Got a New Slicer

Congrats! I'd like to have a slicer. I have the big bite also, along with a vertical sausage stuffer.

The food carriage is actually quite large. I used the following chart plus various specs on other slicers, especially the carriage size and distance from carriage back plate to blade to help me choose what would work best for me.  Of all places to shop for slicers, I found really good prices at Home Depot.  Just googles meat slicers home depot and all manner of processing pops up on the site.  I was surprised!

Nice slicer! What is the blade diameter? I was all set to order the Beswood 9" slicer when they discontinued it and I don't want one as big and heavy as the Beswood 10". How much does yours weigh? (I'd have to keep it either in a lower cabinet or another room from the kitchen).

Jay - Blade is 8 1/2 inches.  Weight 15 lbs. If the web page I attached opens it covers that.  Now there is something mighty strange about the description of the slicers power.  The web site description says peak power is 1/4 horse power which would require 186 watts of power.  The chart says the motor is 120 watts.  Yet the data plate claims 0.5 amps at 120 volts.  Amps times (X) volts equals watts.  Using that formula the 665 slicer is only 60 watts.  I have inquired numerous times via email and voice message as to what is the truth about the power and CC has yet to respond.   Either they do not know or they do not care as long as the machines sell and they receive no complaints.  But for me, I would like to know even though I have experienced no problems.  There is a conversion table that allows one to figure hp if you know voltage and amps or watts etc.  Easy to find on google. 

I belong to several forums and the CC 615/615A is really popular; it has a 7 inch blade and an optional smooth, non-serrated blade is available for it.  The 665 is limited to a serrated blade only,and I am good with that. Lots of good slicers out there that won't break the bank and light enough to move around easily:  LEM Mighty Bite (comes with 2 blades), NESCO, etc.  Hope this helps!

Thanks Sarge, I suspect the error is in the 0.5 amps. That's a very low current draw for such a powerful machine. Most electric motor small appliances (blenders, food processors, paper shredders) are in the 200 - 600W range. The 10" slicer I mentioned is rated at 240W. I'm guessing the 0.5 amp rating is for the motor running at lowest speed with no load (nothing being sliced). Probably draws 1.5 amps or better under load. So wattage rating is probably for load while motor amps are for no load. Just guessing.

That is what I suspected as well.  But I had my doubts when seeing the wattage listed . So I used a handy calculator.  Pretty handy but left me baffled.  I eve sent this to someone at the parent company of CC.  Hopefully she is working on it.

See the link below:

Calculator

I have a CC 615.  This a 7" blade, and think it is 1/4 HP.  These are great for small jobs.  These are gear driven slicers and the gears are plastic.  I was having problems slicing Briskets, and belly bacon.  The slide wasn't long enough even when you figure out how to cheat the length of the meat it will slice.  The thickness gauge tends to wonder between thickness.  The motor tends to heat up after about 15 minuets of slicing meat.  This is    not good for the plastic gears, and the heat gets transferred to the blade.  I finally got tired of the of slice 15 minutes, and let it cool down 15 minutes.  I finally bought a commercial grade 8.5" slicer.  This is belt driven, but I still have to fold my belly bacon in half to get full length slices.  I don't worry about it heating up.  Just one hint, stick the meat in the freezer until it is almost frozen.  The meat slices better.

Every slicer has it's limitations.  Some more limited than others. Belt driven slicers have a good reputation for sure. 

I talked with CC regarding lube. The manual says to use baseline. I questioned this as the lube present is white. CC said it is PetroGel. So I bought 2 tubes. I also asked why PetroGel is not recommended if that is what the manufacturer uses. No idea. 

Congrats! Looks great. What material the blade is made of? I've got Omcan 250R, it's a commercial kitchen thing, but I adore it, made the cooking process really easy. I don't think it can be found in regular stores though, I ordered it from here https://mcdonaldpaper.com/omcan-250r-food-slicer-csa. There are other models, but they're much more expensive.

I finally bit the bullet and got a larger slicer.  I started with a 12" commercial grade, and it was simply too heavy for me.  I ended up with a Cabela's 10" commercial slicer.  This thing is a beast.  I still have to fold my pork bellies to get full slices, but it goes though them like they were warm butter.

Big commercial slicers, big grinders such as #10 and larger and large stuffers and such are great if you have a dedicated spot for processing meat.  Otherwise, you have to get what can be easily moved around. 10 inch slicer sounds like a good choice.

OldSarge:  The 12 inch slicer was to heavy for me to move around, and wouldn't fit on the limited counter space I have.  The 10 inch is light enough for me to move, and fits on the counters.  I store it in the big pantry.  The slide still isn't long enough to slice whole pork bellies, but I figured out that I can roll them, and get full slices of bacon.

Mike - I hear you about space.  I have a #8 LEM grinder that fits the counter quite nicely but has to be put up  when not in use, and it is fairly heavy.  I also have the large LEM vacuum sealer, also heavy and it too gets put away when not in use.  Same with the slicer. Not heavy just takes a lot of space.  Like most people, I just don't have a space dedicated solely for processing.

I belong to several forums and you are not alone in not being able to slice a whole belly.  Many folks make their own bacon and some just cut it in half for an electric or get a very good knife and cut full slices by hand .  When one fellow was asked why he cut his bacon in half before slicing (he has a Chef's Choice) rather than use a good knife and make whole slices, he very simply stated he hadn't been able to find bread slices large enough to use a full length slice of bacon when making a BLT.  Now he said that jokingly, sort of, but I don't think he liked all the fuss over which method was superior to the other. Sometimes things can get a tad heated.

OldSarge:

I simply got tired of my old CC slicer bogging down and getting hot.  I spent more time waiting for it to cool down then I did actually slicing bacon.  I used to fold the bellies to be able to cut full slices with the old slicer.  Now I roll the belly with the fat side on the inside of the roll.  The new slicer runs right through them.  I give it rest between bellies simply because I get tired of standing there running it.  I get what the guy is saying about bacon and BLT's.  Some us like the full slices because we use it wrap things in.  I am going to be doing a smoked meat loaf wrapped in bacon this weekend.

Very nice.  Don't let your wife see, she'll have you slicing potatoes and carrots.  I used to have a chef's choice 7'' slicer and it worked well, but I outgrew it with all the pigs I process.  I upgraded to a commercial Berkel 12'' and have never looked back.  Now I can slice raw beef paper thin even if it's not par-frozen.  Great purchase, enjoy your slicer!!!!

Carry on! I would like to have a new slicer for me. LOL!