It could fit on top of my mini fridge   

It's not like I'm planning to buy one tomorrow just starting the information gathering is all.  

Ok,

Vengeance,

For ease of use, and what not, you should go for one of the types i have, the Bunn types, i'll tell you why the 7-11 ones are a pain in the a**.

First off, the reason they are less watery is they are hooked into a Co2 system, so you will need all the lines/hoses/tanks for the co2
the mix comes in from a bag-in-box system, so you will have to buy from a bottler like coke or pepsi, don't know if you need a special account or can even buy 1 box at a time.

Power - the 7-11 ones work on 220V so you will need special power for them as well, and they are HUGE and heavy.

So for a home unit, i would suggest one of the Bunn type machines, as you can buy pretty much any type of mix for the Bunn machines, you can pour pop right in it
or the Motts mix that i use, or kool-aid, anything pretty much other then sugar free drinks (it will never freeze)

Just my .02

Eric

How much power do these consume? I guess you wouldn't keep it churning all the time, right? You only prepare it for parties and stuff?

Quoted from OTTOgd

How much power do these consume? I guess you wouldn't keep it churning all the time, right? You only prepare it for parties and stuff?

Tstorm actually rents his out for functions, so it's just a per use type of thing.

D

Thanks for the response Eric,  but for me personally for now I guess I'll just be heading to my local Mac's for the time being.  But If I ever decide to go with one of these units it defiantly going to be the big a** unit, yea it may be more work, but I'd rather have the proper machine then something that isn't what I'm expecting.  

believe me.  they are a pain and messy.  
  go for a snow cone machine or something like that.  easy find on ebay and you can get them with a stand too.  
   easier to clean and use.  not the exact same as slushy.  but you can buy a personal one as well.  we wanted one for parties and such.  but so much to clean and set up.  
  

They take quite a bit of power,

when i have mine running (yes i rent them out for parties) http://www.thunderstormpro.com each hopper is independantly controlled, and there are 2 compressors in it,
so to be honest, unless i'm using a 12/3 extension cord, the machine has to be plugged directly into a wall outlet, and NOTHING can be plugged into it, or the machines compressors won't fire

As for the difference between the 7-11 slush and what i sell, is the 7-11 slush has more of a tangy flavor to it which i would assume is from the co2, with my bunn machine's computer controller you can actually set the thickness, and can pretty much match what you would get at 7-11, i've actually had it so thick i was pouring it into glasses like the soft serve at dairy queen, and it held it's shape,

with the 7-11 machine you would have to leave it running constantly so the product does not go bad and gum up the system, whereas with a slush machine like mine, you can fill it and empty it when you have people over, and you can operate just one side if you wish so as to not spend as much money on supplies, and all the parts come off and can be put in the dishwasher, nice and easy.

Eric

Quoted from thunderstorm

They take quite a bit of power,

when i have mine running (yes i rent them out for parties) http://www.thunderstormpro.com each hopper is independantly controlled, and there are 2 compressors in it,so to be honest, unless i'm using a 12/3 extension cord, the machine has to be plugged directly into a wall outlet, and NOTHING can be plugged into it, or the machines compressors won't fire

Would this fit on a regular countertop? Is it noisy? It needs dedicated power AND a trained operator? Could kids serve themselves?

Wow, not cheap: Found a used one in Saskatoon for $1000: http://meadowlake.kijiji.ca/c-.....-W0QQAdIdZ168177694#

Quoted from OTTOgd

How much power do these consume? I guess you wouldn't keep it churning all the time, right? You only prepare it for parties and stuff?

Well of course you would keep it churning all the time!!!! Margueritas for breakfast lunch and dinner!!!!

I always wondered what made the commercial ones so tangy, and CO2 would do it... AND the carbonation whould make it fizz slightly on your tongue, which would stimulate the taste buds... so it could be crappier tasting, but your mouth/brain can't tell!!!!


I would fill mine with Clamato and Vodka!!!!!

it fits on a regular countertop, but i built custom road cases for mine, so the case becomes it's stand, they are loudish, but not as bad as you'd think, and the fans only run when the compressors are on, so once it gets nice and frozen, the fans and compressors don't come on very often,

they pretty much take 15 Amps to run both sides at the same time, and $1000 for a used Bunn machine is a good price, i paid almost $2k about 5 years ago for mine new.

It doesn't need an operator, i just offer that service for an additional fee, because when you have a lot of people at an event, it's easier to have someone dispensing the drinks, as well as keeping the machine topped up so it doesn't run out, or get too runny


Eric