ZENY Ice Crushers Machine Electric Snow Cone Maker Stainless Steel Shaved Ice Machine (Orange)

Bought this for the grandkids. They usually stay with us for week of 4th of July. I tired to use my Vitamix bbn lender last year, but it just wasn't made to shave ice. So this time, I did it right and got me one of these. It works great with bags of ice bought from the store, it your I've maker. But you'll quickly empty out all the ice in your freezer, and then get your a$$ chewed out by your spouse when they want ice with their Diet Coke. Ask me how I know.... As other have said, I made some ice blocks from some Tupperware bowls, and while the ice shaving was better, the amount of time it takes to make several of them just isn't worth it. Use bagged ice. It's cheaper and faster. I also bought the Hawaiian Shaved flavors, which are extremely good. The kids loved it!! I made them shaved ice almost all week long, and they really liked that they could pick out their own flavors. You can add pieces of fruit, and a can of whipped cream really does add to the presentation. Crush up somo Oreo cookies to sprinkle on top, and you've got an unmanageable and unstoppable sugar infused child with a source of energy that you can actually see crash 45 minutes later. I've bought a lot of stuff that makes we think.... What were you thinking.... But this is one that even my wife said was a excellent purchase. The only downside is... Now all the neighborhood kids come to my house when I'm out in the garage.

Unit was delivered quickly. IT IS HEAVY! Wiped it down, read instructions, checked for blade problems and ran an empty test. No problems, no fillings, no shavings, no white grease. Added 1 cup of ice, turned on machine, brought down the handle/cover and instantly blade spun. LOUD! We're talking 2x as loud as my old shaver. But it's not so bad I won't use it. It turned the cup of plain cubed ice* into snow in seconds, not minutes, worth the noise. {*Note old shaver was hand held and required use of solid shaped cups of ice, not cubes, so they are a pain for taking up extra space in freezer.} The ice literally shot out into the bowl they provided. It even showered a bit on the cat waiting on the floor below. After comforting said cat, I grabbed some of the artificial cone flavoring we have and made the first snow cone/shaved ice of the season. Delivered to wife. We shared the sugary frozen mess over the next few minutes. When I returned the dish to the kitchen I realized that one of the other posters was right. This thing drops water everywhere. So now, I put a towel under the base. We've had shaved ice treats several times since and we're working on some more natural flavorings so we can eat healthier shaved ice; so far the purchase has been more than worth it - we're taking this to friends house this weekend to share there. And maybe providing shaved ice to neighborhood kids on a movie night! Thinking maybe trying with tequila and sour mix!

This is really great! I decided to shop around for a snow cone maker. I thought I'd have to pay much more for one that made nice, soft ice. But this is quality, sturdy and well worth the low price. It uses ice cubes right out of your freezer - no need to freeze ice in a mold - or buy an ice block. You can't fill it very full - It has a safely that won't allow it to start up unless the lever is even with the machine, to avoid injury. For my family - one fill makes 2 small/medium snow cones. It only takes about 5 seconds to grind the ice. It does take a little bit of maneuvering the bowl underneath - so that the ice doesn't over shoot the bowl. I told my neighbors about it, and then let them borrow it. Before they had finished making 2 snow cones, the husband was on Amazon, ordering one for them. I bought pre-made syrups - which were good - but then discovered I could make homemade flavors for much less with sugar, water and powdered drink mix flavoring...and a little coconut extract to make tiger's blood. Anyway, so good and nice, soft snowy ice. Depending on the pressure you apply - there will be a little bigger ice pieces at the end. My ice cubes from my freezer seem to shave more fine than a store bought bag of ice cubes. Definitely paid for itself after a couple of uses. (I have a big family :-) )

This machine is better than my first try at a snow cone machine by far. It's easy to press down the ice and powers through it quickly. This is the perfect machine if you only need this for a couple or small family. You can knock out 5 snow cones in a few minutes easily including syrup and packing the cups. It's also not too big so that another plus. I am contemplating buying a bigger size machine that can hold more shaved ice in it at 1 time. That is the biggest drawback for me with this machine because you have to empty the shaved ice pretty much after each fill up instead of just being able to do say 8 cones worth of ice at once and then packing the cups. I can get a 8 to 10oz cone before emptying for the next batch. It's not really a negative just an FYI depending on your particular use case. But if the bottom part is bigger than obviously that takes up more space which I don't really want.

Bought a Hawaiian ice machine first. After freezing ice in their ice molds all day, I finally was able to make snowcone that evening. However, I soon discovered the machine came in broken. The motor would not turn. So disappointed. Then I discovered that the Company wanted me to pay for shipping their broken merchandise back to them for a refund. Anyway, saw this one and thought it looked sturdy and it used regular ice why not. It cost me $20 more than the Hawaiian product, but if it worked - than it would be worth it. Wow, was it worth it !!!!!! Wont ever go back to a cheap plastic snow cone machine again. This thing is built like a beast and works like one too !!!! Uses regular ice right out of my freezer door. Shaves it too snow like quality in just seconds (not ice chunks like the plastic ones). So easy to use. My 7 year old can do it with supervision of course. Take a red solo cup, fill with ice from freezer door and shave it. Ice shaves into bowl. Scoop ice up into cup from bowl. Add syrup and you have one great snow cone. And unlike those cheap plastic machines, no need too wait before doing it again. Made 8 big snowcones back to back. I'm sure this would function well for any kind of back yard get together/birthday parties. Yes, it makes a small mess, but dosent all snow cone machines. After all your shaving ice cubes into snowballs. I put mine on a drying Matt. Works great for keeping the mess down. The whole thing is stainless, but weighs only 9lbs. Easy to move around. The bottom has a plastic covering as not to rust out its feet. Easy to clean, just wipe it out. It is kinda bulky to store, but so far I've just kept it on my counter as I've used it everyday. I love this this beast!!!!!

Ordered this because me and the grandkids love snow cones. Made our first ones yesterday. I worked great! I came ready to go out of the box and with minimal instruction we were making shaved ice. And a little ice goes a long way too. I made three coffee cup size snow cones with around 20 ice-maker sized cubes. I had already purchased flavoring (banana, our favorite) and I just poured it on top. Delicious. So easy to use. Safety features are Great! When the ice pusher lid (I don't know what else to call it) is open, the machine automatically stops. It doesn't start again until the lid is completely closed. It takes a little muscle power to push the handle down to get the ice to shave but the kids were able to do it. Also, shaved ice is a little messy and doesn't always get directly in the bowl provided, you have to move it around a bit, but then its only shaved ice and wipes up easily. I am very happy with the function and price. And very happy with the shaved ice it makes. Would highly recommend.

We have tried the plastic home snow cone machines only to find that they do not cut the ice enough or break within a couple of uses. We decided to spend an extra couple of dollars (literally a couple of dollars and not much more) and purchase a more industrial snow cone machine. Major Pros • Very durable – we have treated the item like any other household item being shoved in cupboards • Easy to clean – with the ice, there will be water dropping from the snow cone machine. Just a dish towel does the job. • Ice shaving is uniformed – I will make enough shaved ice for four snow cones and the ice is very uniformed • Ice shaves into an included metal bowl – the ice piles into the bowl and is easy to serve the ice into cones • Quick – I am able to make enough ice for four snow cones in about two minutes • Ease of use – You put the ice in the top and just press down on the level • Very safe – My ten year old is able to make the snow cones without any issues (with supervision of course) Major Cons • Loud – but it is crushing ice • Receiving bowl is small – I need to turn the bowl around so that the ice does not pile up too high in one location • Not good for breakfast – giving the kids sugar water before school was not my best decision of the day • No Snoopy – does not have a cute child icon on the device I am glad that we spent the extra dollars and got the better-quality snow cone maker

We received this shave ice maker as a gift. I have to admit that I was somewhat skeptical about how well it might work, but I was impressed from day one. OK, I used to live in Hawaii, a home of great shaved ice (think Matsumoto's Shave Ice), and the only machines I'd seen that make shaved ice suitable for, well, shaved ice were large industrial grade machines...until I tried this one. There are mainly pluses with this machine and only a couple of minuses. Pluses: 1) You can use regular ice cubes...no need to obtain block ice 2) There is a safety feature that requires the handle to be depressed far enough that it prevents accidental contact between soft tissue and the rapidly spinning blade inside. 3) The ice shavings are fine enough to work as shaved ice, not that yucky snow cone gritty ice. 4) You can shave as much or as little ice as desired. Minuses: 1) Make sure that you put a towel under the machine before you start...the first set of ice cubes will largely melt as the insides of the machine cool down. 2) The bowl used to catch the shaved ice is, IMO, too small. Sometimes i just hold a different bowl or even a mug under the opening where the shaved ice shoots out. 3) Be very careful reaching into the chute where you add the ice cubes, even when the machine is unplugged because the blade is VERY sharp as it needs to be to do its job. Make sure that when you are done you incline the machine toward the front so ice and water can drain out as it melts. Don't store until you are sure that all the ice has melted and water has drained out. We have used ours shave ice machine several times, and it's been a hit every time, especially with the younger crowd. Just make sure that you don't scrimp on the flavoring(s). 5 stars for a home-use unit.

Good quality... Functions and use is very easy.... Very sharp blade and also it has on off sensor. Built quality is great and worth a buy.

easy to use

Very good product. Ice crushing is good. Best part is full protection of any mishandling. Motor is interlocked with the flip cover. Motor automatically get swiched off when you open a ice chamber. Great...

great product , just need to enhance blade , seems to break piece by piece in the long run...

Grt product & esy use