Ice Sphere Molds, Stackable Easy-Release, 2.5-Inch, Set of 4, Black

(Note: I have posted pics of this product) The product, and the concept, are absolutely fantastic. Glad I purchased - and I wish I would have done so much sooner. I did lots and LOTS of research before I decided to purchase the Zoku brand. Of all the various designs, this one seemed to be the most straight forward and user friendly. And I was correct. Product makes perfectly spherical shaped ice (see my picture). The ice is very dense and melts VERY slowly. One evening of `continuous use' the ice ball lasted approximately 3 hours. This was indoors and being used around room temp - about 70 degrees. I suppose there could be different results if used outside on a hot summer day. The molds are wide - which prevents them from wobbling when opening / closing the freezer door (see picture I posted). They do not spill or leak water once filled. The water does expand upon freezing, which may cause slight overflow near the fill hole. Not a big deal, and generally unavoidable. After the ice is frozen (directions say to wait 8 hours) the ice pops out without any problems - no cracking, does not get stuck, etc. I make several batches of ice spheres and simply keep them stored inside a zip lock bag in the freezer. If the ice ball does not melt completely after I am done drinking for the evening, I simply leave it inside the glass and place the glass with the ice ball back in the freezer for use the next day. Lastly, be sure your cocktail glass is around 3.5 inches wide (see my photo) all the way up and down (i.e., not tapered). The space will be needed to accommodate the ice ball. Anything smaller and it definitely will not fit. EDIT / UPDATE (08/15/2014) - My comments above indicated that a glass of 3.5 inches would be optimal. However, I just noticed that my pic with the measuring tape is actually 3.25". Hence, I am updating my review to reflect that a glass of at least 3.25 inches wide is optimal (of course, larger will also work). I also updated the notes in the pic I posted to reflect this correction.

This is an awesome spherical ice ball maker! I'm starting to get into drinking bourbon and whiskey but wanted a way to slow the ice melt with traditional ice cubes from diluting my drink too fast. I want my drink to be chilled but not watered down to the point where it completely changes the drink. This Zoku ice mold definitely gets the job done as far as making perfeclty round ice balls! The process is extremely easy. You simply twist the two halves together, fill it with water till it's ptractically overflowing. You then turn it upside down to remove the excess water. The cool thing is that although there is a small hole at the top, the water within the sphere doesn't leak out! You then pop it in your freezer and wait. Removing the ice ball from the mold is similarly simple. You twist the top half off, gently push the bottom piece to pop the ball out of the mold and that's it. It ice ball does show some signs of imperfectness, mainly where the twist is at and the at the top. When the water freezes, I'm guessing it expands and a little gets out of the hole. You can see what I'm talking about in my attached pictures. It's not a deal breaker. As to whether this helps in slowing the melting process while in my drink is the better question to ask and I'm happy to say that yes, it does! This ice ball definitely takes a lot longer to melt than the traditional half-moon ice cubes I was using previously. My only disappointment is that my drink is now not as chilled as I'd want it to be. Only time will tell if this trade off is worth it for me or not. Basically, it's do I want a colder drink at the expense of having to finish it faster to not have it get too diluted or vice-versa. As to this product itself however, it 100% does what it advertises to do! I do wish it wasn't as expensive though.

The Best... These two round ice cubes are perfect. 1... They take up very little freezer space 2... They contain all the water with no leakage in the freezer. 3... They release the iceball easily. 4... The iceball goes in a Ziplock bag and the refill is easy. 5... The iceball is the right size and melts very slowly in the glass If I had to name a bad thing about them... well, that would be like trying to point out the bad part of good sex. I guess I'll think on it and get back to you. I really like them. Two ballmakers is enough for my Wife and I but if I needed more, I'd get more of the same.

Very easy to use; top quality ice spheres.

I've owned Tovolo ice molds, but I recently gave this Zoku brand a try. You may be wondering, as I was, if Zoku is really worth the higher price. Well, I can tell you from the experience of using both that that answer is a definite yes. Let's start with why I needed new ice molds to begin with: twice, recently, a Tovolo mold slipped from my hand as I was taking it out of the freezer and partly shattered when it hit the floor. Both molds had to be replaced. It's not a problem of being too slippery--blame me for the butter fingers--it's that the plastic can't handle a drop without breaking. Secondly, I found the Tavolos kind of a pain to fill--if the water isn't filled to just the right exact level, your ice sphere could come out misshapen. Third, releasing the ice sphere from the mold was hit and miss, sometimes easy, sometimes not. The Zoku molds, on the other hand, could not be easier to fill. Add water through the small hole at the mold, fill to overflowing, then flip the mold over to pour off the excess. Amazingly, even upside down, the water stays in the mold chamber and only the excess pours off. Perfect ice spheres every time. And releasing them is just as easy. Just twist off the top half of the mold and pop out the sphere. It's just that simple. While I haven't yet dropped a Zoku mold straight out of the freezer, I will say that the plastic seems flexible enough to better handle a fall. Thanks for taking the time to read my review and I hope you found it helpful in making a buying decision.

They’re great, really keeps my Yeti drinks cold; just remember to quickly run them under water before pulling apart. Much easier!

The ZOKU silicone ice molds video Reviews & Ad make it look easy, and it is ! Easiest to Use AND Best Item to make Round Ice balls I have used, and I have used a couple different 'devises'. Just push halves together.. Fill water into the hole.. Turn upside down drains excess H2O.. Freeze.. Run the top, bottom, sides all under water briefly. Simply pull apart halves, push out Ice Ball from either half still holding the ball. Store in freezer, in an open bin or in a zip bag. The round ice actually does melt slower than 2.5" cubes. Also, fill with Hot Water for freezing. Makes for very clear ice.

Great choice!

Its just perfect. Its the best product in terms of quality.

Fácil de usar, funciona, no se sale el agua ni nada raro. Al final tampoco se utiliza tanto porque sólo se hacen dos esferas cada vez, pero me gustan. Es cierto que se deshacen más lentamente que los cubos de hielo.

Ottimo prodotto

Likes nothing than whiskey on a rock every evening. Jave 4 different sphere mould in the freezer but nothing works like this. Save a lot of stress on fingers too, the best I've used.

Wir sind hier große Fans der Zoku-Produkte, so auch von diesem Eisbereiter. Einmal mehr ist das Silikon komplett geschmacksneutral und lässt sich unkompliziert in der Spülmaschine reinigen. Die Form schließt auch sehr gut ab, so dass man keine Eiskrusten im Gefrierfach durch ausquellendes Wasser ansetzt. Und die fertigen Eisstücke sehen auch hier sehr cool aus. Sie machen sich super in Karaffen mit Wasser und Kräutern oder Scheiben von Zitrusfrüchten.