Swissmar Borner PowerLine Wave Waffle Cutter

I am a gadget person. Over the past 40 years, I have owned many kitchen mandolins. This is without doubt the best.As a total gadget freak, on Prime Day I went hunting to see if there might be something better. The simple answer is "no," there is not. While looking I also noticed that my current Swissmar, purchased on May 30, 2013, had just passed its 10th birthday. It seemed a good time to write a review of a product that has stood the test of time.During the past 10 years, I have used it on average about once a day. It has, without a doubt, been the kitchen tool that has been the single most used, best-value kitchen tool I have. (And I pretty much have them all.)For most of the past 10 years, it has been sitting on my kitchen counter where it has been exposed to sunlight. I also wash it in the dishwasher sometimes. As a result, the top and the standard blade I use 90% of the time have yellowed somewhat. Besides that, it is little changed from when I received it 10 years ago. The two blades I use less frequently are still quite pristine looking because they are stored in the mandolin container box out of the sun. (They have both had several hundred uses.)After 10 years of daily use, it seems absurd to claim the blades are just as sharp today as when I received the mandolin. However, whatever dulling has occurred, it is too little to notice. After 10 years of daily use, there is no issue whatsoever with the blades being dull. They *seem* just as sharp as the day I received it.Safety: I am a klutz. I am absent-minded and easily distracted. Yet, after literally several thousand uses I have yet to cut myself while either using or washing it. (I can not say that about my kitchen knives.) Yes, like any sharp kitchen tool, it should be kept away from young kids and it should be used with suitable care. Personally, I worry far more about cutting myself with my knives than with this mandolin.Cleaning: I have purchased some fancier mandolins with adjustable blades and/or safety shoots. They are fun for a bit and if doing a fair amount of cutting they can be a bit faster on the cutting end. But "oh my God," the cleanup on all those adjustable parts takes longer than cutting veggies up the old-fashioned way by hand with a knife. I use my fancier, "safer," adjustable mandolin only every few months because getting into all the nooks and crannies is too time-consuming.Cleanup on the Swissmar is really quite easy. Use any kitchen brush, soap, scrub back and forth parallel with the blades, rinse and you are done. There are no nooks and crannies for yuk to hide in.The pictures up-loaded are of my 10-year-old Swissmar mandolin which goes in the dishwasher, is stored on the counter where it is exposed to sunlight, and is used on a daily basis. You will see that the mounted blade is a bit yellowed, but that the others are not. If this concerns you, then store your unit out of the sunlight.5 or 7 pieces?: I would never consider not getting the 7-piece version. All the cuttings go in this holder, none on the floor. It saves a mess every use. I have no doubt that it has paid for itself several times in rolls of paper towels not used for cleanup. And also again in bits of food that did not escape to the floor. (Sorry doggies!)Also - this is my first review. Quality reviews short of 6 months seem silly to me.

Waffle Fries are the Cadillac of French Fries - because of the increased surface area exposed to oil, the fries come out with a crispness that no other cut can match. Take cottage fries for example - they can be quite good right out of the fryer, but let them sit in a bowl for a few minutes and they start to turn into a soggy, oily clump. Waffle Fries have no such issue - if cooked correctly, they will remain crispy for over an hour before starting to turn soggy.However. cutting Potato Waffles is no easy task. After observing a cheapie cutter at the Wisconsin State Fair this Summer, I decided to take the plunge and purchase this cutter. I had struck out last year with a Cuisinart V-blade mandoline ($80) that was supposed to do Waffle Fries but it never worked for me - the cuts kept letting stuck in a seam on the mandoline, and the holder just stunk - it kept slipping.I know you're supposed to order the food holder separately for this cutter, but I already had a plastic "Cowboy Hat" holder from a State Fair V-blade mandoline from several years back - and it works perfectly. When cutting Waffle Fries, you're supposed to rotate the potato 90 degrees each time, but you don't need to rotate it 360 degrees 90 degrees at a time, just back and forth so the crinkle ridges are going perpendicular to the blade's ridges - this is much easier - back and forth, back and forth - easy strokes gets you perfect waffles every time - however keep in mind that the thicker cuts can be pretty tricky - you have to find the correct speed and that takes a little practice.If you don't have the plastic "Cowboy Hat" food holder you could easily make due with a couple of corn on the cob holders stuck into the potato, but do be careful, it's easy to cut a finger or knuckle on the blade. I've noticed, however, that very hard sweet potatoes or Yucca might require more force than this cutter can stand - so I'd stick to regular potatoes with this one.Pros:• Very sharp, easy cuts• Nicely made, solid construction• Two thicknesses - for chips and hearty waffles• Platform locks into safety position when not using the cutter• Is not expensiveCons:• Is not expensive - not for commercial use - likely won't last with everyday use and blade is not replaceable and can't be sharpened• Can be tricky to get the waffle cuts right - needs some practice• Platform is fairly narrow, making larger waffles impossible to cut• Requires safety holder, no safety available while cutting

I bought this exact mandolin to make the @thefoodbabe Chick-fil-a copy cat waffle fries. The Mandolin works well and gets the job done. I wish I could given it 5 stars. The Borne brand products are typically sturdy and well made. This mandolin is flimsy and thin. I also wish it had a thicker blade cut for a thicker fry style. It’s a bit pricey for the design and construction. It also unfortunately does not come with a hand guard. Overall a good product that could use some improvement.