I absolutely love this peeler. It is sturdy and well-constructed with a guard to protect against accidental cuts when used by children. I was brought up to peel away from myself (downward) as a safety precaution. I first bought the right-handed version of this peeler and found that I could only peel in this direction by holding the peeler in my left hand, which was quite awkward. But I loved it so much I went back and bought the left-handed version which works fine for this right-handed Mom.