Premium Clear Ice Cube Maker Mold - Whiskey Large Clear Ice Cube Maker 2 Inch - Crystal Clear Ice Maker Cube - Cube Ice Mold Maker with Storage Bag - 2 Ice Cubes Maker

The Tinana and Berlinzo are essentially the same ice maker with two different labels. But there are some differences between the two, and to my mind, they do not favor the nearly twice as expensive Berlinzo:1. Physically, they are 98% identical. The only physical difference between these is that the Berlinzo is sheathed in a hard plastic outer casing with a satin black finish and some small, but nice, graphics. Between the two, this gives the Berlinzo a more “formal” and “classy” appearance. Seriously, it looks nice. If that matters to you, while it sits in your freezer, then it’s your ice maker of choice. Or, perhaps you want to give one of these as a gift; the Berlinzo does look nicer. [FWIW, their exterior shipping boxes are both nice, but to my mind, the Tinana is nicer in its simplicity.] Other than the Berlinzo’s outer shell, they are identical, and their parts are interchangeable. However, I think this outer shell contributes to difference #2.2. Per their instructions, the Tinana should be allowed to freeze for 30 hours, while the Berlinzo requires 40-48. If you’re on any kind of clock, that’s significant. Other than the thin satin plastic shell on the Berlinzo, I can think of no reason why the two devices should have such significantly different freezing times. Interestingly, the Berlinzo instructions specifically state that you should not freeze it for more than 50 hours, else there is a risk of cracking the shell. That strikes me as a disadvantage, or at least a risk of disadvantage. I found the freezing times for both devices accurate.3. The Berlinzo comes with a nice plastic bag in which to store your spheres. Unfortunately, it’s not really big enough to hold more than one batch at a time. Ziplock is your friend here.4. In all other respects, the two devices produce identical, almost entirely clear ice spheres when you follow the instructed times for freezing. And if you don’t, they also perform similarly. Pulling either device out of the freezer six hours ahead of time will reveal a not-fully-frozen base, and partially formed (about 75%) spheres. Also, if you decide to use warm or even hot water to slow the freezing process further, you’ll need to adjust your freezing time accordingly. I do, and have found an additional six hours (for a total of 36) in the Tinana works well, while the Berlinzo requires its full 48.5. The spheres from both devices also benefit from tempering. Without tempering, they didn’t always crack, but they did sometimes. And with tempering, none of the spheres cracked when room temperature whiskey was poured on them. Most people recommend five minutes for tempering, and that makes sense if the spheres are kept in an ice bucket or bowl. I found that when placed in individual glasses, 2-3 minutes seemed sufficient to avoid cracking. YMMV.I have attached pics showing the spheres side-by-side. They are indistinguishable. I also did a 90-minute melting test, with images taken at 00:00, 00:30, 01:00, and 01:30, with a sphere from each maker in a glass containing 2 ounces of water. Granted, water and booze are not the same thing, and holding a glass will speed the ice melting process. But all I wanted to do was compare how a sphere from each maker would perform in the same environment. Short answer: they melted identically. And that’s no surprise since they are almost identical in their construction, and entirely identical in their method. For me, the performance of both the Berlinzo and the Tinana are 5 stars, with the Berlinzo docked one star for value and the additional 10-18 hours of freezing time.With respect to some of the less positive reviews:1. Yes, it’s difficult to remove the rubber molds from the freezing box. It gets easier after first use, but they’re tight for a reason. I’m older, and my finger strength isn’t what it used to be, but I managed to get everything apart.2. It’s not difficult to fill the container or to get the molds topped up. A gooseneck kettle is handy for topping off.3. There is occasionally a little bit of excess ice around the seams (see pics), but it comes off easily.4. Depending on your water minerality, you may find you get better results by boiling the water first, filtering it with a real filter (Brita doesn’t cut it), etc. Distilled or RO/DI water doesn’t always produce more clarity. The people who make the OnTheRocks version of this (I use their box for cubes) have some videos with recommendations for “fine-tuning” your ice. We have off-the-charts hard water in our house, and a whole house softener that reduces, but does not eliminate, the hardness. The tap water produced quite acceptable ice spheres.5. With respect to water “wastage,” don’t rinse that ice block down the drain. Let it thaw and use it to water plants or pets or whatever. It’s perfectly clean water. It’s only waste if you waste it. Don’t throw it away!

Perfect ice clear balls with just 1 try! Easy to use. Froze for 48hrs and left to thaw for 8-10mins. No difficulty pulling out, just had to alternate left and right a few pulls to eventually slide the molds out all together.

The invention of the automatic ice maker is a godsend in my book. Though it gets boring when you have the same old ice maker machine ice for when you want an ice-cold drink in a nice glass.And then, in steps the Berlinzo Clear Ice Ball Maker Mold, and you have fancy-dancy ice balls for your fancy drinks.While it is not automatic, you have to fill this mold and its holder with water, then place it in the freezer for up to 24 hours, indeed it works. My first Ice Ball was terrific, now my second one was not so great, but that was my fault, as I did not dump the ice that formed in the base of the holder out and start fresh with all water. Not sure why, but I see in other comments on the page that it needs to breathe.It was an easy process, to clean the mold and holder when I took it out of the box, filled the holder with water, inserted the mold into the holder, and placed it in my freezer. Just make sure you have room in your freezer for the holder, it is a tad bulky. The next day I took it out, opened it up and there was a perfect ice ball. I have read some comments that the ice did not come out clear, for me it did, using only Washington DC City tap water. I wonder if I use fancy bottled water if the ice will be even better.The only downside I see is it makes one ice ball at a time, and it takes 24 hours. Fine if you want to drink alone or are thinking far enough ahead that you take several days to make several ice balls for drinks with friends. Though I see on their site they have a two-ice ball mold set up as well. For now, I will continue to make one ice ball a day and put the ice ball in my freezer ice storage bucket. I took several out that I made day after day, and they were all just fine.I am pleased with the ease of use, the quality of materials, and the finished product that the mold makes. I like its well-designed packaging, and the shipping on Amazon was quick and no hassle. This is a great housewarming gift, or general gift, for a friend who likes to make nice drinks. You don’t have to drink alcohol to have a nice-looking drink with ice in it, it will be great for an Arnold Palmer-style drink. I think kids will get a kick out of these ice balls in their drinks too, it will make them feel so grown up. I am looking forward to making a bunch of ice balls and having them stacked up in a glass ice container for a future event.I think you will enjoy this product as much as I have, and am going to this fancy-dancy drink season!

This makes the best ice cubes I have ever made. The insulation from the canister is just the amount to create a crack free cube. The cubes are perfectly clear as well. I am very happy with this little device. Best of all I got it during prime so the price was much better than normal amount. The lower price in my book was a more reasonable amount. That would be my only complaint. So if you are going to get this or the bigger versions wait till the price goes down.

Extremely easy and consistently top quality lear ice.