My $90 mandoline sliced my thumb open, check your guard

Bought a cheap stainless mandoline off Amazon last month to speed up prep for a catering gig. First day using it, the guard slipped off a half onion and the blade went straight into my thumb. Cost me $90 for the tool plus a visit to urgent care, and I lost 3 hours of prep time bleeding into a paper towel. Now I only use the handheld box grater style or a knife, and I'm telling everyone to test the guard lock before ever pushing produce through. Anyone else had a near miss with these things or found a brand that actually stays put?

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oscarthompson14d ago

My buddy had almost the same thing happen, but his was a $30 one from a discount store. He was slicing potatoes for a family dinner and the grip on the handle just gave out completely. Ended up with a pretty deep cut on his palm, not the thumb, and his wife had to drive him to the ER while his kids watched the potatoes turn brown. He told me the plastic piece that holds the blade had a crack from the start, he just didn't notice it until it was too late. Now he keeps a pair of cut-resistant gloves in the kitchen drawer right next to the mandoline, uses them every single time. It's a pain to wash them after, but he says it beats another trip to urgent care.