Bought a cheap mandoline for a catering job and it cost me a finger

I needed to slice a ton of cucumbers for a wedding last month and grabbed a $25 mandoline from a discount store instead of my usual good one. Big mistake. The guard was flimsy and slipped, and I took a chunk out of my index finger. Had to go to urgent care for stitches, which was $150 with my insurance. More importantly, I was out of work for two days and had to pay a cook $300 to cover my shifts. That little gadget ended up costing nearly $500 total. I'm back to using my trusty knife for most things now. Anyone have a mandoline brand they actually trust that won't break the bank?

3 comments

3 Comments

bennett.jana2mo ago

My cheap mandoline took a fingertip too, so now I just use a knife and accept my uneven slices.

tylerj222mo ago

Used to think mandolines were a must for thin slices... until I saw my buddy's bandaged hand after his slipped. Now I look at my own knicks and uneven potato cuts with a weird kind of pride. The knife might be slower, but all my fingers are still here. Your post just sealed it for me, I'm officially done with those blade contraptions for good.

susan_wright342mo ago

Ever try using a cut-proof glove with a cheap mandoline? I had the same thing happen with a flimsy guard, so now I wear one of those mesh gloves on my holding hand. It feels weird at first, but it saved me twice last week when my hand slipped on wet zucchini. The glove got sliced up, not my skin. Still use the guard too, but the glove is my backup plan.