Kyocera CSN-252BK EXP Soft Grip Kitchen Mandoline Slicer, One, Black

This is an America's Test Kitchen (ATK) recommended product. I didn't realize I was getting a ceramic blade, but it seems very sharp. A little research indicated that ceramic stays sharper than steel, if you take care of it. I used this to create thin potato slices for making kettle chips. Thickness setting 1 is very thin, like Lays potato chips (in the yellow bag) thickness. I ended up using setting 2, which is about 1/16 in thick to make the kettle chips. It comes with a food holder, but it didn't seem very useful. I decided to order a pair of level 5 cut-proof, slice-proof gloves to protect my fingers. There is a square adjustment bar on back of the slicer that provides four slice thicknesses. I wish it had a dial/knob on the side to rotate the bar easier. 0.55 mm (0.022 in) 1.3 mm (0.051 in, ~1/16") 2.0 mm (0.079 in) 3.0 mm (0.118 in, ~1/8") The chips sliced very well and consistent. You do have to press down a bit because the adjuster bar on the back acts as a back-stop for the thickness more than it does actually setting the thickness. I found that I needed to rotate the potato 90 degrees each slice to keep it from getting thinner on the leading edge.

I bought this to replace a KitchenAid mandoline that was lost when I moved. My old slicer was much "fancier" and I wasn't sure what to expect from such a simple device. So I put it to the test on 50 lbs of potatoes. Yes that's right, Five Zero, and yes I know I'm crazy. My potatoes always sprout and I got tired of throwing out food, so I started dehydrating them so that I can use them as slow as I want and not worry about them going bad. I own a Kyocera peeler and love it, so I peeled the potatoes with that before slicing. I didn't really worry about getting all the skin off so the slicer did have to deal with some potato skin. I was very happy with the performance of the slicer, the potato went over the blade effortlessly and didn't hang up on it at all like I remember my steel-bladed slicer doing. The plastic blade guard/guide is ok, I never really like them but it is the only way to keep your fingers away from the blade when the item being sliced gets smaller. I wished the teeth on it were either a little sharper or longer, but it worked. The blade is very, very sharp. Use with caution, use the guard, and don't fret about losing that last little piece off the end, it's not worth chopping your fingers up just to get one more slice of potato! My only (minor) dissatisfaction with this slicer is that I wish it had more range in the adjustment of the slice thickness. The thickest slice came out close to 1/12 of an inch, considerably thinner than the 1/8" setting on my previous mandoline. So my potato slices were thinner than I was used to but I compensated for that by reducing the blanching time a bit and all was well. This slicer is a terrific deal on an excellent quality product, I know it will be hanging on my kitchen wall near to hand for many years.

I've been using this little guy extensively for about three months and I really like it. It's sharp as the day I got it, for one, and it's very easy to clean. You can just rinse it off when you're done, and all the veggie schnibbles fall right off. There's nowhere for them to hide, and the all-plastic and ceramic design never rusts or gets nasty so I don;t even bother drying it off. I just rinse, shake, and set it on the rack to dry. I cut my fingertip once when I first got the slicer. Just because the white ceramic blade looks like plastic doesn't mean it is! It's super sharp ceramic. Respect that blade. I have one minor complaint and one slightly negative observation. My complaint is that I wish this Kyocera mandolin had a setting thicker than 3 mm. That might be standard, I'm not sure. 3mm is awfully thin for salad-topping cucumbers, for example. Secondly, I'm not complaining since it's perfectly reasonable for the price, but note that this tool isn't "restaurant grade." It's light and inexpensive and compact, but it's also feels a little flimsy. I don't think it could handle a huge pile on onions and carrots every day. For me, though, it's an awfully good product, especially for the price. *** Update *** Three years later and this thing seems as sharp as ever. I have never used it on anything but veggies, and it has stayed razor sharp.

I've had this one for several years---I'm here buying another for a friend---and this is one of those "must have" things for a kitchen. This is a great slicer which is fantastic for small and quick jobs. I just used it to shred a bunch of Brussels sprouts, for example. It's only got one blade, and there aren't a ton of thicknesses, but the advantage of this compared to my big monster slicer is that it's fast to get out, fast to use, FAST TO CLEAN, and easy to deal with. If I want to do something fancy like match stick cuts or waffle cuts or 6mm thick cuts, I have another mandoline. But 90% of the time, this little baby is there for basic slicing when I want even cuts, fast, and have a lot of slice. The blade is ceramic, and although mine is 6 years old, it seems as sharp as when I got it. It's sturdy and a good design. This probably shouldn't be your ONLY mandoline, but if you have it, you'll find that you reach for it often because it's not a pain to clean and to reassemble. I highly recommend this.

I mostly bought this because there were several comments that the blade was sharp enough for potatoes, as I wanted a mandoline for making Spanish Tortillas. The blade is indeed extremely sharp and easily went through a potato, but they claim 3mm on setting #4 and the thickest I got was some 2mm, which is too thin. I looked through the reviews before buying and only one person mentioned this, but he thought he had a bad product. I'll likely return it for this reason. Also - the thickness adjustment is clunky and perhaps likely to break easily. I looked at the best-selling Mueller Austria, which has a lot of accessories I don't need, but what turned me off the most were several comments that potato slices got stuck and the blades dulled quickly. They are said to have excellent customer service, so lifted their C.S. email address from an offer to make things right and sent them a message asking if was worthwhile for me to buy theirs. BTW - from reading reviews I am dubious of angled models (vs. 90 degree or V-shape), as they often tend to have comments that the cut is varied thickness from one side to the other, and one even included a photo. I'm now looking at an infinitely variable thickness model (0.3-9 mm) from Benriner for a bunch more money. I might first try to see if I can find an appropriate fixed-width slicer, as I only really want it for one thing. I'll have to search for "potato slicer". This does have a slightly angled blade, but Japanese technology trumps that. A few general comments on mandoline. Reading reviews, it's clear that there are a whole lot of idiots out there buying these. I don't just mean those cutting themselves the first time they use it by not paying attention to what they're doing, or even the ones who say it's TOO sharp !!! duh . . . , but all the really dumb reasons for not liking the one they bought - including the many who say the food pusher doesn't work - see below. I do have sympathy for those who bought the brand where the cheaply (if at all ?) engineered black plastic "grabbers" easily broke off and got sliced into the food. It's also obvious that all of the "safety food holders" are junk. I think I tried it for my very first potato slice and then just used my hands. The second time, I put on the gloves I bought. A big part of the problem is the round bottoms - and tops) of many firm veggies, so if you have something that's large enough to warrant it I would suggest cutting it in half first, then slice flat side down, with or without the holder. Of course this means reaching the top more quickly, but read on friend. I think this would make the holders much more effective, but they're just too fiddly for me. They also add time and effort, especially toward the bottom. I strongly suspect that these were invented just as a CYA measure to protect manufacturers from law-suits. There's something like a nine to one ratio of people saying they're useless to those who actually like them - for whatever odd reason. I'm amazed at how many people seem to think it's just a problem with the one they got with their brand. Dolts. As for the last half-inch or so - I'm good at judging where/when the last slice is that a little bit of potato is still above the slicer edge - please don't try this at home! Part of my thinking is that the last little bit of potato is so rounded, that it's unlikely to cook in a different time even if the tiny center is 1/16 (or less) thicker than the rest of it. I may also use a fork to help push it through. I well realize that I could just toss it, but I'm stubborn and my mother grew up during the Depression, so I try not to waste anything. I see people saying to hand slice the last bit, but I'm buying a mandoline precisely so I don't have to do that! Sort of like the meat lovers attitude toward vegetarianism ;-)

I got this mainly for slicing onions paper thin for onion burgers and it works great for that. The only problem is that some onions are a bit too wide so you have to turn them on their side partway through slicing. Have also used it for slicing cucumbers which worked well. It's made of plastic (except for the ceramic blade) so I'm not sure how well it would hold up to rough treatment. The hand guard works but doesn't hold the food all that securely so you have to be careful when using it. It also doesn't come with any kind of sleeve or cover for storing it, so you want to be careful where you put it. Note that this is just a simple slicer, it doesn't have any blades for doing French fries, matchstick cuts or crinkle cut potatoes. You just get flat slices. Overall though, it's cheap and small, good for light duty slicing. However if you plan to use the Mandoline a lot for slicing all kinds of vedge I would suggest you buy one of the larger more full featured models.

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)".

This is my second purchase. The first one lasted a little more than three years before it seemed a bit dull. I think I used it 2 the 3 times a week. I liked and used the various thickness settings of the adjustable design. I don't think I would like the fixed blade design. I'm not a kitchen gadget guy but the light-weight, easy-clean and overall simplicity makes this a goto kitchen tool. The plastic parts were all intact and functioning after 3 years. Just wish the ceramic blade was sharper or could be sharpened. Still pleased with the design, performance and value of this product. Will probably buy again in another 3 years. :-) BTW I think I maintained good blade life by storing it hanging with other kitchen stuff. To avoid chipping the ceramic blade you probably shouldn't store it tossed in a crowed drawer with other utensils.

This mandoline works very well - and gives you the right angle for use (some don't). Accessed a range of reviews before purchasing this one, and avoided a number of others which are much more expensive but don't perform as well.

Absolutely brilliant... sturdy balanced obscenely sharp easy to clean and wash. Toooo Good

Brilliant piece of kitchen equipment! I have purchased 2 more as gifts. The ceramic blade is super sharp and can slice veggies really, really thinly! Highly recommend!

Great slicer very sharp for carrots, cucumbers, whatever you like. Does a fantastic job.

Es perfecta. Fácil de guardar por su tamaño práctico, fácil de lavar, sin tantas piezas. Es la manera más rápida de cortar el pepino.