional mandolin, you can't adjust the blade depth. It comes with 3 inserts: straight, thick julienne, thin julienne. The straight insert double-tasks as both a thick and thin cut. Just flip the insert over. I would have liked a cris-cut insert but the design cannot accommodate that feature. Not even with a new insert.
The dual blades are nice. Food automatically centers where the blade stay the cleanest. Years down the line, the sides (on most slicers) tend to get a little funky and you won't want your food getting near it. However, the blades seem to create a bit more resistance than I'm used to. You need to build a little momentum before you hit the blades or you'll get stuck. Once it's stuck, you have to beat it through. It can be a pretty frightening process.
I'm not thrilled by their choice of plastic. Mine was off-white and felt a bit brittle, the sort of thing you expect from UV damage or hot-washing in a dishwasher. That's not something I like to see straight out of the box.
I like the design, but the execution left something to be desired. If the material had been a bit thicker, I would have been more pleased. As is, it's comparable to the old seen-on-TV slicers that you commonly find in grocery stores. But the fixed blades limit its functionality. My mother's 20 year old slicer has inserts for 2 different grates, a cris-cut, 2 different thicknesses, and julienne and cost in the neighborhood of $15 back in the day. As old as it is, it still works as well as it did when new.
BOTTOM LINE: it's not bad for the money, but if you ever come across the older-style slicer (I recommend looking in Asian grocery stores) I think you're better off with that. Or save your money entirely and just hone your knife skills.
UPDATE: Since writing this review, the price has nearly doubled to f0rty d0llars. It's no longer "not bad for the price." There are plenty of slicers on the market that offer equivalent performance for less.