Product review (5 stars): It's doing what I bought it to do.
I recently got one of these ice makers and thought I'd toss out a few observations.  I haven't noticed any plastic or other smell or taste, but I got a factory refurb and that might have made the difference.  I don't know about the 33 pounds per day claim, but it does make a lot of ice and quickly.  To address some negative comments about this unit, keep in mind it's an ice maker, not a freezer.  It doesn't make clear, dense ice cubes.  If this is the kind of ice you're looking for, buy bagged ice at the store.  Don't buy this unit or any other "portable" ice maker. On the other hand, for the ice-o-phages out there, it's great chomping ice. After it's made, the ice does melt. If I turn it off when the ice bin is full, it takes 12 to 13 hours for all the ice to melt.  That's in a room at 77 - 78 degrees.  And it does clump while it's melting. But it's not a hard clump.  You can break it up by hand, no ice pick necessary.  As the ice melts, the water drips into the reservoir through three holes in the ice bin, and makes new ice.  One thing I do that I haven't seen in user reviews is use distilled water.  It is totally taste neutral and has no minerals to possibly clog up the works. It seems to make ice that's a bit denser than tap water. It's only 99 cents/gal(on sale this week for 87 cents), I also don't have to clean the unit as often.  Using the term portable for these kind of ice makers is kind of a stretch.  The Danby's footprint is 14 inches wide and 17.5 inches deep.  It is about 18 inches high.  If you are concerned about space, get out your yardstick and start measuring.  Heavy is relative. This unit weighs about 48 pounds.  I didn't have any trouble getting it out of the box and lifting it onto a 4 foot high shelf by myself and I'm 64. I really like the timer.  It lets me turn the unit off in the evening and set it to come on about the time I get up so I always have plenty of ice.  I've had the Danby for three weeks and so far, it's been doing what I wanted it to do. Unless it dies prematurely,  I'll give it five stars.

I've had the Danby for almost two years and it's still churning out lots of ice.  I consider all of the above comments still valid.  The only criticism I'd make is that it's a bit noisy.  There's the whir of a fan during the freeze cycle and the occasional clatter of the ice being dumped.  I wouldn't want it in the same room as some quiet music but in a kitchen environment, it shouldn't be much of an issue.  I still give it five stars.