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View Full Version : Concerned about keeping your fingertips attached in the shop? You aren't alone...



John Sanford
01-05-2016, 6:24 PM
First, the good news. This is not a post about how I lopped off a fingertip or some such unpleasantness. Rather, it's about our shared risks...

http://www.thekitchn.com/a-brief-guide-to-the-scariest-but-most-amazing-tool-in-your-kitchen-226962?

Read the comments, it's striking how many injuries are reported....

Mike Henderson
01-05-2016, 6:54 PM
Looks like a product opportunity - the SawStop mandoline! :)

Mike

Jim Becker
01-05-2016, 9:10 PM
Yea, the "track record" of the mandolin is the only reason I don't have one in my kitchen at present, but I often wish I did for certain kinds of work. I'm not sure I'd want to electrify it, however.... ;)

Dave Zellers
01-05-2016, 11:08 PM
As soon as a congressman's wife takes off her finger tip, it will join lawn darts in the museum of things responsible people can't have.

Patrick McCarthy
01-05-2016, 11:38 PM
And timely; my 34 yr old daughter ended up in the Emergency Dept at the hospital last evening, missing the tip of her thumb . . . . . Which ended up with the cucumber slices

Cary Falk
01-06-2016, 4:51 AM
I just had a mandoline mishap this last weekend. I have had worse accidents in the kitchen than in the shop. I spend more time in the shop.

roger wiegand
01-06-2016, 4:20 PM
It's a great tool, but don't go near it without the kevlar or stainless steel mesh gloves! Like running your jointer without a guard.

BTW, I think a Cuisinart is essentially a motorized mandoline-- much safer to use!

Chris Padilla
01-06-2016, 5:17 PM
The Benriner brand works great is around $30 and be sure to purchase some 'no-cut/kevlar/steel/etc.' gloves to use with it...as Roger suggested.

glenn bradley
01-06-2016, 5:27 PM
Like other products that we disregard the safety features on . . . the Mandolins I see today all come with a grabber, stabber, holder thingy. Just use it. I know, I know, it cumbersome and unmanly; so is a missing knuckle :D

john snowdon
01-06-2016, 6:55 PM
Okay...We (as in my wife and the mouse in her pocket) just gave our daughter and future daughter-in-law mandolines for Christmas. After reading this post, Amazon will be dropping off armored gloves to both of them on Friday! Only makes sense to me. I guess that's why I have a Sawstop!

Barry McFadden
01-06-2016, 7:03 PM
If you follow the link in the OP's post the cone shaped item in the upper left of the picture is the GUARD....which , when USED to hold the item being sliced puts your hand NO WHERE NEAR the blade... I have had a mandolin that I have used for years and never had a problem because I use the guard ALL THE TIME......

Chris Padilla
01-06-2016, 8:04 PM
The guard doesn't always work very well plus most folks will want to slice up the whole item and not toss the chunk left in the guard (that doesn't always work very well).

What brand/vendor do you have, Barry? Maybe your guard works well. As nice (and relatively cheap) as my Benriner is, the guard is poor. I use a glove.

Barry McFadden
01-06-2016, 8:59 PM
The guard doesn't always work very well plus most folks will want to slice up the whole item and not toss the chunk left in the guard (that doesn't always work very well).

What brand/vendor do you have, Barry? Maybe your guard works well. As nice (and relatively cheap) as my Benriner is, the guard is poor. I use a glove.

Chris....I have one that is called V-Slicer Plus made by Borner in Germany...not really expensive (about $50) if I remember correctly. In the picture in the first post the guard looks solid which is maybe what you mean by wasting food...I have included some pics to show that the top of mine is movable. As you put the food in,the top raises to expose the prongs. As you slice and push down on the top The small platform comes down to end up the same level as the base so you waste maybe a 1/16" of food... hope I explained it well enough..

Showing movable top With top up After slicing even with guard
328798 328799 328800

Actually found the same one here http://www.simplygoodstuff.com/borner_vslicer.html

John Goodin
01-06-2016, 9:46 PM
I have the OXO V blade mandolin and the guard works good enough to prevent me from trying to discard it. That and the sympathetic pain in my fingertips I feel whenever I set it up helps ensure safe operation. On a side note, it is a good idea to zero it out and lock it before putting it in the dishwasher too.

John Holton
01-06-2016, 10:10 PM
I'm a hobbyist woodworker but a prodessional chef and I don't know a single person that hasn't been bit by a mandolin. It is what it is, and just like with power tools, as long as you respect it and keep your mind on task it will slice smoothly, but get in a hurry...whoops...goodbye fingertips.

I also want to totally backup Chris on the Beriner mandolins. I own one, the restaurant has two. They are great, you can replace the blades easily although they hold sharpness for a long time. Love them!

Funny side note, the only kitchen injury to send my to the hospital was caused by a damned salad spinner! Go Figure!

Barry McFadden
01-06-2016, 10:50 PM
Funny side note, the only kitchen injury to send my to the hospital was caused by a damned salad spinner! Go Figure!

We you wearing a loose necktie when you were using it.....lol

John Holton
01-07-2016, 2:31 PM
We you wearing a loose necktie when you were using it.....lol

Lol, that would be a better story. Most of the larger orange salad spinners all have a raised edge on the L-shaped handle to keep the knob from sliding to far down the handle. Ours was old and the knob had long since disappeared but the thin raised washer type area remained on the handle and while using it sliced around my hand like a razor blade right at the joint of my thumb requiring stiches. The Doctor in the E.R. was a good friend, he asked me how I did that to my hand and after hearing the truth suggested that maybe I should come up with a better story such as yours:)