I inherited one a number of years ago but to be honest never used it. Whatever model you get, check out the safety features - seems to me there's a lot of risk using one. You might check out a restaurant supply store and get a professional model.

I have a Pro V Mandoline, and I have often used it to slice raw meat for cheesesteaks. I'm not sure how it would work for softer cooked lunchmeats, though. In any case, you could probably buy an electric meat slicer for less $$ than a new ProV Mandoline! Mine was a Craigslist find. I am thinking an electric slicer would work better for both cheese and meats, if his goal is sandwich fixin's. And a butcher's "cut glove" wouldn't be a bad accessory, either.
Congratulations on his graduation!

Good luck with finding the right slicer.
Cj

I must have too many kitchen tools, because I have one. Well, at least it is because I won it when I was working at a gourmet kitchen store. Mine is by Edgecraft, the maker of the excellent (I might add) Chefs Choice knives.

I love getting it out and slicing roast beef, ham, or turkey breasts. Then you start to get carried away...I wonder if I could slice french bread to make thin slices..yep. How about tomatoes?...yep.

They have several different ones. I think mine is #610.

Did you ever see the Seinfeld episode when Kramer buys a commercial one? Very funny.

Thanks everyone! I definitely want safe...But he's used to sharp and powerful tools, so is a pretty cautious guy. Sounds like something like your Edgecraft, Beekeeperswife, is something from which he could get a lot of use.

when i was home from school (a number of years ago!) i worked at a deli. i sliced stuff all day and well into the evening. never had an accident as i was absolutely certain i wanted to keep all my fingers in tact. that said, the pro models are as safe as they come (for something meant to slice through a 20 lb slab o' beef like a sheet of paper) so they are HEAVY. they don't move around at all or jiggle. they're not really meant to be moved around a lot so i'm not so sure you'll be able to find a true professional slicer that will be convenient for home use. i wish i could give you more specific info on models, but i never really considered bringing one home with me! will you let us know what you come up with?? good luck!

The last time I looked at a pro model, it was $900+, so we won't be doing that...But it was only one, so I don't know that they're all that pricey? The $99 for the Edgecraft isn't cheap, but looks good compared to $900. :-) Plus, this is his AA graduation and he'd be taking this to a college apartment, so ability to move it around may be a factor. Haven't totally decided we're doing this right now...May actually wait til his 'real' college graduation when he's heading off more on his own.

We got a Costco slicer ... it's doing a good job on bread, meats (rare beef) and veggies.

The fold-up ones tend to break.

Lazygardens, Do you mean you were able to find a good one at Costco, or is that the brand? --Not sure I've ever seen a fold-up type.

Just to let you know, mine isn't a fold up one. It is a heavy piece of equipment. Certainly not a professional one, but it is really nice, you can do paper thin meat, veggies on it. I think the website says it is 10 lbs, not sure if mine is 10 lbs or not, but it doesn't move around on the counter at all. I have had it for about 13 or 14 years.

Check out all the ones they sell. It is an excellent company. Local to me. By far better knives than the German leading brands.

Beekeeperswife, yours has excellent reviews on Amazon, also. I have sent the link to DH at work for him to have a look. After reading the reviews I'm almost convinced I need one for us, too! ;-)

RHome, did you ever end up buying a meat slicer? When I was growing up, my parents had one that got constant use (Italians love their sliced meats!), and my sister inherited theirs. Having just come back from Italy, where meat slicers are as common as a blender, I'm newly intrigued and looking into getting one.

Eliz

Didn't get one yet, Eliz, but do plan to get him the Edgecraft 610 that Beekeeperswife recommended.

I think thatÂs the one I have. I donÂt use it very often. I have found that it is useless on Tri-Tip hot out of the oven. We sold 150 Tri-Tip sandwiches for a band fundraiser and ended up using an electric knife. The electric knife is GREAT for many things BTW if you are looking for a useful gadget.

Back to the slicer  it worked Great on the tri-tip if it was chilled first. I was able to get much thinner slices than with the electric knife. But it is a pain to clean and I would not use it unless I had *lots* of cold meat to slice.

Give a thought to the electric knife thoughÂ

I have the Cuisinart CEK-40 pictured below.

Thanks for the input. Although not Cuisinart, we have had an electric knife before and did find it useful for cutting hot (or cold) roast beef. It's not the kind of thing my son wants, though, and he is after the ultra thin slices. Amazon reviews specifically mention that the Edgecraft 610 cleans up easily, so I hope they're right!