I LOVE THIS - Makes wonderful home made soft serve ice cream fast!

I love this machine. I've made slushies and soft serve ice cream. The ice cream is hands down, the best. This machine is well made, fast, fun, and highly recommended.

Unpacking: First off the entire machine is well packed and it comes with a recipe booklet and a user manual. In addition to the parts for the machine, you get cleaning brush and a spare handle retaining pin. I thought that was all, but the bag that holds the cleaning brush also has a star shape for your soft serve ice cream. Wish I'd found it before I made my first batch!

Since the machine comes nearly fully assembled, there isn't a lot to do when you get the machine, just install handle. You may have to push the plunger up slightly for the handle to go in, no big deal. The bags that it came in smelled of fresh plastic so before the first use I disassembled and washed everything thoroughly. That was pretty painless - the machine has a clean mode. That mode may be fine for cleaning after slushies, but not after ice cream.

Running is easy, and you can have ice cream in as little as 20-30 minute, maybe faster I didn't time it. Here are a couple of tips/tricks.

1. Slushies are easy but some colas make really big chunks when they freeze and that creates a "thumping" sound when it runs. Other colas and wine slushies don't do this. Experiment.
2. Soft Serve Ice Cream is awesome, go slow, or you'll get brain freeze. Make sure to stir the mixture very well before adding it to the machine.
3. When cleaning up, put a paper towel under the central tunnel while everything melts after use. This makes clean up much easier and less messy.
4. There is a recommendation to the maximum alcohol and sugar content. These recommendations are really important to stick to. If you need extra sugar or alcohol, you can add after serving (We haven't needed to do this)
5. The center section is double walled and collects condensation after you wash it. I open the bottom and use a small fan to blow through before putting it away. That clears up any condensation and ensures everything is ready for storage.

The unit runs at a reasonable noise level unless you get something that causes excessive vibration. We only had that issue with diet cola, everything else was fine. The base unit and stainless steel freezing center section are robust and feel well built. The center section and handles are all plastic and appear pretty sturdy as well. Everything assembles and comes apart for washing easily.

I'm expecting to get a lot of use out of this, home made vanilla ice cream is the best and wine slushies are a treat that my wife loves.