Before becoming a pro with your shaved ice business, you need to have the right shaved ice machine for the job. You will see that there’s a big difference between serving thousands of customers a day versus serving up homemade snow cones for a dozen kids at a birthday party.
In this post, we review the best commercial shaved ice makers for 2020 so that you can feel confident in your business decision. If you’ve decided to get into the shaved ice business, you need to purchase a machine that will be able to produce a high-quality product, enabling you to crank out shaved ice fast.
Best Commercial Shave Ice Machines Reviewed
Whether you’re looking for something more affordable to get your shop started or a top of the line model that can handle a very high volume shop , we’ve tried to include something for everyone. If electricity isn’t available and you need a manual ice shaver for your business, check out our manual shave ice machine buyers guide. If you’re in a hurry, check out our overall top pick and best bang-for-your buck picks first.
FUJIMARCA MC-709SE
The Fujimarca MC-709SE is one of the most popular ice shavers on the market today. You’ll see these in use at many of Hawaii’s most famous shave ice shops, including Matsumoto Shave Ice. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for anyone. It’s a robust, reliable machine that is very easy to maintain when needed. As a plus, it’s quite a bit less expensive than some other commercial models.
One drawback to this model is that its is not NSF approved. If the state you do business in requires all machinery to be NSF approved, then we recommend the Swan SI-100E, or the Hatsuyuki HF-500E. If you’re buying this for home use, you won’t have to worry about NSF approval.
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Great Northern Cub Shaved Ice Machine
If you are searching for a commercial grade ice shaver for the least money possible, the Cub could be a great option for you. Great Northern is a leader in the concession industry and has a reputation for quality. The cub feature a commercial quality 1/3 HP motor operating at 1725 RPM’s and includes a 1-year warranty. This machine can plow through over 350 lbs. of ice an hour. The sturdy construction makes it durable, lightweight, and easy to clean. The ‘Ice Cub’ slowly shaves the ice off the block and produces one of the softest/fluffiest ices in the industry that can’t be matched at this price point.
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6060 Great Northern Polar Pal Block Ice Shaver
This commercial shaved ice machine is built with the safety shield attached for your protection and double safety switches. It’s a premium quality device with a heavy-duty motor and fully adjustable stainless-steel blade. It shaves 6 lbs. per minute or more than 350lbs per hour. It’s backed by a 1-year warranty. This machine is similar to the Cub, but is quite a bit lighter and features more accessible hand holds making it more ideal for mobile shave ice businesses.
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Hatsuyuki HF-500E Block Ice Shaver
The Hatsuyuki HF-500E block ice shaver is easy to use and extremely durable machine made from durable plastic casing and high-quality stainless steel. This NSF approved ice shaver is a very popular model and produces fluffy and light snow and can use up to a 7-pound square or round block of ice. However, square blocks shouldn’t be larger than 6″ wide by 6″ tall, and round blocks be no larger than 8″ in diameter by 6″ tall.
If you decide to buy a Hatsuyuki HF-500E block ice shaver, you will surely love its safety features. The machine cannot be run if the protection lid is open. This allows the shaving plane to be hands-free which reduces operator injuries. Speaking of hands-free, we highly recommend adding a foot pedal to your purchase for easy operation.
This machine will surely meet the needs of shave ice businesses of any size thanks to its shaving capacity of 4.4 pounds of ice per minute.
One note: the Hatsuyuki HF-500E is somewhat of a beast, and you will need a sturdy surface to operate this robust machine. If you plan to operate it at special events, you should consider having a very sturdy table to place it on. Don’t go for a cheap folding table and expect to serve customers. It will not work!
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Swan SI-100E Block Ice Shaver
The Swan SI-100E is perfect for high-volume shaved ice business locations and one of the best upright block ice shavers on the market. With this awesome device, you can make ultra-fine snow which absorbs flavoring quickly and can produce 4.6 pounds of shaved ice per minute.
This machine can hold a 7-pound square or round ice block and features almost 10 inches of clearance beneath the shaving disc for easy access with large cups.
This ice shaver has a 1⁄4 horsepower motor and comes with a 1-year warranty. It’s also NSF approved.
The Swan SI-100E is extremely durable with a metal frame covered with a high-quality plastic casing. Ice overspray is redirected and drained with a convenient drip tray with a drain tube. However, we recommend you adding a larger drip pan with this model to ensure you have proper protection from overspray under your machine.
This shaved ice maker weighs about 75 pounds, and we recommend installing it on a sturdy surface. It doesn’t include a hands-free foot pedal, and we do suggest adding one to your shopping cart. By doing so, you can easily use two hands to collect falling snow into your cup!
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Global Bear Block Ice Shaver
Global Bear ice shavers are known for making high quality shaved snow. This ice shaver features a germ-resistant, stainless steel shaving plate and a high precision blade. The non-porous design rejects bacteria and is perfect for a medium to high output commercial shaved ice business.
This NSF certified shaved ice machine is designed with an overload circuit breaker and electricity leakage breaker. This ensures safe operation and extends the lifetime of the machine.
As one of the newest additions to our selection, the Global Bear ice shaver has already proven its popularity. The machine features a convenient blade adjustment knob, a shaving plate window to ensure the perfect shave for every serving, and a foot pedal to operate the machine hands-free. Consider the Global Bear shaved ice machine today at unbeatable prices!
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Hatsuyuki HC-8E Cube Ice Shaver
If you want to go for a cube shaver, Hatsuyuki HC-8E Cube Ice Shaver is one of the top choices you can make. This electric shaved ice machine with a 110-volt industrial-strength motor can serve up to 400 people in eight hours. This portable machine can turn cubed or bagged ice into fluffy snow in a matter of seconds. The Hatsuyuki HC-8E is excellent for shaved ice startups. It comes with a large drip pan and safety switch.
This shaved ice machine features a blade adjustment knob which is located on the front of the device. This allows the adjustment of the texture of the snow according to your taste. An important safety feature prevents the machine from being operated while the lid is open.
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If you don’t have much experience with block ice shavers, we recommend watching YouTube videos or those provided by the official supplier. Also make sure that you thoroughly understand your shaved ice machine before making a purchase and know about the tempering process (allowing your ice to warm up before shaving). Read more about the ice-tempering process in our article How to temper the ice.
Best of luck with your shave ice business and happy ice shaving!
