Graef H9 Manual Slicer: The All-Metal Hand-Crank Slicer for Bread, Cheese and Cured Meat

Verdict in short

The Graef H9 is the hand-crank slicer for kitchens where the board holds more than bread. Its carriage carries the food past the blade, a thumb guard sits on the carriage, and the end-piece holder is in the box – the best-documented finger protection among the manual slicers we compare. The price is a thin maximum slice of 15 mm, a footprint the size of a large cutting board and the premium price class. For bread alone, the Zassenhaus Classic is smaller and slices thicker.

Our pick: bread, cheese & cured meatGraef

Graef H9

All-metal hand-crank slicer with a stainless carriage, thumb guard and end-piece holder.

Why here: Our pick for bread plus cheese and cured meat: carriage, thumb guard and end-piece holder included.

Best for: Kitchens that slice bread and also firm cheese or cured sausage without electricity.

Strengths

• Removable stainless carriage with thumb guard, end-piece holder included
• 7.5-inch (190 mm) serrated stainless blade, slice length 150 mm (about 5.9 in)
• Made at the Graef plant in Arnsberg, Germany, according to the manufacturer

Weaknesses

• Large footprint: 14.8 × 14.4 in (375 × 365 mm)
• Slices only up to 15 mm (0.6 in) – no thick toast slices
• Premium price class

Type

Hand-crank food slicer with carriage

Blade

7.5 in (190 mm) serrated stainless steel

Slice thickness

0–15 mm stepless (up to 0.6 in)

Size

14.8 × 14.4 × 9.6 in (375 × 365 × 245 mm)

Weight

6.2 lb (2.8 kg)

Carriage & holder

Stainless carriage with thumb guard, end-piece holder included

Price class: Premium

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Who it suits – and who not

Buy it if you slice bread several times a week and also want thin cheese, ham or salami, and you have counter or cupboard space for it.

Skip it if you want slices thicker than 0.6 inch, have little space, or slice only bread – then a bread-only crank slicer or a bread slicing guide fits better.

Technical data

Source: Graef product page and manual, read 22 October 2026. Graef gives no separate maximum loaf height; the 150 mm slice length is the closest figure to check against a tall loaf.

Comparison: Graef H9, Zassenhaus Classic, ritter manus 3

Comparison	Our pick: bread, cheese & cured meatGraef H9	Our pick: hand-crank slicerZassenhaus Classic	ritter manus 3
Type	Hand-crank food slicer with carriage	Hand-crank slicer for bread	Hand-crank food slicer with carriage
Blade	7.5 in (190 mm) serrated stainless steel	Round serrated stainless blade, made in Solingen (diameter not stated)	6.7 in (17 cm) serrated
Slice thickness	0–15 mm stepless (up to 0.6 in)	1–18 mm stepless (about 1/25–0.7 in)	up to about 20 mm (0.8 in), stepless
Loaf size	–	–	–
Size	14.8 × 14.4 × 9.6 in (375 × 365 × 245 mm)	11.8 × 10 × 7.5 in (30 × 25.5 × 19 cm)	14.4 × 13.2 × 9.8 in (36.5 × 33.5 × 25 cm)
Weight	6.2 lb (2.8 kg)	5.3 lb (2.4 kg)	7.3 lb (3.3 kg)
Carriage & holder	Stainless carriage with thumb guard, end-piece holder included	Beechwood base, no carriage or end-piece holder listed	Stainless carriage; end-piece holder as accessory
Best for	Kitchens that slice bread and also firm cheese or cured sausage without electricity.	Households that mostly slice bread and want a brand crank slicer with documented specs and a compact footprint.	Anyone who wants a carriage slicer with a wider thickness range than the Graef H9.
Price class	Premium	Premium	Premium
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In daily use

Setting up. Graef's manual asks for a firm, flat, level, non-slip base and a spot where children cannot reach the blade. It says the slicer may not be used by children.

Slicing. Put the carriage on its guide profile, place the food on the carriage, set the thickness and turn the crank away from your body while pushing the food forward. The manual adds that soft food slices better when you turn faster and push more slowly. For crusty sourdough, that is the same advice the Zassenhaus manual gives; the technique for round loaves is on the sourdough bread slicer page.

The last piece. The manual is strict here: the slicer must be used with the carriage and food holder unless the size and shape of the food do not allow it, and the holder must go on as soon as the food can no longer be held safely. That is the part a bread-only slicer without carriage leaves to your fingers.

Cleaning. Wipe the outside with a soft, moist cloth, with a mild detergent if needed; no aggressive cleaners, no solvents, no dishwasher. Occasionally take the blade off – remove the carriage, turn the blade loose, for example with a coin – clean it with a moist and then a dry cloth, grease the gear and tighten it firmly again. The carriage guide gets a little acid-free sewing-machine oil from time to time.

Service, warranty and spare parts

The manual gives a two-year manufacturer warranty from the date of purchase for manufacturing and material defects; it is written for Graef's home market, and how it applies to a purchase in the US is not stated. Repairs during the warranty belong with Graef customer service, and defective parts may only be replaced with genuine spare parts. The H9 product page lists no spare blade, so ask Graef service for one. What a dull blade looks like and how other brands handle spares is on bread slicer replacement blades.

What we could not check

We do not test slicers. We found no independent lab test of the H9, and we do not quote star ratings. How the H9 handles a very tall loaf is not documented beyond the 150 mm slice length. Our method is explained under how we compare.

Alternatives

• Zassenhaus Classic – for bread only: stepless 1–18 mm, much smaller footprint, but no carriage or end-piece holder listed.
• ritter manus 3 – also made in Germany with a carriage, slices up to about 20 mm (0.8 in), heavier at 7.3 lb; the end-piece holder is an accessory.
• Cuisinart Kitchen Pro FS-75 – an electric food slicer up to 1/2 inch if you want a motor; covered on the electric bread slicer page.

How crank slicers with a carriage compare as a group is on manual food slicers.

How the German-made slicers compare as a group is on the German bread slicer page, and all models side by side are in our comparison of manual bread slicers. You can find the H9 as Graef H9 on Amazon^*.