Shave Ice Community Web Board

I have a swan si 100 that works great with a fresh blade but when I get to about $3500 in sales on it (a few days use) it starts to skip and doesn’t shave as efficiently. You have to kind of finesse it to get it to shave by letting off and on the pedal. I make my own ice blocks in a 40 can blockmaker and the ice is tempered before use. I talked to some friends who also do shaved ice and they think I’m crazy for thinking I need to change the blade every $4000 or so... is there something obvious that I’m doing wrong because from the blade specs I should be able to get about $8-$10k out of a blade based on the number of servings they say it’s good for? Any ideas are appreciated. Thanks!

Have you checked the brake shoe? we were having the exact same issue. Finally decided to open it up and noticed the shoe was almost completely gone. Bought a new one and haven't had issues since.

I’ll have to check that. It’s practically new as I’ve only run about 20k thru it... so hopefully it’s not already needing parts! Haha

Luckily its only a 20 dollar part. Only plus side is i have a about 5 blades now

The most reported issue with the Swan Si-100 within the first year is usually the case of "bad blade", or "worn brake shoe." I've noticed that is happening on the forum with a lot of folks who has the Swans Si100. So it's great that you are stocking up on them. If you notice a lack of tension on your machine, it's most likely these 2 items you want to check for within the first year.

You can buy them here btw.
https://www.shaveicesupplies.com/machin ... blade.html
https://www.shaveicesupplies.com/machin ... brake.html

A lot of times, people do not even know where the tension adjustment screw/cap is located. *this the black round rubber piece in the front of the machine, slightly below the switch.* Pull that out and try adjusting it with a flat head screwdriver.

You can try adjusting the tension a bit first if you notice the handle or adjustment knob is providing very little resistance or no resistance at all which means you can literally bring the shaft up and down with ease, or worst sometimes it will even just fall straight down.

If you do have tension or resistance we call it, but your block is still hopping around the blade. It could be a case of "bad blade" here that you should try change out and re-test. This usually will solve the most basic issues with the SWAN.

If you notice the adjustment screw in the front is threaded towards the end of or can no longer tighten. You may want to change out the brakes. It's probably worn out. I also DO NOT recommend you keep tightening it all the way till you can't tighten, because there is a small push spring in between that is under compression. If that spring losses compression or no longer provide compression to push on the brakes. You are going to have another issue here, so I usually recommend buying the small spring + brakes + blade at the same time just incase.

Just thought to share this! Good luck every one with their Swans and feel free to ask away if you got technical issues. Here to help all boardmembers!