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Aerospace Engineer Designs the Perfect Ice Cream Scoop
very nice work, Michael. Form looks great. ...That said: you just need to switch to gelato, which is softer, easier to scoop, tastes better and - I would argue - higher quality ingredients. Ice cream shops have their freezers set at an ideal temperature to scoop. You went all out on problem that can be resolved by turning down your freezer or waiting 5 minutes for the tub to thaw. And...another personal preference here, but par-melted ice cream tastes better. So you need to let it thaw anyway for taste buds to absorb the flavors instead of being cold-burned from rapid scooping with that spoon. I'm a minimalist designer, don't get me wrong, the object is beautiful, but people who buy ice cream are buying budget, not hand crafted gelato, and likely won't drop serious money on a scoop.
How about this scope from Lunar?
Instead of designing the perfect ice cream scoop, why not spend time finding a better way to extract ice cream. I'm sure a loop of nitinol, a stick, and some batteries would be both cheaper and glide through ice cream more easily than even this überscoop. Add silicone, and you can work out an ergonomic shape without much fuss.
Now, don't get me wrong, the project and the process here are impressive. My question is, does it have to be impressive?
Also note that the "aero-space grade aluminum" claim is just marketing blather. There is no such thing. And even if there were, it wouldn't necessarily confer any useful properties for an ice cream scoop.
The natural version will get trashed. The anodized versions could hold up, but for a lifetime? I have my doubts. He doesn't get into the coating type of the white but he does say it will chip if "abused". So again, I have my doubts.
Additionally, aluminum does not retain heat very well which is why it's used in radiative applications--but that's beside the point, and isn't one of the selling points of the scoop so it's irrelevant. The creator is trying to sell the fact that he can scoop hard ice cream not ice cream that's melted by the scoop.
If the creator wanted to make a scoop that would last a "lifetime," he should have used stainless steel or titanium (on the extreme end). Anodized aluminum coatings are protective but will not last a lifetime under abrasive use, which is experienced during the act of scooping hard frozen ice cream--and if you aren't scooping this kind of ice cream, you probably don't need one of these fancy scoops to begin with...
38$ for a tool you shouldn't have to replace in your lifetime and that can be passed down to your kid? Seems honest to me. Then again maybe you'd scoff at a 300$ chef knife...