Westmark Germany Manual Ice Crusher (Grey)

I’ve discovered that ice crushers vary tremendously in their output. While some produce finely shaved ice that can be used for a sno-cone, this crushes an ice cube into several pieces (the size of peanuts- walnuts). It’s fine for most cold drinks and cocktails (but of course, not for a frozen daiquiri, which must be blended). The key here is that it’s small, manual, fits in a drawer, and it easily cleaned and stored. I’m lazy, and I think twice before taking a large electric ice crusher out of my cabinet just for 1-2 drinks. But this device is so easy to use that I don’t think twice about it. And with the “leverage” principle, it’s actually easy to crush the ice cube - so grip strength is not an issue. Bottom line - this makes “crumbled” ice, but not “crushed” ice or “snow” - but it’s fine to use to prepare a few quick chilled drinks.

My husband always wanted one of these because his parents used to have one, that was about 40 years ago! When I found this one, I just had to buy it for him. I think the price was a little high for what it is, but it does work, and he's happy with it. He uses it to make martinis...he just crushes a couple of ice cubes at a time and it saves a lot of time. Easy to use once you get the two sides hinged together. It's a cool kitchen item and people always ask about it when we pull it out.

I really like that this ice crusher is so low tech. It seems durable and does exactly what it's meant to do, with a very satisfying *crunch* - although it does take a bit of strength to crush a solid cube by hand, and in my experience it will only do one cube at a time. For craft cocktails or iced coffee, it will do the job, but you would not be able to crush enough ice for a party, armed only with this.My concern is whether it will be as durable as I hope, and I'm disappointed that there are no cleaning instructions. I want to know whether this is dishwasher-safe, even though it will only be used to crush clean ice cubes.

Crushed ice for one drink at a time. Very well made and effective but not fast if you need to crush more than a little bit.

I wanted a simple ice cracker and this works great. Our LG refrigerator makes ice cubes, not cracked ice. This cracks 1 or 2 cubes. It is easy to use and easy to clean. I have used it for a few months with no problems.

So the ad said it crushed ice. It doesn't. It breaks ice in two. The ribs inside the device do not extend far enough, engaging adequate to crush the ice, it simply breaks a typical "half moon" ice cube in half, instead of crushing it into pieces, like you'd expect from a fountain drink machine. If you buy ice trays that make small ice cubes, it won't even break those, because their too small. I thought the idea of crushing an ice cube by hand was too good to be true, and this device confirms it. The device also comes apart too easy when you open it to put in an ice cube. Half of the device detaches and falls on the ground. This requires a special technique, having you support the detachable half with something else, like your leg while sitting, or the counter-top (awkward), to prevent the other half from detaching and dropping to the floor. Even if it did work, seems like too much work to get crushed ice IMO. I think a tenderizing hammer would work better, inside a cast iron skillet. Quicker too.

This is sturdy, well made and does exactly what it says, but unfortunately calls for more hand strength than I have. Perhaps if the handles were longer there would be more leverage to exert more force, but as it is I ended up needing to apply the bit of cracked ice I managed to my poor weak hand. And since this cracks only one cube at a time, it's just not feasible for me. Other people very likely will have no issues. For me, I'd do much better to wrap several cubes in a tea towel and having a go with a meat tenderizer.

Love my new 'ice slicer'! You get everything from fine chips to large chunks that look like you sliced the ice cube. You get a bit of a work out (I have to use both hands) but I'm on the small side.Took a couple of times to find the best way to use this but here and there are no insturctions so here are some tips...1- Keep it in the freezer. It melts rather than crushes when at room temp. By the 3rd cube it has chilled enough to work properly but easier to keep it with the ice2- Lay the ice cube on it's side with the wide/top toward the hinge. I tried other ways and it sort of jams... you'LL see what I mean,3- Keep it sideways over a container... it's sort of messy but you can contain some of the mess that way... I keep a dish rag handy for clean up after.4- MIND YOUR THUMBS! I kept getting my thumb in the handle... only munched it once but now I make sure to keep them out of the way.