4-Blade Folding Vegetable Slicer / Spiralizer Pro, Counter-Mounted and includes 4 Different Stainless Steel Blades

In the quest to be healthy, there seems to be no end to the ideas we come up with. We have become very familiar with the problems a diet high in simple or high glycemic foods can cause (diabetes, weight gain, heart disease, etc), and many of us look for ways to reduce our dependence on things like white wheat products and other white grains. But if you love pasta, there is simply something very satisfying about sitting down with a plate of noodles you twist on your fork, covered in a delicious sauce. However, I've never found substituting whole wheat spaghetti for white at all satisfying due to texture and taste differences - (and now I learn that is a big mistake anyway - but more on that later). When I heard about spiralizing veggies as a replacement, I wondered how that would work.I've tried 2 other types of spiralizers before deciding to try this one. The first was one of the hand held ones, shaped something like an hourglass. While it made spirals out of veggies, I wasn't happy with the result and gave up on spiralizing for a while. Then recently I decided to try the Cuisinart handcranked spiralizer I found at Costco (also sold on Amazon) excited to try my hand at it again. However, while it made ribbons just fine out of the zucchini I used, it made mush out of it when I tried to make noodles. (Turns out it is probably defective and Cuisinart had no replacements.) I did like how the zucchini ribbons tasted with marinara sauce, so I continued my hunt for a decent spiralizer. After looking at several, I decided on the Paderno Pro 4 Blade.It came yesterday and I immediately put it to work. I found it to be very intuitive and easy to disassemble from its stored state and reassemble into its in-use state, very easy to set up and then fold back up for storage. It feels quite solid and sturdy. I also like how the storage lid doubles as a food container to catch the spiralized veggies.After preparing it for use, I pulled out a zucchini, cut it as directed, and began producing wonderful spiral noodles effortlessly with very little waste. The very sharp blades worked perfectly. When I compare these blades for making noodles with the blades in the Cuisinart, there is simply no comparison. These are very well designed. Needless to say, given my previous two experiences with spiralizers, I was immediately impressed. I dumped the spiralized "noodles" into a wok type pan, added some oil, stirred them up, then added some marinara sauce for a simple dish. I loved it. I can't see myself ever desiring to eat regular pasta again.My next spiralizing project will involve focusing on helping me incorporate into my diet foods low in lectins, such as sweet potatoes/yams, etc. Unfortunately, zucchini and other squash are not in that group (neither are seeded fruits or vegetables in general, or grains). People have become familiar with the problems of gluten - but may not realize that gluten is a lectin, one of many, many lectins that negatively affect our health.If you're interested in finding out what lectins are, how very seriously damaging to your health they are, and how a "healthy" diet is likely full of them, prepare to have your health conscious lifestyle, full of "healthy" fruits, vegetables and grains, turned upside down. If you pursue this, you will discover much of what we have been told is healthy and good for us, really isn't. This is a pretty big paradigm shift and takes some time to digest, but an easy way to introduce yourself to this is with the new book "PLANT PARADOX" written by a practicing cardiologist, cardiac surgeon and leader of a team that has done more heart transplants, adult and pediatric, than anyone else in the world. His credentials are prestigious, so I decided to give what he had to say a hearing. I recommend others do so as well. I can tell you, after learning about the lectin "WHEAT GERM AGLUTININ" or WGA (which is not a gluten), and how very dangerous it is, I won't be eating whole wheat products again. WGA is found in the bran of wheat - thus in ALL whole wheat breads and foods. Due to its small size, not only can WGA be absorbed through your gut, but it can also pass through the blood brain barrier, something other lectins can't do, thus it can wreck more havoc than other lectins.Now I understand why I've always felt better when I ate white bread vs whole wheat bread. If I eat wheat products from now on, they will be made with white flour where the bran has been removed, such as white bread, or better yet, sourdough which is fermented. I won't be eating those "healthy" grains like quinoa unless I can properly prepare them - for example, through pressure cooking or fermentation, which destroys lectins.Given how following a low lectin diet removes a great many food choices which have become staples in the American diet, having a good spiralizer to turn good vegetables into delicious, attractive meals has become even more important for me. I am very happy with this one, and hope to be using it for several years to come.

--Edited May 31, after additional use--I didn't think the Veggeti type would work well for very long or for larger items, plus having to twist the veggie would be hard on my wrist. So waited to get a Paderno -- I only knew about the 3-blade original version. After I saw how neatly and and compact the 4-blade version packs away, I waited even longer to afford it. I have been eating low-carb for about a year and have accumulated many gadgets and appliances, so the storage "mode" for this one really appealed to me. While I may never use the 4th blade, it is a neat little self-contained box.The crank works smoothly and I was actually astonished at how well it made the zoodles... and how quickly! Now, I've not owned any other way of spiralizing, just to put that out there, but if you haven't either, you will be amazed at this. I can't speak the reviewers who prefer the "old" 3-blade version -- I never used it. But I did compare and decided that I would l prefer the self-contained storage ability, keeping dust, crumbs, etc out of the clean item.There were a couple of complaints about this version when someone compared the two Paderno versions. One was cleaning all the nooks and crannies. On that, I agree that juices do drip down into the base, but I solved that problem by placing a small piece of plastic cling wrap over the base and below where the zoodles come out of the blades. If you plan ahead, you can use a large enough piece to put partially used veggies in or cover your bowl afterward. If you are against using plastic wrap completely, you just might have to wash or rinse more of the unit.The other complaint was that the "catch basin" isn't large enough and the unit is high enough to accommodate a larger one. The catch basin is basically the clear lid for the stored unit. Although the instructions state this can be used to catch the spirals, I didn't even consider it. I don't care about that as I would use a bowl anyway and it works as it should for the lid! Depending on your set up, the height of the spiralizer could be a problem. For me, I position a counter/bar stool next to my island with a bowl and the Spiralizer at the edge of the island, allowing me as large a bowl as I want. If I wasn't able to do that, I would place a low-edges baking sheet under it to catch the spirals. If these are a problem for you, you might want to check out the 3-blade reviews. Everyone has different needs and wants. I live alone, eat low carb and use this often but not necessarily daily or even weekly, so the storage ability appealed to me. If you plan to use every day, it might change your needs.To clean the blades, think about getting a brush for dishes to scrub the blades so you don't have to come near the sharp blades at all.I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone wanting a spiralizer.