Progressive Mandoline PL8: Do Chefs really use it?
I bought this PL8 Professional Cubing Mandoline by Progressive Mandoline, because it was selling at less than half the original price. If you can see it, the original tag was AUD 215, while the sale price was a cool $99.95. First of all, this is the first time that I have a mandoline that comes with a manual. The main reason of the purchase? I would like to speed up my prepping prosses. 
If you want to know more, Progressive Mandoline sells it on Amazon (affiliated). The mandoline comes with a safety hand guard, which looks like the mandoline is wearing a top hat in my picture. The non- skid rubber legs are cool as it is usually a problem with my cheap one, which I use regularly.
The problem with my cheap old mandoline is that it does not do cubing. Plus the little plates fall out mid- use, which is quite annoying. But it has been a kitchen staple for years, and when I saw the price of the PL8, I thought, why not? But for AUD 15, I can’t actually expect it to last forever. I still have it, because it makes really cute match stick cuts.
My Problem with it
The biggest issue I have with the Progressive Mandoline, is the wastage. Although it takes a while for me to get used to using it, I am not a fan of wasting food. The food guard is the main culprit, either that or the blades are not sharp enough. When I use more force to push the carrot through the slicer, the poor carrot just disintegrates after a while. The left is the julienne, while the bottom right is the poor disfigured carrot that I have to cut manually.
Not to mention the wastage on the top! Little bits of carrot are not something I expect from an expensive mandoline. So I really wonder if this is something professionals use in their kitchen? What is the point of calling it professional when the results look hardly so. I still use the carrots, but now I am regretting this “bargain”. The cheap one does a better job at a fraction of the cost, and I don’t have to waste that much storage space for it too!
Verdict
The Progressive Mandoline’s PL8 does not do what the video advertisements say it will do, nor it is a “professional” cubing mandoline. I can confidently say that I cube faster and this thing. The washing part is okay, you can open the safety guard below for a good rinse wit a brush. I am glad that I did not pay full price for it, but AUD $100 is still a lot of money to spend on something that does not work well.
Hence, just get the cheap one. At least you know that when it goes, you can replace it with a new one without thinking about it twice.
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