Between mine and my sister-in-laws family, we have 12 people, and most of them are adult sized and eat more than we do! We were looking for something that made big hearty meals quicker, easier, and cheaper, and this machine does the trick. I didn't love the screw design at 1st, but now it doesn't bother me, as I keep a screwdriver in the kitchen for this and other things. Before I got my Pampered Chef mandolin, I found it a little challenging to clean, and a little weird to set up, so only got it out when we were having a bigger get together. When I got the PC mandolin, it came with a toothbrush type tool with a pick on the other end. That brush tool has made clean up a lot easier. Plus I figured out my kitchen aid bowls would sit in the slot underneath, and now I can use a large bowl that makes work flow much easier. This is now our go to tool this busy season. My 10 year old son now loves helping chop potatoes and carrots, and I'm thinking french onion soup is in the near future! It takes up a good bit of shelf space, but the time saved is well worth it. We love fries, but also dice potatoes with it. We just take out the sliced fries and put them sideways back on the machine. It makes a small dice that cooks quickly. It made all the root veggies for a huge pot of corned beef and cabbage a breeze, and I got to feed a very hungry family a hearty meal that was prepped and cooked in no time.