This is a great product, versatile and very solidly made.
Previous comments about the instructions are fair, in that they could have been much more helpful, especially in giving guidance on blade selection and how to deal with different types and sizes of things like the carrot example. Which by the by the way, is best to be done by hand i.e. not use the slider/ holder, and then either finish the stubbs by hand or eat them (Chef's bonus).
Whether you use the slider or not there will always be a small bit that does not/ cannot be cut!
The versatility is you can adjust the thickness easily, and there IS a scale on the inside edge of the unit. The different blades allow you to; grate fine/ coarse, produce straight/crinkle cut slices, and then by adding the vertical blades you can produce thin/ thick strips.
One last comment is that it is big! It's about 18 inches fully extended, this is not a bad thing but something to be aware of.