Rival 8804-BL 4-Quart Oval Ice Cream Bucket, Blue

Some reviews give this a negative report. However, I have used mine several times, and I love it. Buy it.(Six months later) Oh, NO! I spoke too soon. It has now quit -- just quit! Cannot get it to work again, so I bought a different, wooden tub model. Love it.

I ordered and thought I was going to receive a Rival Ice Cream Maker, which was particulary important to me because I owned one previously. Instead, I was shipped a Sunbeam brand one. It is much like the Rival but since I was going to use it for a wedding gift, I wanted one that I knew about. I was not given the opportunity to refuse the substitution and didn't want to have to go through the effort and expense to return the product. Given this circumstance, I would not have ordered the product originally if I had know this would happen.

I have yet to have a real problem with my ice cream maker. However, while it says it should take approximately 25-30 minutes to run, it takes mine 3-4 hours. That there is highly frustrating, impractical, and the only reason why I have not given this product 5 stars.

My own Rival has been faithfully working at top speed in our household for almost a year with no problems.I purchased another for a relative whose experience with it has been the same.Highly recommend, and no problems if one reads the directions for use.

I have had several of these Rival 4 quart ice cream makers. They do a good job of making ice cream. More importantly, I am able to use them with ice from the ice maker in my refrigerator/freezer and with normal table salt. While the current instructions call for rock salt and crushed ice, there is enough room in the bucket to use the half moon shaped ice cubes made by many refrigerators. I put one cup of cold water in the empty bucket after installing the can assembly with the ice cream mix. I then insert a layer of ice, a layer of regular table salt, and additional alternating layers of ice and salt up to just below the top of the can. I then poor another cup of cold water over this mixture, and fill to just over the top of the can with ice. This makes a batch of ice cream in about 45 minutes. I use one full 26 ounce container of salt or sometimes a bit less than one container. (These instructions came from an earlier version of the same ice maker.)This current version uses less ice because the outer bucket is oval and only needs ice on two sides rather than all the way around the mixing can. This seems to work just as well as the older design. The only issue I have found is that, over time, the unit starts to get louder and louder and eventually starts slipping before the ice cream is finished. Apparently, something with the gears inside the motor unit just wears out. This happens after perhaps 25 or so batches for me, sometimes more. I wish I could get one with more durable gear and motor that would last longer. However, the unit is not too expensive, so I have just been replacing the unit (or just the motor) with a new one when that happens.

Did not last the the summer. It never froze ice cream very hard, and soon the paddle stripped the motor and would not turn at all.

We purchased this ice cream maker for a friend who has a similar one. She had commented that hers was on its last legs and she would like to get a new one for when the old one gave out. Luckily, I found one for her through Amazon. She was so surprised as she searched all over for one and couldn't find it. Now she makes two batches at once and she and her husband have ice cream every night!Amazon followed through advising me of the status as I wanted it delivered before Christmas. Again, Amazon came through and she received it on Dec. 22.Thank you for your top notch products and service.Bev in BowlerRival Ice Cream Maker Bucket

I finally wore out out old Rival ice cream maker after 30 years and just bought this new Rival on Amazon. Tonight I made "Frozen Passion" ice cream for our family for my husband's 77th Birthday party. It worked perfectly. Everyone needs a Rival Ice Cream maker!