Zassenhaus Classic Bread Slicer: Specs, 1–18 mm Slice Range and Honest Limits

Verdict in short

The Zassenhaus Classic does one job – slicing bread – with the classic rotary design: a crank turns a round serrated blade, your other hand pushes the loaf against a fence that sets the thickness. Its specs are documented by the retailer Culinaris, it is the most compact of the brand crank slicers we compare, and it covers a stepless range from very thin to thick toast. That is why it is our pick for bread on the comparison of manual bread slicers. What it lacks is protection for the last slice, and it costs far more than the budget crank slicers.

Our pick: hand-crank slicerZassenhaus

Zassenhaus Classic

The classic rotary bread slicer: serrated Solingen blade, crank, beechwood base – no motor, no cord.

Why here: Our pick for kitchens that mainly slice bread: documented 1–18 mm range in a compact body.

Best for: Households that mostly slice bread and want a brand crank slicer with documented specs and a compact footprint.

Strengths

• Stepless 1–18 mm (about 1/25–0.7 in) – from thin sandwich slices to thick toast
• Die-cast and stainless steel body on a beechwood base, four suction feet
• Smallest footprint of the brand hand-crank slicers in our comparison

Weaknesses

• No carriage and no end-piece holder listed – the last piece of the loaf needs care
• Premium price class, several times the unbranded crank slicers
• Only the blade is documented as made in Solingen; retailers list the Czech Republic as country of origin

Type

Hand-crank slicer for bread

Blade

Round serrated stainless blade, made in Solingen (diameter not stated)

Slice thickness

1–18 mm stepless (about 1/25–0.7 in)

Size

11.8 × 10 × 7.5 in (30 × 25.5 × 19 cm)

Weight

5.3 lb (2.4 kg)

Carriage & holder

Beechwood base, no carriage or end-piece holder listed

Price class: Premium

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Who it suits – and who not

Buy it if you slice bread several times a week, want even slices of a thickness you choose, and prefer a brand slicer with documented specs over a no-name listing.

Skip it if you also want to slice cheese and salami (look at the Graef H9), if you need slices thicker than 18 mm, or if the price class matters more than documentation – then see is the Zassenhaus worth it.

Technical data

Source: Culinaris technical data, read 22 October 2026.

Comparison: Zassenhaus Classic, Graef H9, Brvclon hand-crank slicer

Comparison	Our pick: hand-crank slicerZassenhaus Classic	Our pick: bread, cheese & cured meatGraef H9	Seller data onlyBrvclon hand-crank slicer
Type	Hand-crank slicer for bread	Hand-crank food slicer with carriage	Hand-crank slicer for bread
Blade	Round serrated stainless blade, made in Solingen (diameter not stated)	7.5 in (190 mm) serrated stainless steel	–
Slice thickness	1–18 mm stepless (about 1/25–0.7 in)	0–15 mm stepless (up to 0.6 in)	adjustable with scale line (listing)
Loaf size	–	–	–
Size	11.8 × 10 × 7.5 in (30 × 25.5 × 19 cm)	14.8 × 14.4 × 9.6 in (375 × 365 × 245 mm)	–
Weight	5.3 lb (2.4 kg)	6.2 lb (2.8 kg)	–
Carriage & holder	Beechwood base, no carriage or end-piece holder listed	Stainless carriage with thumb guard, end-piece holder included	Metal guide, suction cups, wood base (listing)
Best for	Households that mostly slice bread and want a brand crank slicer with documented specs and a compact footprint.	Kitchens that slice bread and also firm cheese or cured sausage without electricity.	Buyers who want the hand-crank principle in the budget to mid-range price class and can live with listing data only.
Price class	Premium	Premium	Budget to mid-range
	On Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on Amazon	On Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on Amazon	On Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on Amazon

In daily use

Setting up. The Classic stands on four suction feet on a smooth counter. Press it down before the first slice so the base does not slide – a sliding base is one of the real risks of any crank slicer.

Slicing. Set the thickness at the fence, place the loaf on the board against it and turn the crank while you push the loaf gently towards the blade. The serrated edge saws through the crust. Because there are no side walls, wide loaves such as sourdough boules are not limited by a frame; whether a very tall loaf is reached by the blade is not documented. For round loaves, see the page about the sourdough bread slicer; for tall pan loaves, the page on bread-machine loaves.

The last piece. Without a carriage or end-piece holder, your hand gets close to the blade at the end of the loaf. Slow down for the last slices or finish the heel with a knife.

Cleaning. Culinaris gives no care instructions. Follow the manual in the box, and treat the exposed blade edge with care when wiping crumbs away. How the mechanism works in general is explained on the page about the hand-crank bread slicer.

Colors and listings

The Classic is sold in several colors under separate Amazon listings, among them red, gray and Cyprus green. The specs above apply to all of them. Pick the color you like on the counter:

Origin: what is documented

Zassenhaus International GmbH is based in Solingen, and the blade is described as made in Solingen. Retailers list the Czech Republic as the country of origin of the Classic; we found no statement by Zassenhaus itself on where it is assembled. The chrome Zassenhaus Vintage is a separate model, covered with the rest of the range on the Zassenhaus bread slicers page.

Reviews and tests

We do not test slicers ourselves, and we found no lab test of manual bread slicers by Consumer Reports or America's Test Kitchen (search of 22 October 2026). Good Housekeeping and Eater have published reviews of the Zassenhaus Classic; we have not read them in full and do not quote them. Our assessment rests on the spec sheet, explained under how we compare.

Alternatives

• Graef H9 – if you slice cheese and cured meat too: carriage with thumb guard and end-piece holder included, 0–15 mm, larger footprint, premium class. Available as Graef H9 on Amazon^*.
• ritter manus 3 – if you want slices up to about 20 mm with a carriage, at 7.3 lb.
• Budget crank slicers such as the Brvclon – same principle in the budget to mid-range class, but with listing data only: no slice range, blade size or loaf capacity stated.