I know a few folks on here have them . . . any recommendations? It’s time to start thinking about getting one.
Phil was talking about his new one recently. I’m not sure which thread it was in.
Be prepared to throw some cash towards a good one.
Go to a used restaurant supply store and get anything. You want to avoid the ‘prosumer’ models as much as possible, they’re all crap and made of plastic, and for the ones that aren’t, you can pay the same price for a used pro model.
When you go a-shoppin’, bring a slab of bacon (or a piece of cardboard cut to the same size) or whatever is the biggest thing you ever plan on slicing, and make sure you have room to put the whole thing on there and that the meat holder thing can travel the length of the meat, ideally with ~1" on front and back to spare (this is because if it’s overcrowded, it’ll end up ‘sticking’ a bit and you eventually get uneven cuts).
I do not have one, but I once worked in a deli for four years where we had two Hobart slicers. They are sharp as all dickens and be sure to get one which has an integral sharpening device (or it may have been bolt on, the memory fades). I think the ones we had were a few grand each way back in the day. If you get one, also get the cut resistant gloves since you will have to wear them while cleaning or expect to get cut over and over and it is straight line and painful.
If you go the used pro model make sure you can get replacement parts for that model. Some parts are hard to find and cost alot.
All good advice I think, thanks. I’ll have to check out the used pro models with available spare parts.
It ain’t a world beater I suppose, but I bought this one earlier this year:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PRP288/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00
For the 5-6 times I year I need one, this does a reasonable job, and is easy to clean. Yeah, I probably would want something better if I was using it weekly, but this more than suffices, and is much better than the Cuisnart/Waring Pro slicer, or other plastic models.