Top Notch Home Slicer
I first ordered ( November 2003) a model 645 Veri-tilt unit but was disapointed because the "travel" on the slicer was not adaquate to slice my much loved prosciutto.The blade was only 7 inches and was serrated. It also lacked a blade cover so I was sure it would "drag" when slicing. (At $20.00 a pound for good prosciutto I didn't even try!)
In December 2003, I bought the The larger model 662 with the 8.6 inch smooth blade was a far better choice! It had a covered blade that only exposes the cutting edge of the blade to the meat surface. This is also a much safer configuration then the "exposed" blades found on the less expensive models.
The unit is solidly built and appears to be of a very high quality. The travel on the slicing cariage is long enough to cut most meats. The "rump" side of the average prosciutto is still a bit larger than the travle distance of the slicer but this is easily overcome by trimming the sides of the meat to slightly narrow it...
Decent, but some flaws
The 662 is a decent unit although I've never owned another electric food slicer to compare it to. Cleaning is definately an issue. But after many uses I've got it down to about 10 - 15 mins. To clean, it requires an Allen wrench (provided) and a Phillips screwdriver. You have to semi-disassemble the unit and I plop it in the sink, hoze down the food particles, spray with disinfectant and let sit, then hoze down again then dry with paper towels. It's a bit heavy and awkward, but again just figure on 10 - 15 mins to clean.
As for use, it cuts remarkably. You can get razor thin slices and will cut an entire ham in minutes. I have an autistic son who won't eat anything but ham sandwiches at school, so I use this about every week. It helps to have other uses because I store it in the garage (no way to store it even on my ample counter space because of the size) and when you figure on set-up and cleaning that's at least 20 minutes. I love beef jerky, so I use this to...
An excellent semi-pro slicer
I purchased this slicer for use in the hospitality rooms of conventions, which entails slicing a few hundred pounds of meat over the course of a couple of days.
The unit performed flawlessly, cutting the final piece of meat just as smoothly as the first. The motor ran cool and quiet, the meat slider was smooth and fluid, and the blade cleanly cut everything from pastrami to provalone.
Cleaning can be an issue as the clearances under the blade are small, but I was able to keep it at the same state that I maintained my professional slicer years ago at a sandwich shop I worked for. I recommend completely dismantling it after heavy use for sanitation and longevity.
Summary: It's not a $1500 slicer, but for $400 it can't be beat. I would say that you could probably even get away with this unit at a small deli with how admirably it performed under the grueling trial I put it through last weekend. It might be a touch overkill for the average home chef...
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