Avantco SL310 10 Inch Commercial Manual Gravity Feed Meat Slicer - 1/4 HP - Perfect for Delis, Butcher Shops & Home Kitchen Use

Webstaurantstore has only great reviews of this machine, and its videos give potential buyers an impression that it is easy to clean. Based on the reviews, the affordable pricing and the promise that it's easy to clean, I bought one. My opinion is that slicing well is not good enough, as it also should be able to be cleaned easily. Unfortunately, the cleaning instructions in the manual does not tell you how to clean the nooks and crannies, the area behind the cutting blade and the gap between the cutting blade and its fixedly mounted protective ring. My e-mails and a chat session with Webstaurantstore representatives inevitably ended up with their suggestion to buy their cleaning kit, which comes with detail cleaning instructions, chemicals and tools for safely cleaning and lubricating the Avantco meat slicer. In summary, while it does slice well, you need to consider how much time it really takes for cleaning, as well as the cost for the highly recommended cleaning kit. I'd rate this machine 4-star but because of the difficulty in cleaning it and the lack of detail instructions on how to clean and maintain it, I'm giving it a 3-star rating. By the way, the machine comes with a spare belt and a spare sharpening stone/wheel. However, there is no instructions on how to replace any of these items. Keep in mind that once you've used this machine, it cannot be returned. If it has not been used, it may be returned, if you pay a re-stocking fee. Read their return policy carefully. I didn't.UPDATE: My critical review of this machine on Webstaurantstore web site has not been published. A representative has told me that it has to go through a review process first, in response to my inquiry as to why my review has not been published. If my critical review about the machine's being difficult to clean is not published, I'd be much less trusting of the reviews posted on its web site because of censorship.I've ordered its cleaning kit and will report how well it works.