Crystal-Clear Ice Ball Maker, 2-Cavity Mold, Jumbo Ice Balls, Better Kitchen Products

I've seen products promising crystal balls of ice in the past for extremely high amounts of money, so I was very doubtful when I came across this. How in the heck could this be only $30 bucks and actually work? Well, it does. There are two little...bumps that are created on purpose due to the way the mold works - but I see those as very minor blemishes that can easily be chipped off manually if you're a perfectionist.I HIGHLY recommend this for anyone who is looking for a way to take their cocktails or liquors to a whole new level of presentation and enjoyment.

Very simple to use. Makes perfectly clear ice balls with hot tap water. No boiling, no filtering, no distilled water necessary. Just follow the instructions.A little pricey, for what your get, but it works well. I really don't like the cloudy ice cubes that come out of my freezer for serving in cocktails. The ice balls definitely look a lot classier.It takes 24-30 hours to make 2 ice balls... so be prepared to invest a couple of weeks of daily ice making if you intend to serve these to guests.It works by slowing the freezing process... the water starts hot, and the mould is set in insulated foam, which further slows the process. The water that sits below the mouldsdoesn't fully freeze, even after 30 hours (but the balls were frozen). I rushed the last batch and opened the mold after 21 hours to find that the balls weren't completely frozen.If you have a little patience, and a couple of weeks advance notice, you can have a freezer full of ice balls for your next cocktail party.

I just unmolded my first ice balls using this maker. I used filtered water from the frig water dispenser, I microwaved it till it was very hot but not boiling. Poured it into the device and put it in the freezer. It was easy to unmold the ice balls and one is absolutely crystal clear and the other has only a few tiny bubbles in it. The Crystal-Clear Ice Ball Maker is easy to use and it does make crystal clear ice balls. I love it.To the manufacturer, I have a suggestion: make a version that creates ice balls in the shape of the Star Wars Death Star. There are molds out there for that, but they are only that, molds.This is well made, it works very well, and was worth the price of admission.

Works well and does just what it says it does. It takes a bit longer than I originally thought, but it isn't a problem as long as you think ahead. Takes 24-36 hours for two balls.Not a big downside, but there is a lot of not clear ice left in the bottom of the device after making the ice balls. Had to run warm water over it until it melted enough to remove from the bottom of the mold.

What fun it is to make these. Very impressive in your glass. I was too anxious to see how the first ones would be and took them out before the 24 hr period. Just a small part wasn’t completely done. So, now I wait. Perfect! The only downside is taking the form out of the base. I’m not strong and my fingers are arthritic, so having another person hold a part is what I do. All-in-all, definitely worth the purchase. I wish you could purchase square molds to go with it instead of buying another unit.

Bought this so I could sport some distinctive high-end home bar goodies. It delivers well.I like a little bit of whiskey on the rocks now and again, and having the "crystal ball" with a nice whiskey over it seemed to be beyond cool.I received this on Friday, read the instructions (printed on the box) that said to use warm-to-hot water, and to let it freeze 24-30 hours (and the instructions were warning to not go beyond 30). My recollection is that as ice freezes, it freezes from the outside (surface) inward, and that when the water in the middle finally freezes, it expands a bit and that's what the frosty center in most ice cubes is - it cracked inside the already frozen shell of ice... but if you start with warmer water, it freezes on the outside, and as it cools, it contracts a bit inside - enough to keep it from developing the cracks on the inside - and it'll freeze clearer. Or something like that. :)So I started off, cleaned the mold parts thoroughly with Dawn dishwashing liquid to remove any mold-release chemicals from the manufacturing process, then filled the mold with water as the instructions said to do. Then I eased the molds into the Styrofoam molding case as if I was about to make some... then I slowly pulled the molds out and poured the water into a measuring cup. It's just under 32 ounces.I microwaved 32 ounces of cold refrigerator-filtered water for 5 minutes (quite warm, but not HOT), and filled the Styrofoam box - then eased the molds into the box. Go slowly, as you don't want to force water out of the mold... let the water work its way up into the mold cavities through the small holes at the bottom. Once the mold was all the way inserted, some water came up through the holes on top, and I poured it off. DON'T DO THAT, as the hot water will contract as it cools (I wound up with two beautiful spheres with what looks like a flat spot like a Star Wars Death Star has). If you need to, add a little water to the tops of the molds before putting the whole box into the freezer (well, unless you want Death Stars :) ).I've now made 4 (well, two spheres and two Death Stars) and really like them. I'm sure the flavor will be as good as our refrigerator ice. Something I've seen is that the spherical large form factor shape/size has less surface area and so it melts slower than other shapes - especially multiple smaller ice cubes/chips. I will imagine that in a Yeti cup, this will be a superb solution for iced tea, though I'd put the imperfect spheres into an opaque cup like that - and save the prettiest spheres for the prettier drinks.This would definitely be a great gift for someone who has a personal bar and likes to take the time to look at their beverage as much as they like to sip and savor it; probably not the best gift for the Red Solo Cup/NASCAR/NHL crowd, but no judging on that, either. :)My one concern is the durability of the exposed Styrofoam exterior, as it does take some finger strength to ease the molds out of the box (this snugness is necessary to make this whole thing work). Will make a great gift for the folks who are patient enough to do it right AND have stronger hands and fingers (don't need to be super strong - but folks with carpal-tunnel, arthritis, or other issues might struggle using this).What I would like to see:More durable exteriorSlightly deeper well at the top of the moldsMolds for skullsMolds with a brain shapeRecipes for flavored spheres that won't make a horrific sticky mess

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