Customer Reviews

Chef's Choice 667 International Professional Electric Food Slicer with 10-Inch Diameter Blade

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Chef's Choice 667 slicer performs as advertised with its sturdy construction, powerful motor, large 10" belt-driven blade, and smooth quiet operation. This slicer does indeed produce deli-thin slices!

Out of the Box

The Chef's Choice 667 slicer comes out of the box with a 10" stainless-steel blade, blade sharpener, owner's manual, Allen wrench, small plastic serving tray, and temporary blade guard used for handling the sharp blade.

The plastic blade guard easily screws onto the blade using two large plastic knobs. This temporary guard covers the razor sharp edge of the blade and makes it easy to handle when it's removed from the slicer or during cleaning.

The plastic food tray is used to catch the food as it's being sliced, but it's too small and does not fit squarely under the blade.

The Allen wrench is used for removing the main blade guard during cleaning.

The blade sharpener is attached to the top of the unit and is held in place by a thumb screw. Simply loosen the screw, lift, and pivot the sharpener into place. A rear-mounted grinding wheel sharpens the blade while a front spring-loaded push-in grinding wheel removes any burrs.

The included non-serrated blade is excellent for slicing meats, vegetables, cheeses, etc., but is not well suited for breads. To slice bread you'll want to buy the optional serrated blade (~$90).

First Impressions

Operating the slicer is straightforward. Plug in the unit, load the carriage with the food to be sliced, flip the on/off switch to "on", and finally press the safety interlock switch. The interlock switch prevents the unit from starting up should the on/off switch be left on while plugging it in, a nice safety feature!

Once powered on, you must exert some pressure on the food pusher and slide the carriage forward and back while setting the thickness knob to your desired setting.

The slicer itself is very sturdy and appears to be well made. The main body is made of die-cast metal and the blade stainless steel. The carriage is smooth and rides on a single ball bearing. The motor/blade is powerful and is belt driven.

Some parts of the slicer utilize plastic screws, namely the friction adjustments for the sliding carriage and the thickness dial. There is also a small plastic piece which keeps the food pusher from scraping the carriage. This plastic piece fell out of its hole while I was operating the unit. I used SuperGlue to reattach.

The carriage is secured to the sliding arm with two bolts and small thumb nuts. These small nuts are awkward to remove and/or tighten and require the use of pliers. The bolt holes are slightly oversized and require lock washers, which I do not like. I would have preferred larger nuts (or knobs) and properly sized bolt holes to facilitate easy removal and reinstallation of the carriage tray.

The travel on the food pusher is somewhat limited and you may have to cut large roasts in half so they'll fit in the carriage. The bushings on the food pusher arm rod are made of plastic, I would have preferred brass or some other material.

Slice thickness is controlled by a large knob calibrated in millimeters. Maximum thickness is 0.6 inches. Once set, I didn't have to make any further adjustments. Friction is set by a plastic screw inside the base of the unit.

The bottom of the slicer is covered with a black plastic cover which seems a little flimsy for a "commercial quality" slicer. Four screws and four rubber feet secure the bottom cover to the unit.

The unit is moderately heavy, roughly 30 pounds, and it stays put on the counter.

First Experience

My first experience with this slicer was making thin sliced (almost shaved) roast beef sandwiches. I slow roasted a 10 pound Sirloin tip roast until it was rare and juicy. The slicer effortlessly sliced the meat to perfection. The motor showed no signs of stress and the carriage moved smoothly and easily.

This is my second food slicer. My first was an inexpensive Rival slicer which could not handle roast beef. It was noisy, flimsy, and downright dangerous to use. The cuts were uneven, thicker at the top and thinner at the bottom. I was worried that getting paper thin slices from a consumer-grade slicer was not possible. The 667 proved me wrong. It surpassed all of my expectations and performed similarly to the big Hobarts that I've used in the past.

Caveats

I do have some major complaints about this otherwise excellent slicer.

There are several joints in the housing of this slicer which allow meat juices drip inside the body of the unit. One such joint is located right where the motor housing attaches to the main base. This joint is located right where the sliced food falls as it's being cut, a very poor design. There is another joint where the blade thickness arm protrudes through the base. Juices from my roast beef dripped into the base of the slicer through these joints and started dripping out near one of the rubber feet on the opposite end of the unit. Yuk! The only way to clean up this mess was to remove the screws, rubber feet, and plastic cover from the bottom of the slicer. One shouldn't have to disassemble an appliance to properly clean it!

Also, to remove and clean the blade, you must use the Allen wrench to remove a single screw in the center of the front blade guard (poor design). Next you attach the plastic blade guard. Finally, using a screwdriver, you must remove three Phillips-head screws which secure the blade to the spindle. Not only is this inconvenient, but the screw heads will eventually wear and/or strip after repeated cleanings. Note: The blade should be removed to thoroughly clean the slicer since it's difficult to clean behind the blade. Another poor design.

In Summary

Overall, I am very happy with the performance of this slicer. It's sturdy, powerful, quiet, and slices exceptionally well. However, clean-up is another story.

This slicer is definitely "consumer grade" (not "commercial grade" as advertised) and will make a fine addition to any gourmet kitchen. When slicing juicy foods, I'd recommend using lots of paper towels placed strategically to catch the liquids before they can get inside the unit.

This is the second food slicer I've owned in my life. The first was a Waring food slicer I picked up at Lowes for about a hundred bucks. I returned it the next day. So I came to Amazon.com and decided to buy this model. While it is an invested in money and kitchen space, I'm very happy with it. It slices through meat, cheese, and veges like they were nothing. Plenty of hand guards and saftey features to keep you from slicing your fingers off too. The blade is extremely sharp though and should be handled with extreme care. Just remember, don't put your fingers near the blade while it's spinning for any reason. It does come with a plastic carry case which screws on to the blade so it can be removed for cleaning. I wouldn't recommend handling the blade with out it as the blade is razor sharp and rather heavy. The machine is easy to clean and the blade can be removed and replaced in a few minutes. It's simple, it's easy, and it's slices great. I bought some roast beef, ham, and turkey at Sam's club and this machine will slice the meat very very thin which is the way I like it!. Now, I know you're looking at the price and thinking, that's a lot of money. All I can say is don't waste your money on some cheap brand, spend a little more and get a quality piece of kitchen equipment that will do the job and do it right. The only draw back I can see is the size, which for me isn't a problem, but if you're looking for something small, this isn't it. It's not as big as the slicers you see at the deli, but it's close. I'd also recommend a food vacuum machine so you can vacuum seal the unused meat for later to keep it fresh or even so you can freeze a portion of it for later. Also, don't slice it until you are ready to eat it. I know once you get this baby home, you'll want to slice that whole 6lb roast beef, just slice what you're going to use and refrigerate or freeze the rest for later. One more thing, always turn the thickness knob to zero when you're not cutting food, just a safety measure. All I can say is if you're in the market for a good slicer, don't look and further, I think everybody would be happy with this model!!

The performance of Chef's Choice 667 food slicer is excellent.
It had been on my wish list for years but I wanted a real good one with a large blade to do the job right: one that would cut the prosciutto paper-thin. THIS IS IT!

It slices prosciutto, bresaola, beef carpaccio, ahi (Tuna) carpaccio thin thin thin like it is suppose to be without difficulty.
I am thrilled with it!
Finally we can have prosciutto, carpaccio at home...sliced right, like they would in Italy.....oh what a treat!
I have used this slicer to cut vitello tonnato too.

It is a great pleasure to prepare appetizers for ourself or when entertaining friends with no effort whatsoever!!!

It is easy to clean but the trick is to cut the meat frozen.....!!!!!

Yes it is true that this thing really does slice as a $400 slicer should. That is a given and the reviews here show people agree it does the job.

But two things to consider:

1) $460 -IS- a lot of money. But you make the decision that you are willing to pay that for your own professional slicer.

2) The BIGGER thing to consider is ARE YOU PREPARED TO CLEAN THIS MACHINE EVERY TIME YOU USE IT???

Remember, at the delicatessen or market, the Jr. butcher has the task of cleaning it every night.

This thing requires that you take apart the feed tray, blade cover, blade etc., to gain access to the bits of food lodged within. It -IS- well designed and easy to dis-assemble and re-assemble, but it does TAKE TIME.

And if you leave it for a day or two, you will have a very hard task to scrape out the hardened food bits.

I love it. I'm glad I bought it. I enjoy being able to shave ham and turkey tissue thin for my sandwiches instead of constantly telling the dude at the delicatessen "Thinner ! - Thinner!!".

You should understand that you pay Amazon for this when you buy it, and you pay again to clean it after every use.

It is worth it to me. Is it to you?

My original review is down below. I'm updating this review after 6 months of ownership. The basic problem with this slicer is that the cutting blade is too small in diameter. If you're slicing anything that would require a slicer, like a roast, or a turkey breast, the food ends up hitting the frame behind the blade. This causes the food to be sucked between the rear of the blade and the frame. The blade loses its sharpness very quickly, so instead of slicing my turkey breast it shredded it. I end up having to slice very slowly, so I can grab the food before it gets caught between the rear of the blade and the frame. Its actually a pain to clean. So basically I've used it 4 times in 6 months. I usually stand there and stare at it for a few minutes debating in my head whether I want to haul that beast out, and then having to clean it afterwards. I usually end up using a carving knife.




I originally bought the Waring Pro FS150 at Best Buy, and as usual, I read the reviews AFTER I purchased the item. Well all I did was open the box, and immediately realized this wasn't going to do. So I just went to Amazon and started reading the reviews and decided to by the Chefs Choice 667. It was over $300 more but then again, I hate paying for crap. Well I've never worked in a deli, or ever even operated one of these contraptions, but I was extremely surprised. Its hefty for its size, built of quality material, (aluminum, not stainless however) with a strong solid base. The Waring on the other hand felt like a childs toy. The slider, which is the one component other than the blade that comes into contact with food, comes off with 2 knurled knobs, for easy cleaning. It comes with a nice blade holder so you can remove the blade for cleaning. My first pass with it was a piece of roast beef that I cooked up 2 days ago and came straight out of the fridge. I was expecting the blade to slow down and for me to have to push slowly through. It cut through that thing as fast as as any deli slicer I've ever seen in any deli. And I was able to cut slices thin enough to see though. I haven't tried it with anything else yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Its a little big, but no where near as big as a deli slicer, its light enough to carry across the kitchen, and I can store it in a large under cabinet area I have. I'd personally keep it on the counter but the wife won't have any of that.

Bought this to cut my own shabu meat!
originally bought the 610 model.. which was crap!
I need something sharp and strong enough to cut frozen meat.
This slicer is it! cuts fozen ribeye effortlessly!

I was a little concerned at first about cleaning.. but its not hard to clean at all.. yes! it takes a few minutes.. but not more than any other slicer!

Overall.. you get what u pay for!

I've worked in the restaurant~catering business for 15 years & always wanted a food slicer of my own for home. I looked over all the models on Amazon & the Manufacturer's own website and believed this to be a good buy. Alas after using it I found 3 big defects in the design.
(1) The most problematic design in this slicer is the food grip handle; they've placed the handle grip to hold the food at the farthest end toward the user, instead of the center. While this may make it easier for short people to grab it while extending out their arm when slicing it also puts the angle of force at the back of the food thus causing it to constantly slip out of the holder. To keep the meat in place you have to use to much effort & pressure making the slicer a chore to use.
(2) Cleaning: You have to use tools to disassemble the unit for cleaning. Most professional slicers have a center rod that feeds thru the center of the blade to a hand tighten nut that holds the blade cover plate on. For this slicer you have to remove an alan nut on the front to get the plate off. Also the food feeder plate does not come fully off, making it harder to clean as well. On the underside of the blade is what I guess is a kind of plastic blade guard (never seen one before) that you really don't need & just absorbs food scraps & is very difficult to clean.
(3) Blade Safety: All slicers when the cut depth is set to ZERO should completely hide the blade. You should be able to slide your hand across the entire length of the slice with no possibility of getting cut. This is not the case, with the slicer I received anyway, part of the blade is still exposed. They did supply a blade safety cover, but to put it on you must first remove the blade cover plate (which again requires a alan wrench to take off & on).

In summary this slicer is awkward to use, even more so to clean. I'll have to donate to Good Will for a tax write-off to get some of my money back. If you really want a quality slicer I recommend going to an actual restaurant supply store, which is what I'll be doing. I LOVE AMAZON; but some things just caught be bought without being able to put your hands on it before you buy it.

A good slicer that does the job and easily cuts through the meat to the thickness desired and selected. Some minor problems come with this slicer though. With the small area behind the blade, it is awkward grabbing the meat as it comes out after having been sliced. The small tray slides and meat falling down easily pushes it to the side, and in one case, even pushed it off the slicer entirely. Not hard to clean up, comes apart easily. When I was cleaning the slicer, 2 pieces slipped out when I tipped the slicer to reach underneath to the base. These pieces were a shaped rod and a spring. I am having trouble finding out where they go as they are not mentioned in the manual at all, and now the slicer won't even power up. Trying to get through to the company for help. Overall, a very good slicer that does what is advertised and I would recommend it as long as others were aware of the problems.

Been researching a meat slicer for 6 months. Trying to decide if I really needed one. I bake all my bread and grind my own wheat. I have a Magic Aire Dehydrator for jerky. I prefer to slice a whole CostCo ham for sandwiches rather than buy processed, maybe meat glued, deli ham. I have been getting by just fine for 73 years but have not produced what I call perfect slices for any of the above projects. I did settle on Chef's Choice for a cheap in home slicer. Did not really want to go professional primarily because of the weight. I had a tough time deciding which Chef's Choice model to buy because their internet site of model comparisons doesn't show many differences between the $100 and $480 versions. In fact the #610 $100 model appears to have better specs than the more expensive models. There just had to be some differences for the dollar spread. I searched the net for user comments and didn't put much faith in all that bla-bla-bla. I did call Chef's Choice customer service with questions and they said any of the models would do what I wanted. "As you go up the model scale you get less plastic and more motor for more money". I did ask about the serrated blade vs the non-serrated one. "A serrated blade allows you to cut with less motor wattage". "Also for shaved deli slicing you need a non-serrated blade.". A non-serrated blade for the #640 cost $45. The blade sharpener add-on is $35. I was ready to push the button on Model #640 but with my needed adders the OTD cost would be $400. Back to 'square 1'. I figured a non-serrated blade model with enough Wattage to power it was for me. Only 2 models to chose from: #662 and #667. So I researched these two. WOW - were there some squawks! "It's too hard to clean. Takes 20 minutes to clean. It's too heavy. I'm a certified Nurse and you cannot get the meat out without a complete disassemble. Can't put any of the parts in a dishwasher. Need special tools to disassemble".
Yesterday the day before Thanksgiving, I picked up Model #667 from Best Buy in store and paid $362 OTD. On the way home I bought a CostCo non-sliced smoked ham for $2.75/# and a whole Eye of Round for $2.65/#. I ripped/cut the ham apart to get rid of the bone. Set the control to VERY THIN slices and cut away. Perfect shaved Deli-Ham!!!@ $3.00/# vs Sarah Lee shaved @ $7.50/# The slices did hang up on a plastic piece after being cut. Carol was happy to pull the ham off the tray as I sliced so that problem went away. So it's a 2 people operation if U want to cut quickly. Otherwise U can cut a few slices and pull them off the plastic retainer tray. In my opinion the tray should have been sculpted to go around the back post but I'll just let the sliced drop down without any tray. You have to wipe the slicer in back anyway. Next was to slice a whole Eye of the Round for Jerky. I wanted to slice with the grain and the Eye was 18" long. The slicer can easily cut 7" so I had to cut the Eye into 3 pieces. Wouldn't slice the Eye just out of the refrigerator. Couldn't pull the sliding tray back and have the meat follow. Put the meat in the freezer 3 hours and WALLA she cut 5mm slices to perfection.
Now for the clean-up. Yep! there was meat on every surface so to get a sanitary clean some dis-assembly is required. You need an Allen wrench (included) and a good quality - non buggered Phillips screw driver (user furnished). You do have to have some mechanical ability, be able to follow instructions and think about what you're doing. You have to remove the blade. The 15-20 minutes quoted by most of the reviews is about right. At my age I got 15 minutes to spare.
Conclusion: I'm glad I stepped up to the plate and bought the most expensive, biggest and heaviest model that Chef's Choice offers to the home consumer. This is a Man's Slicer made for Men. Not some wimp, pink Ladies model.
This is my second ever Review to write. The other was for the KitchenAid KPCG100 Burr Coffee Mill 5 years ago. I just had to give my opinion of what I consider a very fine product with a few anomalies.

I've searched the whole internet for under-$500 Quality meat slicer and ended up getting this one.
Reasons I chose this one over the other $100/ $299/ and 400$ similar slicers.

I chose Chef's Choice Brand for broad availability in replacements.

I've tried a $100ish slicer and i just can't withstand the motor noise, plus the blade will just slow down if you cut sticky stuff or frozen meat.
I've also tried the medium level chef's choice 642, while noise-wise is very acceptable in kitchen enviroment, the blade has no cover, so if you cut delicate stuff, it will just mess it up because of the friction against the rotating blade, even worst when you push all the way down and your cheese will"spin" if not hold tight.

So this one covers it all, Plus a more powerful 1/4 HP motor, and a much larger blade at 9.8 inches.

It is very sturdy, close to 30 pounds (but very easy to move around, not that heavy as you think) ruber height adjustable feets stay in place even for the toughest meat slice.
It has a double safe switch feature, On-off switch and a Start switch next to it, This prevents accidental start (prevents you from being sliced!!!) should the user left the power switch ON and plugged in the power cord. so you have to press one time the start button to get the blade spinning.

I've tried a variety of stuff through it. Nothing could stop that powerful blade. The thickness is easy adjustable with the round dial and IT Stays in place, very accurate.

This one is a keeper and will last for long.

REMEMBER ONE THING. CLEAN IT AFTER USE. Yeah... You have to.