We got this model to replace an ice shaver my wife found while garage sale shopping (she became addicted to snow cones). As one can see from our rating (4 out of 5 stars) we are generally pleased with our purchase three weeks after receiving it.The ice hopper (where one inserts ice cubes) is roughly cylinder shaped with a diameter of about 4.25 inches and a depth of about 0.75 inches at the top to 4 inches at the bottom. In operation, the machine turns on when both the power switch is on and the handle with the ice shield covers the hopper. It then rapidly converts a full hopper of ice cubes to snow cone ice in about 5 seconds (which would make a good sized snow cone for anybody). Thus, you can get a lot of snow cone ice in a short period of time.The one big draw back I can name is the noise. I would describe it like the sound a circa 1980's garbage disposal would make. It's not so loud that pets and small children will flee the room in terror, but loud enough that people won't want to speak over the noise (even though you could speak over it if you really wanted to do it). This ice shaver is really designed to rapidly turn ice cubes to snow cones in a short period of time, and the sound it makes was obviously considered a secondary concern. For us, a five second hold in conversation isn't a big deal, but this might be a bigger problem for some people considering this model.But overall, we are pleased with this purchase and would recommend it to others.

WORKS OK, BUT THE ROUND BOWL DOES NOT FIT UNDER THE DROP ENOUGH TO CATCH ALL THE ICE. ( I AM USING A SQUARE CONTAINER.)