Product review (4 stars): So far, so great
After reviewing other brands and comments, I settled on the NewAir AI-100R and, as the subject line indicates, am very happy with my purchase. Yes, the first three batches of ice taste like plastic, exactly like the inside of the unit smells, but after cycling through and making sure to drain any residual water left in the reservoir (do not skip this step), the ice tasted great.
We take this unit camping and use it for parties, but the one disadvantage, and this may be an user error, the ice basket comes out dripping with water which can cause the cubes to freeze together once dumped into a bucket. At this point, I can't confidently put that complaint on the ice maker just yet.
Bottom line: this unit delivers.