Originally Posted by
hmmmtastey
I could not tell as to the effects on machine or bag lifespan, but I have tried both methods with my Bubblenow XL. Personally I prefer to fill the machine with ice while having only a little ice in the workbag, 1/2 full if it's dry frozen trim, 3/4 full if it's fresh frozen trim. I tend to use between 50 and 70 pounds of ice per run depending and my machine is filled very similarly to how Matt Rize fills his machine.
Having tried both methods with the same trim because I wanted to see if there was a difference, the ice in the workbag actually didn't pull as much product, AND it was not as potent, a lot more green matter, not all of which could be washed out easily. You do use more ice by filling the machine instead of the bag, but there are few problems pertaining to lack of ice or the water not being cold enough, and I find you do not have to add more ice throughout the process vs filling the workbag with ice.
Based on my results after having tried this recently, I will only ever fill my machine about the way Matt Rize does it (with a few tweaks of course)... Sorry Bubbleman