This is our opinion of the most relevant Solventless Ice Water / Cold Water Extraction Systems available in 2023 for commercial-scale extraction. If we don’t mention them, we don’t take them seriously enough to comment about them. This review is highly biased, but that should be obvious; you’ve been warned.
Evaluation Criteria:
- Value: equipment cost versus processing capacity, yields, and usage costs.
- Agitation Pattern: how effective it agitates to remove trichomes but not stalks.
- Build Quality: how well it’s made.
- Ease of use: how user-friendly and ergonomically designed.
- Reliability: how often I would expect to break down.
- Cleaning: how hard is it to clean and sanitize?
The Top 10 List:
- Mesclatore Pro $42,000
- Mesclatore Lite $15,000
- Low-Temp Osprey $28,500
- Delta VTS $45,000
- Pure Pressure Axis $37,000
- Entexsys CWE $59,000
- Whistler Technologies $48,000
- Hashatron
- Access Rosin WES $157,000
- IceXtracts
- Mesclatore Pro $42,000 (Includes Pump, no sieve)
Version 2.1 reflects a continuous product development process where we incorporate lessons learned. The PLC-based system facilitates repeatability and ease of use. It’s a thermoplastics-based design that is energy efficient and light. The tank and agitator are separated, allowing scalability and efficient operation.
Pro: Agitator and tank are separate, allowing scalability and time optimization. True false bottom. Makes full melt hash as required.
Con: Not a unibody system which some users prefer.
- Value: 9/10
- Agitation Pattern: 10/10
- Build Quality: 10/10
- Ease of Use: 10/10
- Reliability: 10/10
- Cleaning: 10/10
- Mesclatore Lite $15,000 (No pump or sieve)
An entry-level system with everything you need and nothing you don’t. It incorporates the same fluid dynamics of the Pro system and offers backward compatibility with the Pro.
Pro: The most cost-effective option on the market, hands down. Does not sacrifice yield or quality.
Con: There is a tradeoff in price as you cannot have your cake and eat it too. Does not include PLC.
- Agitation Pattern: 10/10
- Build Quality: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 9/10
- Reliability: 9/10
- Cleaning: 10/10
- Low-Temp Osprey $28,500 ($40,000 All-In without a sieve, pump, or ladder.)
Bottom agitated square steel vessel, the mainstream market leader. This is the system to beat hands down. They do a fantastic job cross-promoting this item with their successful press products.
Pro: Effective agitation pattern with a small footprint and minimalist design. Perfect size for most facilities.
Con: Bottom agitation is detrimental to trichomes. The system's height presents all sorts of ergonomics and safety concerns without ancillary equipment. Unibody design is inefficient.
- Agitation Pattern: 9/10
- Build Quality: 10/10
- Ease of Use: 9/10
- Reliability: 9/10
- Cleaning: 7/10
- Delta VTS $45,000 (No ancillaries included)
This replica of the small washing machine is known as the “Bubble Magic.” The geometric shape and agitator are similar; that’s a good thing. The quality is good, and Frenchy Cannoli helped design the machine making the fundamentals sound.
Pros: The agitation pattern is effective. The size is usable for commercial scale. The build quality is good.
Cons: Be wary of chads in suits hawking overpriced equipment, lest they go broke. Oh wait, they just did.
- Agitation Pattern: 10/10
- Build Quality: 10/10
- Ease of Use: 8/10
- Reliability: 10/10
- Cleaning: 6/10
- Pure Pressure Axis $37,000 (Pump sold separately)
A paddle-based system from another corporate giant. The intent was to find a way to automate hand/paddle washing using a servo motor and create a recipe to mimic how your paddle moves. I advise picking up a “Handbook of Industrial Mixing” by Edward L. Paul since it seems all the resources were poured into marketing and not engineering.
Pro: This makes much sense if you live in the Pure Pressure ecosystem and have their vessels already.
Cons: The build quality is sub-par, using T-slot framing for a final product. The belt-driven agitator is a common maintenance issue.
- Agitation Pattern: 7/10
- Build Quality: 6/10
- Ease of Use: 9/10
- Reliability: 6/10
- Cleaning: 8/10
- Entexsys CWE $59,000
Yet another large manufacturer is keen on cashing in on the green revolution. Likely the second iteration; the first copied the IceXtracts terrible agitator, and the second copies the Bubble Magic. The system looks nice, albeit expensive. Many add-ons are unnecessary and likely more trouble than they are worth.
Pro: Have applied the lessons learned by competitors and should prove to be an effective system.
Con: Large for most operations, and capacity is likely inflexible. The many add-ons make the price point high. Myriad electronics could prove expensive to maintain over time.
- Agitation Pattern: 7/10
- Build Quality: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 9/10
- Reliability: 7/10
- Cleaning: 7/10
- Whistler Technologies $48,000 (All-in $83,000)
Canadian-based company with experience in making hash, known for colossal hemp systems. Though these guys are hype, they do know what they are doing. Many of today’s designs are based on their ideas. However, by making many unsupported claims, they water down their hard-earned goodwill.
Pro: Quality build, design, and functionality.
Con: Needless expensive with a unibody design that could be more efficient.
- Agitation Pattern: 8/10
- Build Quality: 10/10
- Ease of Use: 10/10
- Reliability: 10/10
- Cleaning: 8/10
- Hashatron/Pelle Polare Reaper ($ Who cares)
When discussing this team, we must include Pelle Polare as it is simply a product by Hashatron. The contradiction here is disturbing as Pelle sells itself as the little guy family business, not a white-labeled brand of a large corporate entity. The opulence at tradeshows leads me to believe the high purchase price for this equipment isn’t spent on manufacturing.
Pro: Brian at Pelle is knowledgeable and would give good advice on making the product succeed.
Con: “Machete” agitator is a terrible idea, and surprised the hash maker would promote this.
- Agitation Pattern: 7/10
- Build Quality: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 9/10
- Reliability: 9/10
- Cleaning: 7/10
- Access Rosin WES $157,000
Makers of a very large rosin press are now taking a stab at CWE. The concept is an extensive, fully automated system. I saw it in person at MJBIZCON and was disappointed at the many Chinese components for the price point. Though automation sounds like a good idea, this device will likely be expensive to run and maintain. In practice, there is nothing of note in the myriad of tech on this machine.
Pro: Objectively, I’m just at a loss.
Con: Lots to break and go wrong, lots of Chinese components. Another “Machete” agitator is simply poor engineering.
- Agitation Pattern: 6/10
- Build Quality: 6/10
- Ease of Use: 7/10
- Reliability: 6/10
- Cleaning: 7/10
- IceXtracts
This is a manufacturer that is known for the mesh bags they manufacture. They make tall agitation tanks in various sizes. It is our least favorite, as the agitator is the worst. Watch our YouTube discussion on this agitator, which is highly detrimental to trichomes. Cleaning and loading of this device is difficult due to its size.
Pro: Quality build that should last.
Con: The agitator could be better. Why does every manufacturer love machetes?
- Agitation Pattern: 6/10
- Build Quality: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 7/10
- Reliability: 9/10
- Cleaning: 6/10