I love what the machine can do but I've only been using it for about 2-3 weeks and it's grown increasingly noisy! When I turn the condenser on to chill the machine, it makes so much noise compared to the first week of use. (Used to be almost silent) Thinking about returning this machine as the noise is going to drive me crazy for as much as I need to use this machine on a daily basis.

I had been making gelato all summer with a Whynter ICM-15. I was always a little disappointed by the ice crystallization of the product after hardening. No matter what I tried, stabilizers, emulsifiers, pre-cooling the mix and the machine, etc, it always came out without the creaminess that one wishes for in a good quality gelato. I just made made first batch with the Lello Musso Pola.
There was a qualitative difference in the end product. The gelato I just made is quite rich and creamy. After hardening in the freezer for 3 hours, the gelato was still easily scoop-able, with no discernible crystallization, making the "mouth feel" quite smooth. Similar to what one would expect at an artisan gelato shop.
One note: the bottom of the bowl gets quite cold, and the mix froze against the bowl. The dasher doesn't scrape it off. I had to discard a little bit when extracting it from the bowl. Maybe I let it churn too long--20 min. So I will have to experiment a bit, to see if I can eliminate this from occurring.
Overall, for those who want to make high quality gelato, ice cream, or sorbets at home, I don't think you can beat this machine.

It works great q

A little background from me, I'm an engineer that is currently looking to open up an ice cream parlor, so I know a lot about ice cream and equipment. I bought the Lello Musso Pola 5030 as a testing ice cream machine that is used specifically for testing small batches under 2 quarts.

I have an Emery Thompson CB-350 ($10,000) and a Breville smart scoop Ice cream machine ($399). The CB-350 is a full on commercial ice cream machine I use for making large quantities. I would use that machine to make test batches but it is too large. If I tried to put 1 quart or 2 quarts of ice cream to churn in there, the machine would freeze up and start making grinding noises because it freezes too fast.

So I went out to find an ice cream machine for testing purposes that is near the quality of my emery thompson without spending over $1,500. I needed an ice cream machine that was capable of freezing ice cream under 15-20 min and was of commercial quality grade. Let me tell you guys, you will not find a commercial grade ice cream machine that would freeze 2 quarts of ice cream in under 20 minutes that is priced under $1,500 other than the Lello Musso Pola 5030.

This machine is more than what I expected. If you're a serious home cook or looking to make ice cream to sell and do not want to spend more than $1,300, then this is the machine to get. I have the Breville Smart Scoop machine and it works great for people who want to make ice cream for fun and dont really care how the texture of the ice cream is. However, the Breville takes at least 30 minutes to just freeze 1 quart of ice cream, if not, most of the time 35 minutes. The Breville can only hold 1.5 quarts, so if you did 1.5 quarts of ice cream, it'd take upwards of 40 minutes. And an extra 20-25 minutes does not mean only wasted time waiting for the ice cream to finish churning.

It means your ice cream will be very icy and the texture will be completely off. 20 - 25 minute difference in freezing time for ice cream is a huge difference in the quality of your ice cream. The reason why ice cream at restaurants and ice cream shops are so creamy is because of how fast you freeze your ice cream. The faster you freeze it, the smaller the ice crystals will be. The longer it takes to freeze, the larger the ice cream crystals will be.

I was able to freeze my ice cream in 10 - 15 minutes with 1 quart of ice cream. I let the machine run the compressor for 10-15 minutes to get it as cold as possible, and then i turn on the blades to churn and dump in the ice cream. I know a lot of people complain that the bowl is not removable, but you guys should really stop complaining about that. No commercial ice cream maker has a removable bowl whatsoever. If you want an ice cream machine that has a removable bowl, then you're not serious about making great ice cream. Removable bowls mean that there is a gap between the outside surface of the bowl and the freezing unit. Therefore the bowl will take longer to get cold and freeze because there is a thing layer of air acting as insulation. So that is why there is not a removable bowl. The bowl is directly built in the machine to freeze the bowl faster, therefore that is why the ice cream can freeze under 20 minutes.

In conclusion, if you're looking for a commercial quality ice cream machine that is under $1,500, then this is the machine you're looking for. All other brands start at $4,000 like taylor and emery thompson, and those are roughly the same size (2-3 quarts). Any ice cream machine priced around $500 means that the quality of the ice cream will not be the same as restaurants or ice cream shops. Getting this machine will allow you to make ice cream that has the same texture as ice cream stores.

I've had this machine for about 6 months and I've made quite a variety of gelato, ice cream and sorbet. I've been happy with every batch. The freezing power of this machine is super. I've added custard-based gelatos into the machine while they were still warm and it doesn't take long for the machine to get it down to freezing temperature. The non-removable bowl has not been a problem for me. Cleaning has been pretty easy. If I were to nitpick, considering the size and the cost of this machine, I was hoping it would have a little more churning power to get the ice cream past the soft-serve stage. It does get it slightly firmer than my other two ice cream machines but the blade will stop turning at a certain point if it gets too thick. Maybe even commercial machines won't produce a product any firmer, I'm not sure, so I don't want to knock the rating down because of this.

Overall, I am very satisfied with my purchase.