I used something nearly identical as a kid - the big plus side is you can make a perfectly shaped snowball and dip it in water (without getting your hands wet, of course) and make an especially evil ice coated ball of terror. In the ultra-frigid tundra of upstate New York, those suckers would freeze in about one minute. In hindsight, it was probably a touch dangerous, but doesn't one kid always get a nosebleed during any type of neighborhood battle?