Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
not overly pleased, June 22, 2008
First, I would rate it a 3.5
I purchased this item as I was tired of low quality drink mixers... I purchased the FIJI as it was the newest model out. It has a larger Ice holder and different settings for margaritas, daquiries, mudslides, and smoothies.
The machine is powerful and seemingly high quality. I feel it will last a long time. It does take some practice getting your recipies correct. Maybe its just me, but I also can NOT differentiate the drinks from the four different settings. A drink in the mudslide setting has the same texture as a Margarita....and etc. So I felt that was a waste for me. With the larger Ice Hopper thats nice, but easily available for the Key West version. I would rather have extra blending Jars as they are small and what I go through the most. The Key west seems to have the best matching ice reservoir for the blending jar. The drip through water catcher is nice... but very difficultt to clean. Its too narrow to wash by hand, you need to use a long handled something(minor inconvenience I guess).
Performance is nice. Its powerful and the ice shaver works well. very well actually/ But that too is extremely difficult to clean... If it comes out to clean, I cant figure mine out...so its pretty much just sticking a cloth it there to swap up melted ice, and hand pick out leftover ice. Its tricky as supports and the big blade can get you.
Also, probably the most fustrating thing is the ice hopper does not line up nicely with the blending jar opening. Its off about a 1/4 inch, but just enough for liquid to jump out when machine fires up. I was told I had too much liquid, but it does it no matter how much liquid I have in it. I now have to put the lid on the mixing jar at an angle so it lines up with the hopper, but this leaves an imperfect seal on the jar, and for full serving mixes it wants to come out the side of the lid.
Its also a big unit. We dont store appliances on our counter(actually wont fit under the counter wit the ice hopper on it), and we were limited as to where this unit would fit in our pantry... but thats fine, we made room. When mixing, the ice only feature is nice as you can really make a nice slushy drink for yourself or the kids if you wish. I pretty much only use the ice only and blend only buttons now, as the programmed settings either dont add enough ice for our taste or mixes it up too much. The no spill blending jar is not really no spill. It has a spout, but the glass is thick(quality), and that leads to dripping down the side when pouring. I would like to see them invent a high quality blending jar with a spout for pouring(as seen on cheap blenders)... now that would be the last great feature they would need to add.
I wish I had gotten the Key West to save money, but live and learn. Its a solid, decent looking machine that seems durable for years of use. I can live with its shortcomings operationally, but everytime I make a drink I cant get past the fact the blending jar does not line up perfectly with the ice hopper. I called the Manufacturer and they told me it in fact doesnt line up....That would be my clue to fix that, or not put it on the market at nearly $400.
Worth $400...NO...$300...NO... $200...sure, because of its powerful motor and expected lifespan. If you dont use it often its not worth it. The lower priced version at less than $200 would be perfect. But when using this often, you can justify a larger price. What else is out there like it anyhow???
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34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Elminates several other machines in your kitchen, August 9, 2007
We love our Margaritaville machine! It has eliminated two blenders and a snow cone maker in our own kitchen. No telling what more. My husband loves a good 'rita, and I like to drink health shakes in the morning for breakfast. This machine is perfect for our needs. You can also just shave a little ice to make a snowy soft snow cone for the kids or enlist the blender element solely. It's a large machine, so if a blender is a daily necessity in your house and you have plenty of counter space to accomodate it, then this is great for you. Now, this is not going to chop frozen strawberries w/o compromising the integrity, per the saleswoman's instructions at the Williams-Sonoma that we bought it at. By the way, we bought ours there for the same price, but also have the Williams-Sonoma guarantee that covers the Margaritaville for life. If you have a WS in your area, I would suggest this route. If not, at least Amazon has their 1 yr. warranty on it.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must have gadget!, January 14, 2008
As an engineer and gadget guy I finally got the big Kahuna Margaritaville model.
When you follow the directions - ie keep the right amount of liquid per the number of drinks - it is fantastic. The 12OZ per drink measurement is dead on.
The different drinks it makes - Rita's, Daq's, Colada's and Smoothies are set on one knob. This basically tells the blender how much blending to do and when to shave the ice. The Rita's assume all liquid ingredients. The Daq's assume frozen fruit and the Smoothies assume fresh fruit so the timing and frequecy of the blending is based on that. For example the blender doesn't start on a Rita until the ice shaving is well underway while a Daq starts blending well before the shaving starts.
The machine breaks down nicely for easy cleaning and the shaving blade is easy to replace if it comes to that. It's a pretty beefy blade so I am not worried.
Do note that the machine is tall and will not fit under a cabinet that is over a normal counter without removing the ice hopper. We just break it down and put a decorative towel over it.
An extra blender jar will probably be on most peoples wanted list.
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