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I purchased two v-slicers before I bit the bullet and bought a professional Bron mandoline. I think the first v-slicer I bought was the Borner. It was around $30. Then, figuring I hadn’t paid enough to get a really good quality slicer, I forked out $60 for the Zyliss. Still, it would not do what I needed, which was paper thin slices and precision control. (I wanted to do turnip ravioli and perfect sweet potato chips.) Anyway, I guess it depends on how good a quality slicer you need. The Bron costs $150. But I wasted $90 before I went for it!
Is the Bron really good? I have the Borner, got it because of all the rave reviews, and figured I’ve been ruining good veggies because I don’t know how to use a mandoline (this is my first.
Is the Bron a whole lot better?
Ohmigosh… it’s incredible! It truly does adjust to paper thin. It’s very heavy duty. I haven’t done the turnip ravioli yet, but I have no doubt that it can be done. I sliced zucchini super thin to make Thai Cannelloni wraps, which are paper thin slices of zucchini rolled around a pine nut filling. Rather than having 4 interchangeable blades, everything is built in. You adjust the width of the slides by turning a level on the back. It’s super sharp and I’d be REALLY careful with it if you have children in the household.
My problem with the Borner is being able to apply even pressure without getting cut. The little gripper doesn’t do a good job, everything seems to slip and slide all over the place, or get caught in the blade. I’ve used it to make lasagna noodles out of zucchini, and wasted a lot of good zucchini in the process. I did finally get some decent noodles, but it was time-consuming and very difficult. I chalked this up to my incompetence but perhaps it’s the fault of the machine.
How easy is the Bron to use, besides the adjustible blade aspect? Is it easy to make the slices without getting sliced yourself?
Pam – I’m in the market for a new slicer too since mine won’t even slice carrots anymore! Could you please tell me if the one in the link is the one you have? Website Link. I have been looking at other slicers and I also would like to be able to have paper thin slices. Thanks!
I’d be interested in finding out which Bron you have Pam. Do you know the measurement for how thin you can slice the veggies?
I got this one http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?ord… but I haven’t tried it yet. The thing i really like about it is that it is very wide. others that i have used are very narrow and if you have wide veggies, it is difficult to use. They had a video and it looked pretty good.
I really want one that is easy to use, has a guard that stays on, is very safe, has attachments that are easy to change, has several options for cuts, and can slice very thin. i want the best!
Hi Linda and RCBAlive,
The website link doesn’t appear, Linda. I got my mandoline at Chefdepot.com. It’s the Bron professional model and it’s on sale for $140. If you don’t live in Illinois, you don’t have to pay taxes. Unfortunately, I live in Illinois, but it was still the cheapest price I could find. Also, shipping is free… just be sure to pick free shipping at checkout. I did not and had to call them to make the adjustment, which they did promptly.
My admin, who is attending the Cordon Bleu, bought one as well. She says it’s the one they use in school and the one all the best chefs use. We were so excited about getting them! You can slice as thinly as the vegetable will allow. We practiced on a potato and make slices thin enough to make those stuffed potato chip thingys. Seriously, you can make infinite adjustments just by turning the lever. The lever requires a little bit of force to adjust so that no one can accidentally open it.
If you want the best, this is it! There are no attachments, RCBAlive. The mandoline has two built in blades as well as two sizes of julienne cutters. You can move in place what you want to want to use which locks the other blades out of the way. The only thing that comes off is the holder. I thought the holder might be difficult to use, but I used it on zucchinis and on carrots with no problem whatsoever.
It’s awesome!
Greenie,
The holder is much easier to use than on my other two v-slicers. I don’t know why, but it just is. It doesn’t slip and slide. I julienned a carrot and I was SURE I wasn’t going to be able to do it. It is VERY sharp, though. The blades are nothing to play around with. I do not use the holder to slice until I can’t hold it any longer… WITHOUT taking any risks with my fingers!
Pam,
Thanks for all your replies on this topic. Really helpful.
The Borner is super sharp, too. I’m very careful when handling it. Unfortunately, the Bron is out of my budget for now. Sigh.