WintersmithsIce Chest - Crystal-Clear Ice Ball Mold

It took me a few times to get the freezing times right, but I finally did and the ice balls turned out amazing! Perfectly clear. My first try was trial and error. I did as the instructions indicated and I pulled the tray out at 24 hours because I wanted to see if that was enough time, then I would work the time up from that point. After 24 hours it wasn't enough time. It ended taken the full 30 hours to freeze. One thing to keep in mind when you do it for the first time, is that when you pull the tray out from the tray "housing" there will be water at the bottom that did not freeze, so don't freak out; that how it's supposed to be. Just continue to pull the ice forms (tray) out of the housing. The balls will be completely frozen, but the water at the bottom of housing will not be. Also, you have to do some future calculating on the freezing time because you don't want to be at work, or not at home to pull them out after 30 hours because, as indicated in instructions, leaving it in the freezer longer than 30 hours can damage the whole thing. So, I make mine at 11:00am on Sundays, that way when I get home from work I can take them out then. I miscalculated one time and had to call my spouse to take them out of the freezer because I wasn't home yet. $120 is way too much money to waste because of a miscalculation. The price is high for this product, but when you pour your drink and see the crystal clear ice ball, it's definitely worth it. My next batch will have a slice of lime in them. FUN!

Let me save you a lot of time. If you are looking for perfect spherical ice balls look no further, this really does make crystal clear balls if done correctly. This product hands down is superior to any other ice mold on the market!I have used over two dozen different molds and you get used to double boiling & filtering a million times in hopes to get some clear ice just to be let down by air bubbles and cloudy ice. Well I'm happy to say with Wintersmiths YOU DON'T DO ANY OF THAT, YOU DON'T NEED TO!Follow the instructions, don't try to be fancy, don't boil, don't filter, don't cover with saran wrap. It just adds headache and ruins your results. The only thing I found that makes any difference is to wiggle each half of the mold while SLOWLY letting the mold sink into the cooler to get out any air bubbles. Also it says to fill it up until about 2" from the top and I found that when I did that some balls didn't form all the way. I fill it with Luke Warm water all the way to the top allowing the mold to force out the extra water.These can be finicky to get right but once you do the results are amazing!

2 parts to this review. The first is thoughts on the chest (the review for this chest is actually my 2nd purchase…first was direct from Wintersmiths). The other is on customer service from the company.1. I love this thing! Friends come over and when I make them a Manhattan, the first thing they immediately notice and are blown away by is how perfectly clear the ice is. I then tell them about Wintersmiths and naturally the next question is “how much does that cost?”. I share the cost with them at which point they look at me silly wondering why I would be crazy enough to spend that much on an ice mold. I proceed to tell them that I would gladly spend this money again and again. There is just something about having the same quality of ice that I would get with a $15 cocktail at a speakeasy that makes me happy.2. Regarding customer service, these guys are incredible. I had a slight issue with the plastic reservoir and sent them an email. I received a response within less than an hour (from one of the founders) and they immediately resolved the issue. I really can’t say enough good things about these guys. Great product and great service.

I have been trying a lot of different things to get clear ice. Using filtered water, twice boiled, stainless steal trays, etc. This is the first time I can get nearly clear ice. The ice balls melt really slowly, two or three drinks from a single ice ball. The only downside is that the chest takes up a chunk of freezer space, and that it takes more than 24hrs for the molds to freezeUPDATE: I changed my review from a 5 to 4 star. After using this a few times I began to see that the silicon molds were leaving "scum" in the glass. Rinsing the ice removes this, but then the ice usually cracks from the rinse. So a higher quality silicon for such an expensive toy is definitely necessary. Also, there is little lateral support, so the ice spheres, especially the two in the center, have significant equator lines that don't go away. Better bracing across the middle is needed.I am keeping my review a 4 though, since I still haven't found a better in home ice maker.

Pros: Giant, round, 98% clear, sexy ice cubes.Cons: Tricky usage, takes some extra time, price is a bit much to askSo, once you figure this thing out, you'll enjoy it. However, it took me four days before I figured out what the heck to do. 16 or so deformed ice balls later I had some real success. Once you figure it out, they are definitely sexy looking additions to a nice clear/crystal glask and some deep amber beverages inside.Learned Tips:-Cold water is fine (In-fact I believe the hot might have attributed to some of my frustrations with how it froze)-Use purified water, like one of those PUR pitchers if you can-Slide the halves in one at a time. Yes it's a bit more difficult, but it ensures NO air bubbles-Fill them up enough so that the top groves/half-moons are ALL generally full-Wait at LEAST 24 hours, I generally did 26-28 (Product does say no more than 30 FYI)That's it, hopefully you can follow those tips and make some perfect whiskey additions at the very first go! Cheers, and drink on.P.S. I have NO experience with the cube molds, only sphere (see pictures)