Electric Ice Shaver Machine - VKP1100 Snow Cone Maker for Home & Commercial Use | Perfect for Parties, Events & Summer Treats | Fast & Quiet Shaved Ice Dessert Maker

Edit 1/23/15: I still love it! My grandson (13) got a chance to use it (under my supervision). He had no problems pressing the lid down to make it grind but there is a little trick to it. If you don't have it positioned right (too much ice, over time the hinge seems to have gotten just a tad loose) then it won't work. I did not notice this since I am used to using it and I subconsciously adapted to the change but when he tried it I had to figure out the sweet spot.Also on the mold. I have stopped using anything but water ice cubes. I describe below how the liquid gets pushed up under the hole for the post and it does not come out. In fact, I went so far as to take the thing apart (to the extent it comes apart) to try to clean it. I do not recommend this. I did manage to get some alcohol up there and it did help a little but not enough for the time and energy. I was surprised to find liquid in other places also - the inside where wires and the motor are. AVOID ANYTHING BUT WATER ICE CUBES!I still give it 5 stars. I don't think it was meant to last forever. Mine is still going strong and I think it has at least a couple more years to live which will make it well worth the price.Original Review:I love it!!!When I was a kid, I ate ice from the ice maker (those half moon type cubes?). As an adult, those big cubes hurt my teeth. A day not too long ago, I had an epiphany - snow cones! Ice I could eat! My goal was to eliminate snacks (ice cream, etc.) especially late at night with little to no sugar, little to no calorie and satisfying water. Of course, my REAL goal was to lower my blood sugar while satisfying my craving for late evening snacks and maybe even smoke less (the whole oral fixation thing).I was originally looking for something that made pearl ice. This does not. The pearl ice makers are outrageously expensive. This makes light snowy snow cone ice. That is good enough for my purpose.I have been looking for blue raspberry natural flavoring (I guess there really aren't blue raspberries in nature) so I could water it down so I only get a little sugar. It really doesn't need to be soaked like a snow cone. In the meantime, I have frozen fruit juice in 2 ounce condiment (also called shot) cups - like they put condiments in at the Asian restaurant. Those can be bought on Amazon. Then I put in one of those and the rest ice (straight from the ice maker - still the half moon kind of cubes).So far this seems to be working for my purpose. Almost no other late evening snacks and yet satisfied and very little sugar, no carbs. My doctor should be happy.Pros, Cons and Tips:Easy to use. Fill the top with ice of any shape or size, close the flap lid (with a little care, if you lift it just a little then the lid will not catch). Press down on the lid. It does not require strength to press down on the lid although if you press down, you get not quite so fluffy snow (important for the satisfying chewing part).The fuller the top is, the faster and coarser it will grate. The blade is also adjustable to make the ice coarser or finer. I find if I fill the top completely then it will fill a 16 ounce glass to about an inch from the top. I hold the glass under the opening and turn it some so it has a flat top. Doing it this way eliminates any real mess.If you have difficulty holding the glass, you can find a different size container and set it on the counter. For those with no strength (arthritis, etc.) putting it on the table might be easier even though it really doesn't require much pressure to start with. You could also place it at the side of the sink (or other higher edge) so you can put the container under the opening without holding it.It is noisy. It sounds like ice in a blender. Which is basically what it is.I use it daily.For cleaning, if you use only ice - put the syrup, juice, etc. on after - then all you do is take the top off, shake any remaining ice out and rinse it with hot water. Turn it upside down, tilted and let it air dry. It can get water under the base of the top. (Sorry for all the technical terms.) You can see it. If you tilt it just right when you let it dry, it will drain out and dry. It doesn't seem to be a problem as long as you are just using ice.Using juice ice cubes, I believe is causing a slight problem which I am going to look into tonight. One review mentioned mold. It doesn't look like mold but there is what I think is juice from the ice cubes up under where the post for the motor goes into the top. There are some screws that I think will allow me to get to that part so I will try taking it apart and let you know how it goes.Replacement blades are available for a few dollars but unless you use it for parties, I can't imagine needing one. It has two large screws right in the open so it would not be hard to replace the blade (or adjust it).My biggest complaint is my tongue gets numb and I slur my words. (Stop laughing!)Keep in mind, it's WATER so if drinking a glass of water close to bed time makes you get up in the middle of the night, so will this.I bought this for some fun summer slushy treats for the grandniece and grandnephews when they visit. But this grandaunt is finding herself breaking out the machine even without the grandkids.It’s a breeze to use and clean. Dump any ice left immediately. Rinse the reservoir, dry off the outside and I turn it upside down on the dish rack to let any excess water drain.I also make sure it is completely dry before I store it back into the box.Unlike other ice shavers this one makes more of a flat flake that melts very easily, highly suggest freezing ice cubes of milk to make bingsu. Makes the closest bingsu-like ice texture for such a cheap price. My one gripe with this is how hard it is to wash. Only the lid is removable, the lower dish-like area that holds the ice cubes is very hard to clean. I have cut my hand twice on the blade trying to clean this, but for the price it is so unbelievably good.My wife is a snow cone freak (in a good way). She's a sucker for a good snow cone. But if you don't have a way of creating snow cones in your own kitchen (or are just lazy), you usually wind up buying them from a snow cone stand or other such establishment. This can get expensive for what is essentially sugar water, so after shelling out a lot of money, making snow cones at home becomes a very attractive prospect. Depending on what you select as your ice shaver/crusher, designs will vary as much as your mileage. As consumer-level ice shavers go, the Victorio VKP1100 wins with a design thats not complicated. Even though the unit is made in Taiwan, it is sturdier than it looks.The best aspect of this shaver is that there is only one, solid steel blade to cut the ice. The rest of the unit is dedicated to moving the ice past the blade to create snow. Theoretically, if the blade ever gets dull (which I suppose it could with heavy use) all you need to do is remove two easily accessible screws to release the blade, sharpen the blade, and then put it back. Other shavers will require you to remove the blade(s) and perhaps sharpen them in a special way (dremel bits, sharpening wheels, etc.), perhaps even replacing the blade(s) entirely. This shaver's blade would only require a sharpening stone, which anyone can use.As for how it cuts ice, I would say it cuts it into pieces larger than grains of sand but smaller than pebbles. Some people prefer fine snow that some shavers produce; if so, I would advise them to look elsewhere. The Victorio VKP1100 uses ice you get from your in-fridge icemaker or from bagged ice; it does not require special shapes of ice in order to work, which is a major plus in my book. And my wife does not care as long as the ice crystals are small enough to suspend Tiger's Blood syrup within them. A full hopper will produce a little more ice than is needed for one standard size snow cone. The unit always leaves small pieces of ice behind (the ones it can't quit impel towards the blade).This shaver loses a star for two things: it is hard to completely dry out the hopper without sticking a clean towel in there and moving the impeller around (which could risk your fingers going near the super-sharp steel blade); and while the unit operates it sometimes sprays ice around, depending on the ice you have in the hopper. Both issues are not showstoppers; I just put a towel underneath the unit while it is operating, and I am careful to slowly dry out the hopper with a paper towel. Plus, the top is removable, so you can rinse it out and air dry it. Some people complain about the noise; anyone who loves snow cones knows mechanically shaving ice makes noise. So for me the noise is not a big deal. My kids are fine with it when they get a cone of sugary goodness after it is done making a racket.So all in all, if you are on the fence about this shaver, I would say go for it. It's pluses far outweigh it's minuses.I ordered this and had it sent.. I live in the UK. When it arrived, the plug was a US plug... red flag!! I did have a plug and power converter, which I used. However, the second I tried to turn it on... all the lights in my flat went out. This thing caused such a power surge. Not suitable at all. very dangerous.As a compulsive ice chewer, I've used many different ice crushers and snow-cone makers over my life. This little unassuming blue boi is a wonderful little gadget. I've had it for about a year now, and it's shown no wear from relatively intensive use. Unlike some other models that rely on your own pressure to hold the ice as the machine grinds, this machine has a funnel system and you just need to gently press on the lid making it ideal for kids or the elderly to use.When I fill it up, it takes about a minute shred the whole thing, giving me about 3-4 cups of snow. I could easily see making a few batches quickly.Muy bueno para hacer raspados y nieves, el hielo queda muy finito. Mucho mejor y más rápido que uno manual y usa cubos normales de hielera. Le pondría cinco estrellas si se pudiera abrir bien para lavarlo por dentro, sólo se puede enjuagar por encima al quitar la tapa. Fuera de eso es muy práctico y saca mucha nieve de hielo rápidamente, aunque es de uso casero, no creo que aguante uso pesado como comercialWe had it for about a month, it worked amazing at shaving the ice for us really fast. But it's made of such low quality material. To power it you have to press at the top with some amount of force. However, pressing on it enough times has led to the plastic bending and now it does not work. The idea was great, I just wish it was made of better quality / sturdier materials. I wish I could get a refund but we didn't get the warrantee... Ended up becoming a waste...Seems like a so-so product out of the box but when you plug it in and use it, it's excellent. Have been using it to make 'frozen' cocktails all summer and it's really slick.