Cuisnart DLC-3A

Author's Rating:

Pros: Basic small batch chopping where appearance and water content are unimportant.

Cons: Workmanship (stopped four months after warranty)
Made in China
Poor Customer Service
No Needed Parts

The Bottom Line: 
I would not buy this or a similar grade processor from Cuisinart given the poor workmanship of the product and the Company's poor response.

Author's Review
A gift & Customer "Service"
The Cuisinart Cast Metal Mini-Prep Plus Processor was given to me as a gift.  We used the machine four or five times a week for small tasks.  The processor came with an eighteen month warranty.  At one year and ten months from receiving the product, it stopped working.  When we took it apart, we found three nylon/plastic gears that were no longer working and preventing the processor from processing.  I emailed the Company asking if the parts were available.  The Company did not promptly respond, and when they did they were quick to tell me that the unit is older than two years, that they could not assist me with any parts, and that the age of the product based on the registration slip, which I had promptly sent following receipt of the processor, is unavailable to them and does not matter as they rely on the serial number.  It should be noted that the registration paperwork in which they also gather marketing information states that Cuisinart will use the card for confirmation of the date of purchase, especially if your original proof of purchase is lost.  How about if the product were given as a gift?

Basic Performance
I found basic small batch processing in which appearance and water content are not important satisfactory.

Workmanship and Warranty
I found the workmanship of the product unsatisfactory.  The processor was the "Plus" "Cast Metal" series and stopped working within four months of the expiration of the warranty.  The internal (plastic or nylon) gears are not offered by the manufacturer, the product is made in China, customer service did not accept the date provided in the registration card, which they asked to be mailed to provide a date, and customer service did not assist and offered no assistance after they decided they were not obligated to any warranty.