Westmark Germany Stainless Steel Wire Egg Slicer - Multipurpose Kitchen Tool for Hard Boiled Eggs, Fruits & Vegetables - Perfect for Salads, Meal Prep & Healthy Snacks (Grey)

I've owned and broken many egg slicers in my day. After my last one hit the dust, I decided to get serious, so I went on a quest for the best one I could find. I wanted a slicer not so much for eggs, but one that would blast through Button mushrooms. We are big mushroom eaters in this house, but many times before I got this tool, I did not want to take the time to fool with them.Enter Westmark W1020 Egg Slicer:I'm loading up on Button mushrooms every time I go to the grocery store! This tool is fantastic for mushrooms alone. Not only that, it's fun to slice them.I stopped doing the dab-with-a-paper towel thing to clean my mushrooms. I now wash my mushrooms in water, which makes it go much more quickly. Some say that's a no-no but Cook's Illustrated says it's not, and I listen to them. (they did a soak test and confirmed they don't absorb water...) I can take a giant pack of mushrooms from Costco, wash them and slice them with this tool in no time compared to what it would take to do by hand.-- Are you a homemade mushroom soup lover? You will love this tool! Don't buy very large mushrooms or they won't fit on this tool. Mushroom Puree' is also awesome and a great alternative to gravy!--I often do mushrooms in a lardon type cut by slicing through them once with the Westmark, turning the entire sliced mushroom, and slicing through again. This gives me perfect little lardon shaped slices that are great for using in soups and all kinds of dishes.I also use this tool a lot for slicing strawberries. The giant strawberries are too big to fit, but it does a beautiful job on medium to large.This tool is extremely well made and STRONG. It is not your typical wimpy egg slicer.I often take it with me when I travel and know I will be cooking.I have given it as a gift as well to my daughter who went to culinary school who thought her knife skills did not necessitate a tool such as this. Guess what she reaches for now when she wants to slice mushrooms :)This is a fabulous tool that I would really miss if I did not have it. We're eating a lot more mushrooms today because of it! It is worth it to me for that reason alone.****I recommend that you do not put it in the dishwasher as the finish may discolor. I have had other tools made out of this finish that went dull and chalky in the dishwasher. (a garlic press....) Besides, it is so easy to clean with a quick rinse under the faucet.Update September 15, 2017:I'm still using this tool and have no problem with mushrooms as some of the other reviewers have stated having. After cutting up a bunch of them last night I realized that maybe the issue that breaks strings for some users who try mushrooms is that the motion used must be quick and firm. In other words it's a quick snapping motion as you come down on top of the round part of the mushroom. If you go slow, that is when it becomes difficult to get through the mushroom. It works best for me to stem the mushroom and place stem side down on cutter indention with the rounded part facing me, followed by a quick snapping action. Also, if your mushroom is so large that it's edges are not under the metal strings and you try to cut, you could damage the strings that way. You must cut larger mushrooms in half or even 4ths if you have a super large mushroom. Never try to force if it's not working!UPDATE, June 30, 2023:I bought this slicer in 2013 (10 years ago) and I've not had any strings break slicing mushrooms. I'm convinced that those who get broken strings just aren't using it right and possibly are using mushrooms that are too large.The motion used to slice mushrooms is a snapping motion that uses a quick force to slice through them. You lay the top on top of the apparatus, and then lift your hand from it and come down quickly with your hand and sort of snap/pop it. Otherwise, the strings won't go through and you'll be stretching the wires.