Chef's Choice International Professional Food Slicer

Truly a Professional Food Slicer
If you've ever owned or tried a "home" food slicer, you know they don't really work that well. This one does.

When I first got it, I tried slicing several items -- Pepperoni, bulk cheese (Cojack) and two different kinds of bread --regular "store" bread and a artisan loaf. The pepperoni came out in perfect, exactly the same thickness slices. The thickness knob did not slip, and the blade cut cleanly. My Cojack was perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches, and I got three even slices out of one slice of regular bread without tearing the bread! (That was a test to see what I could get away with). The artisan bread sliced perfectly for crostini. I sliced potatoes for potato chips, and they were all the same thickness,(actually, "thinness") and perfect for frying.

This aluminum and stainless steel German slicer is worth every penny you pay for it. The thickness adjustment knob stays where it's set, and the settings are repeatable, there's room under...
excellent slicer!
If you want to spend this much money for a slicer, go ahead and buy this machine! I use it for almost two years now.
It's not so hard to clean as described by a previous reviewer.I simply sponge each side of the blade with a bleach/water solution after each use and i had the blade removed only a couple of times.
If you go out to eat you have a much better chance to catch foodpoisoning. Certainly not from this machine!
So what's a little bacteria?
We were as disappointed on receiving this slicer as we were excited anticipating it. We've talked for years of getting a slicer. The other review (aluminum, stainless steel, easy to clean) convinced us this was the model for us of the many available at amazon(.com). Clearly, we have a different opinion on quality and what the price of this item should bring with it.

The prime reason we returned this slicer after inspecting it is that it is unreasonably difficult to clean and sanitize. The plastic trolley and plastic pusher come off and can be hand washed in mild soapy water (no dishwasher)...after which the trolley rail needs to be re-oiled using a brush to reach the proper surfaces.

BUT, the slicing guide (against which you push the food while slicing) is permanently attached to the unit. Cleaning this surface is not even discussed in the manual. How do you spell bacteria and food poisoning? Meat fats will not come off without soap/detergent - a simple wipe is not enough...
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Chef's Choice 609 Premium Electric Food Slicer

Nerd's eye view
Construction:

In a word - excellent. The thickness adjustment plate is made of aluminum and the guide rods appear to be stainless steel. The shell that holds the drive train is also cast aluminum. The food carriage is ABS plastic with a stainless steel top. The glide rails are made of a low friction plastic. The blade is stainless steel and very sharp. Operation is smooth and the fit and finish leave nothing to be desired.

I included some pictures of the drive train up top under customer images. The motor is a husky high RPM DC type with a metal worm gear that drives a plastic copolymer spur gear that finally drives a large ring gear attached to the blade. Lubrication on the worm gear in my unit was a bit light so I applied some old teletype grease I've been using for years - and years - and more years. The back plate is an aluminum casting that holds all the parts securely. Wire routing is superb. The drive train cover holds a cowl that fits over the...
UNBELIEVABLE!
I wanted a slicer for the house and was skeptical... I've seen lots of junk over the years. 40 yrs commercial foodservice and Navy Mess Specialist provided me w/ plenty of scars from Globes and Berkels I still wear today.
Although major components are metal, there was enough plastic to disapoint upon initial inspection. I was wrong. The slicer is easy to clean, safe to operate and wonderfully efficient WITH the serrated blade it comes with.
The 1st use was for rendering a great corn beef and cabbage meal into reubens a couple days later. Today, it paid for itself. I cured and smoked 2 pork bellies into 20+ lbs of bacon. They're vac sealed and in the freezer... PERFECTLY sliced. I would not use for any commercial application, but for the house, it's the best $79 I have ever spent.
The difference between good and bad slicers are measured in the waste/scrap and basic inefficiency of the machine with regard to sharpness and tolerance of components. Again, I say,...
Would have had 4 stars before it quit
I really enjoyed having this appliance around and it saved me a bunch of money and very convenient and workable for the tasks I had to accomplish. It was a bit slow going, but it's not a commercial model, so that wasn't a big thing. Up till a few months ago, I would have given this thing 4 stars and strongly recommended buying it to anyone that asked.

Then during one short use, it got very warm quickly and started screeching like an alley cat. Thinking something got lodged, I took it apart and examined and cleaned it thoroughly. Upon putting it back together, the motor simply started humming, and it simply quit. The motor had simply fried.

I've known one other person who had the same issue and I've seen it here as well. Admittedly, this was not an expensive appliance, but neither is it used even weekly. To only last 18 months is a bit of a short life in my opinion, and reflective of a less than stellar parts list.
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Chef's Choice 630 International Gourmet Electric Food Slicer

Perfect Slicer for Home Use - 5 Star Potential
I used to work in a deli and have used my fair share of commercial slicers. When I decided to buy one for home use, I knew that I didn't want one of the large, cumbersome slicers that I had used in the past, and that this would mean some tradeoffs in terms of power and quality. After taking a long look around, I finally decided on the CC-630, and I'm glad I did. I believe this unit offers an excellent compromise between commercial power and everyday practicality.

Please don't misunderstand... you don't want this slicer if you're looking to open a deli or restaurant. You can feel the slicer slow down as it cuts through denser foods (like meat and cheese) that the commercial slicers would just pass right through.

This little unit is best suited to the home user who wants to be able to cut enough cold cuts for a day's use - say packing lunches for the family. It's also great for slicing up roasts, BONELESS turkey/chicken, cheeses, and vegetables. Whatever you...
Will not last long when slicing anything other than soft bread.
I owned this slicer for two years, and used it maybe twenty times at most--mainly for slicing ham. At first it seemed to work fine. Then I noticed it ran a bit slower with each use until it finally quit working entirely. I disassembled the slicer to see if it could be repaired. Inside I found a very small, burned-out electric motor. In my opinion, this motor is much too weak to last very long if used for slicing anything other than soft bread. The motor in my old Kitchen Aid blender is larger (and has lasted for many years under daily use.)

FYI, the EdgeCraft company which manufactures Chef's Choice does not sell replacement motor or gear parts. You must send it to them for repair. However, they don't make repair estimates. You must send the product to them and take your chances. Considering the price of this product, I feel totally ripped off. I will never buy another Chef's Choice product.

I read a review about a different slicer which recommends...
Best Slicer
I can only give this slicer 5 stars, if I had a choice I would give it 10 stars.
I got this as a Christmas gift. My first use was to test it at slicing the dinner turkey leftovers for lunch meat. It worked perfectly.
I have since used it to slice roast beef, sharp cheddar cheese, ham and vegetables.
The meat is cut as thin as you want, I prefer very thin, no problem.
This is a dream machine, it is built to last and easy to clean.
I have tried to find something negitive to say but I really cannot. If you need a slicer Buy it,
No I don;t work for chefchoice. I am really a satisified customer.
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Chef's Choice 645 International Professional Electric Food Slicer VariTilt

Great, well-made product. Love the tilt function.
I bought this slicer after very extensive comparison. I wanted a slicer with a stronger motor, but was undecided if I really needed the tilt feature. This slicer is very well made. It cuts meats very thin. I thought I would need to buy the optional blade for thin cuts, but the blade it comes with has worked perfectly for me. I have cut up ham and meat roasts. The taste is wonderful, not to mention the cost savings. I also have cut thick steaks (the ones at Costco) thinner to make steak sandwiches. The tilt feature is advertised to gravity feed vegetables. I use if for meat as well because the food falls away from the blade. It is much safer and I can cut a large amout before I need to remove the accumulating pile of cut food. I highly recommend this product. I was also very concerned that cleaning could be so time-consuming that it might cause me to not use the product as often. This is not the case, clean-up is a breeze and can be completed in less than 10 minutes.
Just want I wanted, and expected
Like the other reviewer, I'm very happy with this product. Seems well made... heavy enough to stay put... cleans reasonably easily, slices beautifully, including a block of cheese and warm pastrami nice and thin. Nice and small also, and I wanted a strong product but in a smaller footprint than professional models. I love the tilt, usually use it in tilt mode. By the way, the blade turns much more slowly than I anticipated... but it slices just beautifully. Result is that it's not as frightening as I thought it would be. Like the safety features for shut off as well.
great slicer!
After reading lots of reviews, I chose this slicer because there were no bad reviews about it although there were only two positive ones all together. It also looked like better quality than other gourmet models. I freeze uncooked meat overnight and slice it. I use it to slice meat paper thin for Japanese dishes such as SHABUSHABU and SUKIYAKI. I use it for Korean BBQ grill, too with slightly bigger thickness. The blade is so sharp that I won't need to buy a sharper one that can be purchased separately. I like the big round knob to adjust thickness. It's easy to see and turn. I like the on/off switch that is the plate you put your thumb on. I like the safety device, too. It's easy to clean, although no parts are dishwasher safe. I was thrilled when I saw Alton Brown using it on his GOOD EATS show. It must be good if he is using it!
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