MargaritavilleTahiti Margarita Machine 24 Oz Ivory

So far, so good! We've used it for three parties in the last 6 weeks, and it has been great, working flawlessly... unless a 3 inch blob of ice gets caught in the hopper. It can't deal with anything larger than a regular ice cube, and note that we always use the bagged ice and let it get a tiny bit melty as suggested in the instructions. My dear hubby was hesitant about buying such an expensive item, but is now a convert, not just because the machine keeps the party flowing with drinks, but also because it is a showstopper and great conversation starter. The funny thing is, the men gather around it like it is a shiny new Corvette and ooh and ahhh over it.... You can see the glazed look in their eyes as they watch it whip out batch after batch of frozen concoctions. I almost expect them to start grunting and waving cave man clubs in the air. (Just kidding, guys!) But suffice it to say that the Tahiti Frozen concoction maker has been a hit here! The guys have renamed it "That Tsunami Margarita maker!" One thing I have to warn you about... (and many thanks to the other posters for the heads up)... do NOT just think you can use the recipes in the recipe book and find satisfaction! Au Contraire! We tried the Margarita recipe exactly.. UCK! too tart, just awful.... took us 5-6 tries to get it right. (But it was fun practicing!) Finally involved a combo of Minutemaid limeaid, Masters of Mix Margarita mix, Triple Sec, Tequila and just a tiny dash of OJ. The Mojito recipe and Daiquiri recipes in the book also required major tweaking. Also, you will need to PRACTICE before you do it for a party... So glad we read the reviews and did so, because it would have been rather embarrassing otherwise. It isn't hard to operate, its just a little different from a standard blender. And you have to remember to take the "lid" off before you try and pour. The function of being able to add more shaved ice and reblend is a great help. In hot sun, it only takes a few moments for any drinks left in a pitcher to separate, but a quick shave of more ice and a quick blend brings it back to par. Also, be warned... SERIOUSLY! It says it in the warning info several times... DO NOT STICK YOUR HANDS NEAR THE BLADES! I didn't think and was trying to get the last of some shaved ice out of the pitcher with my finger, and discovered just how RAZOR SHARP those blades in the three pitchers really are! ( No worries, all healed, now!) BUT be careful with them! Another thing you need to account for... you can't over fill the pitcher and get a bigger batch. When it blends, it is very powerful, and the level rises significantly. That said, once the ice is in, a pitcher of drinks yields about 24 oz, and will generally provide 3.5 drinks per pitcher. No biggie if you only have 8 people standing around, but if your party lends itself to a larger guest list, say 25-30, you'll have to hustle to get those drinks out. At least the first round. Our answer to this problem was to premix the "batches" of drinks. We used the SCREW ON TOP FOOD CONTAINERS by rubbermaid/glad or whoever, because I have found they DO NOT LEAK, and kept them in a cooler. Once you get your recipe to your satisfaction, you should end up with about 1.5 cups of "mix" (That is the flavored mix ingredients plus the alcohol. If you add fresh or frozen fruit, it will be closer to 2 cups.) We labeled the containers... about 10 of each...Mojito..."Rita"... Daiquiri...then we froze them until the morning of the party. We kept them in a cooler under the bar. They were NOT frozen when we put them into the blender. Making these up ahead of time eliminated error, and standing around measuring things into the pitcher. Big time saver! Any "batches" unused went back to the freezer for the next event. Note we did not find any single bottled mix that really did the trick alone when mixed with the spirits. All bottled mixes just seemed to be missing something. Be aware that if you make "Virgin" non-alcoholic drinks, you will need to use water to replace the spirits in a double amount. i.e if your recipe calls for 2 jiggers of spirits, the non-alcoholic recipe will likely need 4 jiggers of water. That's because the spirits really melt the ice. Without it, the drink is quite thick and hard to pour. So, if you are thinking about taking this plunge... go for it if it is in your budget. We haven't regretted it and would surely buy it again. Just be sure to perfect your recipes, practice, and prepare enough pre-mixed "batches" in advance. ;-)

This was the talk of the party! Everyone loved the looked and the functionality!! I love it!!

The old adage, "You get what you pay for" really sticks to this one... I bought this to replace an older kitchen-counter ice shaver which cost under $50. That one was loud, slow, and messy. The DM3000 is unbelievable! It effortlessly prepares 3 pitchers of drinks (for both adults and kids -at the same time!), and does so in spectacular fashion! Why spend so much money on an ice shaver?Because the DM3000 has a reservoir to collect the ice water- it doesn't spill into your drinks, or on your bar/counter.Because the DM3000 has individual controls for each pitcher, allowing you to create an assortment of drinks, with varying consistencies, at one time- no washing the pitcher in between mixes- you've got three of them!Because the DM3000 thought of everything: You can add more ice or blend further using a toggle switch for each individual pitcher!Because you can use the left over ice for sno-cones in a fraction of a second!Need I write more? This is a high quality, center-of-attention drink mixer that will not disappoint anyone at your party!

This was game changer for get togethers and pool parties, well constructed and despite some of the other reviews extremely easy to clean

Love, love, love this machine! I had my first trip to Margaritaville in Jamaica at age 25 and have been a Jimmy Buffett fan ever since. Seeing the machine reminds me of great weather, ocean views, and relaxing island life and time. The machine is very easy to use. The instructions aren't super clear on how it works, but you add your mix ingredients in the pitcher, select your mix option (Smoothies, Mojitos, etc.), hit the start button and the machine does the rest. I usually hit the blend option a few more times to thoroughly mix the drink.The instructions are also unclear on using the 2 pitchers on the sides. Follow the same instructions as you would the mixer in the middle and the machine top automatically rotates to fill the pitchers on the side.I'm looking forward to many years of making mixed cocktails and smoothies with my Frozen Concoction Maker (I also love this name)!Also, I leave it outside unplugged even during rain storms. It's under a roof so doesn't get direct rain but if there's a storm and rain comes through the sides and it gets wet, it's fine. Just wipe it off thoroughly and get to mixing!

So easy to use. Drinks are better than at a restaurant. Super easy to clean. We absolutely love it. Had it for maybe three weeks and have used it 10+ times.

I absoultly love this machine, My wife loves this machine and my kids love this machine. It shaves ice like a professional daquria machine.its not just blended ice and actually shaves to a very creamy ice to make great frozen drinks that is why if cost a lot but you get very good results. I would buy another if I broke this one. the bin on top holds plenty of ice to make several drinks and you can make 3 different flavors of drink at a time. it has a switch that gives the option to make 6 types of frozen drinks which is really good , each one has a different amount of ice it adds and the amount of time it blends all the ingredients for your drink with no guess work..all you need to do is add the drink mix to pitcher and turn the knob to the correct drink and press start and that's it.. the only think you may want to do is push the lever up on the dial after the drink is made to shave more ice in it for you to make it a little more slushy as I like mine as compared to more juice.