E.A.
The only thing I use is a knife and a benriner mandoline http://www.cutleryandmore.com/content/products/large/1470...
The mandoline slices uniformly so the dicing or mincing is also more uniform. And I use it a LOT, we actually have two, one for home and one for the business. The replacement blades are inexpensive, but it's a bit of an investment initially because it is one of the best on the market.
I agree that the "choppers" cut things to randomly and therefore they cook unevenly, and in my business I can't afford to cut corners like that.