Multifunction Mandolines
In addition to just slicing, mandolines in this category have the ability to julienne; some perform additional decorative cuts such as crinkle and waffle cuts.
Our Top Pick
Borner V-Slicer Plus: $39.95
The utilitarian-looking Borner created incredibly clean slices and julienne strips. Compared to most other mandolines, the Borner required less user force: as a result our testers felt safer using it. Large julienne (french fry) of potato and small julienne of carrot looked knife cut. The Borner’s only negatives are the fact that it has only two depth adjustments, and that its julienne of carrot was slightly on the thick side.
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Recommended
Benriner Mandoline: about $25
The inexpensive Benriner performed flawlessly on our slicing tests and produced an attractive julienne of carrot. The screw-type depth adjustment allows the user to fine tune thickness, but requires some trial and error. The julienne teeth need to be fitted and removed before and after each use and increase the amount of pressure required, highlighting the inadequacy of the Benriner hand guard. The width of the device may be an issue for certain types of produce.
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Borner V-Slicer Pro: $49.95
A mostly successful update of the V-Slicer Plus, the Pro offers 3 thickness settings (the Plus has 2), a more rational storage system, and performs an impressive dice without the need for pre-cutting. However, the Pro does not perform julienning operations as well as the older Plus. Also, while three depth settings are better than two, this Borner is still not as versatile a slicer as mandolines with full control over depth adjustment.
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Not Recommended
Oxo Mandoline: $69.99
The clever design of the OXO mandoline makes it easy to adjust depth or to switch from standard slices to julienne strips, all by means of turning a control knob. We also liked the reversible straight/crinkle cut blade. Unfortunately, the performance of the OXO failed to fulfill the promise of its design. We found that considerable force was required to feed ingredients, making some tasks dangerous. Results with the OXO ranked near the bottom of the mandoline pack.
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Oxo V-Blade Mandoline: $39.99
The OXO V-Blade Mandoline combines a user-friendly depth adjustment knob with V-shaped slicing and julienne blades in a space-saving though somewhat complicated design. For under $40, the OXO does a lot: however, we found that it didn’t do anything particularly well and it required more force to feed ingredients than the top models. The on-board part storage saves space, but also makes clean up more time consuming.
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Super Benriner: $50
The Super Benriner is considerably wider than the regular Benriner (3 3/4″ for the Super vs. 2 1/2″ for the ‘regular’ Benriner); this added real estate is especially helpful when processing bulky ingredients like cabbage and large potatoes. As a dedicated device for slicing such produce, the Super Benriner might make sense for the right user, but this larger model did not perform as well overall. It failed to slice lemons or tomatoes as well as the smaller Benriner, likely due to its shallower blade angle.
Hand Held Slicers
Products in this category slice; all have some degree of depth adjustment.
Our Top Pick
Kyocera Adjustable Slicer: about $25
While not perfect, the Kyocera came closest to fulfilling our requirements for a hand-held slicer: it adjusts quickly, cuts cleanly and easily, and it cleans up with a minimum of fuss. The Kyocera performed excellently on most vegetables like cucumbers, zucchini, and potato. The ceramic blade did not fare as well with soft-skinned tomato as its steel counterparts. We also felt that the device could have used a sturdier build, non-slip surfaces, and a better hand guard than the ineffective one supplied.
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Recommended
Microplane Adjustable Slicer: $39.99
The Microplane was rated excellent in every category we tested and use felt secure thanks to a rubberized handle and feet. It is, however, significantly larger and heavier than most devices in this category (its hand guard alone weighs more than our Top Pick). Apart from size, our only complaint on the Microplane related to its “sticky” depth adjustment wheel, which did not rotate smoothly and tended to trap food.
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Not Recommended
de Buyer Kobra Adjustable Slicer: $59.99
The de Buyer is well made and its steeply-angled, serrated blade clove through produce with ease. However, the serrations leave noticeable teeth marks on soft produce. We also did not care for the handle-mounted adjustment knob which required too many revolutions to arrive at the right setting. At $59.99, the product is expensive considering its functionality and performance.
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Oxo hand-held slicer: $19.99
The blade on this small OXO was effective on all kinds of produce, from hard-skinned lemons to soft-skinned tomatoes. The slicer felt secure thanks to rubberized surfaces and its depth adjustment is the most user-friendly we have encountered on a hand-held slicer. Unfortunately, the device produced noticeably angled cuts, a particular problem at the thinnest of its three available depth settings.
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Special Purpose Tools
Recommended
Kyocera Double Slicer: about $20
The Kyocera’s ceramic cuts on the upstroke as well as the downstroke, doubling processing speed of produce. We found that this specialized device performed slicing tasks requiring very thin slices extremely well. However, beyond slicing cucumbers, fennel, or carrot at the extremely thin and non-adjustable 2mm setting, the application of this device may be limited, making this a nice idea for the cook who has everything, but not for the first time mandoline buyer.
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Not Recommended
Kyocera Julienne Slicer: about $25
We felt that as a single-purpose tool, the Kyocera was not properly designed for task in mind. Considering the force required to julienne carrots, we felt that the device’s build was insufficiently rigid and that Kyocera’s standard hand guard was poorly adapted to handling long, cylindrical objects. The julienne produced by the Kyocera was judged inferior to that created on multipurpose mandolines, making it an all-around disappointment.
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