I love my ice shaver. This my 2nd one. 1st one lasted over 8 years. If ice is position right in shaver it shaves quietly however it can be loud. I noticed this one is lighter so it requires stable counter top and firm pressing when ooerating. To much ice the machine freezes up. So you may have to manually remove ice or simply let it melt off. I use ice circular molds for my ice block rather than cubes of ice. The dryer the ice the better this machine shaves. Overall you will enjoy this buy if you enjoy a good snow cone, or simply a cup of shaved ice.