On Oct 3, 9:26*am, "Karen in NC" > wrote:
> "Mark A.Meggs" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> > On Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:29:26 -0700, Blinky the Shark
> > > wrote:
>
> >>Does anyone have a mandolin that they can recommend in the, say, $80US
> >>range? *I'm thinking about giving one as a gift and have never had or used
> >>one, so I could use your experience.
>
> > I believe Cook's Illustrated tested mandolins recently and recommended
> > Oxo.
>
> > - Mark
>
> It's important to note here that OXO makes two kinds of mandolines:
> straight blade and V-blade. *Cook's Illustrated reviewed both (May-June
> 2008, p. 28). *CI gave their highest rating to the V-blade, which earned
> their best 3-star ratings in all four performance categories: *straight,
> julienne, and waffle cuts, and user-friendliness. *The straight blade scored
> only fair (2 stars) in straight cuts, but earned 3 stars in all the other
> categories. *Interestingly, the better-rated v-blade is cheaper (USD$49..95)
> than the straight-blade (USD$69.99).
>
> Check out the OXO straight-blade mandoline on Amazon.com; there are more
> negative reviews than positive ones:http://www.amazon.com/Oxo-Good-Grips...url.com/4mph3z
>
> I've had a Borner V-Slicer since 1988; I bought it after watching an
> infomercial. *It's a real workhorse, actually does *everything* the
> informercial promised, and it's still razor-sharp after 20 years of hard
> use. *As much as I really like OXO products, my Borner's track record would
> steer me toward buying another one.
>
> Karen

Some magazine somewhere ;-) also rated OXO ($60) best. They also
rated it highest for safety features. I threw my pampered chef vario
slicer last year (too much plastic, not sturdy) and I want an OXO for
my birthday,
Lynn in Fargo