ZOKU Set of 2 Silicone Ice Molds, Crown - King & Queen Crowns, Large Ice Cube Molds for Craft Cocktails, Keep Drinks Colder Longer with Less Dilution, Easy-Release, BPA-Free

(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.

I am obsessed with this product. I purchased these last year for the first time and used them the entire summer. I basically kept making ice balls and popping them into a freezer container so that I'd have a constant supply. They're amazing!Basically, you get two silicon spheres, each of which separates into two pieces. There's a hole on the top in which to pour the water. I usually over-pour and then just flip the whole sphere over to drain the excess from the top cavity. The water inside the sphere will not come out if you flip it over, nor does it leak from the middle seam. For whatever reason, these freeze up quickly and you can make several in a day. I've looked at several other ice ball makers that were way more expensive than these, which were made of a hard plastic, and they aren't as fun or as easy to use because you have to run them under hot water to release the ice from the hard plastic sphere. These silicon spheres just push out from the flexible material. Very simple to use.I originally purchased the one set, then another. And then several more for gifts. And, my 11-year-old niece was obsessed with these so I bought one for her too.The balls will not fit into every glass, however, due to the size but these ice balls can also be used in punch bowls made out of punch ingredients and as ice for injuries. There's as much potential as the imagination can come up with. I'm wondering now if Jell-O balls can be made from these...Overall, the most fun and ingenious product I've gotten in quite a while. Every human needs a set of these!I love Zoku!

Great quality, easy to remove the ice cubes.

These work exactly as advertised. Just pour filtered water in the top and wait. It is a very convenient design. I always have one going in case I want to enjoy a nice rocks pour. Easily recommended to whiskey enjoyers.

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.