Bought this product for my wife (was on her wish list). The unit looks much better than shown in the photos. As for crushing ice, it does a fine job. Yes, it takes effort and some strength (you will, after all, be crushing ice manually), but the result is very nicely crushed ice. I've been able to load five large ice cubes into the bin. The cover does not immediately close with this much ice, but, while holding the cover down and with a slight turn of the crank, it will fully close. Only two complaints. First, the difference between fine and course ice is not discernable to me. Second, the unit could use a larger, heavier base for stability. Otherwise, I enjoy using my wife's(!) Ice-O-Mat.