The Difference Between Ice Ball Presses

We have come a long way since hand-carving ice spheres.

Ice molds and ice presses exist to increase the quality of ice balls, all while making it more accessible to the home user.

We have gone over why the ice ball press is the better route to take when creating ice spheres, however that still leaves you with a variety of options to choose from.

So what sets them apart? What should you be looking for?

If you need the background information as to what ice spheres are about, our friends at Shard have a detailed summary here.

Size

As you may already know, the ice ball press works through gravity and thermal conductivity.​

The material used (usually aluminum) transfers its heat to the ice block, melting it away into the sphere shape that is milled into the press.

Why does this matter? The press loses heat in this process, slowing its ability to make consecutive follow-up ice balls after the first one.

A massive ice ball press will distribute the lost heat to it extra mass, meaning that it is more able to do consecutive presses than a press that becomes ice-cold after the first ice ball.

Becoming cold is not the end of the world for an ice press, as the most common solution to this is to run warm water over them, replenishing the heat that they store.

Size will also be one of the biggest factors in price, often being the difference between a $200 ice ball press and a $1,000+ press.

Material

We briefly mentioned it before that most ice presses are made of aluminum.

This is not coincidence. After weighing the costs along with its thermal properties, aluminum is the most cost-efficient metal to use in an ice press.

However, this does not mean that it is the absolute best material to use in terms of thermal properties.

Copper is a popular material because it results in nearly twice as fast melting.

This comes at a cost, notably spending two to three times more on a press that already melts ice in less than 60 seconds regardless of size or material.

Our Recommendation

When it comes down to it, you are going to want an ice press that is refined, functional, and does it at a price that makes sense.

This is the thinking that went behind the Glacious Ice Press. Create something that the home user can access and display.

The Glacious Ice Press creates flawless ice spheres, yet it still manages to keep its price below $200.

Let us know how you make your ice spheres!