I bought this specifically for my husband so he could use the channel knife to put a lemon strip in his cocktails. But I find myself using it more often than he does. The trick to getting this tool to work perfectly is to use very hard lemon or limes or whatever you're trying to zest. The softer the item the more you will have to work. The zester is very well made and the handle is non slip. I saw that some people have also used it to julienne vegetables, which is something I definitely will try soon.