Durability **was** a major issue

We got one of these as a wedding gift about 4 years ago and after what I thought was operator error the plastic gear mechanism that turns the tub as well as the metal hub which keeps the dasher from turning got stripped out.

Went out and got a new one, only to have the dasher hub strip again on the third batch. Credit to their customer service department that they did go ahead and get a replacement out to me for only the cost of shipping ($6 to replace the entire motor unit).

We do use a lot of cookies and candy in our ice cream, and this might be a great machine for making "smooth" ice creams, but just can't handle the big chunks.

Large diameter can is nice that the cream can be kept in there in the freezer after making. Also makes it easy to add candy/cookies and mix in.

Downside is that it is not a terribly durable machine. At 5 quarts this has a LOT of thick ice cream to move around and isn't necessarily up to the task. The large diameter can, while making it easy to add ingredients, isn't the best design for making ice cream where the point is that you want the cream to contact the walls (where it freezes)and stay out of the center (where it stays liquid).

**UPDATE** I have found that the problem is that the housing that holds the motor doesn't stay in firm contact with the tub -- causing the gears to strip. If you take a dremmel or similar tool and deepen the notches in the wooden bucket that the housing sits in, it allows much better contact and eliminates the gear stripping problem.