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Helman Group MSB-585 Margarator 1-Gallon Margarita-Making Machine | 
 enlarge | Brand: The Helman Group
List Price: $99.99
Buy New: $84.99
You Save: $15.00 (15%)
Rating:  32 reviews
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 12.6
Dimensions (in): 10 x 10 x 19
MPN: MSB-585
Model: MSB-585
UPC: 082677135858
EAN: 0082677135858
ASIN: B000JECQ8Q
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | 85-watt margarita maker with ice grinding/shaving motor | | • | Front-mounted serving spout for easy dispensing | | • | Insulated container holds up to 128 ounces; carrying handle | | • | AC/DC power capabilities; car plug and power cord included | | • | Measures 10 by 10-1/2 by 19-2/7 inches; 90-day warranty |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Be 'part' of the party! Now you can make a gallon of Margaritas at one time! Fill "Margarator" with ice, add Margarita Mix and Tequilla. Secure lid and flip on the switch. In a matter of minutes you will have delicious and refreshing Margaritas! Product Features: 1 Gallon Capacity Easy Dispensing Spout AC/DC Power Capabilities
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Disposable Item October 17, 2008
John Kelly (White Hall, IL United States)
Got this in June for the boat. It worked great although a batch takes about 10 minutes. We ran it a few times. Probably made 30 perfect batches. Then the gears all stripped.
Unlike a blender, where you can get blades binding, this guy's exactly like a garbage disposer. Two pawls fling the ice into a metal ring with slots. Shave the ice. Therefore I was pretty amazed when suddenly the thing started screaming and the action stopped (although the motor was still running).
Contacting the company did no good. I used their form (Helman Group Ltd.) and, a week later, received a canned response telling me there was a 90 day warranty. Thanks. I asked about repair parts.
Telling my friends about my bad luck produced another surprise. Three of them had purchased this device. Two had the gears strip like mine and one had the handle break off. Very sad.
So now, my $80 machine sits in the garage waiting for trash day. I went to Wal-Mart and purchased an $18 blender that does as good a job if not better. And it makes a batch in a minute.
I can't recommend this thing at all. It's cool but won't hold up.
Save your money! July 14, 2008
Steve
I have gone through two of these units and I have friend who also tried and failed. The motors can not stand up even to a 5-10 person margarita party. I ended up pulling out my 15 year old Hamilton-Beach blender to save the day (and the party). Looks cool but stay clear, unless of course you are looking to give up alcohol.
Tantalizing but Temperamental June 4, 2008
Captn (Baltimore MD)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
We bought the Margarator because of its DC power feature. Thought it would be ideal for tailgating, i.e. Buffet Concerts. Used it at home the first time since we didn't have a concert on the horizon. Followed the instructions. 23 minutes of loud blending resulted in Margaritas with a thin slushy layer on top of really cold liquid. We blamed the ($1.25) 5 pound bag of ice, with large chunks of cubes stuck together, for the poor performance of the crusher/shaver. Tried it a second time the following weekend. Wanted to test ice cubes from an ice-maker. Filled the bucket 3/4 of the way to the fill line with ice cubes. Also put in 1/2 the bottle of Margarita mix. Viola, slushy Margaritas in about 12 minutes!! We were excited. It was still loud and you do need to turn the power on for the slushy margaritas to pour out. Also used a little bowl to collect dripping from the spout.
The Margarator worked so well that we decided to bring it to a Memorial Day BBQ. We followed the same 3/4 ice with 1/2 bottle of mix measurements and got repeat great results. Then things went south. Tried to make a second batch when it malfunctioned. Not sure what happened, but the motor spun up without spinning the crusher. Messed around with it, but people were getting annoyed at the loudness. Drank cold margaritas to clear out the container. Looked inside and nothing was broken.
We called the manufacturer and they said to send it back. A replacement is supposed to be on the way. We'll see if it's any better. Giving it two stars because there's potential for it to be a good unit if they improve the quality and drop the price to $50 or less...
ZERO STARS - A real piece of junk - DONT BUY May 1, 2008
N. Pegman (Michigan)
so far this thing has done nothing but waste a good bottle of tequila and raise my blood pressure. It has no ability to grind ice. When i first got it, i looked at the 'grinder' and 'grinder cage' and was a bit puzzled how these two non-aggressive looking pieces could ever possibly grind ice into a slush. I was right . . . they can't. I don't see how they ever arrived at a $100.00 price tag for this worthless thing!
Cool name - over-hyped product April 17, 2008
Alex Daniels (Dallas TX)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Summary - the margarator kinda works, with much effort during the party (oh, were you planning to have fun instead of work?). It seems cheaply constructed, and other's experiences (failures) bear that out. Those with high expectations will likely be disappointed, and I think that's why there are so many negative reviews. However, to get better than this, you have to turn to the expensive pro-machines. Welcome to your new home: Rock and a hard place and you in between. I would suggest machine rentals, except at $100 a pop, after 12 parties and you could have bought a used pro machine yourself.
What is it?
The Margarator is an insulated blender with dull blades that pulverizes the ice in a margarita mix to make a frozen drink.
Quality?
The motor and build quality are suggestive of a heavily cost-reduced consumer product.
It is just about possible if you get everything cold to get fairly decent results. However, if your expectations are perfect restaurant quality frozen margaritas then you will probably be disappointed.
Use experience:
The reality of using it is (as others have said), a challenge to get the mix cold enough without diluting the mix too much with ice. It does take much longer to get the mix ready than the instructions suggest. Use tip - keep the machine running when serving, otherwise the ice floats to the top and you just get the liquid at the bottom.
After running a friend's Margarator all night at 2 parties, I really wanted to serve frozen margaritas at my own parties (and fruit granitas for my kids parties). But the shortcomings of the Margarator had me looking around for other options. Eventually, I dropped coin on a used Taylor 430 restaurant machine. Even used they're like 10x-15x the price of the price of a new magarator, so it doesn't seem like it's a fair comparison. But unfortunately a restaurant machine is the next step up from breaking up ice in a blender. There are some <$1k granita machines (with the see-through bowls - e.g. Faby), but they are not designed for outdoor heat, plus you can't top it up with extra mix since you'd dilute the frozen mix with unfrozen product and have to wait an hour for it to refreeze. If you're willing to spend that much, you might as well spend a little more to get a machine that really does what you want; a used Taylor or Crathco that will last for years and years.
Consumer vs. Pro:
One of the main pluses is the pro machines basically never die as they are easily repaired and could be resold for virtually the same amount you paid for it years later. When you consider the net loss of owning a pro machine that's resold 4 years later vs. the cost of a new margarator (with no resale value after 4 years), then the pro option might not seem like such a crazy proposition. Sure, you have to front more cash at the start for the pro machine, but the total cost of ownership at the end of 4 years is not as wildly different as it first seems.
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