This has been sold so many times, and I have wanted to buy so many times, and yet I have resisted to buy it so many times. Is this the time I finally give in and buy in?
@mehdaf I'd suggest you buy it. honestly, you use the damn thing once and it's paid for itself. if you're not a vegetable chip person, use it to winnow down butter to melt on your baked potato, skim slices off cheese for an omlet, or get those sexy garlic wisps, like paper, to adorn fancy dishes.
@boygenius1991@mehdaf Agree! I used it on sweet potatoes and the result was better than bought chips. What did not work well was stacking up multiple trays in our microwave to get to ready to eat results - the moisture would not evaporate well enough it seems. But finish the chips off at about 200F in a regular oven to complete drying them - and they are delish'
Well said. Same reason I bit last time Could you believe what a waste it was. Knowing these are still around makes the sting of never scoring a fuckyouburoo bag a little less hurtful
@Al_Coholic Sorry, just got back online from a weekend at my in-laws. The mandolin is very chincy and flimsy. It has fold out legs but I wouldn't trust them with my fingers. The blade is very narrow and feels like it will break, or at least deform, very soon. Your money is better spent at a yard sale than on this thing.
But in all seriousness, its actually a pretty fun product for $5. I enjoy making cinnamon apple chips. For best results pat the apples, or any produce, dry with a paper towel before microwaving.
Ah, finally something I can definitely say "meh" about! You sneaky snakes almost got me to buy those Polk headphones and that speaker lamp thingy, but you won't get my dollars today!
@Beatheistitsfun I have to go with the Craig HDMI/Smart TV adapter set - (wtf was i thinking?)
and the 8 dollar Dog Toy Grab Bag - not a single thing in that dog toy set that I'd endanger my beloved mutts with.
BUT - let me say, I looked through my list of Meh purchases to give an honest answer and have to say - I have scored some pretty sweet stuff here. Stuff I use every day. How many thermal travel mugs is too many? Not sure- not there yet - but I'm getting close.
Runners up:
Box of crystal glass shards (supposed to be beer cooler glasses;
Pack of acid-spewing AAA batteries.
But those fall into bad shipping and defect categories - so i chose the other 2 for their utter Meh-ness.
@awk cover the holes with tape, and you'll have yourself 3 frisbees! Comes with free tape slicer if you break the mandolin in half. Not bad for 5 bucks!
I debated getting this for a friend who practically lives off potatoes. I then realized I haven't used mine yet (And I mainly got it because it had to be an improvement over my really shitty handmedown mandolin. Maybe I'll just go over to chinatown and buy a real one.)
The product pitch says "Just five bucks gets you two trays, a peeler, a mandoline slicer, and our undying gratitude" but I see nothing about a peeler anywhere else on the page or in the photos.
Ya know, every time you bring this thing back for another go 'round at Meh, I realize that I really should get out the one I ordered & play with it a bit. Now I have several zillion apples from my CSA. This would be a good time to see what works. And when I've finished all the apples, I can start in on my sweet potatoes and turnips. But then what would I have to look forward to in life?
I bought it the last time around and the mandoline was worth it, but only if you fry the chips in oil so they taste decent. It isn't hard to put half an inch of oil in a skillet and do ten chips at a time. I use the chip sets to make tortilla chips in the microwave. Just cut a tortilla into eighths, add some salt while they are still moist, then cook them till they're crisp. I haven't tried it, but they would probably be able to crisp a whole tortilla to make tostadas. All-in-all, not a bad deal.
I bought one of these last time around. It actually works pretty well! I didn't even follow the directions really, either: I put potato slices in the mic even before they were dried (as per the instructions), compensating by nuking them for a couple extra minutes, and the chips came out pretty nicely.
This was round 2 for me though. Round 1 was a couple ago, when I sliced my finger way open with the slicer. PROTIP: use the guard that comes with the slicer. Otherwise....There Will Be Blood.
What a load of BS... during the last sale of this, you pretty much guaranteed that it'd be included in the next Fuku... Well, I received said Fuku, and guess what? No "Top Chips Set"... Hell, I didn't even get a Fuku bag...
I refuse to buy this until I get it along with at least a couple of other useless things for $5 in a Fuku. Best of luck to you on this sale, Meh!
I bought this from some other site a few years back. I tried a dozen times to make chips that even slightly look or taste like a 'chip'... no go. I threw it away.
Effectively, it now costs $4.992. In last month's dollars
So,,, buying one of these now could be considered an investment, if inflation goes up? should I get a couple hundred shares; er, slicers, for my retirement portfolio?
@djslack@jaremelz I know I know. Thanks. Two considerations: the first is on VMP: to pay a fee to buy crap with free shipping is a questionable practice for me. I mean, I love some of the deals here on meh, but let's be honest: I have limited space for questionable purchases in my house, and it has been all taken already. The second is about this specific deal: if you have a customer base that is loyal (VMP) enough to buy something even if questionable because of the free shipping, you cannot keep selling the same item that is renowned to be not that good: you simply have used up your customer base, making it difficult for others to buy the item (which will cost 10$ with shipping: is it worth? I didn't think so) If you REALLY want to get rid of it, just do a free shipping for all for that item. That's my thought (and my 2 cents, that in a month will be worth probably 2.1 cents)
@salvatorepoier As far as VMP goes, of course it does not make sense of you aren't going to be purchasing enough items to warrant it. For those of us who do average it out (I may have a month where I don't buy, but then make 3-4 purchases the next) it makes sense. As far as the repeat sales, as much as you see the same folks in here talking day after day (what's wrong with us, anyway?!), purchases come from a wide variety of people, not just us regulars. At this point, they've sold just over 500, and will likely sell a few more. That's more that 500 people who maybe didn't bite last time (and the time before that, and the time before. ..you get the picture), or just don't come here every day like cheap deal crackheads, or are perhaps just finding meh for the first time (if any of you see this, please come join in on the fun! We need whatever you bring to the the table, even homemade chips). Giving free shipping just because they've hopefully reached the bottom of the barrel just wouldn't make sense, so long as they're still selling and making a dent in the inventory.
@jaremelz You're right and I totally see the point. And meh is definitely the funniest of these deal sites: I appreciate the honesty of their products descriptions and the obvious fun they're having. You can tell these folks started woot - which was much more fun in the past. Still, 5$ shipping indiscriminately is a steep entry fee for me (and the VMP is out of question for me: how would feel compelled to buy even more stuff, which is unhealthy)
@salvatorepoier And I do totally see that when the cost of shipping equals the purchase price, it's hard to justify at times. In some of those cases, I lie to myself and tell myself that it's a $10 item with free shipping. :)
I only turn it on when a decent buy comes up where I believe (a gamble) there will be at least one more item on which I'll bite within 30 days. So I've convinced myself I'm amortizing the shipping cost to $2.50 or less. Then I turn it back off when it auto-renews (text from my online-use-only credit card company).
This works because Meh auto-credits back the 5 bucks if you cancel it within that new 30 day period without having used it.
"Savings" for me: those stretches of days between the VMP 30-day period I bought and the next time I turn it back on. (They don't make 'me much cheaper than me - it's a game and the opportunity costs of managing it matter not to me.)
Disclaimers: - So far (about a year on Meh for me) it has worked well, sometimes I buy three items, but typically it is two. - If Meh messes with the VMP rules in a deleterious manner, all bets are off.
It seems I'm becoming quite a fan of capitalists - I shilled for radar detectors on that similar daily deals site a couple of days ago, and I'll do the same on Meh today... I just don't understand "reviews" that say things don't "work," when they do in fact work.
I posted a similar, longer testimonial another time these were for sale, so I'm just going to summarize this time: I've been using them fairly regularly for a couple of years, and they work as advertised. Follow the directions: slice the chips (we do potatoes), put them on the trays (yes, all three at a time will work), microwave them (no need for an oven or pre-drying rituals), eat. The only real qualifier is to watch for flare-ups - I've had some fires from letting them go too long.
I'm not going to say "Come on, for $5, it's worth it for the fun of opening the box," because if you won't use it, it's not worth it. But if you think it sounds interesting, don't pass on it because people say it doesn't work.
I bought this the first time it was offered, sans mandoline. I tried just slicing thin with a knife and cooking the chips, and the ones I managed to get to a good uniform thinness tasted pretty good. I eventually went out to buy a mandoline just to use with this Top Chip set thing, and it does make pretty good chips. I do dry them on a paper towel before cooking. It might require specific microwave performance to work, as microwaves' hotspots can vary. I have a pretty good microwave with decently spread hotspots, so that could be why they cook pretty well for me.
Also, if the mandoline here is worth anything, this is an absolute deal. I was really needing one when I tried it the first time.
I bought this set the last time on an impulse. It works much better than I expected. The very first batch of potato chips came out great. I was disappointed in the results of other types of chips (apple, sweet potato, beet), but the potato chips are very good. Single-tray batches work well, but I haven't yet figured out how to get good results with multiple trays.
I got this set a few sales back. I use the mandolin daily for cucumbers on salad. I have made the chips a couple times but cheated and didn't use the trays.
Oh, Mandoline Slicer. I’ve never heard of thee 'till, thankfully, the spirit Impulsia, wisely and intuitively saw you amongst the coals and knew my good fortunes of preparing many fancy salads and meals, took over me that morning. You now have a permanent fixture in my kitchen, in my life. This is my 4 year ode to thee.
Specs
Condition: New
Warranty: 90 Day Mediocre
Estimated Delivery: 11/30 - 12/2
Shipping: $5 or free with VMP
What’s in the Box?
5-Piece Basic Set
3x Trays
1x Mandoline with holder
1x Instruction book
Pictures
Chips and more chips
5 Piece set
Slicer
Price Comparison
$12.48 for just two trays at Amazon
$12.25 for additional tray and slicer
Find a relevant price comparison? Please share it in a comment in this thread
Warranty
90 days
When the Chips are down...
Your pitch just doesn't cut it with me.
Let the chips fall as they may.
This "spud" (slicer) is for you.... You'll drink to that -- meh-be
This has been sold so many times, and I have wanted to buy so many times, and yet I have resisted to buy it so many times. Is this the time I finally give in and buy in?
Based on the other posts tonight - nope...
@mehdaf Yea me too, it's only five dolla
@mehdaf its not bad for the price, i wouldnt pay retail for it but its fun to play around with.
@mehdaf I'd suggest you buy it. honestly, you use the damn thing once and it's paid for itself. if you're not a vegetable chip person, use it to winnow down butter to melt on your baked potato, skim slices off cheese for an omlet, or get those sexy garlic wisps, like paper, to adorn fancy dishes.
totally worth the 5 bucks.
@boygenius1991 @mehdaf Agree! I used it on sweet potatoes and the result was better than bought chips. What did not work well was stacking up multiple trays in our microwave to get to ready to eat results - the moisture would not evaporate well enough it seems. But finish the chips off at about 200F in a regular oven to complete drying them - and they are delish'
Got suckered in last time thinking the mandolin made it worth $5. I was wrong. Learn from my mistake.
@jwilloughby Glad I'm not the only one... ;)
@jwilloughby
Well said. Same reason I bit last time Could you believe what a waste it was. Knowing these are still around makes the sting of never scoring a fuckyouburoo bag a little less hurtful
@YETB i don't even know what that means, but i think it is funny
@jwilloughby Does the mandoline suck or what? I got one last time too but haven't opened it yet...
@Al_Coholic Sorry, just got back online from a weekend at my in-laws. The mandolin is very chincy and flimsy. It has fold out legs but I wouldn't trust them with my fingers. The blade is very narrow and feels like it will break, or at least deform, very soon. Your money is better spent at a yard sale than on this thing.
You know you're really first when you see only 1 Meh and 1 vote for the poll.
This chip sailed (or sank) awhile back. Meh again.
Bought it last time, still haven't opened the box. The box is very sturdy and taped-up pretty well.
@medz leave it that way. The anticipation far surpasses the reality.
@medz same. i'm not expecting anything, but my gf will love it.
I over paid .008 cents last time this was offered, this is an outrage! I DEMAND a refund from meh.com and the mediocre cooperation.
But in all seriousness, its actually a pretty fun product for $5. I enjoy making cinnamon apple chips. For best results pat the apples, or any produce, dry with a paper towel before microwaving.
I stayed up past my bedtime for this?!
Ah, finally something I can definitely say "meh" about! You sneaky snakes almost got me to buy those Polk headphones and that speaker lamp thingy, but you won't get my dollars today!
Currently ranks in top 3 crappy things I have purchased here
To clarify. It's crap
@YETB what's the other 2
@Beatheistitsfun
I have to go with the Craig HDMI/Smart TV adapter set - (wtf was i thinking?)
and the 8 dollar Dog Toy Grab Bag - not a single thing in that dog toy set that I'd endanger my beloved mutts with.
BUT - let me say, I looked through my list of Meh purchases to give an honest answer and have to say - I have scored some pretty sweet stuff here. Stuff I use every day. How many thermal travel mugs is too many? Not sure- not there yet - but I'm getting close.
Runners up:
Box of crystal glass shards (supposed to be beer cooler glasses;
Pack of acid-spewing AAA batteries.
But those fall into bad shipping and defect categories - so i chose the other 2 for their utter Meh-ness.
@YETB You misspelled carp.
Can those trays be used as frisbees?
@awk yes. But not well.
@awk cover the holes with tape, and you'll have yourself 3 frisbees! Comes with free tape slicer if you break the mandolin in half. Not bad for 5 bucks!
Why did the Meh button turn into Wilford Brimley?
Does the chip tray also work with oatmeal?
Will it call 911 if you fall down?
Do microwaved chips help balance your insulin levels?
What am I missing?
Maybe if you replaced the mandoline with a violin or viola. I tried to play the mandoline before and just ended up cutting myself.
@discmaster Trying to do Mr. Potato Head, but... oh well, they are kinda the same.
@Kylethephotoguy
Now I see it!
(Actually .., now I can't stop seeing it!! Arrrggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!)
I debated getting this for a friend who practically lives off potatoes. I then realized I haven't used mine yet (And I mainly got it because it had to be an improvement over my really shitty handmedown mandolin. Maybe I'll just go over to chinatown and buy a real one.)
The product pitch says "Just five bucks gets you two trays, a peeler, a mandoline slicer, and our undying gratitude" but I see nothing about a peeler anywhere else on the page or in the photos.
Buying this just for the peeler, mine just broke... hope its a good one!
@ongware it's small. And meh.
@RedOak balls. Maybe i should cancel and wait for nonancillary products...
@ongware
I saw a picture of this before... It was in the dictionary with the definition of "meh".
Ya know, every time you bring this thing back for another go 'round at Meh, I realize that I really should get out the one I ordered & play with it a bit. Now I have several zillion apples from my CSA. This would be a good time to see what works. And when I've finished all the apples, I can start in on my sweet potatoes and turnips. But then what would I have to look forward to in life?
This is one of those purchases for people who actually have their lives together. I'll just twiddle my thumbs until the next quadcopter comes around.
@KevinDuBrow THANK YOU FOR USING THAT TERM
I bought it the last time around and the mandoline was worth it, but only if you fry the chips in oil so they taste decent. It isn't hard to put half an inch of oil in a skillet and do ten chips at a time.
I use the chip sets to make tortilla chips in the microwave. Just cut a tortilla into eighths, add some salt while they are still moist, then cook them till they're crisp. I haven't tried it, but they would probably be able to crisp a whole tortilla to make tostadas.
All-in-all, not a bad deal.
How many billion of these sets are sitting in the warehouse?
What about doing a tri-item deal?
1 chip-set, 1 overspec'd knife w cool branding, 1 speaker dock? $5. Deal?
@f00l and a junk bluetooth speaker and a bluetooth keyboard for a years old tablet? now that's a real Meh deal.
Oh meh goodness! And I thought a bluetooth lampstand was the meh-ximum possible.
I bought one of these last time around. It actually works pretty well! I didn't even follow the directions really, either: I put potato slices in the mic even before they were dried (as per the instructions), compensating by nuking them for a couple extra minutes, and the chips came out pretty nicely.
This was round 2 for me though. Round 1 was a couple ago, when I sliced my finger way open with the slicer. PROTIP: use the guard that comes with the slicer. Otherwise....There Will Be Blood.
Finally, a product that meets at the intersection of "potato chips" and "effort ".
The writeup was better when I thought
read yarn chips, not yam chips, in an increasingly desperate effort by meh writers to come up with things to make chips out of.
It turns out this was one of the times the font kerning didn't mess up and it actually read "yam."
I will mention this again:
THE BLADE IS REALLY REALLY SHARP. IF YOU DO NOT USE THE PUSHER THING YOU WILL LOSE YOUR FINGERTIPS. THERE WILL BE BLOOD.
Side benefit: The blade is sharp enough that when you lose your fingertips, you will actually feel very little pain.
@RobinBobcat more like you'll lose your fingerchips
*If you took time to cut each chip in the shape of Irk.
Is that a challenge?
What a load of BS... during the last sale of this, you pretty much guaranteed that it'd be included in the next Fuku... Well, I received said Fuku, and guess what? No "Top Chips Set"... Hell, I didn't even get a Fuku bag...
I refuse to buy this until I get it along with at least a couple of other useless things for $5 in a Fuku. Best of luck to you on this sale, Meh!
I bought this from some other site a few years back. I tried a dozen times to make chips that even slightly look or taste like a 'chip'... no go. I threw it away.
maddening-homely-jasmine
This doesn't bode well. What have I done?
So,,, buying one of these now could be considered an investment, if inflation goes up? should I get a couple hundred shares; er, slicers, for my retirement portfolio?
Guys, if you REALLY wanted to get rid of these, dropping the shipping to FREE shipping would make the trick, maybe?
@salvatorepoier Join VMP. It's free shipping you pay for monthly!
@djslack Damn it, you beat me.
@djslack @jaremelz I know I know. Thanks.
Two considerations: the first is on VMP: to pay a fee to buy crap with free shipping is a questionable practice for me. I mean, I love some of the deals here on meh, but let's be honest: I have limited space for questionable purchases in my house, and it has been all taken already.
The second is about this specific deal: if you have a customer base that is loyal (VMP) enough to buy something even if questionable because of the free shipping, you cannot keep selling the same item that is renowned to be not that good: you simply have used up your customer base, making it difficult for others to buy the item (which will cost 10$ with shipping: is it worth? I didn't think so) If you REALLY want to get rid of it, just do a free shipping for all for that item. That's my thought (and my 2 cents, that in a month will be worth probably 2.1 cents)
@salvatorepoier As far as VMP goes, of course it does not make sense of you aren't going to be purchasing enough items to warrant it. For those of us who do average it out (I may have a month where I don't buy, but then make 3-4 purchases the next) it makes sense.
As far as the repeat sales, as much as you see the same folks in here talking day after day (what's wrong with us, anyway?!), purchases come from a wide variety of people, not just us regulars. At this point, they've sold just over 500, and will likely sell a few more. That's more that 500 people who maybe didn't bite last time (and the time before that, and the time before. ..you get the picture), or just don't come here every day like cheap deal crackheads, or are perhaps just finding meh for the first time (if any of you see this, please come join in on the fun! We need whatever you bring to the the table, even homemade chips). Giving free shipping just because they've hopefully reached the bottom of the barrel just wouldn't make sense, so long as they're still selling and making a dent in the inventory.
@jaremelz You're right and I totally see the point. And meh is definitely the funniest of these deal sites: I appreciate the honesty of their products descriptions and the obvious fun they're having. You can tell these folks started woot - which was much more fun in the past. Still, 5$ shipping indiscriminately is a steep entry fee for me (and the VMP is out of question for me: how would feel compelled to buy even more stuff, which is unhealthy)
@salvatorepoier And I do totally see that when the cost of shipping equals the purchase price, it's hard to justify at times. In some of those cases, I lie to myself and tell myself that it's a $10 item with free shipping. :)
@jaremelz :D :D :D
that would be probably five bags of chips. Not a bad deal, after all.
@salvatorepoier @jaremelz I'm far too cheap to leave VMP turned on.
I only turn it on when a decent buy comes up where I believe (a gamble) there will be at least one more item on which I'll bite within 30 days. So I've convinced myself I'm amortizing the shipping cost to $2.50 or less. Then I turn it back off when it auto-renews (text from my online-use-only credit card company).
This works because Meh auto-credits back the 5 bucks if you cancel it within that new 30 day period without having used it.
"Savings" for me: those stretches of days between the VMP 30-day period I bought and the next time I turn it back on. (They don't make 'me much cheaper than me - it's a game and the opportunity costs of managing it matter not to me.)
Disclaimers:
- So far (about a year on Meh for me) it has worked well, sometimes I buy three items, but typically it is two.
- If Meh messes with the VMP rules in a deleterious manner, all bets are off.
@RedOak I have kept it on, and have found my average over time works out. Which means I have far too much mediocre crap in my house.
@jaremelz pain-avoidance (spousal) has trained some restraint into me. A Pavlovian thing. (Not to be confused with @Pavlov.)
@RedOak Oh, mine is usually the one egging me on.
@RedOak That's a VERY smart one! But at this point buying stuff becomes more a job than a necessity... :(
It seems I'm becoming quite a fan of capitalists - I shilled for radar detectors on that similar daily deals site a couple of days ago, and I'll do the same on Meh today... I just don't understand "reviews" that say things don't "work," when they do in fact work.
I posted a similar, longer testimonial another time these were for sale, so I'm just going to summarize this time: I've been using them fairly regularly for a couple of years, and they work as advertised. Follow the directions: slice the chips (we do potatoes), put them on the trays (yes, all three at a time will work), microwave them (no need for an oven or pre-drying rituals), eat. The only real qualifier is to watch for flare-ups - I've had some fires from letting them go too long.
I'm not going to say "Come on, for $5, it's worth it for the fun of opening the box," because if you won't use it, it's not worth it. But if you think it sounds interesting, don't pass on it because people say it doesn't work.
I bought this the first time it was offered, sans mandoline. I tried just slicing thin with a knife and cooking the chips, and the ones I managed to get to a good uniform thinness tasted pretty good. I eventually went out to buy a mandoline just to use with this Top Chip set thing, and it does make pretty good chips. I do dry them on a paper towel before cooking. It might require specific microwave performance to work, as microwaves' hotspots can vary. I have a pretty good microwave with decently spread hotspots, so that could be why they cook pretty well for me.
Also, if the mandoline here is worth anything, this is an absolute deal. I was really needing one when I tried it the first time.
I bought this set the last time on an impulse. It works much better than I expected. The very first batch of potato chips came out great. I was disappointed in the results of other types of chips (apple, sweet potato, beet), but the potato chips are very good. Single-tray batches work well, but I haven't yet figured out how to get good results with multiple trays.
I just bought 10 lbs of potatoes for 77 cents. how could I resist?
@harryzona
I can't believe anybody bought that crap lmao
I got this set a few sales back. I use the mandolin daily for cucumbers on salad. I have made the chips a couple times but cheated and didn't use the trays.
Oh, Mandoline Slicer. I’ve never heard of thee 'till, thankfully, the spirit Impulsia, wisely and intuitively saw you amongst the coals and knew my good fortunes of preparing many fancy salads and meals, took over me that morning. You now have a permanent fixture in my kitchen, in my life. This is my 4 year ode to thee.
@one_two3456 You aren’t getting ready to take a permanent solution to a temporary problem are you?
You seem to be wrapping up some very old loose ends today…
@one_two3456 I didn’t buy one but it inspired me to make chips in the oven. I cut part of a finger off with my shiny mandoline from Target.
@one_two3456 @sammydog01 RIP sammydog01’s finger part.
@one_two3456 @sammydog01 I still have a scar on my thumb from using a mandoline to slice an apple when I was in high school.
@one_two3456 @sammydog01 @stardate820926 this thread being necroed has inspired me to try my new food processor from sidedeals.com with some potatoes. I doubt I can get them thin enough for chips though.
@therealjrn Naw just felt a little whimsical.
@RiotDemon Target carries a nice Oxo mandoline that’s adjustable. Just make sure you get a cut proof glove to go with it.
@one_two3456 @therealjrn
/giphy whimsical