20 Best Countertop Crushed Ice Maker (2023 Updated)

If you are an Ice fanatic like me, then you know that Nugget ice is the Best (chewable, sonic ice)! I have been looking for an ice maker that not only makes nugget ice but doesn’t have to be connected to a water line (so I could put it wherever I wanted) and came across this awesome NewAir Ice maker (SKU# NIM030SS00) which allows for both an automatic water line and manual refillable water tank and can be stored just about anywhere since it’s fairly compact.

I love how it makes ice in just 10 minutes and if you have any left, you can store it in the freezer! If you leave it in the machine, whatever isn’t used before it melts will be recycled into new ice.

I actually either use it up in from the machine or let it sit in the machine over night and it seems to keep fairly well (in the winter). I love that it includes a little scooper as well so I’m all set.

The machine doesn’t seem to use much power and is pretty quiet when it’s on. I use a lot of ice and seems to be the loudest when it’s generating the ice. Overall I’m in love with my new ice machine and honestly have been making drinks just to use it! What drink is next?.

If you’re wanting excellent ice to chew on around the house, look no further. The ice this machine makes is very chewable and near the same quality as restaurants. I’ve had two ‘ice aficionados’ mention they would purchase this same machine because the ice was such good quality.

It looks great on my kitchen countertop but it does take up a bit of space and is also a finger print magnet like most stainless steal appliances. I’ve also noticed it’s very quiet when running and doesn’t use too much power.

Punch line: Price is a little high but if chewable ice is your jam then you should purchase this machine.

We recently moved into a new house and our ice maker has not worked since we moved in! Getting a new fridge is a larger undertaking than we are ready for at the moment so this countertop ice maker has saved our day! Not only is it the perfect size on our counter, it makes perfect nugget ice which is what I have always wanted for iced coffee in the morning and tasty beverages in the evening.

When we eventually get a new fridge I can see this being very handy for parties and having ice throughout the event or maybe I will so used to this perfect nugget ice this is going to live in the kitchen permanently.

I highly recommend this ice maker!.

This Newair nugget ice maker makes ice much faster than its top competitor at a much lower price. If you want excellent nugget ice when you need it, get this machine. The noise is typical of most ice makers, truly no louder than a standard box fan.

Newair continously makes quality refrigeration products, its what they do. Love the self clean function, super easy to use. Light feature allows for an easier visual observation of the ice level. Overall extremely happy with this purchase, highly recommend.

As an avid cocktail maker, and a pebble/nugget ice enthusiast I was hoping that this ice maker would replace our need to go to our nearby Sonic for bags of ice. While this would be great to pull out for parties or events, I don’t see this making its way into our daily habits, and even still if you were using it for a party, you’d have to have the machine going for 24hrs to make a sufficient amount of ice.

If you have a dedicated space for this appliance and don’t mind the noise / time it takes to make this ice, I do think that you will be happy with the purchase. However, to make a small 4 quart bucket of ice, it took over 5 hours and for us that wasn’t really enough ice for our purposes.

To keep this review honest, we did receive this ice-machine for free in exchange for our review.

The ice maker leaks water all over the counter. We have tried reinstalling the drain plug but that does not work. I have reached out to customer service multiple times and have received no answer. I am currently trying to return the product but can not get the return label.

Once again tried to reach customer service and nothing. Do NOT BUY!.

Love this ice machine! It was fast to make ice. Ice is firm and easy to chew on without breaking your teeth. I would purchase this machine again and would recommend to friends and family! Not very big for counter top space it is bulky, but not crazy big.

At first I had difficulty, putting it in a PRACTICAL location. I purchased it, because I’m 4’8″, and bent FORWARD. Therefore, using My freezer’s ice maker, isn’t a possibility. Purchasing a bag of ice, only managed to have ice cubes falling from the bag.

The solution? ice making machine. The first batch took a bit, but when it stopped making noise (not annoying at all), I looked, and it was FULL, of BEAUTIFUL little cubes. So, I go to dump the remaining water, and was ready.

Not even close. I pulled the plug, and the water ran down My hand, and all over the floor (YES, I DID have a container to catch it!) Solution? I now have the ice maker, right AT the kitchen sink. when it’s time, to dump the water.

which BTW is a LOT, because it takes very little, to make a FULL batch of ice. I only have to move it, a few inches, with the ’emptying hole ‘, directly over the sink, put on a rubber glove, and pull the plug, as the water happily travels directly into the sink, to parts unknown.

SERIOUSLY FOLKS, it’s a great ice maker. One load, fills 2 quart sized bags, 1/2 full. when I go to get the ice, I tap the bag on the counter to loosen the cubes, and use 1/2 of the cubes. saving the rest for My next drink.

I’m 74, and not in great shape. I lost My Husband of nearly 60 years, in January; and I’m doggoned PROUD to say that I didn’t return this MAGIC CHEF, just because it was a bit difficult. I simply put My thinking cap on, and worked it out Myself.

HAVE A BLESSED EVENING EVERYONE STAY SAFE Sincerely, Maggie.

I bought this in December 2019. I don’t have a fridge that dispenses water and ice which is what prompt me to buy this product. It works okay and it does its job. It makes ice fast, but its in small quantities.

The ice can turn your cold drink fast, but it melts fast as well. Often, I have to fill the water well but that is because this is a portable ice machine, and they ain’t big to begin with, so its understandable.

Today, I found black particle substances that didn’t seem to be mold. It had a bit of solid feeling to it rather than soft and squishy that wet mold usually feel like. Don’t know how it came to be, but it lasted me this long.

Which isnt that long at all. I purchased the coverage plan when I first got this ice maker. Does not cover for what happened today. Just thought you folks know.

I’ve had my ice maker for about a year now. It still works just fine and makes lots of ice. The out of water light has quit working though. And it doesn’t keep the ice cold once it’s made. It starts to melt and you have to dry it off in the basket to put it in your freezer.

But it still freezes all the ice cubes together. So it’s very functional it does work as stated in description. None of the ice makers tell specifically that once the ice is made & in the basket it starts to slowly melt.

This really looked like a nice little ice maker. The problem was it didn’t work. Not for one minute. It could never get past the on/off function. No matter what it never turned on. The light would turn green saying it was on, but then it would turn off.

I called the number from the manufacturer that was listed in the instruction booklet that it said to call to trouble shoot. I believe the company was in China. No one answered but I received a call back later in the evening.

The person I spoke to first of all had never heard of QVC and claimed that QVC didn’t have an authorization to sell the item. I told her over and over again that I had seen the item on QVC on TV and exactly what QVC was and she kept insisting that they weren’t authorized to sell the ice maker or any of their products and so she didn’t want to help me.

Eventually I convinced her that I just wanted her to trouble shoot turning the item on. She went through the same steps that I had already gone through over and over as were explained in the manual that came packed inside.

She ended up telling me that the item was defective and to send it back. I purchased a new ice maker at our local Sam’s Club for $30 less that is a good name brand, looks very similar with the same functions and works fantastic! I love QVC but will be more aware of where the manufacturer of a product is from now on before I purchase!.

A few years ago I bought the version without the pump and recently I bought the variant with the pump. Overall, I am satisfied with the two, but both have a design flaw with an internal road of potentially serious side effect.

The prioritises water drain hose at the rear. Only after the drain port filled with water will flow to the removable water tank. Unless Destape, drain and clean the drain hole regularly, starting cultivation potentially deadly bacteria.

With the release of this pump dehumidifier this topic it is expanded to include tank pump is at just as water is drawn from the top of the tank and only after the tank is full. Any attempt to set and forget this dehumidifier will lead to a whole tank water.

hOmeLabs bacterial growth, stagnation could rectify the first issue by removing the connection of the drain hose from the rear of the unit, inclined portion bottom of the tank, and the addition of a hose connection to the bottom of the tank.

This alteration could eliminate stagnant water of stagnant first type. Water of the second type is easily solved by lengthening the absorption of the pump to draw water from the bottom of additional note tank.

Of: My first dehumidifier stopped function properly within a month warranty expires. The method of failure was such that the compressor does not turn off (even after turning on the control panel) unless unplugged.

Since the compressor was not closing to complete the cycle of rest, fans never turn back on. The result was a compressor that generates a significant amount of heat, noise and odor electric components.

Despite hotter have discussed the problems, I have found the value to be sufficient to justify the purchase of another of the same brand, regardless of the breakdown shortly after the warranty has expired.

I have remorse for the serious buyer to go with this trash instead of a step can open one. CONS: – The sensor can is this is terrible. You have to hold your hand about 4 inches directly in front of the sensor to activate.

The sensor pick even when working directly on the trash such as cleaning coffee or empty storage containers. If it takes more than 10 seconds slam the door in his hands. I have had several cases where the door closed on me and gave me food splattered all over the eyelid.

I got used to the sensor directly pointing out and pressing his knee against the sensor so it does not close on me. It would have been easier to use a trash can step can. – Open button not keep the lid open indefinitely.

Will remain open for a minute or so and will shut down again. If you plan to use the can frequently and want the lid remains open, you can open the lid and change the button on the back off. PROS: – Fits standard garbage bags.

The main reason I went with this trash instead of mere humans brand. – There are not many cans with a lid opening butterfly. IMO. – more efficient stainless steel stays clean and does not show smudges.

– does not use batteries. greener solution. Chupa you have to purchase the magazine separately. Especially at this price point. A many of the comments and videos are impressed buyer for a new device.

The novelty is quickly lost when it comes to functionality. I can not imagine the sensor that lasts more than a couple of years. Do yourself a favor. Go with a trash passing style.

EASY FIX: Its not the machine its the fact that you used hard tap water to run the ice maker. You have to use distilled water only!! Your machine is plugged up with mineral deposits. Add enough CLR to fill the little filter cup in the bottom right corner of the water bin.

Allow to set for 2 hours then rinse with hot water (rinse very well). You may have to use a pin to clean out the little drain area, just poke around until you think its clear. Run the machine twice with distilled water discarding the water each time.

Then fill and use. This should fix it. Mine did the same thing and I was able to fix it with a small amount of effort!! HARD WATER KILLS APPLIANCES!!!! if the ice comes out cloudy your water has too many minerals!! The ice should be clear!!.

tossed the fridgadaire piece of garbage stopped working after 3 months. got this one to replace. black matches my kitchen. seems far more robust ice lasts longer with thicker lid. isnt constantly running and makes ice faster.

wish i had gotten this one first.

got this ice maker today. I waited at least one hour before plugging it in like the book said. I picked large ice cubes. They are small compared to what I am used to using and I would hate to see what the small cubes look like, (lol) The large ones about the size of a 9mm bullet, but after trying them I loved the ice.

This little machine so far is great. My neighbor has had one of these ice makers for 7 years and loves it. They did tell me to use distilled bottled water in the machine and NOT tape water. It will keep the machine cleaner and last longer.

This little ice maker works great. Love the shape and size of the ice. Great value. Kool to watch it in action. I have only used it at home so far, looking forward to taking it camping at the end of this month.

This is a great ice maker. Uses very little water and makes alot of ice Makes ice very quickly and it quiet as it runs. Would recommend to anyone looking at buying it.

I love this ice maker. This is so handy when you are going to have people in. I just make up some ice and put it in a large zip lock bag in the freezer. It is great

I’ve used this ice maker at least three times now and it makes more ice than I need with plenty of water left in the tank. I fill up to the Full line and it runs for about 5 hours, making 24 cubes of ice roughly every 15 minutes.

The machine is relatively quiet; quieter than a dishwasher or Roomba. It looks good on the countertop and has a pretty small format (13″ x 10″ footprint; a tad larger than a big air fryer). It was also really easy to unpackage, and I appreciated the quick start guide that clearly stated to let the machine sit on the counter for a couple hours before using to let the coolant settle.

There is a bit of learning curve finding the right time setting to get the ice to be the thickness that you want, but once you find your ideal settings, it’s easy to remember for the next batch. While it’s easy to grab a bag of ice at the supermarket, this is a convenient and quick way to make ice if you are looking for high-quality ice and the have time to let it run.

Overall, this little bad boy gets the job done. It is easy to use and quickly can make enough ice for a summer bbq party with plenty of attendees (start it a few hours before the event). Downsides are that the ice that has been made is kept cold (but not frozen), the ice bucket receptacle is relatively small, and the first batches of ice are subpar.

Would recommend: YES, especially if you use a lot of ice and hate waiting for ice trays in the freezer. Pros: -Clear ice lasts longer than cubes made in a tray in the freezer, making it great for cocktails or drinks you don’t want to get watered down.

This device allows you to make the clear ice without the super long wait of making clear ice on your own. -This machine can make a lot of ice, and I could probably fill a small cooler with just one tank of water.

-Small footprint, so it can sit on the counter when I need it and it doesn’t take up all the space available. Cons: -The ice doesn’t break easily into individual cubes when it falls into the catching bucket -The bucket is small so you need to empty it every few batches, but the machine will pause making more ice if the bucket gets too full, so it’ll never overfill.

-Because a heating element is used to “push” the ice down into the basket, the ice is already melting when it hits the bottom. This makes it hard to keep it solidly frozen and not stick to other cubes.

The best solve for this has been to move each batch of ice to a standard freezer instead of letting it fill the bucket. Minor Annoyance: -It was annoying to get all the blue wrap off the device before first use.

Some is still stuck in the edges. Doesn’t impact the operation of the ice maker, and I don’t really notice it anymore.

Six years ago we remodeled a room in our house to be a full time bar, and because we had no water hook up in it, we have struggled with the ice situation in there ever since. We tried using coolers, ice buckets, and even sending our guests back and forth to the kitchen for ice, usually resulting in a wet mess all over the floors.

I was very excited to get this Newair Countertop Ice Maker home and have not been disappointed with it. It’s visually beautiful with its shiny stainless finish, the ice is uniform and clear, and it is so compact it actually fits into my bar cabinet with zero issues.

I love the BPA-free parts and the fact that the ice does not have any strange chemical smell or taste that is very common from ice molds and trays. I haven’t tried the self-cleaning function out yet but that is definitely a bonus in an appliance like this.

I find it hard to name anything that I don’t like about this ice maker other than there is an audible noise from it while its running – it is a compressor after all. It is less noisy than my fridge and when its not actively producing ice it is completely quiet.

Overall, I am thrilled with this ice maker. Ice is so important in any bar – both for drink temperature and to properly dilute cocktails. Making martinis or adding a few cubes of ice to some whiskey used to be a process and now its effortless and convenient.

Highly recommend.

it’s so simple to use. pour water into it. turn it on and choose how thick you want your ice and watch it make ice! at the default setting it makes a batch of ice approximately every 15 minutes. to make the ice a solid cube, it takes about 20 minutes.

the ice is CLEAR. my kids love watching the machine make ice. it’s like a Hershey’s chocolate bar but made of ice. 45lbs of ice a day is a lot. no more buying ice when I go on road trips. one thing I did notice is that the machine doesn’t turn off when I press the power button.

even when I hold it down for 10 seconds it does not turn off. the compressor just stops running and then I pull the power cord.

If you want the good ice, but don’t want to spend 4 figures and give up a cabinet, this countertop nugget ice maker is wonderful. It’s got a few quirks and flaws, but it has more positives. It looks good, the side tank makes it easy to refill, and it makes really nice ice.

It is a little noisy, but not all the time. Your old ice maker has a cycle of different noises – it runs water into the thing, runs the compressor to freeze it and then dumps a bunch of big ice cubes into the bin all at once.

This little ice maker mostly just makes the compressor humming sound and a constant plip-plip-plip of little ice nuggets dropping when it gets into its groove. Other times you might hear a funny, squeaky sound, or the sound of a dump truck’s brakes as it tries to avoid driving through the nitroglycerine plant.

Either way, the ice maker then puts itself through a defrost cycle and the noise is gone. I think that’s the difference between buying it here at Best Buy, where you get the ‘Opal 2. 0’ where they probably addressed the weird noises that everyone buying it from Amazon complained about.

This thing keeps the ice pretty well, even over night, but there is one flaw – the ice nuggets melt slightly but then refreeze together (a sign that it’s pretty well insulated) and they don’t spread out evenly in the bin.

I programmed mine to stop making ice at bedtime and start again at 5am so it’s nice and full the next morning, but the pile of ice forms a peak towards the dispenser and triggers whatever the ice full sensor is and it never started making any more ice.

I don’t know why the ice doesn’t bounce down the hill better, but I’ve made a habit of manipulating the ice pile often so it’s all towards the front and there’s room for more ice to drop. This ice maker is great, but get the warranty! Ice makers have lots of moving parts that spend all day encountering water and enduring its phase change in freezing temperatures.

Ice is brutal! Nobody on this planet has ever had an ice maker that never once quit working.

I didn’t know nugget ice makers even existed until it was included on an article with expensive items you don’t need but don’t regret buying. This was out of my comfortable price range but I needed something to keep me cool through the summer as we have no AC.

This ice maker has helped get me through the hot 104°+ days. I honestly just snack on this ice at the hottest parts of the day and it cools my body down so much. Any other ice maker could do that too yes, but this one makes small, gentle on your teeth, easy to chew ice.

I only use bottled water and drinks also taste so much better, especially with tea, soda, or just by itself. It does take a bit for the bin to fill up but I have the app to schedule it to turn on an hour and a half to two hours before I’m even up so there will be plenty ready when I am.

Once you have that first batch, it’s easy for it to keep up the rest of the day so you never run out. It’s not refrigerated but the ice keeps well that even if you leave it for several hours, there will still be a lot waiting because it takes a while for it to melt completely.

Now the downside of all this is that, the upkeep is a lot of work. It asks to be sanitized once a week at least. This cleaning cycle is a tiny bit of bleach with water, then a few rinse cycles. I’m sure this is to prolong the life of the ice maker but that seems excessive so I usually stretch it to once every two weeks.

To offset that, I empty any remaining water from that day and wipe down the bin, the reservoir, and all along the walls every night before putting fresh water in for the morning. The descale warning already came up for me a month into using the maker but it’s regularly on all day so that might be why.

It’s the same process as before but with vinegar and has to be left for 18 hours so you’ll be a day without ice. Other than that, this has been one of the best purchases I‘ve ever made. I just hope it lasts for a few years before it gives out because of the hefty price.

If you can afford it, don’t mind the regular maintenance, and want your own sonic ice at your disposal, it’s well worth getting.

We purchased the GE Opal 2. 0 after our FirstBuild Opal (1. 0) failed after only 2-1/2 years. Reviews on the GE branded Opal were mixed, but we decided to purchase because we really liked the ice the first Opal made.

We have had the Opal 2. 0 for a couple of weeks and we are very pleased with it. It was quite a bit more expensive than the previous one, so we hope it will last a great deal longer. The product is improved over our original Opal.

Thus far, we have had no issues with the machine indicating it needs water when the reservoir/side tank was completely full. This was a constant problem with the previous Opal. The side tank has about 25 percent less capacity than the previous Opal’s side tank.

Not sure why it was necessary, since the two items function identically, but the smaller tank is adequate for regular home use. We use bottled water and have not had any problems with mineral deposits.

The cleaning requirements per the user manual are not difficult, but cleaning and descaling weekly is inconvenient and not realistic. The available cleaning kit is about $30, good for two cleanings–we will use white vinegar instead to clean it.

The new unit is a good bit quieter than the old one, a great improvement. We purchased the item on Amazon for $579 plus tax (shipping was free as we are Prime members). It remains to be seen how long the unit will last and whether the service life is as long as it should be given the price paid.

If it doesn’t last any longer than the previous version, we will be most disappointed. We would recommend the product for those who are really into the Sonic-style ice nuggets (as we are) and are willing to fork over $600+.

At first I had difficulty, putting it in a PRACTICAL location. I purchased it, because I’m 4’8″, and bent FORWARD. Therefore, using My freezer’s ice maker, isn’t a possibility. Purchasing a bag of ice, only managed to have ice cubes falling from the bag.

The solution? ice making machine. The first batch took a bit, but when it stopped making noise (not annoying at all), I looked, and it was FULL, of BEAUTIFUL little cubes. So, I go to dump the remaining water, and was ready.

Not even close. I pulled the plug, and the water ran down My hand, and all over the floor (YES, I DID have a container to catch it!) Solution? I now have the ice maker, right AT the kitchen sink. when it’s time, to dump the water.

which BTW is a LOT, because it takes very little, to make a FULL batch of ice. I only have to move it, a few inches, with the ’emptying hole ‘, directly over the sink, put on a rubber glove, and pull the plug, as the water happily travels directly into the sink, to parts unknown.

SERIOUSLY FOLKS, it’s a great ice maker. One load, fills 2 quart sized bags, 1/2 full. when I go to get the ice, I tap the bag on the counter to loosen the cubes, and use 1/2 of the cubes. saving the rest for My next drink.

I’m 74, and not in great shape. I lost My Husband of nearly 60 years, in January; and I’m doggoned PROUD to say that I didn’t return this MAGIC CHEF, just because it was a bit difficult. I simply put My thinking cap on, and worked it out Myself.

HAVE A BLESSED EVENING EVERYONE STAY SAFE Sincerely, Maggie.

Love this ice maker so much saved me money on getting a new ice making freezer. I love drinking iced coffees in the am but use to find myself with barely any ice in the tray now I have ice all day. The machine was affordable at Walmart.

Easy to set up also all you have to do is pour a bunch of water under your tray and place the tray on top. If you dont use up all the ice it melts back into water and is turned back into ice its a really cool kitchen item too have.

This Hamilton Beach Ice Maker is a great size. It is easy to setup straight out of the box and easy to use and maintain. I like that it’s easy to fill right from the front. It makes a great amount of ice a day, 9 cubes every 6-7 minutes.

I like that it doesn’t have a ton of buttons. I like that it makes two sizes of ice cubes. It’s easy to tell when it’s full and when you need to refill the water. This ice cube maker has been a real asset in our house.

Gotta love ice on demand.

My Hamilton Beach Ice Maker is so easy to use. Fill with water turn on and that’s it. Makes 28 lbs of ice a day. Makes different size ice cubes. Comes with basket and scooper. I don’t have to go out and buy bags of ice anymore.

This works great. Fits perfect on my counter top. The compact size even allows me to take it to family and friends houses instead of buying ice. I really like this ice maker. I would recommend.

Positive: Makes ice quickly, is very quiet, and looks nice. compact Negatives: Although the machine works as advertised, it makes smaller ice cubes than other machines we have used in the past, even at largest cube setting.

Where you may us 1 or 2 ice cubes in a cocktail, these melt so fast you need 4-5. The machine is compact, which is a positive for space, but a negative for the amount of ice it can hold Overall the machine is working fine.

This is our 4th ice maker in 3 years. First with Hamilton Beach, so we hope it will last longer. I’d be willing to pay more for a good ice maker that would last but ALL of the brands seem to be made very similar.

if not by the same manufacturer. Suggest emptying out ice tray and putting ice in a bag in the freezer to harden up more as these machines are not freezers, just ice makers. The unused ice melts and then goes back through the freezing process over and over.

My sister-in-law gifted us one of these machines about a year and a half ago. I’m not sure where she purchased it from, so this review is no reflection on Best Buy. I’m just hoping to let as many people know as I can, so they don’t spend and extreme amount of money on a crummy product.

The ice this machine makes is absolutely fantastic, but there are so many problems. First of all, we started off by using water from our Burkey water filter. I assumed that would be sufficient, but it quickly became apparent that it was not.

The water started getting black stuff in it. I had a friend with an opal, and she said she only uses distilled water – so I’ve started using that, and it’s helped, but not gotten rid of it completely.

Secondly, the cleaning is a huge pain. It says to clean weekly, but it’s such a process, that I’m never able to get to that quickly. It says to run the water with cleaning solution through a few times, but I swear it takes like 10 times for it to work.

Of course, this might be better resolved with more frequent cleaning, but what a pain! Thirdly, the machine produces so much heat! I’ve vacuumed out the fan several times, but it still produces so much heat – which in turn causes the ice to melt.

Lastly, and definitely worst of all, my ice maker has developed a bulge behknd where the tray goes. Like the plastic has warped from the heat of the motor. It seems like a major malfunction which should be resolved by the company, but of course the warranty is only good for a year.

The bulge causes the tray to pop out slightly which then causes the machine to stop producing ice. For a machine that costs so much, you’d think there’d be better customer care and warranties. This thing is a piece of crap – but it produces fantastic ice – when it works!.

In 2014 I purchased an Opal ice-maker for my wife. It has been perfect and it actually lasted a lot longer than I expected it to. We have been nothing but happy about with it, and she tells everyone how much she loves it.

Since it was getting old and requiring more attention, I decided to get her a new model. 3 months ago she got a new version with the side tank and it has worked great, until yesterday. Yes the old model, 7+ years and no issues.

The GE version, dead at 3 months. I shouldn’t say dead, but the water pump died. Luckily I am a guy that is very reliant, and knowing the quality and reliability of a GE product, when I got rid of the old original Opal, I saved the old parts.

I placed the 7+ year old water pump in the new Opal and it works perfectly again. Even though we love this ice-maker, if you are not mechanically inclined and able to troubleshoot mechanical/electrical/plumbing issues, then you should look else where from this GE product.

I steer away from anything GE since I know their quality, I was and Field Service Engineer for GE in their Healthcare business and only lasted 2 years since I couldn’t stand trying to repair instruments with cheap parts so GE could save money.

All GE products are crap, this new version of Opal being no different, And good luck trying to get them to service what they sell, They are famous for their Customer-NO-Service. I am surprised that Amazon would even sell this kind of crap.

The GE moto “GE-You can get better, but you can’t pay more. “.

My son’s school doing school fundraiser event, they plan to sell smoothies and lemonade. They need an ice maker. I glad purchased this ice maker. It works excellent, fast ice maker meet the need the speed of our fundraiser event demand, make every cycle in about 5-10 minutes, run smoothly, safe to use even for children, durable, one of the most important functions is self clean.

It save us time after each events. Great investment worth every penny of it, we sold over 300 cups smoothies, and 200 cups lemonade. Thanks to this ice maker, can’t make it without this ice maker. Very pleased, Recommend!!.

In 2014 I purchased an Opal ice-maker for my wife. It has been perfect and it actually lasted a lot longer than I expected it to. We have been nothing but happy about with it, and she tells everyone how much she loves it.

Since it was getting old and requiring more attention, I decided to get her a new model. 3 months ago she got a new version with the side tank and it has worked great, until yesterday. Yes the old model, 7+ years and no issues.

The GE version, dead at 3 months. I shouldn’t say dead, but the water pump died. Luckily I am a guy that is very reliant, and knowing the quality and reliability of a GE product, when I got rid of the old original Opal, I saved the old parts.

I placed the 7+ year old water pump in the new Opal and it works perfectly again. Even though we love this ice-maker, if you are not mechanically inclined and able to troubleshoot mechanical/electrical/plumbing issues, then you should look else where from this GE product.

I steer away from anything GE since I know their quality, I was and Field Service Engineer for GE in their Healthcare business and only lasted 2 years since I couldn’t stand trying to repair instruments with cheap parts so GE could save money.

All GE products are crap, this new version of Opal being no different, And good luck trying to get them to service what they sell, They are famous for their Customer-NO-Service. I am surprised that Amazon would even sell this kind of crap.

The GE moto “GE-You can get better, but you can’t pay more. ” GE will even make you lie on a review as to not drive business away. I will post your suggestions for my edit on the other sites that I left this same review on.

I’ve wanted one of these nugget style ice makers for a long time, so I was being very careful when choosing one as they are quite pricey. However I’m so grateful I bought this one when I did as it was what kept me going when I was without AC for a week in the south.

Pros: -Once it gets going, it keeps a pretty steady stream of ice going. -First few nuggets are pretty slushy, but the manual warns you that that is the case, and they start to harden up pretty quick.

-The ice is the perfect consistency for what I wanted. -Larger than I thought, but not so large that I couldn’t find a reasonable space for it. -The drawer is surprisingly well insulated and the ice doesn’t melt particularly quick.

-Water from the melted ice is cycled back through to make more ice, so less waste. Cons: -It does have some annoying noises. Not terribly loud, but can be distracting. The occasional squeak, and the constant hum can be bothersome if you are sensitive to sounds.

-If you have the model without the side tank, you have to remove the drawer to refill the water reservoir, and you can’t see how full it is until you do. -My model has wifi and an app but not bluetooth.

As much as a I love tech, the wifi/app setup has the potential to be a web security vulnerability, and I can’t in good consciousness use it. I wish it had bluetooth so I could still set a schedule for it without having to connect it to my wifi.

Thankfully it doesn’t have to be connected to wifi to work. On the whole, I really love this thing and I have used it everyday since it arrived. If soft ice is something you really enjoy, then you’ll likely enjoy this.

Having a much larger version of this we bought from Hammacher years ago snd still using – purchased this for our daughter. Unfortunately upon startup and for several days the motor/fan was extremely loud / being able to hear it running several rooms away.

I have to believe this is just a defective unit and have requested a replacement – after all, that’s why we go to Hammacher – their unequaled lifetime warranty. Since the unit was just returned a week ago, waiting for replacement to be delivered.

I am hopefully optimistic. The creation of the cubes was totally satisfactory. I know there were a couple of complaints about the noise of the cubes dropping into the tray- really? It’s just not that bad – no different than the refrigerator creating ice cubes.

I was thrilled to receive this very weighty item, which is not disappointing. The whirs and whistles on it, if you will, are fun and an “ice-breaker” during a conversation, ha. It does, however, take a fair amount of time to get a bag of ice, and the cubes are different, not square or round, but in between, and cute and fit better in a glass and are not jagged on their edges, like the ice I was chipping away day after day.

I would say if you need a lot of ice, allot a chunk of time to accomplish the task. Otherwise, I still love it and am glad I have it and now I don’t need ice for a couple of days and no mess or fuss.

The silicone plug pulls up well to drain the excess water when the cycle is complete. All in all, i am very happy with the convenience of not getting my hands freezing by chipping away and cleaning up mess after mess day in and day out.

Just received the counter top ice maker. It is smaller than I expected(which is great) and it is a nice looking, stainless steel appliance. It is simple to use. I put water in, plugged it in and hit start.

I then checked the start time. In one hour I had cylindrical ice cubes and they continued to drop in the basket until all the water was gone. It was amazing. So many ice cubes in such a short time. I had to praise it to all my grandchildren who were also amazed.

No need to ever run out of ice again. I highly recommend it to everyone who is considering the purchase of an ice machine. I had no reservations when I ordered it as Hammacher has never disappointed me.

I am an ice addict and no apologies for it. So as a birthday gift, my husband bought this ice maker for me. It is labeled as “bullet” ice and has 2 different sizes to choose from. I typically prefer nugget ice however the smaller “bullet” ice is nice.

It is hollow in the center and what I would consider a softer ice and thus easier to chew.

Very quiet. The cubes are perfect. I use only purified water. Exactly what I hoped for. I always bought ice because I dislikes the taste of the water from my freezer. Even with a brand new filter , my ice never tasted fresh.

I wish I had bought this little ice maker years ago !.

From day one the size make her only made about 33 pounds of ice in 24 hours. After 15 months of gentle use it finally quit working and it was passed my one year warranty so I hired a technician to come out.

He knew exactly what it was he said every unit that he has ever worked on leaks the coolant or refrigerant after about 15 months. It’s not worth $500 since it will cost me $250 to have it fixed. But what do you expect since it is made in China.

Instead of everyone using the fridge ice maker we set up our ice maker on the counter!! What a perfect item to have for your holidays and parties!! NO extra coolers for ice. no line at the fridge to get ice and of course everyone could scoop their own and it just kept making as the day went on! The blue is the most gorgeous color too!! We were totally impressed with the ease of the Ice Maker and the fact it did not take up a lot of counter space!.

It makes ice quickly which I love. The only complaint is the ice melts quickly, so it’s not as hard as the ice that comes out of refrigerator ice maker. It also sticks together since it’s very wet when dumping into our freezer.

I have to break it up so that it will drop out of the freezer door into our glasses. Overall I’m happy that it gives us ice when our ice maker on the frig acts up and stop working at times.