Very impressed with this ice machine! I purchased this as a replacement for a thimble/bullet-style icemaker that I became disenchanted with because the ice was super wet and stuck together all the time and it had a much smaller water/ice capacity. Also, I know this is silly, but it made “creepy” ice according to my family and friends. When we served darker drinks such as iced tea or cola with thimble/bullet-style ice, the dark liquid would sit in the centre of the ice pieces, making the beverage look like a glass full of weird little eyes 👀. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it (pun intended). Photos of drinks made with this style of ice online are styled so the ice is turned the other way or photo-edited so people don’t feel uncomfortable with something that looks like a bunch of eyes. We find it hilarious, but others may not. Just a quirk of that style of icemaker. THIS MACHINE IS A DREAM TO USE. What we like about this machine: • makes cubed ice of various thickness according to your needs (regular, with a slight indent in the centre, up to thick solid squares – no large holes in the middle as the ice is more solid, not cup-shaped like our previous machine • ice comes out looking like rectangular waffle that is fairly easy to break apart when tapped, or dropped from a height of about a foot after being put into a bag (see tip below on bag recommendation) • large water capacity – it makes lots of ice before you have to refill • optional to add an additional water bottle on top if desired -- fits a 4 litre spring-water bottle from the grocery store, and even a 2 litre pop bottle filled with water (DON’T put actual pop or other liquids in the machine or it will be damaged – see our tips below). The bottle in the photo isn't included (sure with it was!). • simple timer so you can tell the machine to start up a certain number of hours from the current time. We time our machine to start making ice 30 minutes before getting home from work so we have plenty of fresh ice when we walk in the door • it has a self-cleaning cycle – makes it so much easier to maintain as it does all the work • has a drain plug on the bottom front so you can hang it slightly over a sink to drain the machine (if you don’t use it near a sink, see our tip below) • runs fairly quiet – the only real noise is when it makes a “ker-CHUNK” sound as the ice drops into the basket • melted ice is recycled into new ice – no waste. Like any regular kitchen countertop ice maker, it does not keep ice frozen for more than a few hours. Realistically, you’d have to buy a commercial, or high-end icemaker to get a freezer built in. This machine is great for everyday use and does produce a lot of ice as it keeps going until you shut it off. We’ve never run out of ice at parties and events. This machine produces more ice faster than the thimble-/bullet style machine. ----------------------------------- TIPS that may be helpful: • IMPORTANT: Do not start up your ice machine until it has sat UPRIGHT for 24 hours, or you will shorten the life of your unit. Tipping it a bit is okay, but if it gets laid on its side or back, let it sit upright for 24 hours. • IF YOU HAVE LIMITED FREEZER SPACE: We have limited freezer space, so we store our ice in silicone bags as they take up less room than a bin ice container. Silicone bags are great for storage as they’re strong enough to withstand breaking up the ice without tearing, unlike regular plastic bags that rip and tear easily. (Bonus – they’re also dishwasher safe.) • BREAKING THE ICE WAFFLES: As the ice often comes out shaped like a waffle, put it in a bag (see tip above) and either drop it onto a hard surface such as a countertop, or tap it with the back of a large spoon or ladle. If you store your ice in a bin, the spoon/ladle method is best as your ice bin may break if it’s made of hard plastic and you drop it. If you want to break up the ice in the basket that catches the ice inside the machine, remove the basket full of ice from the machine and put on a hard surface or in a sink and tap the ice with the back of a large spoon or ladle. We don’t recommend breaking the ice up in the basket while it’s in the machine. • WHEN NOT IN USE: If you’re not using the machine for a few days, drain the water out, and ensure the lid is left open slightly so it dries out and mould doesn’t form. We found that sticking the scoop between the lid and the machine to hold it open slightly let in air but keeps it closed enough to keep it clean. • DRAINING WITHOUT A SINK: if you use the icemaker in a place where you don’t have a sink to drain into when needed, try using a simple siphon tube to drain the water. All you need is a piece of clear plastic tubing from any hardware or online store. You can even buy one with a bulb to easily start the siphon action. At my workplace our ice machine isn’t near a sink so we siphon the water into a watering can that is used to water indoor plants, or if necessary, into a collapsible bucket, which we can then pour into a bathroom sink. We’ve also sat the ice maker hanging slightly over the edge of a table with a bucket underneath and opened the drain plug on the bottom, but we siphoning is easier for us, and we don’t have to worry about the machine being accidently knocked off the table, or splashing water anywhere. • EXTRA ICE IS GREAT FOR PLANTS and PETS: If you have extra ice, drop the cubes into a nearby plant pot – the ice will slowly melt and your plant will be watered. Also, pets might appreciate ice in their water bowls during hot weather. We also found that cats love to play with ice! Put some ice in a tray or baking pan and invite them to bat it around and play. They seem to have a lot of fun, and like drinking the cool water as it melts. • WATER TYPE: Distilled water is best for ice machines. You can use spring water, tap water, etc, but there will likely be a mineral build-up with use after a while. You can purchase ice-machine cleaning products, but you can also run the cleaning cycle with water and vinegar, which cleans quite well. After using vinegar, run the cleaning cycle again with plain water to ensure you don’t have vinegar-flavoured ice next time you use it. • WATER ONLY: This likely goes without saying, but just in case you don’t know, DO NOT put anything other than water (or proper cleaning products / vinegar) in the machine. There are YouTube videos of people making ice out of milk, coffee, pop, pickle juice, hot sauce, etc. which could be fun and useful, but it will definitely cause issues if you use an icemaker to do it. Anything other than water will cause bacteria and mould growth inside the machine, making you sick. It will also possibly clog the machine, rendering it useless. Use a regular ice tray for non-water ice.

Excellente machine et fais énormément de glace en peu de temps. La seule chose de négatif est le brut que la glace fait quand elle tombe en bloc dans le bac. Ça surprend mais sinon c’est pas bruyant. Donne de beaux glaçons carré qui fondent moins vite que les « bullets » des machine moins chère. Je recommande

This is a far superior design over the bullet icemakers. Clear ice, doesn't melt as quickly and doesn't capture your drink in its cavity. It is however louder than other ice makers, the compressor and fans are noisy. The included accessories are useless, the plastic scoops can't break up the ice. It does not include the water bottle, which would have been a nice add-on instead of the 2 scoops.

Great Ice Maker . Out performs Bullet Ice maker by Long Shot.

Makes ice in a decent amount of time. The cubes do not full fill in the centre but I don.t really mind that. So far I love it

I love this ice machine Works very well and not noisy unless dropping the ice in the bucket. Merci Shopperplus. Jocelyne