OSTBA Meat Slicer Electric Deli Food Slicer with Child Lock Protection, Removable 7.5’’ Stainless Steel Blade and Food Carriage, Adjustable Thickness Food Slicer Machine for Meat, Cheese, Bread(150W)

I HAVE HAD THIS SLICER FOR 4.5 YEARS NOW AND IT WORKS PERFECTLY, same as the day it arrived.So why are there so many negative reviews? Because the people who purchased them don't know how to use or maintain the machine, but they are absolutely convinced that they do. It's called the Dunning-Kruger effect.Let me address some of the misguided fragments of reviews for you.1. "Blade is definitely not stainless steel"Yes, it is, and you'd know that if you knew anything about stainless steel alloys, of which there are dozens for various applications.The stainless steel used for the blade in this slicer is a high-carbon stainless steel, meaning it has a higher Carbon-to-Chromium ratio. This is necessary to more easily be put a sharp edge on the blade.High-Chromium stainless steel -- what those who don't understand the subject think of as the only kind of "stainless steel" -- is difficult to sharpen well, and so such alloys are used in other applications, such as firearms and devices that are exposed to (mostly) fresh water.So yes, the blade most definitely IS stainless steel.2. Poor slicingPoor slicing comes from not know HOW to properly slice meats, cheeses, bread, etc, on a home slicing machine like this.You cannot operate a $100 home-use slicer the same as you would that $14,000 slicer (NOT an exaggeration!) at your local deli.If you push hard on the carriage (the thing that carries the meat or bread back and forth across the blade) in any direction it will bind because it is a solid plastic sleeve bearing riding on a chrome-plated tube.The heavy-duty replacement bearings in a deli-use slicer's carriage cost more than 4 of these slicers combined, and they rarely need replacing. Manage your expectations to properly fit the context of this product.Wipe off the carriage tube HARD using a clean, dry cloth, until it is slick just from its own surface finish.Never put ANY lubricant on either the tube or the carriage bearings because many lubricants can and do "eat" various plastics over time, or they cause the plasticizers to outgas, making the plastic left behind eventually crumble.Use the carriage tray pusher to LIGHTLY press the substance to be sliced against the back plate as you SLOWLY move the carriage across the blade. If your slice cross section is somewhat triangular rather than evenly flat, then you are pressing too hard against the back plate.3. "The meat tray (Where the meat sits on [sic]) CANT [sic] be removed!"Seriously? You don't see the spring-loaded latch on the right side of the carriage tube? Push it outward, lift the carriage tube, and slide off the carriage tray (that's what it's called). You're welcome.4. Dull blade does not slice well.Now THERE'S a statement of Einsteinian proportions! You actually saw that the blade was dull, but you went ahead and tried to slice soft materials with it anyway?Folks, maybe MY expectations of the Human Race are too high, but I just do NOT see how someone would not sharpen a less-than-sharp blade before using it to thinly slice soft materials, yet still expect a quality work product. What am I missing here?5. It won't turn onYou may have seen the video of the man trying to get his brand-new slicer to turn on to no avail.Perhaps this is another Darwin Award moment, but did he check that specific socket on the power strip using a Live Wire tester to see that it was, in fact, functioning properly? Nope.Did you see him even so much as try a different socket on the power strip? Nope.Did you see him eliminate as many variables as possible by plugging the slicer directly into a wall socket -- after testing the socket for having a Live Wire? Nope.Did he use a Live Wire tester to check the slicer's power cord to see if there was actually electricity flowing to the appliance, because that would be a simple fix of replacing the plug at the end of the power cord? Nope.I fear that, as a Human Race, we are dumbing down to an almost primordial level. Thank technology. But I digress...6. "Very slow cutting speed"Yep, Sparky, it IS a very slow cutting speed! That is the optimum speed for the blade to rotate for optimum slicing results -- IF you are slicing correctly.7. "It was overheating after just ten slices"Of course it was, Wally! That's what happens when you push hard to mimic what you see them do in the deli with their $14,000 Hobart slicer.Same as trying to make a Toyota Corolla race like an F1 race car. The Corolla is a fine automobile and will last a good, long time -- IF you don't keep it floored during the entire 24 Hours of Le Mans.Folks, this is getting long so I'll leave you with a portion of a one-star review that sums up where the TRUE FAULT LIES:"While this slicer does slice meats, cheeses, vegetables, and breads it doesn't do it great. You have to push very slow if you don't want it skipping over whatever you're cutting. And if you put too much pressure on the machine not only will it open the blade further (just a little bit) but it will also cause it to slide along your counter. I had to have someone hold it in place. The blades are very easy to change and it is extremely easy to clean. So while it does what it claims, it doesn't do it good [sic!]."And there you have it: a user who doesn't know a THING about running one of these machines, doing EVERY POSSIBLE THING WRONG, and then blaming it on the machine.BOTTOM LINEThis slicer is a perfectly wonderful piece of equipment that my family has used for four and a half years now without issue, and it works EXACTLY the same as it did the day it arrived.If this slicer ever wears out and I cannot repair it, I will GLADLY buy another one from Ostba.Thanks, Ostba, for making an easy-to-use and affordable slicer for the home.Five Stars, well earned.EDIT: I just now sliced a corned beef brisket that I cooked yesterday and then wrapped and refrigerated overnight. This is on my 4.5 year old Ostba slicer, which worked perfectly yet again. See the photo.

I previously had food slicer that the adjustment would widen as I fed product through it. It happened from the very 1st time I used it. So I had to hold the adjustment knob with one hand while I fed with the other. Also, as the product neared the final couple of slices, it would nosedive under the blade and not fully cut through and I'd have finish using a knife.I bought this ostba slicer and it's like being in heaven when I use it. I'd recommend this product to anyone thinking about buying a food slicer.

The only reason I'm giving this four stars (and not fewer) is because this machine is so inexpensive. If money were no object, I would recommend against buying this machine for the simple reason that it is nearly impossible to clean. The other reviewers who say it is easy to clean must not actually be cleaning it. For starters, when you remove the blade, you will find that it is assembled to its plastic hub using self-tapping sheet metal screws that are threaded directly into plastic barrels, meaning that you will get very few disassembly/reassembly cycles of those screws before the plastic wears out. Without removing those screws and dismantling the hub, however, it is not possible to thoroughly wash the blade because the back side of the hub, where it engages with the axle, is slathered in silicone grease that must remain in place and not be washed off. That means the only practically repeatable method of cleaning the blade is to wipe it, not wash it. So that's strike number one. Then you have the numerous tight crevices around the blade platform and the main deck of the machine that really can't be cleaned at all. If you ever happen to get meat juice into any of those cracks, you're screwed. That's strike number two. The sliding food platform fully detaches from the machine, so it can be thoroughly washed separately, but both the fixed backing plate that the food slides against and the axle shroud (the bump on the rear of the machine that your food slices slide over) are permanently affixed, so your only option for cleaning them is to wipe them down with a disinfectant and hope for the best. That's strike number three. Beyond that, the aforementioned sliding food platform is assembled from several pieces of plastic that don't make for a watertight fit, so if you submerge it or even merely hold it under running water, its internal voids will fill up with water, and then there is no orientation in which you can hold it where all of that water will drain out through any of the cracks between the plastic parts, so that's going to get gross inside over time. All around, it's clear that little thought was given to how this machine could practically be kept clean.Aside from the cleanliness issues, I have concerns about the durability of this machine. The gears are made of plastic and have fine teeth. I do not know how the motor is connected to the axle, whether by gear train, chain, or belt, but judging by the gears that are visible, my guess would be that they went with the cheapest possible solution. Other reviewers have noted that the blade does not turn very quickly, and yes, that is true — this is not a piece of commercial-grade equipment (which costs a hundred times as much, not even exaggerating) — but the speed is fast enough for slicing up food for one person or a small family. Obviously this machine is not meant for commercial use. That said, when I first started up the machine, I noticed the running speed of the motor was wavering erratically even with no load placed on the blade. It seems to have smoothed out over time, so my guess is some more of that silicone grease was gobbed unevenly inside the gear train and had to distribute itself more evenly as the machine ran. Still, it's a little concerning to hear a brand new machine failing to maintain a consistent running speed even under no load, and it really makes me wonder about the build quality.One important safety point that I feel I should point out to others is that the blades come from the factory covered in an industrial lubricant and impregnated by an extremely fine metal dust, presumably from the cutting and sharpening process in their manufacturing. I disassembled the blade from its hub (by removing those questionable screws from the plastic) and washed the blade thoroughly in hot, soapy water, but after reassembling it and mounting it to the machine, I held a paper towel against it while the machine spun it, and still the paper towel turned gray from the microscopic metal dust coming off of the blade. So, I would recommend performing this process and repeating it until you aren't getting any more metal dust off the blade, or else that metal will be going into your food, and who knows how pure the metallurgy of these blades is? I doubt you would really want to be ingesting micro-fine stainless steel dust anyway, even if it were of the highest grade — which this almost certainly isn't.I do have a couple of nice things to say about this machine. The main deck, the food backing plate, and the axle shroud are all made of thick, enameled metal that really seems like it will hold up to repeated use. The weight of the unit is pretty substantial for its size, and the rubber suction-cup feet do a great job of holding the machine firmly in place on my quartz countertop. (Releasing the suction cups is a bit of a challenge if you want to avoid brute-forcing them, as they have no pull tabs for breaking their seal.) The electrical cord is long enough that it will probably reach the nearest outlet on most kitchen countertops but not so long that it gets in the way too often. The inclusion of two blades (one serrated, one smooth) is nice, although with no provided means of sharpening them and no obvious avenue for replacing them, I have to wonder how long they will remain usably sharp.Overall, I would not really recommend this machine except if you can temper your expectations and realize that it's actually a pretty good value for the price, although you will spend as much time cleaning it as you do using it. It's very good as a means of dipping your toe in the water, so to speak, to see if you really want to commit to using a food slicer. If you do, then you'll probably want to graduate to a different unit of better design and quality.

The 200W Electric Deli Meat Slicer is an excellent addition to any kitchen, offering great performance for slicing meats, cheeses, and more. Its 7.5" removable stainless steel blade ensures durability and sharpness, providing consistent, precise cuts every time. The adjustable thickness feature is a standout, allowing you to slice items from paper-thin to thick cuts depending on your preference. With a child lock for added safety, this slicer is designed to be user-friendly while minimizing the risk of accidents. It works efficiently, making slicing quick and easy, and its compact size makes it perfect for home use. Cleanup is simple, thanks to the removable blade, and the slicer is easy to store when not in use. Overall, it's a high-quality, versatile tool that saves time and effort in the kitchen.

This was great! Easy to use and clean. Just right for our occasional use. Suction cups very strong and held up nicely. Motor was smooth and sidm't bog down. Very happy.

My husband is in his glory! He has sopressata shipped down from Arthur Ave in NY and now he can slice it paper thin. He wishes I bought it years ago. Great value, blade is nice and sharp, we couldn’t be happier.