Wednesday, February 8, 2012

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Free handy facts on shaved ice machines

by snocone

shaved-ice-machines Free handy facts on shaved ice machines

Ok…I agree that it’s a little expensive, but when you stop at the neighborhood snow cone place, stand in line for 45min. in 105 degree temps, it was worth it to buy our own machine. And the quality from this one is just as good as the one up the street that is PACKED everyday during the summer. Wish I would have bought this earlier in the summer…..it would have paid for itself by now!
The snow ice does go everywhere, so I put it on a microfiber towl, then on a plastic tray with a lip on it. I also put a towl over the front of the machine as we’re running it so any snow that’s spraying out (& it WILL) gets caught in the towel itself. If you by your sink, you can then just shake it out over it.
Also, make a hole in the middle of the snow in your glass, then pour the liquid flavor down that and around the top. It will soak in better instead of just staying at the top. Also, try some coffee creamer to get the cream flavor they charge you 50 cents for at the shaved ice place up the street ‘)

I need help fixing a Margaritaville DM2000 Margarita Maker Machine?
I just boough the Margaritaville DM2000 Margarita Maker shaved ice machines Machine. It does not shave ice. Does anyone who owns one know what could be wrong?Also, this was an open box clearance special that I cannot return. So if it’s not a simple fix, please let me know if you know what parts may need to be replaced?
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shaved-ice-machines Free handy facts on shaved ice machines

Tagged as: 50 Cents, Coffee Creamer, Degree Temps, Free Shaved, Handy Facts, Hole In The Middle, Ice Machines, Keyword, Neighborhood, Shaved Ice, Snow Cone, Snow Ice, Towl

{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }

Gearhart August 30, 2010 at 5:34 pm

I have had my Little Snowie for over 1.5 years. I have 2 children and our family absolutely love it. During the summer we use it constantly. We have found a place locally to buy the concentrates we like and we can make all the flavors we love as we need them. I even use it to make sno cones for my daughters softball team’s concession stand. We make tons of money for the team. We have an extra blade but have yet to have to change it. If you want cones with a top you need to buy a funnel about the size of the top of your cup ,it isn’t necessary but makes the sno cones look like the ones from the stand.The mixes that come with this are great tasting also.

The only problems we had are some minor jams from using ice cubes that are too big. I use crushed ice which works best so having a refrigerator that crushes ice is very important or buying crushed ice that is small. It is a little loud but it makes the sno cone really fast so its bearable.It does leak some because of sno missing the cup or just out of the mouth of the machine so use a tray or towel under the machine. Not a huge problem. It holds enough ice to fill a 16oz cup with a top in the chamber.

Overall its a really reliable machine that makes a quality sno cone that I have yet to hear any complaints about. You will love the taste and quality of the machine.

Moffett August 31, 2010 at 5:19 am

My girlfriend expressed to me that when she was a little girl she loved shaved ice and always dreamed of being able to make it at home. So when Christmas rolled around I remembered this sentiment and decided on the Little Snowie.

This device produces true shaved, not crushed, ice from real ice cubes. It does not require specially formed ice cubes and has the power to make quite a few at once. You likely wont be able to open a shaved ice stand but will have no problems serving a party at your home.

In addition to being well designed and built it also comes with a few starter flavors making it usable right out of the box. This payed off as she was able to immediately use it after unwrapping it. In fact the device requires absolutely no preparation to use. Just plug it in, insert ice cubes, flavor and eat.

She has owned it for a couple years now and the lack of preparation required has paid for itself. As soon as it starts to heat up it ends up on the counter next to the coffee maker :)

Abrilla August 31, 2010 at 5:28 pm

[...]

The product itself was well described by the reviewer who explained that it blasts ice out of the chute in a wide pattern that is somewhat difficult to catch completely in a standard 6oz snow cone cup. Some flakes of snow will inevitably escape. So, it can be a bit messy and is best used outside on a picnic table or over a counter/floor that you can easily sponge to remove the melted ice.

Now, the good news is that it is very quick to fill that 6oz snow cone cup and the dome on the chute works as advertized to form a nice rounded top on the ice in your cone. You’ll be adding ice to the hopper frequently as the hopper only holds enough ice for maybe 3 cones. But, you’ll you won’t have people waiting in line for this machine. It’s way faster than cheapies. Also, note that the grinder looks much like a garbage disposal mechanism from the top and while relatively quiet if running with the hopper empty, it makes a fair amount of garbage disposal-like noise when shaving the ice.

The ice quality is pretty good. It’s finer than the coarse grind from the original sno-cone machines. So, it is indeed a shaver, not a grinder. The particle size of the snow it produces is not adjustable.

The package included 4 – 16oz (pint) bottles of pre-mixed syrup and 4 – 4oz bottles of flavor concentrate. 4oz of concentrate + 5lb of sugar yields a gallon of finished syrup. So, in total there’s enough supplies (sans the sugar) to make 4 gallons of syrup plus an additional half gallon of syrup ready to use.

A small package contains 4 each, friction-fit pouring spouts, stretchy rubber spout covers, and shampoo bottle style screw on caps with a little open/close dispenser tip. The spouts and covers fit the 16oz syrup bottles and the screw caps fit the concentrate bottles.

One handy extra that is included is a pneumatic foot switch and hose. The switch is essentially a rubber hemisphere that sits on the floor. When you step on it, it compresses the air it contains which travels up the hose and activates a pressure sensitive switch to start the unit. I found this item very handy as it frees both hands to manage filling the cones.

For those of you considering letting your kids operate this shaver, the biggest hazzard is putting hands into the grinder chamber while the anvils are turning. That could bruise some fingertips. But, the manufacturer recognized that hazard and installed a safety switch that will not let the grinder operate while the top is open. Once the top is closed and latched, there is no way to put hands/fingers into the grinding chamber. With a little supervsion at first, a responsible 8 year old could probably do a good job running it.

Note that there is a 3-position rocker switch on the side labled on-off-foot. If set to on, it runs continuously (and produces snow continuously). In the foot position, it only runs while your foot is depressing the dome on the foot switch.

Overall it’s a pretty decent product for the price and its intended use. The only thing I would like to see improved is to tame the discharge pattern of the snow so that it all goes to filling the cup. But, the mess is only water so not that big a deal to clean up. Overall, I’m happy.

Agee September 1, 2010 at 5:23 am

My daughter has wanted one of these for years. She finally saved enough and we ordered it from our “warehouse club” for $200. It came with a lot a flavoring syrups – so it was a great starter set.

Pros: easy to use, pretty good shaved ice – no big chunks like the cheaper models. As good as 90% of the sno-shack shaved ice stands you drive by. ALSO – uses ice cubes from your freezer rather than having to freeze your ice in a mold!

Cons: a bit messy, not quite as good as the huge industrial machines used in snowie shacks.

Overall, this was an expensive purchase, but I am glad she got this rather than the “disposable” models out there. She has used it every day for a week and is in LOVE with it.

Halberstadt September 1, 2010 at 5:49 pm

I bought this for my youth group and the kids say it’s as good or better shaved ice than we buy up town at the Paradise Snow stand. The machine is fast and works well with Sonic ice. Did have some problems with larger peices of ice getting stuck and having to turn the machine over to get it unstuck. It does make a mess as it shoots the ice out fast! Bst have the chute area covered completely by the cup or bowl. I would recommend it to anyone wanting a good ice machine as a fairly reasonable price for groups.

Mead September 2, 2010 at 5:50 am

This snow machine is probably the best one decides the snow ball machines that cost [...]. I recommend this snow cone machine to anyone who just wants a snow cone, or maybe a party with a couple of friends. the snow looks like real snow you got out of your backyard in winter! It might be [...], but I think it is TOTALLY WORTH IT!

Gorton September 2, 2010 at 5:09 pm

This thing works like a charm, makes perfect shave ice snow cones and is compact enough to be easy to store. Came with Syrup flavors, foot peddle, and spouts. Well packed and on time. Highly highly recommended.

Aston September 3, 2010 at 5:15 am

This machine produces excellent quality shaved ice. Balance is a bit wobbly. Might make your heart flutter when the block of ice cracks and gets tossed around. I can fill a 100 gallon cooler in less than 50 minutes.

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