Is Your Shaved Ice Machine Ready for the Season Ahead?

Have you prepped your shaved ice machine for the upcoming season? If not, it's time to get it cleaned up, test it, and make sure everything is in proper order.

Do you need parts or accessories? At 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com, we offer a wide variety of parts and accessories for the shaved ice machines we sell on our site. If you need a new foot pedal, ice molds, or replacement blades, we have them! We also stock replacement blades for our snow cone machines too.

If for some reason you need a part for your machine and we don't have it listed on our site, please be sure to call us and we'll be happy to help you locate it.

Five Reasons to Purchase Equipment During the Off-Season

If you are thinking about making the exciting leap into the shaved ice or snow cone business, now is the perfect time to purchase your equipment. Why? Here's a list of reasons:

1. You can use the cold winter months to learn everything there is to know about operating your equipment safely and efficiently. Use the off season to practice! Learn how to shave ice that is consistently fluffy. Refine the technique of creating a great cup of ice.
2. Because it's the off season, you have several months to learn without any pressure. You can practice every day or several times per week.
3. Go ahead and order some syrup flavors too. Just buy the ready to use quart flavors for now. Not only is this a great time to experiment and learn how to operate your new equipment; it's also a fantastic time to learn how to apply the proper amount of flavored syrup.
4. This is a great time to figure out and practice proper cleaning and maintenance techniques. Create your own clean up and maintenance checklist. We have suggestions here.
5. EVERYTHING is on SALE! This is the absolute best time of year to purchase your equipment because it's CHEAPER! You can literally save hundreds, even thousands of dollars on purchasing equipment. For example, the Shaved Ice Starter Package at 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com is now $3224.89. By purchasing this package now, you are saving over $500!

So, if you are ready to dive into the exciting business of selling snow cones or shaved ice this next season, we highly recommend that you save yourself some big bucks and order your equipment now. If you have any questions about the machines or products offered at 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com, please feel free to call us or email us at CustomerCare@1-800-Shaved-Ice.com.

Sno-King 1888 Snow Cone Machine

The Sno-King 1888 snow cone machine is one of our most popular entry level models. Its durable construction and safety features make it an excellent choice for concession stands and party rental companies.

Please check out all of the great features of this excellently priced machine highlighted in this video:



Please feel free to call us at 1-800-742-8334 or email us at CustomerCare@1-800-Shaved-Ice.com with any questions you may have about this great snow cone machine.

Replacement Blades for Your Shaved Ice or Snow Cone Machine

Is the ice from your machine coming out a little too crunchy? If so, the blades on your machine are most likely dull. What a great problem! This means that you have been BUSY!

As we have stressed in previous articles, maintaining your equipment is essential to the long term success of your business. Part of that maintenance is the routine replacement of the blades.

At 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com, we carry replacement blades for every machine that we sell. We encourage you to have a couple of spare blades on hand at all times for those inopportune moments when something may go awry or you need to replace a blade immediately.

Order today and make sure your machine is in tip top shape for when those long, hot summer days bring out the customers in droves!

Block Ice Makers are On Sale Now!

Do you operate your stand with a block ice shaver? If so, you should consider purchasing your own block ice maker and lowering your production costs considerably (which in turn will boost your profit margin). The SNO-BLOCK 404-440-SB is widely considered the "workhorse" of the shaved ice industry. This block ice maker is just the right size for almost any neighborhood shaved ice stand.



This is the perfect machine for the medium sized shaved ice business. The 440-SB makes 20 blocks of ice in approximately 12 hours. That's roughly 480 lbs of ice every 24 hours! All of this is produced for around 12¢ per block of ice and 5¢ for the bag.

Like all of our machines, the cabinet is created from durable, high quality, gel-coated fiberglass. We have machines in the field that are over 20 years old and still running.



The height (including Agitator Motor) is 37" with a total length of 70 1/2". The cabinet width is 26". The total weight of the machine is 400 lbs, and it is shipped ready to plug in with 30 gallons of Propylene Glycol Solution, making the total shipping weight of 700 pounds. All block ice makers can be mounted on casters for an additional $180.00

Ice freezing cans come in two types of material: stainless steel cans or polyethylene cans. Only the polyethylene cans are NSF approved so if this is an important factor for your local health inspector you may want to consider them instead of the stainless steel cans.

At 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com, we carry SNO-BLOCK ice makers that are able to produce 18, 40, 80, or 120 blocks of ice per day. To learn more about these great machines, please click here to visit our website or give us a call to discuss your needs today at 1-800-Shaved-Ice. All of these machines are currently on sale which will save your business even more money if you order soon!

Your Shaved Ice Machine Freezes Up…What Do You Do?

It’s 95 degrees outside, you are at an event and there is a nice, healthy line of people waiting to give you $3.00 each for a 16 ounce cup of shaved ice. You are working as hard and as fast as possible. Business is great and you have been pumping out cups of shaved ice non-stop for the last 30 minutes. You turn the machine off to refill the hopper or place another ice block inside of the machine. You flip the switch on and nothing happens. You hear a humming sound coming from the motor. What do you do? Do you keep switching the machine off and on? NO! STOP! Turn the machine off immediately!

What has happened is a typical machine clog. It is going to happen…it’s a “nature of the beast.” While you have been shaving ice all that time, ice has been building up inside the machine. The ice has almost completely frozen the metal and finally it all came to a breaking point. When the machine stopped for that split second, all that fine fluffy ice inside the machine caused the moving parts to freeze together. This is known as a machine freeze up. It happens to all the shaved ice and snow cone machines; both cube ice and block machines.

To solve this problem, first make sure the machine is turned off as soon as possible. You don’t want you motor to sit and hum for long periods of time because by doing so you may easily burn up the motor. Now find a 12 or 16 ounce cup of water and slowly drizzle the water inside the hopper to break up and release the ice. It may take a cup or two of water to loosen up the ice. After one cup, try switching the machine on to see if it is still clogged. If so, repeat the process.

A counter mounted spray nozzle also works great in this situation. Simply spray a few squirts into the ice hopper and you are back in business in no time.

Learn more tips and tricks for efficiently operating your shaved ice or snow cone business by requesting a FREE copy of Cold Cash, the free business manual offered at 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com.

A Video Demo of Our Best Selling Commercial Shaved Ice Machine

If you are looking for a great commercial shaved ice machine, I encourage you to view the video we put together featuring our best selling shaved ice machine, the Hatsuyuki HC-8E.

After watching the video, please feel free to call us, email us or contact us here in the blog with any questions that may arise. At 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com, we are serious about quality products and quality customer service.

If you are ready to order your new Hatsuyuki machine, I encourage you to do so soon while it is on sale! You can save over $600 off the regular price if you order soon!

Shaved Ice Caboose is ON SALE!

In the past, we have featured the unique shaved ice caboose concessions trailer. It's full of great features and has plenty of room for virtually any concessionaire.

This fantastic, eye-catching trailer is now on sale during the summer for only $55,000! That is a savings of $34,000...which is enough to outfit your trailer with all brand new equipment, inventory, and supplies. This is an incredible deal for a truly great trailer! This is a great long term investment for your concessions business. Act now because this deal will not last forever.

For more information about the trailer, please visit 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com.

Slush Machine 101, Part 2

The alternative to the bowl machine (as described in the previous article) is the box type slush machine. These larger machines generally come in single barrel or double barrel configurations.

Box type slush machines work differently than the bowl type. As we mentioned, box type machines are available in single or double forms. These machines hold the liquid mixture in two places: a freezing cylinder and a storage hopper. The freezing cylinder holds approximately 1.5 gallons (6 liters) while the larger storage hopper holds 5 gallons (18.5 liters). The total amount one side of a box machine can hold is 6.5 gallons (20 liters). The mixture is frozen in the freezing cylinder; it is not frozen in the storage hopper. Once the mixture is dispensed from the freezing cylinder, the same amount of product is replaced from the storage hopper into the cylinder. Because the freezing cylinder is smaller, you are limited in how many people you can serve at once. This machine is ideal for bars and restaurants where the machine will constantly be running.

Key advantages of box type machines:

• Requires less attention (automatically refills itself after each use and eliminates the need to create a full batch all at one time like bowl machines require)
• Great resource for bars or restaurants that create frozen, alcoholic beverages. Box machines create a great frozen base for margaritas.

Box type machines are generally used in less visible environments such as restaurants and bars because those locations do not need the visual attraction as much as convenience stores and other high traffic locations (carts, stands, etc.). 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com features Crathco box type slush machines. These machines are well known as "the original margarita machine" and are highly respected for their consistent, durable performance. We sell single barrel and double barrel machines. If you are considering the purchase of a box type slush machine and have questions, please feel free to contact us by either emailing us at CustomerCare@1-800-Shaved-Ice.com or calling us at 1-800-Shaved-Ice (1-800-742-8334). We will happily answer your questions!

Slush Machine 101, Part 1

Not only does 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com sell the best shaved ice and snow cone equipment and supplies, we also carry top quality slush and granita machines. There are two major types of slush machines, bowl type and box type. While many of you already know the difference between the two, we thought it would be helpful to explain each type and their respective advantages.

Bowl type slush machines are available in single, twin, or triple bowl configurations. The most common bowl type machine used is the twin bowl. The average capacity of frozen product per bowl is approximately 3.17 gallons (12 liters). Even though it takes longer initially for the bowl type machine to freeze when compared to the box style, you are actually able to serve more people at once with the bowl style machine due to its larger capacity. This type of machine is great for events where you want to serve a group of people at once such as: home use, wedding receptions, schools, and catering events. These are also popular machines for rental companies who rent them to customers for special events.

Key advantages of a bowl type slush machine:

• Ability to serve larger groups of people at one time
• Large freezing capacity
• Versatile (ability to use one bowl as a base and then have multiple syrup flavors available for customers to choose)
• Much easier to transfer from location to location than the heavier, bulky box type machines
• Less expensive than box type machines (generally 50% cheaper)
  

Bowl type machines are excellent "attractors" too. Kids and adults will see your product swirling away in the bowls and will be enticed to purchase. 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com carries two bowl type machines and both are well respected brands with proven durability and track records. If you are considering the purchase of a bowl type slush machine, please feel free to call us at 1-800-Shaved-Ice (1-800-742-8334) or email us at CustomerCare@1-800-Shaved-Ice.com. We'll be happy to be of assistance to you!

Block Ice Mold

These ice mold pails are an excellent, easy to use way to make your own block ice. Simply fill the one gallon pail 3/4th full with water, cover with the included lid, and place in your freezer. The water takes approximately 2 to 3 days to freeze. Because of the design of the handy lid, these pails are stackable. So, if you have a chest freezer, you can stack these up two or three high, giving you a great supply of ice for your block ice machine.

These pails create block ice that works great in the Swan Block Ice Shavers that are sold at 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com as well.

** Ice produced is 7 1/2" in diameter
** Ice Mold is 7 3/4" tall with lid

Order several of these pails for your stand and start saving money by making your own block ice today! Order while they are on sale and save even more!

Swan Block Shaved Ice Shaver

The Swan Block Ice Shaver, model SI 100-E, is one of the best block ice shavers available on the market today. This easy to operate machine produces fine flakes of snow that easily absorb the flavors to make really excellent shaved ice treats for your customers. Operators can easily adjusted the texture of the snow with a single knob. It comes complete with a strong revolving shield to protect the operator from the spinning ice. This is an ideal machine for high volume locations.

This block shaver can hold up to a 7 pound block of ice (max: 6" square or 8" diameter by 6" tall). It features almost 10 inches of space under the shaving disc, making for easy access when filling the cup. For mobile stands or for overseas operation, the Swan block ice shaver is also available with 115 volt, 220 volt, or DC 12 volt motors.

Order now and save over $400 while these great machines are on sale at 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com!

On Sale: X-15 Stainless Steel Whirlwind with High Output Head

Save over $150 on this workhorse of a cotton candy machine. The X-15 Stainless Steel Whirlwind Machine includes “high output” at no extra charge! This machine has a 1/3 horsepower motor with solid state heat control.

The Whirlwind has been the standard of the cotton candy industry for over 50 years. Today, the electronic heat control makes it an even more dependable machine. With the ability to create 4 servings per minute, you’ll like the performance of this cotton candy maker.

Learn more about this machine at CottonCandyExpress.com and order it while it's on sale!

Complete Shave Ice & Snow Cone Business Packages

So, are you ready to make the jump into owning and operating your own shaved ice or snow cone stand? Congratulations! You are on your way to an enjoyable, profitable business! We have some of the best snow cone and shaved ice business packages available anywhere! Our years of experience in this industry have led to the creation of some very comprehensive and complete packages.

Please visit our website to view the various packages that we have available. If you are unsure about which package will best serve your needs, please feel free to call us at 1-800-Shaved-Ice. We would be more than happy to help you choose a start up package. We are here to serve you!

**Make sure you order your package soon while our pre-season sale is still going!

Snow Cone & Shaved Ice Machine Drip Tray

I don't like messes. I like things to be neat and clean. I'm all for purchasing tools and equipment that help me stay organized and keep things neat and in order. I'm especially fond of this when it comes to business practices. Tools that can help you maintain a professional image and aid you in doing a better job always get "two thumbs up" from me.

One such piece of equipment that gets my seal of approval is the Snow Cone and Shaved Ice Drip Tray featured at 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com. This heavy duty stainless steel tray works perfectly to catch any ice over-spray or dripping water for several of our shaved ice or snow cone machines. It is highly suggested for the HC-8E Hatsuyuki Cube Ice Shaver and most of our other cube ice shavers. Not suggested for the New Orleans Style Block Ice Shavers.

So, to cut down on clean up and messes, order one today for your stand. Get it while it's still on sale!

Our Most Popular Shaved Ice Package is Now on Sale

The most popular shaved ice package at 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com is on sale now! Save over $500.00! This starter package includes all of the equipment and supplies you need to get your shaved ice business started.

- Hatsuyuki Cubed Ice Shaved Ice Shaver HC-8E (may be upgraded to any shaved ice machine for an additional charge)
- Foot Switch(Not available with Model #HC-8EDC)
- 20 Gallons of Flavor Concentrate - your choice
- 12 Quarts of Flavor Concentrate - your choice
- 6 Gallons of Sodium Benzoate
- 2 Gallon of Citric Acid
- 1 Case of 8 oz foam cups (plain)
- 2 Cases of 12 oz foam cups (printed)
- 2 Cases of 16 oz foam cups (printed)
- 1 Case of 20 oz foam cups (printed)
- 1 Case of Spoonstraws (10,000 total)
- 4 boxes of medium weight plastic spoons (4,000)
- 1 Case of Dispenser Napkins
- 1 Napkin Dispenser
- 1 Case of Take Out Trays
- 72 Plastic Long Neck Quart Serving Bottles with Caps
- 24 Gallons Jugs with Caps
- 72 Plastic Pourer - Pro Style
- 48 Nightcaps
- 64 Mylar Bottle Labels
- 36 Squeeze Bottles
- 1 20 Gallon Graduated Mixing Container
- 1 Bottle Washer
- 1 32 Ounce Rubbermaid Ice Scoop
- 1 Stirring Paddle
- 1 8 ounce Rubbermaid Measuring Cup
- 1 16 ounce Rubbermaid Measuring Cup
- 1 8 ounce heavy-duty funnel
- 2 16 ounce heavy-duty funnel
- 1 6 prong ice pick
- Substitute either block shaver for the cube ice shaver.

To learn more about some of the particulars about all of these supplies, please visit 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com. Remember, the benefit of ordering new equipment now, during the winter time, is that you have plenty of time to familiarize yourself with it. By practicing with new equipment during the off season, you'll ensure that you and your staff are ready when warmer weather comes and the customers start lining up at your location!

12 Volt Shaved Ice and Snow Cone Machines

Are you looking for a true, portable, powerful commercial shaved ice or snow cone machine? Well, your search is almost over!

1-800-Shaved-Ice.com features 5 12v Shaved Ice machines and 3 12v Snow Cone Machines! These powerful, heavy duty machines are perfect those concessionaires who need to have completely portable set ups without worrying about an on-location power source. All of these machines will operate perfectly from a heavy duty, deep cycle battery.



So, if you need to have true portability in a shaved ice or snow cone machine, please visit 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com for more information about these fantastic machines. Now's the perfect time to purchase one while our fall sale is running too!

An Important Little Item

If you are a shaved ice or snow cone concessionaire, you should always use nightcaps on your syrup bottles. These handy little items are an important "savior" for your flavors when your stand is closed or not very busy. Nightcaps are a simple way to keep ants and other bugs out of your syrup bottles.

Nightcaps are a small expense that yield very favorable results for stand owners. Go to 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com and order some for your stand!

Great Looking Cart for Shaved Ice or Snow Cones!

This is a great looking cart that is a sure fire way to increase your visibility! This cart is just over 6 feet long and comes in four different eye catching colors (red, blue, green, or black). Due to its polyethylene construction, it is also low maintenance and will remain professional looking for years. It also is a snap to clean as well!

To find out more about all of the great features and specifications for this cart, please visit 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com.

Which Floss Bubble is the Best for Your Business?

CottonCandyExpress.com sells 4 different floss bubble styles. Having a bubble over your machine is not only an integral piece of safety equipment (protecting your customers from flying sugar granules and floss), it's also critical to keeping your area of operations clean and tidy. It also keeps your product from flying away and being wasted!

Please visit CottonCandyExpress.com and review the various floss bubbles featured there. We are confident that you will find one that will work out perfectly for your machine and business!