Great Northern Popcorn Company Premium Quality Ice Cub Shaved Ice Machine Commercial Ice Shaver, Blue, 1/3 hp, 6057 Ice Cub Shaver

Throughout these reviews, a few small items keep popping up as drawbacks to an otherwise fine machine. It was with these concerns in mind that I unboxed, assembled, and adjusted the Ice Cub. I took pictures along the way, especially of the blade adjustment process. If there is a way to post them here, I'll do that. In the meantime, here is a "blow-by-blow" of the process and what I found: 1. Delivery: Delivery was one day early, which is why I'm sitting here typing this review instead of shaving ice. A+ 2. Condition of Package: Other reviewers are right - it comes in a box that is not of the highest quality. The box was, however, taped and banded. The machine was held in place with custom Styrofoam inserts and shredded paper and cardboard. Underneath all of that, he machine was wrapped in a tied-off thick plastic bag. A 3. Condition of Machine: With the exception of one small scuff, flawless. It might be of interest to some to know that the plastic housing is fairly sturdy. It is, however, plastic and not a scratch-resistant composite. With use, it IS going to collect scratches and scuffs. A product that helps hide these pretty well is Plexus - a spray that helps keep motorcycle windshields crystal clear, even after they've weathered. B+ 4. Grease: Lots of it, but only where it is supposed to be. The shaft that holds the lion's share of the grease came wrapped in a sheet of heavy paper which did a good job of not letting the grease all over everything else. A 5. Dirt: Very little at all on the plastic - a fine gray dust on the tops of some of the metal parts. That gray dust responded when I ran a magnet over it - it is (at least partly) metal dust. I don't think these are made in an ISO 9000 factory ;-) B+ 6. Components of Note: The blade table (on which the ice rests and spins) is made of brass. Other reviewers have described aluminum tables and complained of cracking ice from the heat transfer. Great Northern might have made a switch - perhaps for safety reasons (cracked ice blocks coming apart and flying off the table), for customer satisfaction, or perhaps for both. A+ 7. Blade adjustment: As delivered, the blade was grossly out of adjustment. While it was fairly even from side to side, it was set so high that even with the blade knob adjusted to its lowest setting the blade was so high that the ice probably would have caught and jammed. More on this a little later. F (Can be adjusted by user to achieve an A+) 8. Shaft Run Out: One reviewer mentioned that the shaft on his machine does not turn directly on center and the result is a machine that wobbles around and vibrates. The shaft on this machine turns true. I measured run out at the bottom of the shaft at .007 - a tolerance in keeping with fairly high quality machinery. A 9. Screws and Bolts: All present and accounted for and TIGHT! A+ 10. Sound: Quiet. A 11. Manual: Aside from the hazard warnings, useless. D- Going back to the blade adjustment - for the few people who have had noise, vibration, or halo halo and not snow, this might be an area to investigate and correct. The blade on this machine adjusts exactly like the blades on a woodworking jointer. One can spend a fortune on fancy jigs to bring that blade to within the thickness of a human hair of perfection from side to side, or one can use that money to buy syrup for one's ice! Here's how to do a good job of adjusting the blade: 1. Turn the adjusting knob to the right until the blade won't go any lower, Then back off 1 turn. (Note - the knob is rather small and does not provide much leverage. You really need to give it a good effort to get it turned all the way in before backing it off one turn. Don't be wimpy about it1) 2. With a 10MM wrench, loosen the two brass bolts that hold the blade in place. Get them just loose enough that the blade can be slid up and down in the bracket. they should NOT be so loose that the blade can flop back and forth in the bracket. If you get them this loose and then adjust the blade, when you tighten them the blade will invariably get higher than you want it to be when it is tightened down. 3. By hand, turn the blade adjusting screws counterclockwise until the blade is below the table. Note - it is the relationship of the edge of the blade and the table area to the left of the blade (as you are looking at the front of the machine) that is being described here. The pictures make this clear - I hope I can figure out how to post them. 4. Place a junk credit card on edge on the table to the left of the blade near the center hole of the table and slide the card over the slot until it overhangs the blade and the slot. SLOWLY turn the inside adjusting screw clockwise until the card just kisses the edge of the blade. (This would be picture 1) 5. Repeat step 4, but this time place the card near the outside edge of the table rather than near the center hole. You will know you have the right height on both sides when the edge of the credit card just catches the blade and leaves tiny powdery shavings behind. (This would be picture 2) 6. Lay the credit card flat across the blade to protect your fingers and gently tighten the blade bolts a little at a time (NOT the blade adjusting screws!) going from side to side several times until everything is good and tight. (This would be Picture 3). 7. If you have done this correctly, the blade should be dead flat and just a little above the left side of the table. Turn the adjusting knob all the way back in and the blade should be flat AND just below the surface of the left side of the table. This is where you want the blade to be when you center your block of ice on the table and start it spinning. 8. Back out the adjusting screws and put them somewhere handy until you sharpen your blade and need to use them again. 9. When it is time to shave ice, center your tempered block of ice (these are perfect for making your ice blocks - add 1/2 tsp. sea salt to minimize cracking: Extreme Freeze Reditainer 64 oz. Freezeable Deli Food Containers w/ Lids - Package of 8 - Food Storage ) lower the pawl onto the top of the ice sinking the teeth just a little, turn on the motor, and turn the adjusting knob gently to the left until the blade starts to shave the ice. The lower the blade (lightest shave) the finer the snow. This is as far as I can go since the ice is freezing and not yet frozen and ready to go. I'll supplement this review as warranted. All in all, this is a sturdy machine that, like a lot of Taiwanese woodworking machinery, will go on and on and on - quietly and humbly doing a good job of what it was made to do. This is an "A" purchase - very glad I bought it. I have little doubt that the snow it will make tomorrow and into the future will be of fine quality. One last note - SIZE. It IS big. If it were a machinosaur, it could eat 4 Little Snowie's and not stop to burp. That's in the photos too - would be picture 4 - I hope I can post them. All the best, Jim OK! We've used this a few times and couldn't be happier with it. We have named it "Snowasaurus" and it will make its public "debut" at the spring picnic at our all-girls high school. The snow is light, fluffy, and creamy. It melts in your mouth pretty much before you can do much chewing at all. There is ZERO crunch. It works fast. Cleanup is a quick wipe down with a clean damp rag. What a TON of FUN! Awesome purchase. Update August 3, 2014. Well, in response to Mary who has tried using my directions for blade adjustment, I have altered the text just a little. Mary, I hope you find the revised instructions more useful and that you will soon be enjoying shave ice! In the meantime, does anyone know how to post pictures with these reviews? Update August 27, 2014. Still no way to post pics - is it possible? How to? Mary, I've created a package of the 4 pictures that I will gladly email to you. Or did I do that already? I'm old and I forget.

I bought this machine last season and used it HEAVILY at my house. We bought a property with a pool so many days we had 10 plus kids ripping around along with parents and without fail they would ask for snow cones once they saw the monster that we had on the counter. This is no snoopy snow cone machine, this is a legit ice SHAVER which provides everything from a silky smooth ice like gelato to a fast, rougher cut to just get high volume through the machine to make as many as fast as possible. I really wanted to replicate a snow cone like I had in Hawaii and I feel like this product gets you pretty dang close. I will provide links for all the supporting products that I purchased along the way over these last 15 months. Tips: #1 It is TALL, it would not fit on the space between countertop and cabinet uppers at my house. If you have an open counter with no cabinets above then you are golden. Please note the picture shows the auger/screw fully depressed. It extends out above the already tall unit when you spin the grip wheel up to accommodate your ice block. I ended up getting a small folding table from Costco and using a smoker BBQ cover to protect the unit on my back porch for this season. Working great so far. #2 Freeze your own ice, we keep about 4 buckets in rotation. These ones have held up like champs. You could go with something a little taller if you really wanted but I wouldn't bother unless you were going more light commercial use #3 Use a high quality syrup concentrate and make your own simple syrup. I used Ralph's snow cone syrup concentrates (go to their website and pick your own 12 pack of over 100 flavors 1 bottle made 1 gallon of syrup I would do it 1 quart at a time, 2 Tbsp concentrate = 1 quart syrup). I linked one pre-made flavor just so you have the name/brand. Do NOT buy pre-made syrups from Amazon, it is just too dang expensive to ship heavy quarts of liquid. #4 If you are having a party with a bunch of kids, Smart and Final has like 8 flavors in quart pour bottles that aren't amazing but its nice to have the extra bottles to re-fill with the good stuff. I think the price was about $2 for a quart. They also have the gallon jugs and pump nozzles. Also best place to buy spoon straws. #5 Buy speed pour spouts! #6 I found an ice chipper wasn't really needed. The buckets I linked have a smooth bottom which goes down on the brass plate, the rougher top was handled fine with the spikes on the spinning plate, just make sure to give it a good whack to set the teeth in the ice before turning it on. Also let the ice sweat for like 10 minutes to make sure nothing is gonna stick #7 Always back the blade down to 0 before turning it on and slowly adjust to a deeper cut. Always use the plastic safety cover because sometimes your block will crack and a big ol chunk WILL be flung out, especially towards the end of your block #8 Get a squeeze bottle of sweetened condensed milk, just do it. Coconut cream drizzle if you are feeling really spicy. A scoop of vanilla ice cream at the bottom of your cup works great too. #9 If you are going to use this at a carnival or commercial operation then go to harbor freight and get a $15 foot pedal switch. Upgrade the switch if you are going to use it hard but I don't think this unit would be good for aggressive, professional use. #10 I found a plastic popcorn bowl that fit below the blade perfectly, the yellow dish below isn't really good for much, it is removable/washable #11 Enjoy being the awesome house that all the kids want to play at! LINKS: Buckets: Basix 64 oz. Freezable Deli Food Storage Containers w/ Lids - Package of 10 - Food Storage Ice Chipper: Winco ICH-9 Ice Chipper, 9-Inch by 2.5-Inch Speed Pourer: Liquor Pour Spouts Set - Stainless Steel bottle spout and Liquor Pourers Dust Caps Covers (7+7) Cover: Homitt 30 Inch Smoker Cover Syrup: Ralph's Lemon Lime Snow Cone Syrup | 16oz (1 Pint)

Estoy encantada con mi juguete. Nuevo muy recomendable

Excelente máquina. La recomiendo mucho.

Que llego en tiempo estimado y da el servicio que ofrecía en la reseña cumple con las expectativas que se esperaban gracias 🙂

La maquina me fallo desde la primer semana, el motor no tiene fuerza y se caliente y se apaga muy mal producto No me han resuelto la garantia

No funciono, fue una mala compra