Ok, this fry and veggie cutter is the beast. I've put russet potatoes through it, carrots, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, celery, and a host of other fruits and veggies. I love the 1/4 inch ratcheting feature of this product because you destroy your food trying to push it through the blades all at one time. AND it has a blade guide to cut the food as it comes out of the blades!!! Now for some tips.... I've seen this item has gotten a few bad reviews, but only from the people not happy with how hard it is to put a sweet potato through it. Seriously, sweet potatoes are a chore to cut even with the best of knives, so I don't know if these people have a clue? Just put sweet potatoes in the microwave for 1 to 1.5 minutes and then run it through this cutter. Works perfectly with very little effort. There are some cons.... You can't put a large potato in it whole. You have to cut a large potato in half and maybe in half again if it's a really big potato. However, that doesn't matter to me as I like 4 to 5 inch long fries. Also, tying to cut tomatoes or dice them is hit and miss. If you have a hard tomato, it works like a charm for salsa and the like. But if you have a soft tomato, it will mush, leak, and turn your ripe tomato into salsa on the spot, hahahaha...Don't get me wrong, the blades are very SHARP, but soft tomatoes will never go through it like you might like. And here is why I give it 5 stars... 1) The ratchet motion is invaluable from the stand point that it gives you 1/2 inch increments which you can dice your veggies in precise increments. 2) The blades on both 3/8 and 1/2 inch cutting surface are LETHAL. They will rip through your skin like soft butter. 3) The plastic is very heavy / durable to handle the toughest of veggies, sweet potatoes need a quick nuke, but nothing else needs prep. 4) Did I mention the ratchet action? lol... Hey, lets face it, with other types of veggie cutters you just apply as much pressure as needed to cut the food. So what does this mean? It means you apply too much pressure and bend or crack or break your cutting blades. Since this unit only allows a 1/4 inch at a time to come through, you can tell when a veggie just isn't going to go through, and you can take steps to soften the veggie, or cut it smaller to fit though the cutter. Seriously, just forget about all the cutters out there, this one is the REAL DEAL. You will never break or bend a blade on this unit, well, unless you're just stupid. Most normal people will find this product perfectly flawless. I mean seriously, who tries to get their whole weight of a 100 pounds or more to PROVE they cannot put a dry hard sweet potato through it? Use your brain and nuke the sweet potato first, eh? I'm sure anyone who has a bad review for this product is because they are not using their heads. I highly recommend this item, and it is priced at a nice point. Not expensive, and it's not cheap. The plastic will never break if you're a normal person, and the blades will last a life time IF YOU'RE A NORMAL PERSON with normal needs, hahahahahaha.... Just don't be an idiot trying to stand on the thing if your veggies aren't going through as easily as you think they should. Use common sense and adjust how you want to put your food through it. I just love this thing, and you will too.
