Commercial Slicers Buyers' Guide
Playing key roles in establishments ranging from cafes and delis to pizza parlors and steakhouses, commercial slicers are highly adaptable pieces of equipment. Not only do slicers equip you to pile subs high with sliced meat and cheese, they'll outperform most tools when it comes to providing consistently sliced vegetables to top pizzas. Even in high-volume steakhouses, slicers produce uniform cuts of meat, helping ensure even cooking and portioning.
Slicers vary widely in terms of the benefits they can provide, so it's important to understand your specific needs to ensure you get the proper model for the job. As with any kitchen tool, consider how you'll be using your commercial slicer day-in and day-out. When purchasing a slicer, think about what foods you'll be slicing and how long you plan on using it throughout the day.
Key Factors in Choosing a Commercial Slicer
- Blade size and motor horsepower
- Blade material
- Transmission and operation
- Safety features
- Product slicing
- Bulk cutting or on-demand service
Types of Commercial Slicers
Light-duty Slicers
- Ideal for low-volume slicing (up to 1 hour/day)
- 9-inch blade
- Best for soft meats and occasional cheese slicing in cafes or small sandwich shops
Medium-duty Slicers
- Built for moderate use (2–3 hours/day)
- 10-12-inch blade
- Can handle most meats, cheeses, and vegetables
Heavy-duty Slicers
- Designed for high-volume slicing (4+ hours/day)
- 13-inch and larger blades
- Powerful motors and durable builds make them ideal for delis, supermarkets, and commissaries
What Size Slicer Do You Need?
| Blade Size | Best For | Motor Power | Cheese Use | Daily Use Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9-inch | Light slicing of meat & veggies | 1/5 – 1/4 HP | Not recommended | A few minutes/day |
| 10-inch | Light to medium meat & veggie slicing | 1/5 – 1/4 HP | Not recommended | Up to 1 hour/day |
| 12-inch | Frequent slicing in busy kitchens | 1/3 – 1/2 HP | Limited cheese use (< 30 mins/day) | All-day meat slicing |
| 13-inch | Large cuts, cheese, some frozen foods | 1/2+ HP | All-day cheese use | High volume |
| 14-inch | Frozen products, large meat cuts | 1/2+ HP | Optimal for frozen items | Heavy-duty/all-day use |
The size of a slicer's blade and the power of its motor, measured in horsepower, are related to the volume and type of food that the equipment should be able to handle.
- 9-inch blade: For slicing meat and vegetables in limited volumes, a light-duty slicer with a 9-inch blade and 1⁄5- or 1⁄4-horsepower motor is suited for slicing food for a few minutes each day. Slicers this small are rarely designed to handle cheese.
- 10-inch blade: A slicer with a 10-inch blade and a 1⁄5- or 1⁄4-horsepower motor is designed for moderate slicing needs up to an hour a day. These slicers' blades are still too small and their motors too weak to handle slicing cheese.
- 12-inch blade: The most popular size, a slicer with a 12-inch blade can be found in many busy restaurants and delis that serve up fresh meat all day. Powered by 1/3- to 1⁄2-horsepower motors, these slicers are the smallest equipment suitable for handling limited cheese slicing, generally up to 30 minutes per day.
- 13-inch blade: Slicers with 13-inch blades can handle larger cuts of meat, cheese, and in some cases, frozen products and are able to do so all day and in virtually unlimited volumes. Look for at least a 1⁄2-horsepower motor to get the most out of these slicers.
- 14-inch blade: If you'll be slicing large cuts of meat or frozen products throughout the day, you may want to consider one of these largest slicers. A sizeable 14-inch blade glides through frozen products quickly and more easily than smaller blades.
Key Considerations for Choosing a Blade Size:
- High-volume slicing: Larger blades for higher throughput
- Cheese slicing: Requires at least a 12-inch blade with a stronger motor
Commercial Slicer Materials: Durability and Performance
It's not just the size of a slicer's blade and the power rating of its motor that determine how well a slicer will perform; the material it's made of also plays a significant role.
Aluminum vs. Stainless Steel Slicers
Economy slicers are typically made of lightweight aluminum, while the more heavy-duty units are constructed of stainless steel. Aluminum is lightweight and tends to lower the cost of the slicer, but it isn't quite as durable or resistant to damage as stainless steel.
Commercial Slicer Blade Construction
The blade's material and manufacturing process also influence the equipment's performance and durability.
- A hard-chromed blade is coated with a layer of chrome, a metal that provides superior hardness to stainless steel.
- Hollow-ground knives are sharpened to a concave point so that the equipment can cut through dense products quickly and efficiently and with as little wear and tear on the motor as possible.
- Stainless steel is a combination of several metals that includes iron and chrome. Slicer manufacturers often add additional metals into the mix to improve a blade's performance in one or more areas, including its corrosion resistance, sharp edge retention, and overall longevity. Each manufacturer may use its own trademarked name for its special steel alloy, but they're all designed to provide some benefit over traditional stainless alloys.
Key Performance Designs:
- Chrome coating: Enhances blade durability
- Hollow-ground design: Sharpens the blade for smooth, fast cutting
- Custom steel alloys: Improve blade hardness
Belt-driven vs. Gear-driven Transmission
Power from a commercial slicer's motor is transferred to its blade either by a belt or by a series of gears. Economy models are generally built with belt-driven transmissions since they're the cheapest to produce, but these can't handle high demand. Gear-driven slicers come at a higher up-front cost, but they're capable of handling both larger volumes and denser products. While belts are more prone to failure than gears, they're also cheaper and easier to replace.
Choose the Right Transmission for Your Business:
- Belt-driven: Lower cost, suitable for light use
- Gear-driven: Best for high-volume or heavy-duty slicing
Manual vs. Automatic Commercial Slicers
- Manual slicers: Lower initial cost but require more labor-intensive manual operation for moving the carriage.
- Semi-automatic slicers: Offer a balanced approach by automating some actions (like carriage movement) while still requiring manual control over the product placement.
- Automatic slicers: Higher upfront cost but significantly reduce labor by allowing the slicer to operate with minimal intervention after setup.
Manual Slicer
Semi-automatic Slicer
Automatic Slicer
| Slicer Type | Slices per Minute | Time to Slice 10 lbs of Meat | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual | ~30–60 | ~10–15 minutes | Light to moderate slicing tasks |
| Semi-automatic | ~60–90 | ~7–10 minutes | Medium-volume sandwich shops |
| Fully Automatic | 90–120+ | ~5–7 minutes | High-volume delis & grocery stores |
Manufacturers also offer manually powered slicers, known as flywheel slicers. These machines are optimized versions of the original deli slicer design, which provides a stylish look for front of house use.
Best Meat Slicer Brands
When selecting a commercial slicer, brand reputation is a key factor in ensuring you get reliable, durable equipment. Some of the top brands in the meat slicer market include:
- Hobart: Known for durability, high performance in commercial kitchens, and innovative technology like portion scale slicers
- Bizerba: Offers precision slicing and longevity, often used in high-volume operations
- Globe: Known for its large selection that balances affordability and reliability for various commercial environments
- Berkel: pioneered by Wilhelmus Adrianus Van Berkel, the inventor of the meat slicer, Berkel continues to deliver precision slicing and consistent cuts, ideal for high-end deli environments
Commercial Slicer Safety Features
Given that commercial slicers are equipped with fast-moving, razor-sharp blades, it's obvious that users should take extreme caution when operating them. Given the inherent risks that commercial slicers pose, equipment manufacturers do their part to keep users safe by building several safety features into their products.
- Various interlocks keep the blade from spinning when slicer components are missing or aren't attached properly.
- A no-voltage release prevents the slicer from automatically resuming operation after a power outage. This feature prevents potential injuries and damage that could be caused if a slicer were to suddenly resume operation after being left unattended while the power is out.
- A knife guard shields users' fingers from the blade and prevents damage caused from the blade encountering foreign objects.
- Use cut-resistant gloves for extra protection when operating your commercial slicer.
When it comes to slicer safety, nothing replaces proper safety training and close adherence to your equipment manual's operating procedures. If you don't feel comfortable training employees to use your deli slicer, manufacturers are often willing to send a representative to teach your kitchen staff how to use the equipment responsibly.
Commercial Slicer Sanitation
Sanitation goes hand-in-hand with commercial slicer safety, protecting guests and staff from bacteria that can grow on poorly maintained equipment. As with slicer safety, nothing replaces proper training in keeping the equipment clean, but manufacturers have built slicers with features that make them easier to maintain. Many of these features are required for the equipment to meet NSF 8 standards.
- Kickstands prop slicers up, raising one end off the countertop or work table so that staff can thoroughly clean and sanitize the underside of the slicer and the surface beneath it.
- Rounded edges and coved corners on the body and base of a slicer can make it easier to wipe clean hard-to-reach gaps where bacteria and food debris accumulate.
- Commercial slicers are complex machines, so thoroughly cleaning them requires removing and either hand-washing certain components or sending them through a dishmachine. Modern commercial slicers feature tool-free removable components. These include the slicer's meat grip, knife sharpener, and carriage.
- Drip grooves and no-drip bases direct food juices to easily cleaned areas.
- Moisture-proof controls and sealed splash zones protect internal components from moisture and food residue.
Browse Our Selection of Commercial Slicers
KaTom offers top meat slicers at affordable prices. Visit our meat slicers product page to find the right one for your deli, pizza shop, or cafeteria kitchen.
