Clear Ice Ball

I researched multiple different ice ball makers on Amazon and decided on this one as the best model for the price. I have used it several times and it really works well. I just used regular room temperature tap water and was very pleased with the results. I did have to adjust the time required in the freezer. I tried 37 hours the first time and that was too short to get the balls completely frozen on the bottom. Turns out my freezer requires about 41 hours. The extra time is probably based on the settings I am using in my freezer. On the plus side, the slower freeze probably allows the ice balls to be more clear. Also takes a little practice to get the rubber mold out of the plastic sleeve but just work it back and forth from both sides and it will come out. Initially, I wasn't sure if I was better off getting the model that makes 2 or 4 ice balls. Based on how long it takes in my freezer, I am very happy with the unit that makes 4 ice balls. Overall, very nice product to use for yourself or give as a gift to someone who drinks whiskey/bourbon.

In terms of quality, this unit has it nearly perfect. I get clear ice with no funky smell or taste from the silicone mold. I scrubbed the mold and tray before the first use with a little sludge I made for my other silicone items to remove anything on the surface from the manufacturing process. Ran a test batch in my -10F chest freezer with water from my Zerowater filter, and got perfectly clear spheres! I always throw out the first two batches to ensure any residue is fully gone and it is only pure water going through the process. The spheres are perfectly sized for my big tumbler that comes to work with me everyday and keeps my water colder longer. The resulting ice at the bottom of the mold tends to be nearly the same clarity and of decent enough quality I take it and bag it as a bonus “chunk” ice for other uses. The ice in the bottom of the mold does take a while to come out, but I find leaving it on a sheet pan with a wire rack helps it to eventually fall out and stay clean enough to use without any real effort. Just be patient and you’ll hear it drop out of the mold. I rinse the cloudy parts of all the ice with my filtered water and throw it all in a ziploc bag for storage.

There are many competing products. I studied the reviews and compared the prices. I went with this one after verifying it would fit in my bottom freezer drawer. Now I get 4 beautiful clear ice balls every 36 hours. I use the filtered water from my refrigerator water dispenser. The ice comes out crystal clear. I was afraid it was going to be hard to get the mold out, but I find it fairly easy and can see where letting it thaw a little would help people having trouble. I read up on "tempering" the ice. I keep my alcohol in the freezer and the refrigerator, so it seems like I don't have to use tempering to keep the ice from cracking when I pour the liquid over it. But I have inadvertently allowed a little time at room temperature before pouring, so maybe I am partially tempering my ice. This works great with old fashioneds and whiskey sours :)

This product works perfectly making ice spheres as advertised. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because it takes a little figuring out due to instructions being minimal. I watched YouTube videos, and googled some instructions. But, the finished product is perfect.

First, if you want really nice ice fast, this is not the tool you are looking for - and I highly doubt you will find a tool that does it fast. You will want to consider setting a reminder for this as I've found exactly 24-hours will yield beautiful ice, in my case, a rose sphere as it seemed the most fitting shape for the city I reside in. This is very easy to set up and despite the mixed reviews I've seen, I've had no issues removing the mold once the ice is ready. Pull up on one size to get it started, then lift both sides up slowly. It is easier if you let it sit for a few minutes after removal from the freezer. I've had no issues with storing a completed rose in an ice box for a few hours and it yielding an equally beautiful result as when it was fresh out of the mold. These melt very slowly, over time becoming a perfectly clear sphere. Overall, if you're considering making this an addition to a home bar, don't spend four months deciding like me and just go for it - so long as you are willing to take the care needed for best results. This makes beautiful ice, and I'm now strongly considering ordering another.

The mold is large, bulky, and removing the insert challenging. My ice isn’t a complete sphere either. Lastly, a large block of ice forms on the inside bottom, which is wasteful. But the semi-spherical ice is clear after tempering.

Many other ice molds are prohibitively expensive. This mold is a great value. Have been using for about a year and would recommend. I like the balls over cubes, but get more clarity from cubes.

The Tinana and Berlinzo are essentially the same ice maker with two different labels. But there are some differences between the two, and to my mind, they do not favor the nearly twice as expensive Berlinzo: 1. Physically, they are 98% identical. The only physical difference between these is that the Berlinzo is sheathed in a hard plastic outer casing with a satin black finish and some small, but nice, graphics. Between the two, this gives the Berlinzo a more “formal” and “classy” appearance. Seriously, it looks nice. If that matters to you, while it sits in your freezer, then it’s your ice maker of choice. Or, perhaps you want to give one of these as a gift; the Berlinzo does look nicer. [FWIW, their exterior shipping boxes are both nice, but to my mind, the Tinana is nicer in its simplicity.] Other than the Berlinzo’s outer shell, they are identical, and their parts are interchangeable. However, I think this outer shell contributes to difference #2. 2. Per their instructions, the Tinana should be allowed to freeze for 30 hours, while the Berlinzo requires 40-48. If you’re on any kind of clock, that’s significant. Other than the thin satin plastic shell on the Berlinzo, I can think of no reason why the two devices should have such significantly different freezing times. Interestingly, the Berlinzo instructions specifically state that you should not freeze it for more than 50 hours, else there is a risk of cracking the shell. That strikes me as a disadvantage, or at least a risk of disadvantage. I found the freezing times for both devices accurate. 3. The Berlinzo comes with a nice plastic bag in which to store your spheres. Unfortunately, it’s not really big enough to hold more than one batch at a time. Ziplock is your friend here. 4. In all other respects, the two devices produce identical, almost entirely clear ice spheres when you follow the instructed times for freezing. And if you don’t, they also perform similarly. Pulling either device out of the freezer six hours ahead of time will reveal a not-fully-frozen base, and partially formed (about 75%) spheres. Also, if you decide to use warm or even hot water to slow the freezing process further, you’ll need to adjust your freezing time accordingly. I do, and have found an additional six hours (for a total of 36) in the Tinana works well, while the Berlinzo requires its full 48. 5. The spheres from both devices also benefit from tempering. Without tempering, they didn’t always crack, but they did sometimes. And with tempering, none of the spheres cracked when room temperature whiskey was poured on them. Most people recommend five minutes for tempering, and that makes sense if the spheres are kept in an ice bucket or bowl. I found that when placed in individual glasses, 2-3 minutes seemed sufficient to avoid cracking. YMMV. I have attached pics showing the spheres side-by-side. They are indistinguishable. I also did a 90-minute melting test, with images taken at 00:00, 00:30, 01:00, and 01:30, with a sphere from each maker in a glass containing 2 ounces of water. Granted, water and booze are not the same thing, and holding a glass will speed the ice melting process. But all I wanted to do was compare how a sphere from each maker would perform in the same environment. Short answer: they melted identically. And that’s no surprise since they are almost identical in their construction, and entirely identical in their method. For me, the performance of both the Berlinzo and the Tinana are 5 stars, with the Berlinzo docked one star for value and the additional 10-18 hours of freezing time. With respect to some of the less positive reviews: 1. Yes, it’s difficult to remove the rubber molds from the freezing box. It gets easier after first use, but they’re tight for a reason. I’m older, and my finger strength isn’t what it used to be, but I managed to get everything apart. 2. It’s not difficult to fill the container or to get the molds topped up. A gooseneck kettle is handy for topping off. 3. There is occasionally a little bit of excess ice around the seams (see pics), but it comes off easily. 4. Depending on your water minerality, you may find you get better results by boiling the water first, filtering it with a real filter (Brita doesn’t cut it), etc. Distilled or RO/DI water doesn’t always produce more clarity. The people who make the OnTheRocks version of this (I use their box for cubes) have some videos with recommendations for “fine-tuning” your ice. We have off-the-charts hard water in our house, and a whole house softener that reduces, but does not eliminate, the hardness. The tap water produced quite acceptable ice spheres. 5. With respect to water “wastage,” don’t rinse that ice block down the drain. Let it thaw and use it to water plants or pets or whatever. It’s perfectly clean water. It’s only waste if you waste it. Don’t throw it away!