Okay first of all this isn't actually a terrible product. It's nicely made, it doesn't take up much space in the freezer and it does work...sort of. The cubes I got were more clear than those from trays, but not completely clear, and since that's the whole point, it simply fails. The problem is that to work properly, this thing requires a freezer temp between 25-30 degrees Fahrenheit. Most freezers (including mine) are closer to 0 degrees. So unless you have a mini-fridge that you can turn down to just below freezing (and dedicate to just making ice-cubes), there's no way you can actually follow the directions. So your cubes will inevitably freeze too fast and not be clear. I should have just watched YouTube first, because I could have saved my money: just fill a 6-pack cooler with the best-tasting water you have (tap water is fine if it tastes good) to within a couple inches of the top and stick it in the deep-freeze overnight without the lid. (Because this is a significantly larger quantity of water, it will freeze more slowly and you will get truly clear ice.) Twenty-four hours later, remove the cooler and place it on its side in the sink. Once it thaws enough the block will slide out sideways. Using a long serrated knife, chop off the partially-frozen shell of ice at the bottom, and after smoothing that off, what you have left (the top half or so) is a perfectly clear slab of approximately 2-inch thick ice. Now, using the same long serrated knife and a cutting board, score the block about 2 inches in from the edge---just a few strokes is enough to create the necessary groove. Leave the knife fully seated in the groove, then whack the top of it straight down with a mallet and you will break off a square ice-column. Repeat scoring and whacking until your ice-slab is fully cubed. (If you're not careful you might break off some irregular pieces, which just makes for some interesting jagged cubes. However if you want only perfect cubes, you can score all the way around all 4 sides of the block before whacking it, which generally improves your chances.) Once you have made your cubes, I like to food-saver them 4 at a time into bags and toss them in the freezer so they don't sublimate or absorb any odors. It's a little tricky to keep the 4 of them separated (so they don't freeze together) while the food-saver vacuums out the air, but if you stick your fingers in between them from the top just right, you can manage it. (Otherwise just do 2 at a time.) Doing things this way not only gives you truly clear ice, it also makes a lot more cubes than this thing, which only makes 2 at a time. I also found that getting those 2 cubes out of the holder was a struggle; I might have eventually gotten better at it, but since the cubes aren't even fully clear, why bother? About the only advantages this unit provides is that it doesn't take up as much room in your freezer as a 6-pack cooler and you don't have to chunk the ice apart into cubes, but you're just not likely to get the perfectly-clear cubes you seek. If you have limited freezer space and decide to go with this thing, I would suggest sealing it in a zip-lock bag full of air to provide additional insulation and slow down the freezing process. Then it might work. But you probably already own a 6-pack cooler and that does a far better job, so if possible just use that instead and use the money you save to buy yourself a fancy bottle of scotch to savor over your perfectly-clear ice-cubes with a friend this coming weekend!
