Manual Food Slicer: Hand-Crank Slicers for Bread, Cold Cuts and Cheese

What makes a slicer a “food slicer”

Every hand-crank slicer has a round blade, a crank and a fence that sets the slice thickness. What turns a hand-crank bread slicer into a food slicer is the carriage: a sliding tray that carries the food past the blade, so your hand stays on the carriage handle instead of next to the edge. In German, this type is called an Allesschneider – an “everything cutter”; the German bread slicer page explains the term.

The difference is not only marketing. The Zassenhaus Classic manual says to use the slicer only to cut bread. The ritter manus 3 manual, by contrast, describes slicing household foods on the carriage and turning the food guide up for short, soft items such as sausage.

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 cold cuts: removable stainless carriage, thumb guard and end-piece holder in the box, made in Arnsberg.

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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Which manual food slicer for whom?

Which slicer fits you?

• If you slice bread and cold cuts and want the end-piece holder in the box → Graef H9

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• If you also want thick slices up to about 0.8 inch → ritter manus 3

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• If you want a crank slicer in the mid-range class and accept seller data → VEVOR manual slicer CSD15 · Seller data only

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• If you only slice bread and want the smallest brand slicer → Zassenhaus Classic

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• If you would rather have a motor

  Electric slicers

The slicers compared

Comparison: Graef H9, ritter manus 3, VEVOR manual slicer CSD15, Zassenhaus Classic

Comparison	Our pick: bread, cheese & cured meatGraef H9	ritter manus 3	Seller data onlyVEVOR manual slicer CSD15	Our pick: hand-crank slicerZassenhaus Classic
Type	Hand-crank food slicer with carriage	Hand-crank food slicer with carriage	Hand-crank slicer (listed for bread and cheese)	Hand-crank slicer for bread
Blade	7.5 in (190 mm) serrated stainless steel	6.7 in (17 cm) serrated	serrated stainless steel (listing)	Round serrated stainless blade, made in Solingen (diameter not stated)
Slice thickness	0–15 mm stepless (up to 0.6 in)	up to about 20 mm (0.8 in), stepless	0–0.6 in (listing)	1–18 mm stepless (about 1/25–0.7 in)
Loaf size	–	–	–	–
Size	14.8 × 14.4 × 9.6 in (375 × 365 × 245 mm)	14.4 × 13.2 × 9.8 in (36.5 × 33.5 × 25 cm)	12.2 × 10.04 × 7.48 in (listing)	11.8 × 10 × 7.5 in (30 × 25.5 × 19 cm)
Weight	6.2 lb (2.8 kg)	7.3 lb (3.3 kg)	4.7 lb (listing)	5.3 lb (2.4 kg)
Carriage & holder	Stainless carriage with thumb guard, end-piece holder included	Stainless carriage; end-piece holder as accessory	Anti-cut hand clamp, no carriage named (listing)	Beechwood base, no carriage or end-piece holder listed
Best for	Kitchens that slice bread and also firm cheese or cured sausage without electricity.	Anyone who wants a carriage slicer with a wider thickness range than the Graef H9.	Buyers who want a mid-range crank slicer that the seller also lists for cheese and sausage.	Households that mostly slice bread and want a brand crank slicer with documented specs and a compact footprint.
Price class	Premium	Premium	Mid-range	Premium
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Graef H9 – our pick

Graef names a 190 mm (7.5 in) serrated stainless blade, a stepless 0–15 mm dial at the stop, a slice length of 150 mm and a removable stainless carriage that folds down and comes off with one hand. The end-piece holder and the manual are the scope of delivery. The body is full metal with a wooden crank handle on four suction rubber feet, 375 × 365 × 245 mm and 2.8 kg. Graef markets it as “Handmade in Germany” from its Arnsberg plant.

Strengths: the most complete finger protection we found in the box; documented specs. Weaknesses: no slices thicker than 15 mm (0.6 in), a large footprint and the premium class. Details: Graef H9.

ritter manus 3 – thicker slices, smooth blade available

ritterwerk lists a 17 cm serrated blade, a stepless range up to about 20 mm, a stainless carriage with about 20 cm of travel, steel feet with four silicone suction feet, 36.5 × 33.5 × 25 cm and 3.3 kg. For cold cuts it sells a smooth blade (item 107119) that the manual recommends for sliced meat, sausage and ham. The end-piece holder is listed among accessories and spare parts. TÜV Rheinland GS mark, made in Gröbenzell.

Strengths: widest documented range, swappable blade type, spare parts by item number. Weaknesses: the heaviest manual slicer here, holder sold separately, premium class. Details: ritter manus 3.

VEVOR CSD15 – the listing-only option

The VEVOR listing describes a stainless body and serrated stainless blade, a 0–0.6 inch range, four suction cups and an anti-cut hand clamp, at 12.2 × 10.04 × 7.48 inches and 4.7 lb. It names cheese, bread, tofu and sausage. We found no manufacturer spec sheet, and the listing names no carriage, blade size or maximum loaf size, so it carries the “Seller data only” label and is not a pick.

Zassenhaus Classic – bread only

The Classic is our pick for bread – stepless 1–18 mm, a Solingen blade, a compact beechwood base – but its manual limits it to cutting bread, and it has no carriage or end-piece holder listed. If cold cuts are part of the plan, it is the wrong machine; for bread alone, see the Zassenhaus Classic page.

What to check before you buy

1. Carriage and holder. For anything shorter than a loaf, the carriage and an end-piece holder keep your hand away from the blade. ritterwerk's manual says its slicer must not be used without them unless the size or shape of the food rules them out.
2. Blade type. A serrated blade handles crust; for thin ham, ritter offers a smooth blade. Graef lists only the serrated blade on the H9 page.
3. Slice range. 15 mm (Graef) versus about 20 mm (ritter) decides whether thick toast is possible.
4. What not to slice. The ritter manual excludes frozen food, hot food, bones, food with large stones, roasts in netting and packaged food.
5. Space and weight. The Graef measures 14.8 × 14.4 inches and weighs 6.2 lb, the ritter 36.5 × 33.5 cm and 7.3 lb; plan a permanent spot.
6. Care. Neither brand puts parts in the dishwasher. ritter asks you to wash removed parts in warm soapy water and grease the gear; how cleaning works step by step is on how to use a bread slicer.

Typical mistakes

• Using a bread-only slicer for salami or cheese when its manual says bread only.
• Leaving the holder in the drawer. The last few centimeters are where fingers get close to the blade.
• Expecting deli thickness control. ritterwerk points out that its dial is not a millimeter scale.
• Treating it like an electric slicer. There is no motor and no cord; the risks are a base that slides, the last piece of food and cleaning the open blade – see is a bread slicer safe.

Manual or electric?

If you want the motor to do the work, a home electric slicer such as the Cuisinart Kitchen Pro FS-75 sets 1/32 to 1/2 inch; whether it handles bread is covered in can you slice bread with a meat slicer, and the broader trade-off in manual vs. electric bread slicer.

Our recommendation

For bread plus cold cuts without electricity, take the Graef H9: it is the only manual slicer here with carriage, thumb guard and end-piece holder documented in the box. Choose the ritter manus 3 if thicker slices or a smooth blade for ham matter more, and order the end-piece holder with it. For bread alone, the Zassenhaus Classic is smaller. All models side by side are in our comparison of manual bread slicers, and the full overview starts on the manual bread slicer homepage. The H9 is available as Graef H9 on Amazon^*.