Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Spiralizer Symbol Key: A. Brieftons 5-Blade (lateral machine): B5 (the spiralizer that I am reviewing) B. Veggetti Pro (lateral machine): VP (my first table-top spiralizer) (C. Brieftons Vertico [vertical machine]: V [will only be mentioned in passing]) Because the B5 is a lateral system, I will compare it with another lateral system, the Veggetti Pro (VP). (I will mention the Vertico [V] only in passing.) A. Comparisons and Contrasts between the B5 and the VP: 1. All pieces of the Brieftons 5-Blade (B5) are carefully and safely wrapped. Shipping is fast. The VP, in contrast, is either sold in stores or online, and the packing is minimal. 2. The B5 and the V both have 3 ebook manual/ cookbook links that are provided to buyers to access. In contrast, the VP only offers a written book packed with the machine inside of the box; if this manual/ book is not found with the unit (many aren’t), these units are returned because people don’t know how to operate the VPs or know what foods to make with them. There is no online assistance to deal with this. 3. On the B5, there is large writing on each Blade, showing the exact Blade thicknesses in millimeters (mms) or simply the name of the Blade; this makes for a fast, easy ID of thicknesses instead of visually looking at the Blade only and guessing the mm and/ or looking at the insert/ manual constantly to find the name of the Blade. The VP, by contrast, has no mm marking and only lists a name like ‘Thick Spiral Blade’, for example, which doesn’t tell the user its exact size. In my trials, the VP ‘Thick Spiral Blade’, for example, is wider than the B5 6mm Blade, but the general user doesn’t know this because the VP Blade names need to be compared to exact thickness Blades in order to understand what their thicknesses really measure. In other words, the VP Blade names are relative only and not precise like the B5 Blade names. (**The 2 mm-Angel Hair B5 Blade produces slightly thinner food strands than my V Knob Blade 4 at 3 mm. The thinnest-mm Blades should only be used on the softer foods – never on the hard foods. If, however, someone wants to use the 6mm Blade on harder foods instead of the Curly Blade, I recommend fully peeling the food before spiralizing. I now do this on my V. too, so that I can spiralize faster. 4. On the B5, there are 4 large, very secure 1 ¾” Suction Pads, located on the bottom 4 points of the machine (which, like my V, easily lifts my 11.25 lb [5 kilo] marble cutting board. (The V has 3 Suction Pads the same size). In contrast, the VP has only 1 large 3 ¾” Suction Pad at the back of the unit. This Pad didn’t function on my VP unit, which meant that I had to have my husband hold the unit down while I spiralized. The bottom line: Suction Pads uniformly placed at the bottom of spiralizers are an intrinsic part of any spiralizer, and they MUST WORK, so that the machine can easily spiralize, without any assistance. Because the VP has only 1 Pad, if it doesn’t work, the entire spiralizing of the machine stops; having a second person holding the unit down or building a special board with clamps to secure the VP defeats the purpose of owning it because the unit can’t be operated very well or even easily cleaned without dismantling all of the clamps beforehand. 5. On the B5, there are 5 interchangeable Blade Plates, while the VP has only 3. 6. During my first use of the VP, the Blade Plates were easy to insert AND release, but the VP Blade Plates aren’t safe to use. In contrast, the B5 Plates are also easy to insert AND release. However, for added safety, Brieftons designed their B5 Blade Plates with a special mechanism to prevent them from popping out while the unit is used. It is easy to remove these Plates by pushing the left thumb from the left/ outer/ back side of the Plate firmly to the inside, and at the same time, grabbing the Plate with the right hand to pull it up. This extra safety precaution ensures that the B5 Blade Plates are safe. 7. On both the B5 and the VP, when the spiralizer is used for the first time, it is necessary to remove Blade protection tape from all Blade Plates, wash them and the entire spiralizer in warm soapy water, and air dry each piece afterwards to remove any left-on manufacturing debris. 8. Both the B5 and the VP are lateral machines with a sliding track for the Moving Platform. To stop squeaks and allow for smooth movement, apply olive oil to the tracks, and reapply when needed. 9. The B5 and the VP are both plastic machines. However, the B5 is made from a special ABS plastic, which has the following properties, it: 1. has a 212 degree F. melting point to withstand a high degree of work friction; 2. is BPA-free; 3. is impact-resistant, to withstand long-term work; and 4. has toughness, to withstand long-term use. ABS is not a flimsy plastic; it is strong and impact-resistant because the plastic has to be sturdy to do work and resist heat produced during work. In contrast, the VP only says that it is made from plastic (but it doesn’t say what type), and the unit doesn’t feel as solid as the B5. Also, when the VP is picked up, all parts rattle. In contrast, the B5 doesn’t rattle. 10. The B5 Blades are made of the finest Japanese stainless steel, which doesn’t rust or dull. The B5 (including the Tri-Blade and Vertico) uses the highest steel grade, a #420 grade. This assures the highest benchmark of quality and toughness in the industry. (Note: The finest knives on the market, like the Japanese, are produced with a #420 J grade steel.) In contrast, the VP only lists that its Blades are steel, without giving any grade # or type (i.e. Japanese, etc.). In my tests, the B5 Blades and the short centering/ Coring Rod at the center of the Blade Plates are VERY Sharp. In contrast, the VP Blades and centering/ Coring Rod are all dull. 11. The B5 has a heavy-duty metal ‘Side Handle’, to help do work. In contrast, the VP only has a short plastic ‘Push Handle’, which isn’t firm or stable. This, coupled with a malfunctioning VP back Suction Pad, still won’t allow the user to do any work without at least having a second person hold the unit down. (Note: For both units, instead of using these secondary Handles for extra support in doing work, I hold down the top of the Blade Rack with my left hand while using my right hand to operate the Holder. Holding the Blade Rack is more comfortable for me when I spiralize, so I don’t use the Side Handle. Each user has to decide which way feels more comfortable to him/ her.) 12. For cleaning, after I finish using the B5 and the VP (and my V), I run a small, soft Brush under the tap, dip it into baking soda that I keep out near my sink, and scrub the Blade Plates and the machine. I follow this up by cleaning with dish soap. For foods that stain (like carrots, sweet potato, etc.), I make a paste of sodium bicarbonate and dish soap, leave it on 20+ minutes and then repeat if necessary. (Note: For me, since I use my spiralizer every day to spiralize 2-3+ foods, removing stains fully isn’t that important to me.) 13. The round food Holders of both the B5 and the VP have a 2 ½” diameter. 14. For both the B5 and the VP, after foods are spiralized, sometimes, a short food bit gets stuck in the short centering/ Coring Rod. To clean both machines, I insert a chopstick from the inside space of the unit, and push embedded food out onto my cutting board. 15. The B5 spiralizes the continuum of many food firmnesses (i.e., from softer zucchini to harder, peeled sweet potato, etc.), while the VP only spiralizes the less firm foods (mainly zucchini). 16. The VP ends up producing a large amount of short pieces, even when the desired aim is to produce long spirals. In contrast, the B5, does not; it produces an abundant amount of long spirals of food. The Comparison Bottom Line: The B5 wins many times over the VP (see the above comparisons), but the major reason that demonstrates which machine is the best is this: The B5 has 4 very strong Suction Pads to secure the unit down onto my cutting board. If the VP single Suction Pad doesn’t operate, the entire machine can’t be used without a second person holding the unit down or unless a special board is made where the VP is permanently attached to it. This, in itself, renders the VP the loser in this comparison. B. Things that Are Outstanding in the B5: 1. Strong, heat and impact-resistant ABS (BPA-free) plastic 2. Strong, stainless, and permanently sharp Japanese grade #420 steel Blades, the benchmark of the highest-quality Blades (and Japanese knives) on the market 3. #4 strong 1 ¾” Suction Pads placed at the bottom (It lifts my 11.25 lb [5 kilo] marble cutting board! See my video.) 4. A sturdy metal, ‘Side Handle’, if a user needs it (though I personally place my left hand on the top of the Blade Rack, instead, because it is more comfortable for me to spiralize this way) 5. #5 Blade Plates to insert for doing work 6. A very secure, built-in safety, locking the Blade Plate into the Blade Rack before doing any work; this safety system won’t allow a Blade to pop out while doing work and injure the user or others standing nearby 7. Easy Blade Plate removal: pressing the user’s left thumb from the back side of the Blade Plate forward, toward the Body/ Moving Platform, while lifting the Blade up with the right hand to remove it. (See my video. Other brands have no safety, and their Blade Plates could easily pop up during spiralizing, which is dangerous, especially if older, un-supervised children try to spiralize without an adult present.) 8. The ability to wash the entire unit, with Blade Plate attached, and air-dry; I use a small, soft Brush dipped in baking soda to remove food bits and remove stains. Then, I use a little bit of dish soap. 9. Very fast processing and shipping times 10. Outstanding Customer Service (the best that I have seen for any online product), with a 12 hour window for them to respond. Buyers can email:[...]and/ or call and leave a message: (571)-721-1848; A CS agent will always return an email or a buyer’s call. This company has been forming a strong core of people who spiralize, who want top-quality products, and who will stay with them in the long-term. This can only happen with honesty and transparency toward buyers, and Brieftons demonstrates this. C. B5 Blades for Spiralizing Some Common Foods: (Note: Other Blade Plates can also be used, so the buyer needs to experiment to find the exact Blade for his/ her needs: thick, thin, shreds, etc.) 1. Onion: a. the Curly Blade; b. the 6mm Blade to make 2-3” shreds 2. Zucchini: a. the 6mm Blade; b. the Angel Hair Blade to make thinner spirals 3. Calabazza: a. the 6mm Blade; b. the Angel Hair Blade to make thinner spirals 4. Green peppers medium-sized: a. the Curly Blade; b. the 6mm Blade to make 2-3” shreds (See video for more information) Note: Do not use elongated, twisted red peppers because they are not symmetrical and will not spiralize. The green, yellow, and some red peppers that are symmetrical and uniform in shape can be spiralized. 5. Russett/ Baking potatoes: the Curly Blade 6. Sweet potato: the 6mm Blade (Note: Peel before inserting this and other firmer foods into the B5.) D. Other: 1. Long, 3-foot spirals of food look great after spiralizing and they make guests ‘ooh and aah’, but they are impractical to eat, so I use the kitchen scissors to cut them down. 2. Some smaller mm-denomination Blades will automatically spiralize shorter spirals and even produce shreds of food, which are more convenient to eat. As a result, I don’t view shorter spiral pieces in a negative light. All spiralizers produce some of these. Smaller bits also are created near the beginnings and ends of the foods. Smaller bits, for example, are perfect to use on pizza, in stuffed food shells, etc. (Buyers can also collect small bits and refrigerate them to make these foods at a later time if they don’t want to add them to their food.) Note: I always chop up food ends to add to our food. Some people may prefer to add them to their compost. 3. If I need to have even smaller pieces to make ‘rice’, I put the spiralized food into my food processor and pulse them a bit to get small, ‘rice-like’ pieces. 4. I don’t store my B5 Blades in the unit front storage area because I wash my entire unit under the tap and air-dry it. I prefer to keep all of my Blades in a separate, small ceramic pot that I use to make French onion soup. The Blade storage area, however, is good to use when the unit is stored. 5. I use a very thin cutting board that I place at the left side of the unit to catch spiralized foods after the B5 spiralizes it. I then use a thicker main cutting board and place it on my counter to the right side of my B5. I like this arrangement because I have 1 board to catch spiralized food as it comes out, while I have 1 board to prep and cut food on the other side. This simplifies the entire food spiralizing process for me. The Bottom Line for Buying the B5: The Brieftons 5-Blade Spiralizer is a strong, sturdy lateral machine workhorse, made of super-strong, long-lasting, impact-resistant ABS plastic and super-sharp Japanese #420 grade steel. The B5 hits the ‘sweet spot’ of price points, so that almost everyone can afford to buy one. This lateral unit is one that will be used in kitchens for years to come, and it will get more people to change their diets to eat more healthily. Older, supervised children can help spiralize, while younger children can learn to appreciate preparing and eating vegetables from an early age. (Note: I am already a member of the Brieftons ‘Spiralizer Community’ because I own a Vertico. I asked Brieftons if I could make a video demo and a written review of one of their lateral spiralizers. They gave me the OK, and this is the result. I highly recommend both of their types of their spiralizers (lateral and vertical), and I love their Customer Service!)