Avantco SL512 12" Manual Gravity Feed Meat Slicer - 5/8 hp

Been using this slicer for about 6 months so far it works great it comes with the sharpener so you can always keep the blade super Sharp. We use it primarily for slicing Pastrami and cheese. This slicer does the cheese better than others I have used I think because the way the blade is shaped the cheese does not stick to it and go flying off of the slicer like some I have used.

Fantastic buy at a price we were very happy with. Service is fantastic. Contact people were helpful and had good attitudes. Shipping was timely and they even helped unpackage our equipment.

Why pay thousands for meat slicers, when you can purchase this Avantco slicer! I have owned very expensive slicers in the past and not a one compare to this one! I highly recommend!

We needed something to slice blocks of cheese for sandwiches. This is very efficient and works perfectly. We also use it to slice tomatoes and onions. Very happy with this and it has not let us down.

Writing to speed up the search comparisons for everyone. The boxes typically ship with some cardboard damage because the package is VERY heavy and it is easy to damage the box in shipping. You will understand when you pick the box up with a friend off your porch. The adjuster to my meat slicing depth operates off a plastic cam wheel under the unit and mine was broken when it arrived. I am betting the mfr. ships these set hard to stop vibration which makes them prone to break during shipping. If yours comes and the depth adjuster seems to not work check the cam. Webstaurant did great, I sent a picture of the broken part and a replacement cam was sent but you must figure out how to replace it. Some quick QA for the low end home/recreational user. Can it slice the dreaded cheeses everyone uses for comparisons and meats and (anything) for hours on end? YES. The blade is massive and heavy, the inertia of the blade alone does a lot of the work, the entire unit is very heavy, my wife could never lift this thing. Picture your local deli, look at the slicer, and then you will understand. You will (not) be moving this item either at all once it is in place. I'm 6'4 and quite strong and this thing stays in one place as its forever home - so please don't accidentally kid yourself that you will be taking it in and out of storage when you need it. Set it in place, cover with a cloth or towel. Forever home and I mean it. Why is it cheaper? It is made with more simplistic construction. Nuts, bolts, belts etc. It all works fabulously together but does best if the operator is fine with adjustments with wrenches to make it "perfect". It absolutely shaves from zero (not slicing anything) to 1/4 inch with infinite adjustment inbetween. The reason it is not more expensive? The unit is (not) designed well for rapid complete disassemby. Those higher end commercial units come apart with only big knobs (no drivers or wrenches needed) for daily disassembly or rapid cleaning between different meats or cheeses. The blade removal on this unit is a little scary. No handle to attach, you grab, lift and carefully wash. So if you are a smaller business, doing limited business or home processing you will be elated and happy. It is impressive and effective for slicing any food. If you are paying employees to stay and clean or must do total cleaning daily and or several times a day then you should bite the bullet and pay double or more to get a rapid teardown, clean, and reassemble unit. I'm a home use guy and this product works far beyond my expectations and I have time to clean slowly and patiently. All the other silly retail store slicers or "add on" slicers to your other kitchen appliances are a joke in comparison. I could probably have gotten by with a lower horsepower unit for my home smoking and cooking - but I felt like splurging on myself and I am not disappointed.

We decided not to open our deli, so we don't use it nearly as much as we intended. However, we do use it periodically to slice turkey and tri-tip for sandwiches and it works great for that. It's a great unit for the price in a light to medium duty applicaiton.

This meat slicer has become a feature of our deli. Once you figure out how, it isn't too hard to clean. Greasing up the sliding part with some nonstick spray is a pro-tip I'd like to share.

I was a little nervous about buying this slicer because i didn't know much about this brand. But I'm glad i took a chance it is very good quality I thought it was going to be light but it has some good weight to it. Ive had it over a year now and still works great. I am definitely a fan of the Avantco slicer.

We purchased this slicer as an upgrade. We use this slicer primarily for slicing smoked beef brisket. We needed a slicer that could handle large amounts of meat. The first time using it was amazing, I sliced fifteen 15 lbs briskets (cold) in a very short time and I was very pleased with the performance. From the moment I unpacked it I knew I had purchased a quality piece of equipment. Ordering & receiving: The slicer arrived by freight truck on a pallet and packaged very well in a wooden box. I received excellent communications from the freight carrier and set up a time to receive. The driver called 15 minutes before delivery and arrived on time. Unpacking & set up: With the use of a hammer crowbar unpacking was quick and simple. We placed the slicer on a sturdy stainless steel table, washed the slicer down & sterilized ready for slicing. Performance: The slicer runs smooth and quiet. I sliced fifteen 15 lbs briskets with no issues at all. My old slicer would overheat after about 5 briskets but the Avantco performed flawlessly, no overheating. I did lube the slide rail about halfway through the slicing session. Likes: I love the power. I like the way meat can be positioned to make nice square slicing. Dislikes: None

After several months of use we like the performance of this slicer for light duty applications. All things considered, cleaning is relatively easy. We would recommend this product.

Solid slicing power even through cheese. Sliced for 2 hours straight with no issues. For a lower to mid price unit this does the job well. If slicing very large cuts like brisket or long cuts like genoa you will have to cut the meat in half. That is to be expected fro a slicer of this size.

This Avantco meat slicer is a good quality slicer and the price is great! The meat slices perfectly and the machine is easy to use.

A nice little slicer. It is a bit lighter duty than I hoped, but still an okay slicer for the price. Not so easy to clean

Slices great and is easy to use. I have not yet been able to figure out how to take the slicer deflector off to properly clean it. The instructions merely say to take it off to clean. They don't say how. I'm sure I"ll figure it out eventually. If the cleaning instructions were more helpful I'd give it 5 stars.

Not only does this slicer look clean and polished in my catering business, it holds up to the hundreds of pounds of meat we slice weekly in the peak season. When we are ready to add on another it will be the Avantco SL512

This is a GREAT !!!! meat slicer. I use it to cut homemade bacon and slice brisket at parties. Very well built. easy to CLEAN. Would recommend the cleaning kit.This is a great buy...HIGHLY recommend

This slicer is great, It not only cuts every type of lunch meat you throw at it, it is also powerful enough to slice most block cheese that is 4x4, or 4x6 square inches or less. I have used this slicer for more than 8 meat loaves thus far and it still is as sharp as when I purchased it new. Have not even had a chance to use the included sharpener.

I got the unit 11 days after I ordered it. It came in a giant cardboard box lined with Styrofoam. The box was pretty torn up and most of the Styrofoam was broken apart and the slicer feet were poking outside the box. I was worried that it may have a bit of damage. Other than a slight dent/bend in the bottom area it appeared ok. I got it on the counter. Mind you, this thing is heavy! 65lbs almost! I cleaned it off and went to plug it in and noticed there was a slight burn on the power cord. I plugged it in and turned it on and all worked well. I wrapped some electrical tape around it just to be safe. I contacted Webstaurantstore and they quickly shipped me out a replacement cord that I am currently waiting to receive. The next day I tried slicing up 15lbs of homemade smoked Buckboard bacon. The unit slices beautifully. I went through the bacon in no time. This unit definitely blows away the cheaper units I have used in the past. It's no Hobart, granted, but it does a great job at 1/3rd of the price. Clean up isn't too bad. I don't like that you have to take the blade out to remove the ring guard. The blade is extremely heavy and extremely sharp. So be super careful when handling and cleaning it. I think it's a bit of a ripoff they don't include the cleaning guide with the slicer itself, instead, it's only available by buying their cleaning kit. Thankfully I've worked in several delis growing up and know my way around a slicer. The only thing preventing me from giving it 5 stars is the horrible manual. The instructions are useless and don't seem to apply to this unit. They give minimal direction on how to use the sharpener but it doesn't make sense. It states to turn the slicer thickness knob to the "z" setting on the dial. There is no "z" setting. So I am not sure how to use their sharpening system. I will have to waste time calling them to figure it out. The unit does ship with an extra replacement belt and sharpening stone but there is not directions on how to replace either. The stone is simple and obvious but the belt replacement should really be detailed. I guess these shortcuts help them keep the price low.

This machine is very useful because it cuts meats at different sizes. It is sturdy and easy to use. It is very good for deli meats and has a variety of sizes one could choose from.

this slicer is a great value for the price. its a great beginner slicer, gets the job done for a fraction of the cost. we love it thanks for the great value.

Great slicer for the price! Came damaged on the bottom, but is expected due to the light/thin material it is made out of. Over all it has sliced through raw, cooked, and frozen meats without effort. Only critique is the guard surrounding the blade makes it difficult to effectively clean without taking the blade off.

I was nervous buying our first slicer but this thing is doing a great job for us. We slice all of our meats and cheese's for our toasted fresh and this thing works great.

We have had this meat slicer for 3 years with no issues. Good product hope I never have to order another one but would needed.

What a big bang for your buck! I’ve been using this in my food truck for almost 3 years to slice my tomatoes, onions and shaves my prime rib and marinated meats perfect. It excels at most tasks but kind of sucks for cheese. It’s not a you get what you paid for, you get way more.

This truly is not for a food service business. This machine has way to many parts to clean, does not open very wide. It is a great machine to use occasionally, price is right. If you are looking to a machine to use on daily basis, invest a little bit more money will be worth it.

Good

For being a low priced meat slicer, we have had no issues with this model. We purchased in in June of last year for our new store when we brought deli meats in. Greatly cut down on our prep time (vs. hand sliced meats) and gave us a new avenue of sales.

wow, this avantco sl512 12' manual gravity feed meat slicer is very good, you can slice a lot of different things on this too, strongly recommend this product.

Fine piece of equipment here, we use it for a bunch of different items, never has failed us. Easy to clean and by far my favorite slicer made! Great buy!

We have owned an Avantco SL713MAN for some time, recently upgrading to an automatic slicer. Note that doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the Avantco. In fact, it's quite the opposite. We moved to an automatic slicer for efficiency, but the Avantco has served us well and will be moving to a lower capacity spot. What I can tell you about the Avantco is that A) it is durable and B) it is a joy to work with. In regard to point A, the Avantco has stood up to commercial abuse for 1000s of hours. It has needed maintenance, but one should expect as much. Blade replacement and machine lubrication are easy to handle yourself (directions clearly walk one through the process). Through the hours of work, the Avantco still looks new and, more importantly, functions as such. As to point B, having a unit function near flawlessly whenever called upon, is enough to make me happy. But in a commercial setting, the most important ability is availability, and the Avantco fits the bill perfectly. If you are looking for a unit that will save you both time and money, the Avantco SL713MAN fits the bill. I highly recommend this unit, and if I didn't require an automatic slicer, no other slicer would be on my radar.

Great general purpose slicer, although we still have problems with the blade catching when trying to cut cheese. If you are cutting cheese go to the higher horsepower.

Recent acquisition for a serious home cook. I cure my own bacon amongst other items and wanted a slicer that would be up to the task. This definitely does that. I cold smoke my bacon, so would recommend chilling the bacon in the freezer for about 30-40 mins pre slicing. It then slices beautifully. I chose this option as I wanted a tray capacity for a reasonably sized rasher.

I was unsure about this brand when I purchased it but Avantco has been very reliable for me so far. I use this machine daily in my bar & grill to slice meat and cheese and it works great. Fairly easy to clean although you do need a screwdriver to take the blade off. Not a big deal though and only takes a few seconds. Overall I am satisfied with the performance and quality!

It’s a good thing it comes with 2 sharpening stones! It took one stone to get [ so called] razor sharp blade sharp enough to cut butter. Other than that it seems to work alright.

Shipping and product are top notch. We currently use everyday to give fresh product to our customers. Very quiet motor to help keep noise down in the kitchen.

The Avantco SL512 Manual Gravity Feed Meat Slicer is also capable of slicing cheese. At this price point it was the only option to both meat & cheese!

For the price, an excellent value. The motor runs strong, cool, and quiet. The blade as it comes is sharp and seems to maintain its edge. It is overall easy to clean. We run cheddar cheese through it for hours at a time and it has no trouble keeping up.

We been using this slicer for about seven months. A bearing went after a couple months in the table that slides back and forth, it still works fine. It just makes alittle noise.

I operate a BBQ restaurant we needed a slicer for Brisket. After searching the local restaurant supply business and needing a good quality product we chose the SL512 12". Price was within our budget and delivery was only 3 days. The package was damaged but slicer was in good shape. After using the slicer to slice 320 lb. of brisket, at one time, which took several hours of use, slicer held up well, 5/8 horsepower motor was sufficient to handle the job. Clean up was easy just requires a few tools, as mentioned in other reviews. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a medium use slicer. CM Smoke Artisan BBQ

I'm having trouble adjusting the cutting edge height for my slicer. The knob goes 0-4, but then feels like it runs into a lock. What am I missing here? Is there a lock on the height control knob? I'm a beginner with a meat slicer and have tried to push, pull, twist on the knob but I'm feeling defeated. Can someone help me out by giving me some pointers, the manual is less than helpful on the matter and I can't find anything online. The videos just tell me how awesome it is, but I have yet to feel that excitement. Help, please. I just want to cut some ham and bacon.

We needed a heavy duty, commercial meat slicer but only for occasional use so we didn't want to spend a lot. For the price, this is exactly what we were hoping for! It does the job perfectly and is easy to clean too just as a commercial one should. The only issue we had was trying to clean around the blade guard. So we decided to take the entire blade off every time we clean it to be sure. Also we had to get a Berkel cover for it that is a little over-sized since I couldn't find one specific to this.

We've put over 1000lbs of bacon through this since we got it - overall we're quite pleased. Minor quibbles - we had to start chilling the bacon below fridge temps to get it to slice cleanly. When you draw the carriage back, the fat would smear on the blade, and on the next slice, it transfers to the meat, leaving a perfectly tasty but frankly gross looking fat buildup on the slice.

Poorly constructed. Just a little over a year and it's falling apart already. Knob which holds the carriage slips and is double threaded, which makes it twist off (leaving only the screw in place) but doesn't allow the carriage to come off. Ridiculously hard to clean this thing because of its design. Despite the claims, it will stop when slicing a block of Swiss cheese. Would not recommend or buy again. But that seems to be the norm for Advantco products overall.

I was so impressed with this meat slicer! It operates so smoothly and the way it comes apart to clean it makes cleaning so easy and fast. I would definitely recommend the slicer.

Having only used Hobart and Globe slicers during my 40 year culinary career, I was a bit hesitant to purchase something different for my new business. My experience is in large hotel and country club Garde Mangers. But given the size of my semi-retirement business and the potential use, I decided to take a shot on this lesser expensive Avantco 12" slicer. It's been two months and I do not regret the purchase at all. This slicer has been excellent. It slices meats and cheeses like a champ. The only time the blade slows down is when I try to force thick Chef Salad sized Swiss Cheese slices through. So, I take my time with that and it works as effectively as the Hobarts and Globes of the world. Cleaning any slicer is always a pain. This slicer takes a bit of time to clean but once I came up with a system, it hasn't been a problem. The quality, price and performance are spot on. I have never reviewed any other product, but I felt this slicer would definitely be an asset to any small food business owner. I would recommend this slicer to you and would purchase another without a second thought if I needed a second slicer.

Awesome slicer! We've had it for a month and it is so easy to use. We tuck a piece of wax paper underneath to catch the meat an fit works like a charm. Great buy!

First of all, Web restaurant store shipped my slicer very quickly. Since I reside in the next county from their location, my slicer was delivered the next day after ordering. It arrived, in good order, in a large box with a thick styrofoam liner, in which the slicer was safely nestled. I unpacked the slicer and managed to pick it up (it weighs about 65-70 lbs) and placed on it's permanent location. I immediately noted that it appeared to be very well made, and, obviously, a professional grade slicer. Fit and finish is very good. The Avantco SL512 slicer is a great value for the money and functions professionally. My first test was to slice chipped beef. It did a fantastic job. My second test was slicing various deli meats. It sliced them perfectly. I have no complaints with the function of the machine, it works exactly the way it should. Now, having stated all of that, the reason I only gave it a four-star rating is for the following reasons. The manual is not clear on several points, apparently, written by someone who's first language is not English. Some instructions make no sense, especially the sharpening section. Some reviews have mentioned that it's hard to clean. I don't find that to be the case. Actually, it's very easy to clean, but there is one task that could be easier, which is removing the blade. The 12" blade is easily removed by taking out four screws, however, it's a bit clumsy to handle because of it's weight and size. I used two very powerful magnets, with handles on them, to pull the blade off of the slicer with one hand, while grabbing it with my well protected other hand. Once the blade is off the slicer, it's very easy to clean and disinfect. Other than that, the slicer comes apart very easily and is very easy to clean, even if you have never used a slicer before. There are only three knobs to undo for disassembly. It's fairly obvious and very simple to take apart. If one studies the machine, one doesn't really need instructions. However, a novice may find it intimidating. I have been using slicers since I was about 10 years old in my parents hotel, so it was easy for me. The sharpening is very obvious also. There are other design improvements that could be made to this slicer, however, this would increase the cost of the machine. If one wants the ultimate in innovative design and function, then the Hobart or Berkel are available for two to three times the price. Again, this machine is an excellent value for the money when compared to the higher end machines, and functions just as well.

I am very pleased with this Avantco manual meat slicer. I was going to get a slicer that was twice the price but saw this and figured I would give it a try I am very pleased with this I slice my own filling me from fresh beef I park freeze it and this goes through it no problem.. I'm glad I got it for half the price of the other slicer that I was looking at and I'm almost tempted to get another one for just a back up

we LOVE this slicer! We use it literally everyday and have been for several years. Its accurate and heavy duty and just as good any any of the brand name ones we have used.

This is by far the best slicer I have ever used. It effortlessly slices through meat, on the thinnest setting it does not shred the meat or cheese. My customers are extremely happy now that we have actual slices instead of pieced together product.

This slicer was a replacement for a couple of really old Hobart machines that got too expensive to keep repairing. The Avantco arrived with some freight damage, but the folks at Webstaurantstore replaced the parts that were damaged. The slicer works great. It does take some getting used too as far as cleaning, but once you get used to removing the blade it's not too bad at all. A great value considering a Hobart is more than triple the price.

I found this slicer to be very easy to use and simple to clean. I had bought a different slicer but it didn't like. Im very pleased with this one.