Product review (4 stars): Convenient at home or on the road
Even with a filter on the refrigerator, our hard water makes ice with an unpleasant aftertaste. This portable cooler allows me to use bottled water to quickly produce cubes that don't alter the taste or smell of my drink. We mostly use ice at mealtime, so I don't keep this machine constantly running; I just turn it on about 20 minutes before I need the ice.

The machine itself isn't that noisy, but the ice falling into the bucket creates a loud clunking sound (scared me a few times when I left it running after I went to bed).  It has auto-stop once the ice bucket is full or the water gets too low, but I typically turn it off manually when I'm done for the night. The ice cubes eventually melt and the water drains back into the reservoir for next time. You don't get a large volume of ice cubes in the bucket, so I think this maker is better suited to light household use rather than supplying a big party.