Hamilton Beach 68010 Snowman Ice Shaver
Oct/092
Review
On hot summer days nothing beats a scoop of snow–to eat! This delightful Snowman churns out bowlfuls of shaved ice in just seconds. Kids can slurp flavored sno-cones for a birthday party and adults can sip frozen daiquiris for evenings on the deck. Two 4-inch round plastic molds with lids are included for freezing water, syrup-flavored water, or fruit juices. Simply place the frozen round (regular ice cubes will work, too, but not as well) in the blade unit, cover with the motorized top, and press down on the palm-size operating button. A bowl placed underneath (not included) catches the instant snow. For safety the sharp blade is completely internal and not accessible to fingers when the Snowman is operating. The machine measures 13 inches high when assembled, with an 8-inch-square base. A one-year warranty covers the Snowman against defects. –Ann Bieri
Nothing tastes better on a hot summer day than a cold frozen treat made with the Hamilton Beach Snowman. (more…)
5:35 pm on October 27th, 2009
I bought this machine before any description or reviews were posted and hoped for the best. I was pleasantly surprised in what this machine can do. One trick to this machine though, is to definately freeze the liquid that you want to use in the machine first. Conveniently, this shaver comes with two round freezing containers which fit the shaver compartment exactly. I have tried shaving just plain ice first and then adding liquids, but because this machine generates snow, the snow tends to melt before you get a chance to enjoy it. If you freeze it first, the snow cones last a long time and are much better. All that you have to do is put ice into the shaving compartment and push down on the top. You do not have to push for very long or very hard and the entire ice block will be shaved. If you are looking for a manual snow cone machine, I would highly recommend this one as an inexpensive, reliable candidate.
8:30 pm on October 27th, 2009
My family has been using the Hamilton Beach Snowman Ice Shaver for a couple weeks now and we love it. I think it’s one of the best things to get kids for the summer. When kids are hot, it’s a great way to cool them off with something fun and healthy. Just freeze some grape juice or other yummy, healthy drink, and turn it into a shave ice!
Pros:
–Great price
–Easy operation and cleaning
–Works with both ice molds (included) and any ice cubes
–Compact, vertical, space-saving design
–Comes with a good recipe suggestion booklet
Cons (these are all very minor):
–Sharp blade exposed on underside, so do not let kids operate or clean without close supervision
–The manual needs to be updated to reflect the newer design, which actually has fewer pieces that need to be cleaned; this model no longer has a “nut” holding the metal wheel in place, although the manual refers to it.
–When I called Hamilton Toll-free support about the “nut”, they were clueless about the product in general and had a very old model to refer to