****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
First off, this machine is huge. From the images, I didn't think it would be as big as it is. I mean, I knew it would be large, but not this LARGE. So, it's going to sit in our pantry or garage when stowed away. The packaging is not great. Mine came in a not of high quality cardboard box. The metal cap that connects to the handles was actually sticking completely out of the box, perhaps due to rubbing through the cardboard. Thankfully, the metal bits on this machine are of commercial quality...nothing was physically damaged. As other reviewers mentioned, this machine comes out of the box with a bit of dust, grime and oily hand prints over the metal parts. I spent quite some time cleaning it with soap and water. The plastic is not of very high quality, and in appearance, looks used. But, I doubt the machine was used, and instead, the plastic is just cheap and not properly stored before it's sent off to the assembly line. Now, the good part. It makes bonafide shaved ice. The real deal. It's soft like angel's wings, and super fluffy and airy. I bought some cheap syrups here on amazon to give it some taste tests, and the quality of the ice was absolutely wonderful (not the syrups...they were horrible). Everything everyone has said about it here in the reviews section are not sugar coating it. It's amazing. Also, there is a TON of metal grease all over the moving parts. You will need to remove some excess, or spread it around.Now, I found a couple tricks about the not so great things on this machine that many reviewers have complained about.1. Rubber feet are not of good quality. Falls off the base of the frame if slightly moved.FIX: So, the quality of the rubber feet is not really an issue. They are made of good thick rubber, but the design is the flaw. They do not hold at all to the base of the machine because there is no grab to the plastic. This results in the feet falling off fairly easily when the machine is only slightly moved. My fix for this was to use healthy dabs of Shoe Goo to the inside of the rubber feet before attaching to the housing. I used a plastic serving knife to get the thick gunky goo all the way inside. Then, I simply stuck the feet on to the machine. It dried fairly quickly and worked absolutely perfect. Hell, it worked so well, I may even patent the idea, ha! We have our machine setup on the kitchen island, and the darn thing barely moves at all now. And when I say barely, I mean almost no movement whatsoever. Be wary though, Shoe Goo has a strong chemical smell throughout the drying process. It goes away after a day or two.2. Ice breaks apart when I place it on the metal disk.FIX: Well, not really the problem of the machine. The large aluminum disk that the ice sits is machined and about 1/4" thick. Because of this, the thermal conductivity is fairly high. If the machine is sitting in your garage, or somewhere warm, the extreme shift in temperature to the ice block will cause it to crack. To remedy this, simply cover the top of the disk with a handful of cubed ice from your freezer and allow it to melt. It should be ready to go by the time your ice block has sweated a bit. .3. My machine wobbles too much and the ice block looks like it is about to spin out of control.FIX: Again, not a problem with the machine. If you did my rubber feet fix and it's still wobbly or shaking a lot, then you're ice block is most likely not properly leveled. Your ice block needs to be leveled on the top and bottom by chipping away at any excess ice that is causing it to not sit completely flat on the disk. If not leveled properly, the ice will wobble and perhaps even fly off resulting in a potential safety hazard. If you don't have an ice pick, grab a pairing knife or small 3" knife. Sit the ice block on the plastic yellow drop plate that was included with the machine. If the block is not standing up straight then it needs to be leveled by chipping away on both ends until it's completely flat. It may not be perfect, but the more level it is, the smoother it will rotate on the machine. I personally use a small paring knife to do this. I place the block of ice on it's side and hold the side down firmly with my non-dominant hand, and gently chip away excess ice with the other. Be quick about it...that ice is COLD!Other than that, the machine works wonderfully and creates beautiful shaved ice. At this price, it truly is a no-brainer. Even if you only use it during the hot summer or special events, it is still worth it in my opinion.
