Product review (4 stars): So good I'm buying another one . . .
I have had this unit for almost 2 years and it has been plugged in and running 24/7. We bought it originally because we do lots of shakes and smoothies and my refrigerator icemaker never came back to life after 3 attempts at repairs. We got tired of buying bags of ice, and we use way too much ice to use trays, so we bought this icemaker from amazon in 2013. It is awesome! I keep it right on my kitchen counter between the sink and the blender. I fill a pitcher with water from the sink and pour it into the unit, and I scoop the ice right from the unit into the blender. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because the plastic water tray that holds the water where the ice is actually made just got a crack in it, and now the unit will not make any ice. I live in an area with very hard (well) water and we put water right out of the faucet into the unit. I wonder if the plastic just couldn't handle the minerals in the water here(?). Anyway, after 3 frustrating weeks of doing ice trays and bags, and since my 14 year old refrigerator doesn't seem to be on its deathbed, I'm back on amazon contemplating buying another one. Even though the first one lasted only 2 years, for the price I paid vs. the extraordinary convenience I feel like it is worth it AND much cheaper than buying a new refrigerator. Here are a couple of items to note:
1. If you leave the unit on, it will stay cold enough to keep the ice in the bucket mostly frozen, and as long as you use the ice at a steady pace, you don't need to dump the extra ice in your fridge freezer. Note, however, this unit is not a freezer. The inside is basically cold like a refrigerator is. At the times when we've wanted extra ice on hand, we simply dump the ice into our fridge freezer more often and this unit just keeps pumping it out.
2. If the unit has been unplugged for a while, or if you are using faucet water (vs. cold water from the fridge), or if the unit is running outside (at a campground or picnic for example) we have noticed that it takes longer to make the first couple batches of ice. I think this is due to the fact that when the unit is warm, or the water is warm, then it has to take extra time to cool itself down. But once it's been on a while, the batches come fast and steady and there's no slowdown unless it runs low on water or if it fills up the basket.
3. If the power goes out or the unit is shutdown mid-cycle, follow the directions on the label in the unit to get it to restart properly. Restarting it can be a little unreliable if you don't follow the directions.
4. It does make some noise when it's running, and of course you can hear it when it dumps the ice in the bucket, just like with a regular refrigerator ice maker. I noticed the noise the most when it was running low on water. It was never noisy enough to really be a bother, however, and i could certainly talk on the phone or have conversations and not get distracted by the noise. The best way i can describe it was almost like having white noise in the background. Visitors to my home frequently noticed the unit in my kitchen, but only because of the bright red box on the counter, not due to the noise. And I think a lot of them were a little jealous of our cool little icemaker.