I had an old, and I mean old, Rival slicer that I just couldn't keep running anymore, the mechanical pieces were just worn out, and I couldn't get parts anymore, and I couldn't repair the parts it had. I read the reviews on this slicer and decided to go with it. Well, I could not be happier! Works better than the old Rival, (a knife worked better than the old Rival), and it's very smooth to operate and easy to clean up. Just don't force it, let the blade do the work. It's not a multi-thousand dollar deli slicer, and it never will be. But I can't complain about anything about this slicer, very happy with the purchase!