532286 Tue Jun 24 12:31:21 -0700 2008 11 41 Cookware 0 3809594 I have been looking at some of the newer less expensive mandolines which have come onto the market in the last few years. Several look pretty nifty, and I am wondering if anyone has any recommendations re the three I have been looking at: 1) OXO v-blade, 2) OXO straight blade good grips, and 3) Zyliss folding mandoline. Would appreciate any comments re these three. Tue Jun 24 12:31:22 -0700 2008 171170 josephnl 1 3809658 I have the OXO V blade and dont know what I did before owning it. I am way more inclined to make soups and stews as chopping/slicing is easy and everything is uniform! Love it! Tue Jun 24 12:42:33 -0700 2008 3809594 80361 MellieMac 1 3809781 I recently acquired an Orka V-blade (Marshall's for $19.99) that I really like (especially for the price) -- you can adjust the thickness of the slices easily, it will do julienne and waffle cuts, it's sturdy -- and the hand-protector is at first cumbersome - --but once I got the hang of it -- I really appreciate how well it protects my hand. It's on clearance at QVC for a few bucks less -- but the cost of shipping will get you. I plan on using this until I spring for the professional quality mandoline. Tue Jun 24 13:04:02 -0700 2008 3809594 156760 karmalaw 1 3810051 OXO V blade got the nod in Cook's Illustrated. Bob Tue Jun 24 14:06:33 -0700 2008 3809594 107452 SonyBob 1 3811121 BE CAREFUL. I bought a mandolin to make my prep time quicker. Meal one with it went great. Meal two went great. Meal three cost me an almond sized piece of my thumb and earned me four stitches. Obviously I wasn't using the safety guard when I cut myself. I was slicing a green pepper at the time, and because the pepper is hollow and the safety handle uses prongs to hold on, the handle was in fact useless. No problem, I'll just hold the pepper by the top. Well with a mandoline you can slice so quickly and in a fluid rhythm that the top becomes the bottom in no time flat if you're day dreaming. My advice? Get some cut resistant gloves and wear them, ditch the safety handle. Tue Jun 24 20:06:16 -0700 2008 3809594 202467 Zedeff 2 3814943 Good advice. Best might be butchers gloves (chain mail) but I sometimes use fishermans gloves - cloth with little rubber thingies on the palm and fingers to prevent slipping. Maybe even cloth garden gloves - they are cheap and as with the others you just throw them in the wash. Be careful!! Not just fingers and palms are at risk, your wrist is too!! Thu Jun 26 06:21:47 -0700 2008 3811121 191863 garlicandwingnut 1 3815358 I have the OXO good grips one with the straight blade and I love it. I can definitely see how the V-blade would be better though. The design is very nice, all the parts come loose easily for cleanup and the whole things folds up for easy storage. I don't use it all that much, but when you need to slice a few into zucchini paper-thin rounds, the mandoline is the only way to fly. Thu Jun 26 08:12:31 -0700 2008 3809594 29811 Buckethead 2 3827843 I bought the straight blade Oxo slicer and it has sat in the box since I bought it. Tried to slice a tomato and some carrots and it did nothing but mangle the items. When I pulled out the blade, it wasn't much sharper than a butter knife. I really wanted to like this slicer because of the way that the adjustments were all made by turning a dial but in the end, it failed at its primary task--cutting things. I bought a Swissmar Borner V slicer instead for half the price and it works like a champ. HIghly recommended. Mon Jun 30 16:13:27 -0700 2008 3815358 193486 meadandale 1 3820297 Have no experience with the OXOs, so can't provide any feedback in that regard. But I can suggest that you stay away from the Zyliss. I have the older (non-folding) Zyliss v-blade type mandoline and it's a piece of garbage--blade that's too thin to stand up to anything solid like an onion without binding, uneven cuts because the frame flexes along with the blades--these are two main issues I've had with mine. Waste of $50. Otoh, perhaps the new folding one reflects better manufacturing. I'm a skeptic. Fri Jun 27 14:51:29 -0700 2008 3809594 15817 ecustard 1 3821176 i got some generic Japanese mandolin for mere $20 and its great, i wont exchange it for OXO anytime soon. i'm using it for almost 1,5 years now (few times a week) and no complains. Fri Jun 27 22:15:15 -0700 2008 3809594 194337 Y.T. 1 3821543 I use the oxo v blade professionally and personally, I sing it's praises. It is easy to clean, easy to use and comes with great attachments. Alton Brown recommends it as well. Sat Jun 28 07:03:35 -0700 2008 3809594 184130 efitz83 1 3827918 Our Zyliss is a kitchen staple. It gets used at least 4-5 times a week. Wouldn't be without it. It came with several attachments for julienning and chipping which get used regularly, too. We've had it 2yrs and nary a problem. Like others have said, be careful of your fingers. Mon Jun 30 16:40:48 -0700 2008 3809594 86137 purple goddess