The Frigidaire FreeStanding Ice Maker, which is a clone of the other bullet-ice makers we tested, performed well. GE offers a 60-day return policy and a one-year warranty for parts and labor. The Igloo IGLICEBSC26 works similarly to our pick from Magic Chef and gets a special mention because of its compact size and easy-to-use frigidaire washing machine self-cleaning cycle. Most ice makers available today come with a 12-month warranty, but be sure to check your specific model’s offering. We won’t call it a steal, but this is still a hard-to-beat price on a high-capacity ice machine that can have you enjoying a few nuggets of ice in as little as 10 minutes.
And unlike our pick from Magic Chef, it has a self-cleaning mode—not a necessity, but nice to have. Its user-friendly controls have easy-to-read notifications and a simple select button for choosing ice frigidaire washing machine size. The Magic Chef ice maker makes nine bullet-shaped pieces of ice in about eight minutes using cold tap water. The Opal 2.0 has a sleek design, with a transparent, illuminated reservoir for the ice.
However, it’s larger than both of our bullet-style picks and takes up more room on a countertop. The machine’s controls allow you to choose between two thicknesses of ice, which is useful if you are in a warmer room. Clear ice often comes out in a rectangular block, and the Luma Comfort ice maker’s was easy to break apart. Jonathan Chan currently serves as the Lab Manager at Reviewed.
To help you find the best refrigerators outside the standard dimensions, we have guides to the best counter-depth refrigerators, 30-inch-wide refrigerators, and 33-inch-wide refrigerators. To schedule servicing or a repair from our team of trusted professionals, visit our service page. We offer flexible schedules and simple online tools for making appointments. Once you’ve arranged a convenient date and time, your appliance will be on its way to getting serviced or repaired.
It’s also light enough to move around depending on where you need ice and fits on any countertop. We were impressed with the machine’s performance, capacity, and portability, given its small footprint. There are many reasons to love the Igloo Premium Self-Cleaning Countertop Ice Maker. That may not sound like a big deal, but after we tried more than a dozen portable ice makers, it made a huge difference in a machine’s overall convenience.
Another notable feature is Silonn’s bullet-shaped ice cubes, which don’t stick together or melt as easily as other ice shapes. The Iceman Nugget Ice Machine did a good job for half the price of the GE Profile Opal 2.0 (our also-great pick), but we don’t know much about the company. We noticed several virtually identical machines under other name brands (like frigidaire nugget ice maker other ice makers we tested), including this model from Mueller. If you really want nugget ice but don’t want to invest in the Opal 2.0, the Iceman model works. Of the three models we tested, the Opal 2.0 made the highest-quality nugget ice. The ice is chewy, fluffy, and doesn’t clump (the machine keeps the pebbles separated by draining melt water quickly).
The reservoir is a bit smaller, so you need to refill it slightly more often. Although the cloudy bullets aren’t exactly gourmet ice, they chill your drinks, and that’s good enough for most people. This article was written by Summer Rylander, a food and travel journalist who has written about food, beverage, and cooking products for Food & Wine, Allrecipes, Serious Eats, and The Kitchn. She made her selections based on our in-depth research during testing and conversations with experts. Prices and availability of products and services are subject to change without notice. Errors will be corrected where discovered, and Lowe’s reserves the right to revoke any stated offer and to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions including after an order has been submitted.
If you don’t have an ice maker connected to your freezer, there are plenty of other solutions out there. One of the most popular options is a freestanding ice maker that can also be built-in as an undercounter ice maker. Consider a countertop ice maker machine, also known as a portable ice maker. These types of ice machines are especially ideal for renters as they require no setup and can be moved at any time.
With any ice maker, you’re looking for a machine that drops ice at the fastest possible speed. On average, these countertop machines we tested made approximately nine cubes in under 10 minutes, which means you’ll be left with a decent chunk of ice in an hour. Most of these machines will do the trick if you’re looking for a few cubes to throw into some drinks. But if speed is a deciding factor for you, you may want to consider a commercial-use machine, which produces higher volumes of ice in a significantly shorter amount of time.
With this much capacity, you’ll never run out of ice again – no matter how big a bash you throw. A removable drain plug makes draining water a mess-free process, while a five-cycle automatic cleaning function effortlessly keeps the inside fresh for new, clear ice. The ice cubes from this machine can be made in small or large sizes. However, this ice maker can’t handle as much water as some of the others, so we did need to refill often to compensate for maximum output. However, if you need ice fast, you can make up to nine cubes on demand in as little as seven minutes. If you’re done dealing with ice cube trays or storing massive bags of ice in your already-crowded chest freezer, then we recommend upgrading to a countertop ice maker.