I had a Cuisinart DLC 7 for 10-15 years (or more!) - and it always performed beautifully. I enjoyed using it so much that I collected many different blades and graters - including one for hard cheeses like the REAL parmesano reggiano. I then replaced it with a Kitchenaid - which was highly reviewed at the time. It performed only so-so - and was particularly bad at 'perfect slicing' (which is why I bought it). I finally broke down and followed reviews again - and got another Cuisinart. I knew in advance that people said they weren't making them like they used to....but couldn't find a good alternative. This new Cuisinart is heavy, seems to have plenty of power - but the plastic workbowl and lids are already a problem. Both lids fit so tightly on the workbowl that I could not completely close them, to engage the switch and make it operate. I finally had to wipe the rims with vegetable oil, and after numerous 'tries', the oil helped the lids to slide around and close properly - but still needed more 'muscle' than other food processors I've owned in the past. I tried grating cheese - and ended up both frustrated and concerned. The lid with the large tube has 2 pieces of narrow plastic that drop down to engage the switch that turns on the motor. They would not naturally align with the switch, so I had to maneuver them into position - even having to gently 'pry' one closer to engage the switch because it jutted out, instead of being held at a true vertical. They seemed very thin and flexible, and I could immediately see that this was a major red flag: If the pieces of plastic were flexible enough to move easily - they will surely break at some point. Why wasn't the manufacture of these lids done correctly - in a heavier material, and with the 'switch pieces' properly molded so they would align with the switch? I never expected that grating 8 oz of cheddar cheese would be such a frustrating experience. I wanted to use the wide mouth of the lid without the smaller tubes. It was a major hassle to get the 'tube inserts' to unlock so I could put the end of an 8 oz piece of cheese into the tube. Even worse, there is no mention of what sort of magic it takes to unlock it - not in the Cuisinart videos, or in the very meager instructions. My old DLC7 had an easily identifiable way to lock, or unlock, the tubes/pushers. A two minute job turned out to be 20 minutes of frustration - then another 10 minutes on the internet to find instructions. There were none. I finally got the cheese grated, with help from DH, who has a 'mechanics eye'. It was just extra-frustrating because I considered myself already 'food processor literate' . I think it's another indication of a failure of design by the manufacturer...trading quality engineering and heavy duty materials for the 'bottom line'. I have yet to try dough kneading. With the motor size, I don't believe there will be a problem. Chopping ingredients, using the pulse, resulted in reasonably sized pieces of food - but did take a scrape-down or two to be sure everything got to the blades. I read that Cuisinart had raised the bottom blade slightly, to avoid problems with food getting stuck under it. My DLC7's metal blade was close to the bottom of the bowl, and did not really cause problems on a daily usage basis. I suspect Cuisinart yielded to customer complaints when the problem was probably human error or improper use. I could see that the new 'raised blade' didn't do quite as thorough a job as my old food processor - but, 'good enough for government work', as they say. I do like the 'flat lid' - since most of my usage is chopping or pureeing. The base is smaller than the Kitchenaid - almost half it's size, which saves counter space. If parts were still available for my DLC7, I would have gladly had it repaired. Unfortunately, Cuisinart, like most companies, phases out older parts - so they can sell new machines....and they definitely 'don't make 'em like they used to'. I should mention that I always grate or slice foods as 'cold' as possible. Even partially freezing meats before slicing. However, the nature of the all food processor designs makes truly even slicing, from the first to the last slice, unlikely. Food is too likely to shift sideways unless you completely tailor the food to exactly fit the tube. It makes you wonder how many 'takes' they do, when filming 'how to' videos, to get perfect slices. There is not much mention about how much pressure needs to be applied to move foods through the tube to the slicer or grater. It's one of those things that you learn after many trials and errors. I've always thought that a reduction in motor speed, and sharper slicing blades, would create more uniform slices - but don't think that manufacturers will opt to make that an option. If I want 'near perfection', I still have to use my chef's knife. If you only want 'reasonably sliced veggies', for soups, etc., then you'll find it a quick tool to use - though I think you sometimes spend more time prepping the veggies to fit in the tube as you'd take just hand-cutting with a chef's knife, if you're preparing food for only 2-3 people. For families of 4+, it makes more sense to use the slicing disks. Overall, I'd rate it a '3' for all around operation, and a '2' for quality of materials - particularly the lids and workbowl. I think some of the 'safety features' make it more difficult to use. I prefer to hand wash the bowl and lids, and they were reasonably easy to clean. Putting them in the dishwasher would have removed the little bit of 'lubrication' that I had applied to the tops to make them slide around and fit on the bowl.
