Rival GC9151 1 Quart Ice Cream Maker

Pros: Inexpensive.
Cons: Does not freeze mixture nearly enough. A little hard to clean (many small crevices).

I am terribly disappointed in the Rival GC9151 Ice Cream Maker. My sister and I have tried three different recipes, including a "Philadelphia-style" (no eggs, no cooking) recipe from http://dessert.allrecipes.com/az/syCcIcCrm.asp

After the recommended 25-30 minutes run time, the mixture is still soupy, with few ice crystals. After transferring to another container and into the freezer, it just sets-up into a very hard mass.

Also, no spout is provided for pouring the "finished" ice cream into another container. The rounded edges of the bowl cause the mixture to drip down the side.

Pros: It is cute
Cons: Very cheap, I doubt it would hold up to limited use based on my experience.

What a piece of junk this thing is. I received it as a gift and when I unpacked it I found that the gelpack had leaked in the box. I called Rival customer service and they said to wash it off and if it leaked again they would send a new one which was reasonable enough. I froze the gelpack and made a batch of the chocolate gelato from the machines recipe book. The gelpack was holding so I asembled the pieces and started it up. After about 15 minutes the dasher stopped turning, but the motor was still running. The ice cream mixture was soupy so I finished freezing it my refrigerator. After cleaning everything up I reassembled the unit and turned it on. The motor would run byt the dasher did not turn so I took the motor apart to find that a small plastic gear that is pressed onto the motor shaft had broken in two. This thing then made its final trip into the garbage can.

Pros:

It is easy to use.

Cons: It doesn't work. Fragile motor, not much power.

I've only used this equipment twice. The first time it did not completely freeze the mixture.

The second time, the motor froze up. This machine is so very fragile and poorly made. We took the motor apart to see what could have gone wrong only to discover some yellowish greasy substance was covering the plastic parts. The motor runs, but would not turn the paddle. We could not get it to work again!

So in summary, we've never gotten ICE CREAM!!!!!

Pros: Can't think of any since it never worked to begin with.
Cons: Broken right out of the box.

The first time I turned on the motor, without even putting in any ingredients, there was a loud grinding noise, sparks coming out the back, and the smell of burning plastic. It never even turned once.

Pros: The freezing disk is smaller than most machines.
Cons: A totally unreliable machine.

I received this as a gift and made a plum sherbert. After 30 minutes, the paddle stopped turning and I assumed it must do that automatically since the instructions say to process it for 25-30 minutes.

A couple of months later, I decided to make some vanilla ice cream but found that the motor ran still, but without turning the paddle. I had high hopes of finding a reset button or SOMETHING...but no, even the screws were so tight that I couldn't take it apart.

I'm very disappointed and have already purchased a different ice cream maker.

I guess you get what you pay for (but a $20 container of plum sherbert is a little pricey if you ask me!).

Pros: Cheap. It has lots of room.
Cons: Not a well-built product.

I bought one of these at an off-lots store and followed the directions precisely. I allowed the mixture to cool to 34F before pouring it into the mixer, and I chilled the freezing gelpack in my deep freezer. The first time, I tried it for 20 minutes (the minimum) and the ice cream came out a bit soupy. The second time, I decided to let it go for 30 minutes (the maximum). The ice cream had hardened completely-- so much so that the motor simply broke.

Although the mixing bowl claims to be dishwasher-safe, it has a small hole in the bottom that fills the entire chamber with water, and draining it afterward is a tedious task.