I got an Italian one, the Nemox ice cream maker Chef 2200 but it was A$590 when I bought it, not A$715 which it is now. Still a huge amount of money, more than you would want to pay, I am certain.
However, David Lebovitz has good tips about ice cream, including some suggestions about ice cream machines, which are probably more suited to people in the US, considering he has links to Amazon on that page. So you could probably find something there that was more affordable.
One thing I say, though, is make sure that you get a machine that does its own freezing. The ones where you have to pre-freeze the bowl for 12-14 hours beforehand make ice-cream making a pain, and not worth doing. (Choice had an article about the "ten worst gifts to give at Christmas", and "ice cream machine" was on the list).
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However, David Lebovitz has good tips about ice cream, including some suggestions about ice cream machines, which are probably more suited to people in the US, considering he has links to Amazon on that page. So you could probably find something there that was more affordable.
One thing I say, though, is make sure that you get a machine that does its own freezing. The ones where you have to pre-freeze the bowl for 12-14 hours beforehand make ice-cream making a pain, and not worth doing. (Choice had an article about the "ten worst gifts to give at Christmas", and "ice cream machine" was on the list).