Most people never clean them properly, and stop using them when the predictable pink slime mold starts growing. Making the ice, and storing the ice, is 2 different functions. They are not freezers. You have to harvest the ice, and bag it, and place it in the freezer. Where it freezes and clumps together and you have to beat it apart. If you want to commit to the cleaning, and don't mind the storage issues, then they do produce nice chewable ice. But, Sonic sells bagged ice, ready to go, and a gift certificate for 10 bags of that is much less trouble.

Thank you! That is good info. The recipient does not have a lot of freezer storage and is not known for their attention to detail. So, probably not a good choice for a gift.

I bought one last year and ended up sending it back. It was too much work to keep it up, planning to be here and available to empty it once it was finished, and keeping it clean.