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Which machine to buy?  Please note: I only sell new Hatsuyuki HC8E and H500E machines because they are high quality and require little maintenance. They are also NSF approved. This means any health department should approve its use. Most machines on the market are not NSF approved and Health Departments may not allow you to operate. |
Hawaiian Shave Ice is not crunchy, but is light, fluffy and flavorful. The snowlike consistency is what makes this product so good and popular.
HATSUYUKI means "fresh fallen snow"Remember this statement "Hawaiian Shave Ice is light, fluffy and flavorful"!
This is your objective in running a Hawaiian Shave Ice business. Creating the best possible product to sell to your customers is what will keep your customers coming back and will make you successful. Whether you sell out of a parking lot stand, ice cream or pizza store or at special events and festivals quality and friendly service are the two main ingredients to success. I have heard people say they don't care about a quality product at festivals because they only see the customer one time. Well if you don't care about quality you will see the customer only one time!
There are only two ingredients in Hawaiian Shave Ice, ice and flavors. Both of these are equally important in making a quality product. This page is dedicated to one of these items...shavers.
There are two types of shavers, block and cube. Which type to use depends upon the type of operation you want to operate. I'll discuss both types individually to give you an idea what you will be running into.
BLOCK SHAVERS...The right block shaver will give you the finest fluffiest snow. Having made that statement I'll explain. The block shaver can shave the fluffiest snow simply because you have more surface to shave from. As the block rotates the blade is set to give you a fine serving while maintaining productivity. Not all block shavers provide this quality though.
SNO BALL MACHINES...These machines are horizontal shavers, often with three blades and work in a left to right movement. These machines are usually touted to be the fastest block shavers. Is speed important? Sure it is when you have 30 people in line. Is the machine the most important part of the process? NO! The most time consuming part of the process is flavoring and taking money. Usually in high volume sales you have two people working one machine. The shaver and the person flavoring and taking money. With this process, any shaver you use will keep up.
POSITIVES...we will say they shave faster. NEGATIVES...these machines pack the snow too tight and do not meet the criteria of fluffiness. These machines are extremely loud and can drive you nuts. They also use a lot more ice per serving and because they are packed tighter the flavoring has a harder time getting through the ice. This is why you see some people flavoring twice. They'll stop shaving halfway through and put some flavor in, then finish the serving and put more flavor in. Is this faster?
VERTICAL SHAVERS...These machines shave the ice in a top chamber and rotate the ice against a single blade. The snow is captured in a cup below the chamber and is shaped by hand to form a rounded serving. The vertical machine such as the Hatsuyuki H500E and the Swan SI-100 both provide the fluffiness you seek when making a quality product.
POSITIVES...Soft fluffy snow. Negatives...Ice can come loose from block holder. Safety shield important. Training important when handling ice because you can cut yourself when changing blocks.
Cube Shavers..can produce a quality product. The cubed or bagged ice is placed in a hopper that contains an impeller that spins the ice against a single blade. These machines do provide a soft fluffy product but not quite the quality of the block shaver. The most important feature of the shaver in my mind is the delivery spout. The Hatsuyuki and the Swan have a very convenient spout right in front of you that makes it simple to shape the product. Machines such as Echols and Gold Medal are not as convenient and tend to spray the ice around. Motor size not really important.
POSITIVES...bagged ice is easy to come by. Recommended for festival vendors. You can buy at your local store or even buy an ice maker. A cube no less than 1" is recommended, you have to have some surface to shave from. Flaked ice will not work and cocktail ice (holes in it) don't work well. Safer.. no chance of cutting yourself. NEGATIVES...not quite as fluffy as block shavers.
SUMMARY..Whether you use block or cube shavers the objective is to create a soft fluffy product. Both do this well. In some areas block ice is not readily available and you may have to freeze your own. Local health department rules may prohibit this. Also use a clear block. Compressed blocks don't work well and will dull your blade quickly. The block shaver is not as convenient for the vendor because block ice can become a hassle. You sometimes have to cut the block with an ice pick in order to fit it in your machine. Your customers will become fascinated though, watching the machine spin and shave the ice. I call the block shaver the "customers machine". Cube shavers are the most convenient machine for the vendor. Productivity is good and ice is not a hassle.
Whether you use block or cube make sure that the ice is "sweating" or in a melt down state. Hard ice directly out of a freezer will not create the desired product, but will make a powder and will quickly dull your blade. Talking about blades, you can expect about 15,000 shavings out of a blade if you use it properly. Any questions? Email me!
