The real choice is a compact handheld slicer versus an adjustable benchtop mandoline: handhelds are cheap, simple and live in a drawer, while benchtop models add multiple thickness settings, V-blades and julienne. Safety comes first - a mandoline is one of the most common kitchen-injury tools, so a hand guard or cut-resistant glove is essential. These six run from a $23 OXO to a $107 OXO Chef.
Handheld or benchtop? And why safety comes first
Before you compare a single blade, settle two things. The first is the real choice in this category: a compact handheld slicer versus an adjustable benchtop mandoline. A handheld is cheap, simple and lives in a drawer - you hold it over a bowl or board and it gives you a few thickness settings. A benchtop mandoline sits on the counter, adds many more thickness settings, a V-blade and dedicated julienne cutters, and does the precise, high-volume prep. Most home cooks are happiest with a good handheld; people who slice a lot graduate to a benchtop.
The second thing, and the more important one, is safety. A mandoline is one of the most common kitchen-injury tools there is, because the blade is far sharper than it looks and your fingers travel straight towards it on every pass. This is not optional: always use the food holder or hand guard that comes with the slicer, and for the razor-sharp Japanese models a cut-resistant glove is the cheapest insurance you can buy. Every pick below is judged on how well it keeps your fingers away from the blade, not just on how thin it slices.
OXO Good Grips Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer
If you just want to start slicing without spending much, the OXO handheld is the entry point. At 23 dollars it is the cheapest pick here and it comes from a brand most cooks already trust. You get three thickness settings of 1mm, 2.5mm and 4mm, a clear window so you can watch the slices stack up, and the non-slip grip OXO is known for, so it stays put over a bowl or board.
The food holder doubles as a blade cover for the drawer, which is a neat touch on a tool this sharp. With more than 18,500 ratings it has by far the biggest review base of any handheld in this guide. The honest limit is that the blade is fixed and very sharp, so you must use the food holder rather than bare fingers as you reach the end of a vegetable - that is exactly when most mandoline cuts happen.
Joseph Joseph Multi-Grip Mandoline
The Joseph Joseph is the handheld to pick if you care about storage and safety, which on a mandoline you should. It folds flat so it disappears into a drawer, and its standout feature is the multi-grip food holder: a pinch grip for small items, a centre grip for round slices and a flat grip for longer produce, all built to keep your fingers well clear of the blade.
You also get three thickness settings and a non-slip tip and handle for a stable, controlled cut. At around 27 dollars it costs barely more than the budget OXO while adding the smarter grip system, which is why it is our best value pick. The honest trade-off is that the blade is not adjustable for ultra-fine work, so it handles everyday slicing well but will not give you the paper-thin cuts a dedicated benchtop can.
Kyocera Ceramic Adjustable Mandoline Slicer
The Kyocera is the pick if you want a blade you can almost forget about. Its zirconia ceramic blade is made in Japan and holds its edge up to 10 times longer than steel, so it stays slicing-sharp for years rather than dulling within months. Because it is ceramic it will not brown food or leave a metallic taste, which matters for delicate items like apples, fennel and potatoes that discolour quickly.
It is adjustable for thickness, secures over a bowl with corner notches, and crucially ships with a hand guard to keep your fingers safe. The honest caveats are a slightly lower 4.3 rating than the OXO and Joseph Joseph, and that ceramic, while extremely hard, can chip if you drop it or force it against bone or a frozen edge, so it rewards a little care.
Benriner Classic Vegetable Slicer
The Benriner is the Japanese classic that professional kitchens reach for, and it lives up to the billing. Its stainless-steel blades are razor sharp, and it comes with three interchangeable blades for fine, medium and coarse julienne alongside the standard flat slice, so it produces the thin, even cuts you see plated in restaurants. Thickness is adjustable with the screws on either side, and every blade pops out for cleaning and sharpening.
It is the slicer to choose when cut quality matters most. Two honest caveats apply. Stock can be low at times in Australia, so you may need to wait or check back rather than buy on a whim. And because the blades are genuinely dangerous, a cut-resistant glove is strongly recommended here - the simple guard gives you less reassurance than the moulded food holders on the OXO and Joseph Joseph, so do not slice the last of a vegetable bare-handed.
Mueller V-Pro 5-Blade Mandoline Slicer
The Mueller V-Pro is the pick if you want a single tool that does the most jobs. It ships with five interchangeable blades covering straight slices, two julienne widths and crinkle cuts, and a thumb dial sets thickness without juggling separate inserts. The hardened stainless-steel blades sit on a BPA-free body, and a hand guard is included to keep your fingers off the cutting surface.
With more than 22,800 ratings it has the biggest review base of any slicer in this guide, so there is no shortage of buyer feedback behind it. The honest notes are that the listing leans hard on marketing language, the 4.4 rating sits just behind the OXO, Joseph Joseph and Benriner, and with five blades plus a frame to wash it is more to store and clean than a simple drawer handheld.
OXO Good Grips 2.0 Chef Mandoline Slicer
The OXO Chef 2.0 is the full benchtop in this guide and the safest, most versatile slicer here. It offers 17 cutting options across straight, crinkle and julienne cuts, all set on the body rather than by swapping blades, and a sharp Japanese stainless-steel blade keeps every slice clean and even. The reason it leads on safety is the proper food holder, which grips the produce and keeps your fingers off the blade, backed by a soft non-slip handle and a waste holder that catches offcuts as you work.
The honest caveats are real and worth stating plainly. It carries the lowest rating here at 4.2, it is the bulkiest pick to store, and at 107 dollars it is the most expensive in the guide. It earns its place only if you slice often enough to value the food holder and the many precise settings - for occasional use, one of the handhelds above will serve you better for far less.
How to choose between a handheld and a benchtop mandoline
Start with how often, and how precisely, you slice. If you reach for a slicer now and then - cucumber for a salad, potato for a gratin, a quick batch of slaw - a handheld in the 23 to 73 dollar range is the smart buy. It stores in a drawer, washes in seconds and gives you the few thickness settings most cooking needs. Spending 107 dollars on a benchtop you use twice a month is money sitting in a cupboard.
If you slice often or want restaurant-grade precision - paper-thin fennel, fine julienne carrots, perfectly even crinkle-cut chips - a benchtop like the OXO Chef 2.0 or a multi-blade model like the Mueller earns its counter space with more settings and dedicated blades. The benchtop also tends to be the safest, because a full food holder cages your fingers more completely than a small handheld guard. Match the tool to your real prep habits, not the ambitious ones, and you will not overspend.
Using a mandoline safely
Because a mandoline is one of the most common kitchen-injury tools, it is worth spelling out the rules. Always use the food holder or hand guard that comes with the slicer, and never let your bare hand finish a slice - the last centimetre of any vegetable is exactly where fingers meet the blade. For razor-sharp Japanese models like the Benriner, add a cut-resistant glove; they cost only a few dollars and they work. Slice slowly, keep the blade and surface dry so produce does not slip, and store the slicer with its blade covered so you do not catch a finger reaching into the drawer.
One more habit makes a real difference: stop before the food gets too small to hold safely in the guard, and either finish the last piece with a knife or simply eat the offcut. A sharp blade is actually safer than a dull one because it needs less force, so keep ceramic and steel blades in good condition. If you want help keeping kitchen blades keen, our guide to the best knife sharpeners in Australia covers the tools that do it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Handheld or benchtop mandoline - which should I buy?
It depends on how often and how precisely you slice. A handheld slicer is cheap, simple and lives in a drawer, with a few thickness settings that cover most everyday cooking like slaw, salads and gratins - and it is the right buy for most home cooks. A benchtop mandoline sits on the counter, adds many more thickness settings, a V-blade and dedicated julienne cutters, and suits people who slice a lot or want restaurant-grade precision. If you slice now and then, choose a handheld in the 23 to 73 dollar range; if you slice often, step up to a benchtop.
How do I use a mandoline slicer safely?
Safety comes first because a mandoline is one of the most common kitchen-injury tools. Always use the food holder or hand guard that comes with the slicer, and never finish a slice with your bare hand - the last centimetre of any vegetable is where most cuts happen. For razor-sharp Japanese blades, add a cut-resistant glove, which costs only a few dollars. Slice slowly, keep the blade and surface dry so nothing slips, and store the slicer with the blade covered so you do not catch a finger reaching into the drawer.
Are ceramic blades better than steel on a mandoline?
Each has a clear advantage. A ceramic blade like the Kyocera holds its edge up to 10 times longer than steel, will not brown food and leaves no metallic taste, which is great for delicate items like apples and potatoes. Steel blades, like those on the Benriner and Mueller, can be made razor sharp, are easy to resharpen, and shrug off knocks that might chip ceramic. If you want a low-maintenance edge that lasts for years, choose ceramic; if you want maximum sharpness and resilience, choose a good steel blade.
What thickness settings do I actually need?
Most home cooks are well served by three settings, which is what the OXO handheld and Joseph Joseph both offer - a thin setting for crisps and salads, a medium for gratins and stir-fries, and a thicker cut for roasting. If you want finer control or special cuts like julienne and crinkle, a multi-blade model like the Mueller or the benchtop OXO Chef 2.0 with its 17 options gives you far more range. Buy the extra settings only if you will use them; for everyday slicing, three is plenty.
Why is a mandoline so dangerous?
Because the blade is far sharper than it looks and your fingers travel straight towards it on every pass, a mandoline causes a high share of kitchen cuts. The danger peaks at the end of a vegetable, when the piece is small and your hand is close to the blade. That is exactly why every good slicer comes with a food holder or hand guard, and why a cut-resistant glove is worth buying for the sharpest models. Used with the guard and a little care, a mandoline is safe; used bare-handed in a hurry, it is genuinely risky.
Can you slice more than vegetables on a mandoline?
Yes. As well as the obvious cucumber, potato, carrot and onion, a mandoline handles firm fruit like apples and pears, cheese for gratins, and firmer items such as fennel, radish and beetroot. The adjustable and multi-blade models can also produce julienne strips for stir-fries and salads and crinkle cuts for chips. Very soft foods like ripe tomatoes are harder to slice cleanly and need a razor-sharp blade and a gentle hand, so they are the exception rather than the rule.
How do I clean and store a mandoline?
Most mandolines rinse clean under the tap, and many handhelds and blades are dishwasher safe, though hand-washing keeps the edge keener for longer - check the maker's note for your model. Take real care around the blade when cleaning, using the brush or a folded cloth rather than a bare finger. For storage, the handhelds here are the easy ones: the OXO and Joseph Joseph fold flat or cover the blade for the drawer, while the benchtop OXO Chef is bulkier and needs cupboard space. Always store with the blade covered or guarded.
