I wanted a mandolin for a long time but did not really have the money to spend on a really expensive one that I wanted. So I went ahead and picked this unit up for about $10 just to see if I like the concept. And after using this for about a year I really like the concept, I am just not happy with this particular unit.
The idea is to cut food in perfectly uniform shape or to cut food quickly.

How it works
The unit is composed of 5 pieces. The main unit (which has a long horizontal blade on it and the plastic body the food slides on), 3 trapezoid shaped objects that click on the main unit, and a food holder. Two of the trapezoid objects have vertical blades of different width, the third has no vertical blades. One makes shoestring (Julian?) size sliced foods and another makes fast food French fry size foods. The non-blade trapezoid side allows you to make wafer type cuts of foods in two different thicknesses.
You pick the vertical size blades that you want and click it into the main unit. Then take the food holder and stick it into the food, then with a sliding motion slide the food down toward the blade. During this process the main horizontal blade, and the vertical blades if you use it, will cut through the food. The food falls through and drops out the bottom. If you do not have a cutting board or use it over a bowl, then you will have the food fall wherever you use it.
The main issue I have with this is that it is not very adjustable. The adjustments are made by removing the trapezoid style blocks and reinserting a different size one. And you are limited to a limited number of slice sizes. There is no manual height adjustment that you will find on higher quality mandolins. Paper-thin foods are not possible with this machine so if that is what you want then you need to get a good food processor or high quality mandolin. Or just develop your knife skills with a good knife.

The blades and their widths
non-blade trapezoid piece - This piece does not have any vertical blades. It just slices food in wafer type shapes. You can use both sides for different size slices. It will slice food in 2/16th (2/32nd) of an inch and 3/32nd of an inch on opposite sides. Just flip over the trapezoid piece to make the wafer thinner or thicker.
The second piece has small vertical blades that are spaced 1/8 of an inch apart and are 1/8 of an inch tall. You can only use the bladed side.
The third piece is for French fries and is 3/8 of an inch wide and 3/8 of an inch tall. You can only use the bladed side.

How well does it dice
It does not dice. It will only slice into strips with one of the two bladed attachments, and then you will need to cut it into small diced pieces with a knife.

Ease of use
It is actually pretty easy to use overall; you just need some arm strength to get it to work. For example, when I use potatoes I need to move it over the blades very fast to keep the momentum high so that the potato is sliced. If you slowly side the potato over the blade then it will stop halfway through the blade. Most foods have the same issue where you need to move the food over the blade quickly to get good results.
The other aspect that makes it hard to use is it does not have a stand nor does it seem very stable. The unit does slide on occasion. It does not have any rubber stoppers or anything to offer resistance. So stability is an issue with this product.
The other issue is with the angle. You cannot adjust the angle of the unit as a whole. It is pretty much as a flat angle unlike other mandolins that have angles at 30 or 45 degrees. I personally would rather have one at 45 degrees instead of a flat like this unit.

How much food is wasted?
Usually just a little, about ¼ inch. If I am making French fries then I will just slice the remaining piece with a knife before I put the fry in water. The tomato is not a problem because you do not want the top anyways. Other foods you will have waste because ultimately you would rather have wasted food than a sliced finger. And for the record, both my wife and I have cut our fingers on this unit. Not a tool I would let a young child use, even if supervised and using the food holder.

Food I have used
Potato- This is what I use it for the most. I can make shoestring fries or fast food size fries with this machine. It works very well for this as long as you keep up the force when sliding it across the blade. I just wish they had and adjustment for homestyle fries.
Cabbage- You have to first cut the cabbage into smaller pieces. Then you are going to get a combination of strips and pieces. Then if you want coleslaw (which I wanted) then you have to further dice it. I did not feel it helped speed up my process of making coleslaw, it is easier to just start with a knife.
Lettuce- Similar problems with cabbage because of its size. I prefer using a knife.
Tomato- I actually like this for slicing a tomato. You do need to move very fast across the mandolin but it does work. If you want salsa then you will have to cube the tomato yourself after you slice it.
Cucumber- Works perfectly if you want slices of cucumber.
Mushrooms- an egg slicer works better. They are just too small to really work well on this mandolin.
Jalapeños & peppers- works perfectly for round slices.
Pickles- same as cucumbers and if you want to use them for tuna fish mix you will have to dice them yourself.

Food that will not work
Basically any soft foods like banana, bread, hot dogs etc. will not work with this unit. Crunchy foods like bread sticks will disintegrate and break apart. For soft foods I guess you can freeze them to avoid this problem but I am not sure why you would want to when a knife is quicker.

Problems with waste
There is almost always waste when you use a mandolin. If you try to slide to the very end then you run the risk of slicing your finger off, and yes my wife and I have cut ourselves using this machine. You will always have some waste when using a mandolin. But this would be good for that compost pile that you always wanted to start.

My recommendation on this mandolin
I current do not use this much. I mainly use if for french fries, perfectly sliced tomatoes (when I am concerned about presentation), or when I just do not want to spend the time making perfect sliced vegetables with a knife (like for a vegetable platter). For anything else I would much rather use a knife than this tool. My recommendation is to avoid this tool and either improve your knife skills, get a potatoe-2-french fry slicer, or get a high quality mandolin. This feels more like a disposable mandolin than anything else.
But I feel this cheap $10 tool has paid for itself over the last year, just with a limited set of tasks.

My view on the purpose of a mandolin
In my opinion, the only reason you want a mandolin is…
-If you want to have food that is uniform and quickly sliced.
-For easily creating Julian sliced foods.
-An option for people with poor/average knife skills.

Cleaning
Cleaning is simple for me, just dump in a dishwasher. The bladed pieces clean easily with a sponge but you will damage a sponge by doing this. A wire brush may damage the blades over time.
So far the dishwasher has not damaged the unit in any way.

Durability
I have only used this 2-3 dozen times but so far nothing has cracked or been damaged in any way. Durability of this product seems great. So even though I do not recommend this product, I recommend the brand based on my experience with this product. I think they have done a good job with an inexpensive product.

Summary of the problems
-Some wasted food.
-Limited adjustments
-Requires proper force for the food to be cut.

Summary
This is a cheap plastic mandolin that is designed to cut foods in a uniform fashion. It is not highly adjustable but easy to use if you move the food quickly across the blade. The vertical blades are interchangeable and you have 2 sets of vertical blades to choose from and one setting that only uses the horizontal blade. I personally do not recommend this to most people, but if you have a strong arm, a need for uniform cut foods, and not much money then I could recommend this product. Otherwise spend the money on a really nice one or improve your knife skills.

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Recommended: No