Feather-light shaved ice ribbons coming off a Swan SI-150CBK blade

Swan SI-150CBK Rental · Southern California

The machine behind authentic kakigori.

Commercial-grade Swan SI-150CBK with Kuramoto block ice — delivered, set up, and ready for your event.

Request Availability $350/day · delivery from $50

Why It Matters

Most rental equipment shaves ice. This one transforms it.

Consumer machines use crushed or tube ice — frozen quickly, full of trapped air, they shatter under the blade into uneven, wet granules. Block ice, frozen slowly over 48–72 hours, produces a fundamentally different material: continuous, feather-light ribbons that absorb syrup evenly and hold their shape long enough to eat. There's no substitute.

75+
Years Swan manufacturing heritage
72
Hours to freeze one Kuramoto block
4
Pounds of shaved ice per minute
1923
Kuramoto Ice founded, Kanazawa

The Equipment

Swan SI-150CBK — the professional standard.

Manufactured by Ikenaga Iron Works in Osaka since 1950, the Swan is what you find behind the counter at serious kakigori shops throughout Japan. Its belt-driven motor runs quieter than direct-drive machines; the aluminum alloy frame is built for continuous commercial use.

Output1.8–2.2 kg per minute
Block capacityUp to 7 lb square or round
Power178 W · standard 115V outlet
FrameAluminum alloy, corrosion-resistant
DriveBelt-driven (low noise)
CertificationNSF commercial food-service
Swan SI-150CBK commercial ice shaver

Swan SI-150CBK · Ikenaga Iron Works, Osaka

Kuramoto Block M clear ice package on kitchen counter

The Ice

Kuramoto Block M — from Kanazawa.

Kuramoto Ice was founded in 1923 in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture — a region with a historic culture of natural ice harvesting. Their Block M is drawn from Mt. Haku snowmelt (naturally soft water at ~40 ppm hardness) and slow-frozen over 48–72 hours with continuous agitation.

The process matters: slow directional freezing pushes dissolved air and minerals toward the outside as pure water crystallizes first. The finished block contains just 3–4 ppm of minerals and virtually no trapped air — the crystal clarity is proof, not decoration.

Available in Los Angeles through Kuramoto Ice USA. Each block is 60 oz (1.7 kg), optimized for commercial Japanese ice shavers.

Block Ice vs. Everything Else

What the blade actually does.

The quality difference between block ice and cube or crushed ice isn't visible at the market — it's visible in the bowl.

Crystal structure Slow, uniform freezing produces large, aligned ice crystals. The Swan blade follows the grain planes, peeling continuous overlapping ribbons instead of shattering the block into chips.
Air content Cube ice is opaque because dissolved gases are trapped as micro-bubbles. Brittle, airy ice shatters under the blade and produces granular, wet output that pools syrup at the bottom.
Melt rate Dense, low-air block ice has lower surface area per mass and higher thermal mass — it melts more slowly, keeping the dessert intact long enough to serve and eat at their own pace.
Black gloved hands holding a crystal-clear block of Kuramoto ice

What's Included

Everything to run a professional operation.

Designed for vendors, food operators, and event professionals who want to offer authentic kakigori without sourcing each component.

01

Swan SI-150CBK

Sanitized and calibrated before each rental. Spare stainless blade included. Standard 115V — no special electrical required.

02

10 Kuramoto Block M blocks

Each block yields 8–10 generous servings. Additional blocks are $10 each — order in advance if you expect high volume.

03

Insulated transport cooler

Blocks stay frozen 6–8 hours with the cooler closed. No venue refrigeration required for most events.

04

Setup walkthrough on delivery

We walk through machine operation, blade height adjustment, and block loading. Your team will be producing consistently within ten minutes.

Multiple Kuramoto Ice Block M packages stacked

Pricing

Straightforward rates.

One daily rate covers the machine, ice, cooler, and setup. No package confusion — add what you need.

$350
per day (up to 8 hours) Includes machine + 10 blocks

Swan SI-150CBK · 10 Kuramoto Block M blocks · insulated cooler · delivery within service area · setup walkthrough

Add-ons & Options
Additional blocks$10 each
Multi-day rentalContact for rate
Venue pickupWaives delivery fee
Weekend availabilitySame rate, Fri–Sun
Delivery — $2.50/mile one-way · $50 minimum
20 miles one-way$50
30 miles one-way$75
40 miles one-way$100

Service Area

Greater Los Angeles & Orange County.

We deliver across the LA metro and Orange County. Reach out with your location for areas beyond the list below.

Downtown & Central LA
DTLA · Koreatown · Silver Lake · Echo Park
West Side
Santa Monica · Culver City · West Hollywood · Beverly Hills
San Gabriel Valley
Alhambra · Monterey Park · Arcadia · San Gabriel
South Bay
Torrance · Gardena · El Segundo · Long Beach
Orange County
Anaheim · Irvine · Garden Grove · Buena Park
Valley
Glendale · Pasadena · Burbank · Sherman Oaks

Availability & Inquiries

Reserve your date.

Fill out the form and we'll respond within one business day to confirm availability and answer any questions.

We respond within 1 business day.
No commitment to inquire.

Inquiry received.
We'll reply to the email you provided, usually the same business day. For time-sensitive dates, you can also reach us at hello@kakilabo.com.