Butter maker arrived bright and early today
Probably won't be able to start using it for a few days because of holiday commitments but here are my first impressions so far:
Unit is solid and a good weight. The plastic used on the top, handle and bottom seems a bit flimsy, but only time will tell. Alot of areas cannot come into contact with water, which might make cleaning a bit more delicate than I was hoping. For example, it says not to get the bottom of the cooker wet...that's kind of tricky when trying to clean a big ass pot. Other than that, the mixer part looks really solid and I guess the real test will be in how it produces. I would say build wise, I feel I got my moneys worth at the current discount. Oh, and it comes with a 1 year warranty.
For those in Canada, it arrived with no problems, and in a timely manner. There were no additional border fees, but YMMV. So grand total for me, with discount and shipping was $130.
Edit: Just put it through a cleaning cycle. Machine hummed along nicely, but as I figured, rinsing was a bit trickier as I had to keep water away from the head, handle and bottom. Hopefully it is sealed well enough that small amounts of water won't harm it. What's nice so far, is it has features for using it as a regular grinder and milk shake machine. Pretty cool.
One feature I do not like, is the head does not snap on. It just sort of sits on the top, mating a male with a female plug on the body. This might be helpful for those who don't have the strength for pushing buttons, but you have to be careful to remind yourself not to try and pick up the unit by the top handle...otherwise the bottom will fall off. Could be dangerous if it is full of hot oil/butter.
You will also need some decent storage or counter space. It is a large unit. Measurements/photos to come.
Here are a few quick close up snaps done with my ipotato. Check the album every so often, as I will update photos when I can:
http://imgur.com/a/zUcKd