School me on meat slicers please.....

inkjunkie · Dec 26, 2014

I know this is sort of a loaded request but I need some help please. have decided that a slicer is just one of those "necessary" tools...

Friend recently bought a used Chefmate from a local restaurant supplier. Think it was a 12" blade unit. Was a touch under $800. While it seems like a bit overkill for home use I really have to doubt that it is.

It is just the 2 of us. I have some wrist/hand troubles so using knives is probably not going to happen. We are planning on using it for pretty much what ever we can....slicing bacon, cheese, roasts etc.

So how big of a blade is really necessary? How about power? Guessing that there is belt and gear drive units available? One better than the other? One brand better, as a general rule, than another? Come on folks....help a brother out..

retfr8flyr · Dec 26, 2014

What is you budget? I just went through the same decision making process, about getting a slicer. I started looking at what was out there, for how much I was willing to spend. I wanted to keep the cost under $400 but would go higher if I had to. I looked at all the smaller ones available and they looked like toys, instead of something I would want to use. I decided a 10" blade model was the best compromise in size for me, I didn't think I would need the bigger 12" models. If you are wanting to do bacon, without cutting the slabs down, then the 12" blade models would be the smallest you would want, due to the length of the slide.

I tried to find a used Hobart, or something similar, in anything 10 Inches or over, for almost 6 months and nothing every came up anywhere near me on CL. I finally decided to get one of the Chinese Hobart copy's on ebay because they are so cheap. I won one of the auctions and I just received my 10" blade model. With everything going on with the holidays, I haven't had time to play with it yet but I was impressed with the quality of the product out of the box and it runs smooth and quiet. Time will tell if it holds up but for what I payed for it, way under $300, I figured I couldn't go wrong.

I don't know if this info will help you any, just thought I would tell you how I came to my decision. I think you will find the larger, more professional models, are actually a better bang for you buck.

inkjunkie · Dec 26, 2014

Had a feeling it would come down to "budget". Got a name of the one you got so I can do some reading????

retfr8flyr · Dec 26, 2014

There are several company's making them but the one I liked the best was the MTN model. Like I said I got the 10" but they make a 12" in the exact same version. If you search for commercial grade meat slicers on ebay, it will bring up dozens of them.

inkjunkie · Dec 28, 2014

Just got a Chefmate GC12 on EFlea....$549 shipped...

$_57.JPG

inkjunkie
Dec 28, 2014

Went to look at on on C/L yesterday. Was in Wenatchee. 166 miles one way. Called him, said it was from a friends butcher shop a bit south of Nashville. Claimed it worked perfect. Get there, box was mangled. Looked like it was poorly packed by the shipper (no packing material). FedEX did a number on the box. Sharpener was in the bottom of box....what was left of it. Must have been in a dozen pieces. Had a feeling seller was going to deal with me on it....until I powered it up and the blade did not move. Motor sounded like it was on it's last leg as well. Over 6 hours of driving, half of it in the dark with snow falling on and off....thru dear country....for nothing,...

retfr8flyr · Dec 28, 2014

That's the same crap I kept running into with CL. That's why I decided to just get a knockoff from flebay.

inkjunkie · Dec 28, 2014

retfr8flyr said:
That's the same crap I kept running into with CL. That's why I decided to just get a knockoff from flebay.

Never had any luck with C/L. Wife found a cherry antique sewing machine with a cabinet. Was in AZ, my buddy went and grabbed it for us. The woman was getting ready to have an estate sale, he did some bartering/swindling/trading with her and got some much wanted stuff for his house. Now I just need to be up to the 1300 mile drive...

docktoo · Jan 6, 2015

There's just me and the wife, don't slice too often, so I got a deal off EvilBay on a Edgecraft 610. I bought a new blade on Amazon because I didn't want to find out how dull the original was. I got the non serrated one as it is supposed to be able to slice thinner. For our purposes, it does the job. A lot of plastic parts, but they can be easily purchased if something breaks. So far so good though. I didn't expect the quality that you find in the grocery deli.

As far as the blade size, I wish I had a 10" diameter blade with a higher torque motor to enable one to slice bigger pieces. Maybe if this one wears out or dies, I'll shop around. But, as I said, so far so good.

For the little $ I've got in it, it does okay for me. (What can I say, Scottish heritage showing.) I would have otherwise considered the TSM slicers in the bigger blade/higher torque models or another knockoff. Amazon is a good place to search and get feedback.

retfr8flyr · Jan 6, 2015

Thought I would post an update on my knockoff. I have been using it a lot the past few weeks and it has been great. It cuts as thin as you could want, shaved really and it's very quiet in operation. So far I have done ham, beef, turkey and some cheddar cheese. Cleanup is fairly easy, as it comes apart nicely. I wish I could find one of those blade removal tools I have seen, to make it easier to remove the blade, other then that cleanup is easy. So far I am extremely happy with the choice I made, it even came with an extra belt and sharpening stone.

Rafter H BBQ · Jan 6, 2015

I recently picked up a Chefs Choice model 610, works great for what I need so far.... It's not commercial grade by any means but like I say, works great for my needs !

inkjunkie · Jan 6, 2015

Just picked it up from the shipping depot. It is still sitting, on a pallet, in the back of our Explorer. Going to be fun getting it out of there tomorrow....by myself....the wife is going to a quilt shop in Idaho with a few friends...

boykjo · Jan 6, 2015

Congrats on the new addition to the family......Missed this but my recommendation would have been patience... I did a lot of running around like you did with people on CL trying to sell me a piece of junk when they said it was perfect. I would explain how far I was traveling and it didnt matter..... I did cuss one guy out after a 2 hrs drive one way. He was a pawn/ thrift shop worker who lured me there not telling me he was a pawn shop......

Well I finally wound up with this beauty for $450

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/105689/my-new-slicer-updated-pics

inkjunkie · Jan 6, 2015

Problem for me is I am an hour or so from Spokane and we try to only go to town 2x a week. And I am far from patient...

wade · Jan 7, 2015

inkjunkie said:
It is just the 2 of us. I have some wrist/hand troubles so using knives is probably not going to happen. We are planning on using it for pretty much what ever we can....slicing bacon, cheese, roasts etc.

When selecting your slicer be sure to check how easy it is to take apart and clean after you have used it. The blade needs to be easily removable and also safe to remove - most professional grade slicers come with a removal tool so if you are buying one second hand make sure that it is still with the machine. You say that you have wrist troubles so you may want to check out how heavy the parts are and how easy it is to take apart for cleaning before you decide on the model you are going to buy.

Because of the difficulty to completely clean these machines between use, in professional food preparation establishments (in the UK at least) it is not permitted to slice raw meats (like bacon) and ready to eat foods (like cooked ham or cheese) on the same slicer. The smaller domestic slicers designed for home use usually come fully apart and most of the food contact components are designed to fit in a dish washer.

boykjo · Jan 7, 2015

I actually haven't used mine in over a year..... Sits there with a box over the top to keep the dust off.....Used it plenty when I first got it and it works superb but a pain in the rear to clean so I opt to slice by hand as much as possible..... Heavy as hell so it doesn't get moved....

wade · Jan 7, 2015

Here is my beast. It takes 2 people to lift it !! It slices like magic though.

Slicer1.jpg

wade
Jan 7, 2015

inkjunkie · Jan 7, 2015

Wade said:
Here is my beast. It takes 2 people to lift it !! It slices like magic though.

Slicer1.jpg

wade

Jan 7, 2015

Purdy machine. I believe ours is a bit over 80 pounds. Will be getting it out of the Explorer here shortly, should be fun on my own. Thanks for the heads up on the blade removal, I will be doing a first for me....reading the manual prior to use.

inkjunkie · Jan 7, 2015

Just carried it in, looks like the shipping company may have left it in the rain for a short while, nothing a good cleaning won't fix. Nowhere near as heavy as I thought it was going to be.

wade · Jan 7, 2015

It isn't made of that special Chinese stainless steel that dissolves in water is it?

smokesontuesday · Jan 7, 2015

I got a Chef's Choice 609 for Christmas. It's a nice little home slicer and certainly capable of everything short of slicing bacon maybe. I've sliced 30 or 40 pounds of smoked and unsmoked cheese plus about 20 pounds of bologna since I got it. It went through everything like butter and cleanup is easy.

I grew up using the Hobart in Grandpa's butcher shop. I truly wish we hadn't gotten rid of that slicer when we sold everything after he passed. I'd love to have it now that I'm smoking a ton of stuff. Sure would make bacon easier.

School me on meat slicers please.....

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