The machine is easy to use, and works fairly quickly, but the simple paddle has a notable design flaw;There's a couple mm between the edge of the paddle and the side of the container. As a result some of the liquid always freezes against the side of the container and becomes hard. As you scoop out the contents there's a notable texture difference between the ice cream that's churned in the center versus the stuff on the sides.They should add either a silicone paddle or a silicone border that scrapes the side clean while churning to make sure the texture is more uniform.

After 3.5 years of using the unit not more than 20 times, the ice cream maker control knob that adjusts the ice cream texture (soft vs hard) stopped working. I contacted Breville, the cost to repair was 50% of original repair cost, which I thought was outrageous. So Breville offered me a 25% discount off to use toward the repair cost or 25% discount to use toward purchasing a new ice cream machine. I did not move forward at the time because I was quite frustrated and disappointed. I realized that the unit was outside of the warranty period, but I was having a hard time justifying spending 50% of the original purchase price (before the 25% discount) to have the unit repaired. After 2.5 months, I decided to use the 25% discount towards having the unit repaired, but ... MoreAfter 3.5 years of using the unit not more than 20 times, the ice cream maker control knob that adjusts the ice cream texture (soft vs hard) stopped working. I contacted Breville, the cost to repair was 50% of original repair cost, which I thought was outrageous. So Breville offered me a 25% discount off to use toward the repair cost or 25% discount to use toward purchasing a new ice cream machine. I did not move forward at the time because I was quite frustrated and disappointed. I realized that the unit was outside of the warranty period, but I was having a hard time justifying spending 50% of the original purchase price (before the 25% discount) to have the unit repaired. After 2.5 months, I decided to use the 25% discount towards having the unit repaired, but much to my surprise, Breville Customer Service informed me that the company had since had a change in policy and NO LONGER OFFERED REPAIRS ON … NOT JUST THE ICE CREAM MAKER... BUT NO LONGER ON “ALL" SMALL APPLIANCES! Below is the actual email reply."Thank you for responding.We no longer offer repairs on the smaller units with the change we made to our repair offers. So, not just the ice-cream maker other appliances as well. The Ice-cream maker will not be discontinued.We are basically saying we no longer offer repairs on the ice-cream maker and if you are interested you can use a 25% discount to purchase a new one.”As a loyal Breville customer, one who has purchased 11 different Breville appliances I was blown away by this new policy. Why would anyone want to purchase an appliance from Breville if the company will no longer stand behind its products? And, what falls into the category of “small” appliances? If the ice creme maker is in the small category at $499, does the top of the line Breville espresso machine ($2,799) also fall in the “small appliance” category? Some of the Breville “small appliances” are quite expensive to no longer be supported by Breville when needing to be repaired! Needless to say, this experience has completely changed my perspective on the Breville company (brand), which I always viewed as high a quality manufacturer of small appliances.Extremely disappointing...

I work in an educational kitchen and use this machine multiple times a week, so purchased one for my home as well. It is a standout in its class. There are some quirks and room for improvement, and the machine I received at home has an apparent alignment issue with the center post and makes a knocking sound that the machines at my work do not make. It's not a quiet machine, so don't expect to have it on freezing your dessert while you are enjoying your dinner. Areas for improvement: 1) the control dial is perpetually turning. This is awkward as it inspires you to turn and turn and turn and turn the dial. It's not clear whether this damages the machine in any way or has any effect. 2) Pouring prepared custard into the machine is a bit of a messy affair. Custard too ... MoreI work in an educational kitchen and use this machine multiple times a week, so purchased one for my home as well. It is a standout in its class. There are some quirks and room for improvement, and the machine I received at home has an apparent alignment issue with the center post and makes a knocking sound that the machines at my work do not make. It's not a quiet machine, so don't expect to have it on freezing your dessert while you are enjoying your dinner. Areas for improvement: 1) the control dial is perpetually turning. This is awkward as it inspires you to turn and turn and turn and turn the dial. It's not clear whether this damages the machine in any way or has any effect. 2) Pouring prepared custard into the machine is a bit of a messy affair. Custard too easily leaks into the center stem or around the rim. The rim area is hard to clean. Given the price point of this machine, I think it should come with a proprietary silicone cup that can accommodate 3.5 cups of hot or cold liquid and pour cleanly into the machine. Finally, the completion time for hot liquids takes close to an hour. That's not out of range, but many home meals are eaten in far less than this, so again, if you are hoping to make a fresh dessert, you are better off making the custard in advance, chilling in the fridge, and popping it into the machine to finish in 20-25 minutes right when you need it. It would be helpful if the user manual had a comparison table for this.