Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

At first I was skeptical about purchasing this ice shaver. Unlike many others available, this one didn't have a ton of reviews. Usually, I like to let others test a product out before I buy one. What changed my mind for this product was the high review the 'Hamilton Beach Tasty Treats Ice Shaver' received. I did some research and found that this one is the updated model. A bit more research and I found that the updated model hadn't changed too much from the previous. From that, I deduced that this machine would perform at least as well as the previous model. While still skeptical, I decided to treat myself and purchase it. As soon as I received it, I opened it and tested it. I've come up with a list of pros and cons: PROS: > Easy to take apart > Exceptionally easy to clean > Drive mechanism is seperated from parts that need to be cleaned > Pretty quick > Stir arm mixes whatever is in the receiving container > Simple, attractive design > Not terribly loud...I've heard a lot worse that took twice as long to shave as much ice as this one does > Works on more than just ice cubes...I loaded it with some frozen strawberries and I was pleasantly surprised > If you aren't using the mixing arm, you can put pretty much any container that will fit to collect the ice...a cooled ceramic or metal bowl worked great for me > Consistent and predictable (motor didn't sound at all fatigued with a full load of cubes (some of these machines sound like they struggle to shave the ice)) CONS: > The mechanism to change between slushie and snow cone seems like it is a little underengineered (could be a bit more solid) > Does not consistently shave ice with just one ice cube left (not an issue...afterall, it's just one ice cube...who cares?!?) > Receiving container "rattles" a bit more than I expected it to (again, not an issue. during testing, i put a small towel around the base in case there was an overflow or other issue and this solved the rattling (just a note: the towel was not necessary as the shaved ice is deposited exactly where it should be)) Bottom line: 5 Stars! If you want an inexpensive, simple, well designed, and high quality ice shaver, this is the one for you. Perfect for iced coffees, snow cones, margeritas, and more. It's not a large unit, but it works quickly enough where you could easily make enough ice for a group of people in a a few minutes. It's very easy to clean and quite versatile. Definitely worth the money!