bit-tech Shopping: Cuisinart ICE45U Soft Ice Cream Dispenser

Rating: 2

Time with product: 3 Months

Strengths: Pictures on the box looked good.

Weaknesses: Does not work

Summary: We bought the Cuisinart Mix It In Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker last summer. We followed the directions carefully, froze the bowl for 24 hours, used the exact quantities of cream etc. We switched it on, and couldn't wait for it to dispense soft ice cream. Less than ten minutes later, the motor stopped. We couldn't get it to go back on. Re read the instruction manual and there was a warning that the motor might switch off if the ice cream was getting too hard. We checked the bowl; yes it was getting hard around the rim of the bowl, but was liquid on the inside. We put it down to our inexperience, stirred it by hand and ate it. Unfortunately, it wouldn't dispense because the motor had overheated and turned it self off. Next day, we tried again, adding more cream to try to keep it from getting too hard. Ten minutes later, motor started to smell from overheating and shut down. Tried a third time with no success. We think the motor is underpowered for the maker. It overheads so the manufacturer installed a safety mechanism to shut it off. We wrote Cuisinart and explained our problem.. they asked us to try again. We did; same results.We explained that we thought it was a problem with the design and asked if we could simply switch to their less expensive basic ice cream maker. They insisted on replacing with another soft serve maker -- same problem, motor shuts off when it gets too hot before the ice cream is made. We are fed up. Cuisinart used to have a good reputation and we were surprised by their reaction and curious about the current state of the company. It has gone through several buyouts and management changes, is underfunded and losing money. They are manufacturing cheap products which they don't stand behind. We'll never buy another product from Cuisinart of Conair (their parent company) again.