Product review (5 stars): Exactly what I expected!
First of all, I knew exactly what I was buying. I was buying a portable ice maker - not a freezer, not a ice maker like they have in the gas station that makes a ton of ice but an small counter top ice maker! Having said that I love this little machine. The day I received it, I unpacked it at set it on the counter to sit for a day before use. Although the boxed was marked with which way was up, I had no way of knowing whether or not the delivery company noticed and heeded the directions. After it sat for a day to let the refrigerant settle, I started to use ice make ice and tons of ice. All of the ice I made with the first filling of the reservoir I threw away to make sure it was clean and there was no funny taste to the ice. Started keeping all the ice after that and the ice tasted fine. Usually the first batch to drop from the machine after not using it for a day is a bit small, I dump those into the reservoir. After that the ice is perfect. Remember this makes one ice tray at a time but it makes it much faster that my freezers ice maker. You get a tray of ice every 10 minutes without fail. I usually transfer the ice to my freezer every few trays, if I remember. Yes, the ice is wet, but that is how it is loosened from the ice mold and yes, every so often I have to break it up after it is in my freezer - so what! Now, when I store it or take it camping with me, I will always keep it upright so the refrigerant remains where it is supposed to be. I will also let it sit for about an hour before use so everything can settle after moving it. So far so good. It keeps both ice buckets (old vegetable drawers) in both my freezers full and have a few 2 gallon ziploc bags full of ice stored in my deep freezer.