5.0 out of 5 stars Waffle fries? No but sort of. Still 5 stars. Ever read some reviews and wonder if people are reviewing the item you’re looking at and if they read the manual? Forget about the reviews that say it leaves black plastic bits in their food. There’s an arrow showing how to face the food spear/holder. That plastic is from them using it exactly 180 degrees off the way it is designed to work.Doesn’t save time? I guess if you have almost Gordon Ramsay knife skills, sure. I don’t. This thing is sharp. It cuts clean and fast. Need consistent cuts? Near perfect. For dehydrating foods, this assures every piece is dried to the same degree. A knife pro may be able to cut single slices faster, but twist the lower blade to julienne or to french fries and this mandoline will absolutely smoke them. If there’s large quantities of cutting to be done, I’ll use this hands down (but fingers UP! It’s seriously sharp. Missing finger sharp).Clean up may take longer than washing a knife but the stainless steel cleans easily and with the included brush, getting between the lower blades is easy.While this is fun to try “fancy” foods, the food holder spikes do not allow for full cutting of your food. Once you get down to what could be the last slice, the holder slips off the food and won’t cut it. The tolerances are just too tight. I dislike wasting food. I won’t even suggest how I work around it, because it’s dangerous and stupid. Just know there will be some waste unless you get a knife out to not have any waste.After 3 years this is still better than razor sharp on the original blades and going strong. I’ve had zero problems with its functionality.I’d like to add 2 things:1) Be careful how you store and pick this up. Even with the blade guard on the flat blade, the wavy blade is still exposed underneath and out of sight. Grabbing it from the business end could lead to injury. I cut myself not once, but twice immediately after the first cut reaching inside the drawer to get it out. Why? Because the initial cut was so sharp, the pain didn’t register until I had already used the other hand (thinking the first was a pinch and a fluke) to try to grab it again. Always store this where the handle is what you reach for.2) The description says it will cut waffle fries. No and sort of. If you imagine the perfect waffle fry or search for images, this will not do that. If it can, I have yet to figure out how. What I get is a very thin version of a waffle fry so technically it’s possible. The key is pressure. After the first cut, you turn the food 180 degrees and press SLIGHTLY to achieve the waffle holes you’re looking for. It took practice. If you just want waffles without the holes it’s easily done at any thickness. But is that really a waffle fry? The depth of the “crinkle cut” blade just isn’t deep enough to make them efficiently.Variation: Color: Black/Gray

5.0 out of 5 stars Bought it for the dehydrator, now it's out 2-3 times a week Bought this back in November to prep fruit for my dehydrator, and it’s the reason the dehydrator finally gets used right. The whole point of dehydrating is even thickness. If one banana slice is paper thin and the next is a quarter inch, they don’t finish at the same time and you get some leathery, some still tacky. I’d been doing it with a chef’s knife and a hand peeler before, never consistent. This fixed it the first night.It’s been about six months now, two or three times a week, so this isn’t a honeymoon review. Mostly bananas, potatoes, apples, the stuff I started with. The stainless steel feels heavier and more solid than I expected at this price. The legs fold out and it actually stays put on the counter instead of skating around like I worried it would. Blade’s sharp right out of the box. Sharp enough that I respect it.It comes with cut-resistant gloves and a blade guard, and you should use them, I’m not being dramatic. A mandoline will take a fingertip before you register what happened. That’s the one real warning I’d give: not something to hand a kid, and I keep mine stored up high. Cleanup’s easy, a rinse and a quick scrub.What surprised me is how much I reach for it beyond the dehydrating now. Thin potato for gratin, cucumber for salads, onion when I don’t feel like crying through dinner prep. It quietly became the tool I grab first.If you already own a good knife and you’re hesitating, I was that person. The difference is consistency and speed, not whether the job gets done. For me it earned its spot. Five stars.Variation: Color: Black/Silver

3.0 out of 5 stars NOT A WAFFLE FRY It’s good and sharp but DOES NOT Make ACTUAL waffle cut fries like the pictures show, the waffle blade just isn’t big enough, you wind up with ridges or waves.Variation: Color: Black/Gray

5.0 out of 5 stars Gamechanger in the kitchen! OMG, this device is a kitchen game changer!I’ve always had good experiences with the Gramercy brand. Their quality is excellent, and it’s German made from durable, high-quality metal.I’ve owned it for about two weeks now and have used it on apples, carrots, potatoes, ham, and a whole host of other fruits and vegetables. It has performed exceptionally well every single time.It arrived very well packaged and even included a pair of protective gloves—a nice touch! It has a removable blade protector, the blades are easy to change, and the cutting thickness is simple to adjust.Of course, it slices beautifully, (duh!) but it also juliennes, which is perfect for recipes that call for matchstick vegetables or fruits, especially Asian dishes. I recently used it to slice ham for canapés, and it produced perfectly thin, even slices.One feature I especially appreciate is the large food holder that covers the mandolin from side to side, so there’s no exposed blade while you’re slicing. It has retractable spikes that securely grip the food, which is a huge help since I have psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and my grip isn’t what it used to be.Both sides of the mandolin have slightly raised safety edges to help prevent your hand from slipping toward the blade. (Ouch!)The adjustment knob for selecting the cutting style and thickness is easy to read and use. When you’re finished, it folds flat for compact storage, and cleanup is a literal breeze. You can either hand wash (this protects the sharpness of the blades) or drop it in your dishwasher.This has truly been a game changer for me on two levels: It has cut my kitchen prep time down to just minutes., and it allows me to prep without asking family member for help. If you’re on the fence, I’d definitely recommend giving Gramercy a try. They make high-quality, European-made products that are built to last.Variation: Color: White/Silver