Product review (3 stars): First one broke, but .....
I bought my first one directly from Target, for about $[...].  I had to call 911 in December and I had no idea that I wouldn't be able to return home until a week ago.  I worried about the ice maker as I couldn't remember turning it off.  But, as an electronic engineer, I knew there had to be a low water sensor that would turn the unit off - WRONG!

I found it still trying to make ice even though the water basin was completely dry.  I cleaned it good and poured distilled water into it.  It never made ice, so I looked closer.  On the right side of the upper water basin, the plastic basin was broken where it attached to the drive mechanism.  I knew I could fix it, but not anytime soon until I recover, if I do.

I wasn't up to going to target so I was going to order one from Amazon.  But, I was a bit upset that there was a shipping charge, so I ordered it from Target.com and there was no shipping charge, but I had to pay tax!  So, it would have been about the same as Amazon's price.  If you have a local Target, check the in-store price first.

As for my evaluation:  It is inexcusable that it doesn't have a low water shut-off.  This won't be a problem if you use it regularly or turn it off when you are going to be gone for awhile.

I probably should have given it a lower rating, but I doubt most people will leave it on for three months!  But, I have read some of the reviews and another person had a break at the same location.  This drive connection could have been built better.

What I love about this unit is how fast ice is available.  The three sizes hasn't been a big plus for me.  With it set on the smaller ice, it will make ice faster.  But, the thicker size might be good for putting in water bottles.  Yes, this ice will fit into bottles.  I like this as I usually carry water when I leave the house.

I bought mine when I broke a foot and was laid up in bed a lot.  I actually got dehydrated because room temperature water isn't appealing to me.  I put mine on the bathroom counter, with the drain next to the sink.  I found myself drinking a lot more water.

I do not recommend tap water.  This latest one even states that and recommends filtered water.  My first one recommended
distilled water, which is a pain.  But, distilled water keeps the water basin cleaner and you get crystal clear ice.  I use distilled when I can and highly filtered water otherwise.  I use a whole house filter, another one under the sink and a twin carbon/sediment filter unit.  I replaced the sink sprayer with a water tap.  I then use a large Braun water pitcher to transport filtered water to the bedroom's bathroom.  This sounds like over-kill, but you didn't see the inside of a water pipe I replaced when I did the plumbing for the whole house filter.  This is off topic, but add a whole house filter.  Use a White (rope style) sediment filter.  Then take a look at it two weeks later!  There is rust in my incoming water from old pipes in the subdivision's water system.  What I saw in my pipe, was a black goo on the inside of the pipe, reducing the diameter by one half!  This was a 1971 pipe.  I wish I could afford to re-pipe my entire house.

Final word:  For the price, I still feel this is a good value ice maker of reasonable quality, considering the lower quality of most products these days.  I will probably fix the other one to give to my Mom.  This unit has a plastic ice bin and a plastic scoop, but even my old ones haven't cracked.  The ice bin is rather small and fills up quickly.  So, if you need a lot of ice for a party, dump the ice into a cooler so it can make more.

There are LEDs to tell you when the ice bin is full and when you need to add water.  Sometimes mine came on when nothing is wrong.  I ignored it and it kept making ice.  My old unit had a rod that the ice bin's right side rested on.  Removing the bin and putting it back in would usually reset the ice light.  This new one doesn't have that moving rod to sense the weight of the bin.  It does have a metal probe at the top of the ice bin.  I suspect this is a thermistor, which is essentially an electronic thermometer.  This is a smarter way to accomplish the same thing and I believe it will eliminate the false ICE light readings.

So,it seems Emerson has listened to user inputs.  That is a good sign that if you buy one it will really be "New and Improved!"  It is also a very good sign that Emerson acted on what needed to be improved.